Businesses and organisations across Greater Manchester are being encouraged to apply for funds to enable sustainable travel for staff, customers and visitors.
Following an initial launch last year, so far 45 small businesses and organisations across Greater Manchester, including schools, GP surgeries and housing associations, have secured funding through grants totalling £265,000.
The second tranche of funding is now open and businesses and organisations in the city-region are being encouraged to apply for funds. The funding package is made up of two pots, including:
- Business support grants for active travel facilities – A £140,000 pot to support employers to provide interventions such as cycle parking, pool bikes and changing or storage solutions that enable staff to adopt active travel modes, including walking, running and cycling, for their journeys to and from work. Grants of up to £10,000 per application are available for workplaces with fewer than 250 staff on site.
- Cycle parking grants – A £370,000 pot to help provide public cycle parking for small businesses/organisations, NHS, housing associations and schools located within one of the 13 geographical areas within Greater Manchester identified as having the greatest potential for increases in walking and cycling trips. Grants of up to £10,000 per application are available.
Richard Nickson, programme director for cycling and walking at Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “The funding is a great opportunity for businesses to embed smarter ways of commuting as well as having tangible health, wellbeing and productivity benefits for staff.
“I’d encourage people to find out more about the available funding and what you can be doing for your staff, suppliers and customers.”
Alongside the extra funding being delivered to support active travel, an interactive online portal provides a range of advice and resources, including a live chat function, to support business and employers in travel planning and options for encouraging and embedding sustainable transport. This includes options that support flexible working practices and take the pressure off the traditional peak times.
