Funding for Active Travel Infrastructure Projects: FOI release

Information requested

On 15 May 2025, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport publicly announced ‘over £26m of  funding for active travel infrastructure projects'.

This link on the Transport Scotland lists a number of supported projects; https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/over-26-million-for-active-travel-infrastructure-projects/. 

Can I please ask the following? How was this funding allocated to each of the supported projects? For example, how much funding did ‘Connecting Yorkhill & Kelvingrove Phase 1’ receive and so on? I’d also like to know how many total applications were received for this funding stream and how these were distributed across the country, i.e. how many from each of the local authorities (e.g Aberdeen City £x, Aberdeenshire Council £x and so on), how many from each of the regional transport partnerships, from each of the national parks and other relevant public bodies.

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. This is because we are finalising details in connection with the Raigmore Interchange project in The Highland Council region, Fife Council’s Levenmouth – River Park Route Phase 1 and 2 project, and Argyll and Bute Council’s Bowmore to Bridgend Phase 1 Active Travel Path project. Therefore, funding allocations are not included in Table 3 at this time.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested.

I have enclosed most of the information you requested.

The Active Travel Infrastructure Fund (ATIF) Tier 2 closed to applications in February 2024. Local Authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships applied for funding for construction-ready projects. None of the National Park Authorities applied to this funding. A total of 69 applications were received, with funding requests amounting to nearly £60m for 2024-25.

ATIF Tier 2 Assessment Criteria

In order to access the funding, applicants must meet several key criteria including:

• Assessment Criteria – This is based on the following: modal shift, integration, safety and security, access to schools and other key destinations, deprivation, community severance and value for money.
• Project Overview – Applications must provide key project information. This information is collated to understand the scope, funding requested, geographic location, construction costs, match funding (if applicable), scheme length, scheme duration and start and end dates at a minimum.
• Deliverability – The assessment takes into consideration detailed design drawings (including Design Review submission as part of Appendix A of the Cycling by Design guidance) Bills of Quantities/Cost Estimate, Impact assessments, Programmes and further criteria.

All applications are assessed by independent technical advisors to facilitate the decision making process and to ensure a fair geographical distribution of funding. The process also considers a regional balance during the assessment process based on the Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification. Funding is awarded to applications that align with the specified criteria and perform strongly in the assessment process. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the organisations submitting applications to submit high-quality submissions to enhance the likelihood of securing funding for that area. 

The number of ATIF Tier 2 applications received from Local Authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships, along with the total funding requested, is presented in Table 1 below:

Table 1: ATIF Tier 2 applications received from Local Authorities/Regional Transport Partnerships

Local Authority/Regional Transport Partnership	Number Of Applications Received in 2024-25	Funding Request For All Projects (£)
Aberdeen City Council	1	7,719,473
Argyll and Bute Council	2	2,219,428
City of Edinburgh Council	8	6,799,945
Clackmannanshire Council	1	400,000
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	3	1,040,000
Dundee City Council	2	2,345,200
East Ayrshire Council	1	1,320,000
East Dunbartonshire Council	2	1,550,000
East Lothian Council	3	3,100,000
East Renfrewshire Council	1	1,200,000
Fife Council	1	2,020,000
Glasgow City Council	6	5,932,200
HITRANS	3	780,000
Inverclyde Council	4	1,037,189
Midlothian Council	4	887,924
Moray Council	1	121,323
North Ayrshire Council	6	4,315,000
North Lanarkshire Council	1	420,000
Orkney Islands Council	1	200,000
Renfrewshire Council	2	2,608,487
Scottish Borders Council	1	300,000
Shetland Islands Council, Roads Service	1	352,634
South Ayrshire Council	3	3,458,000
South Lanarkshire Council	1	271,421
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT)	1	405,000
SWestrans	1	1,400,000
The Highland Council	6	6,201,254
ZetTrans	2	125,943
Total	69	58,530,421

A full list of successful awards, by Local Authority/Regional Transport Partnership, project name and grant amount, that received funding from the £10 million ATIF Tier 2 allocation for 2024-25, as announced on 8 October 2024, is presented in Table 2 below: 

Table 2: ATIF Tier 2 projects funded in 2024-25

Local Authority/Regional Transport Partnership	Project Funded in 2024-25	Grant Award 2024-25 (£)
Argyll and Bute Council	Rosneath Cyclepath Phase 2	259,950
City of Edinburgh Council	Leith Connections	2,050,000
City of Edinburgh Council	Deanhaugh/Leslie/Haugh Street junction improvements	200,000
Clackmannanshire Council	Encouraging Safe Active Travel (Alva to Tillicoultry)	570,000
Dundee City Council	Bell Street 'Green Transport Hub' - Active Travel Gateway Connections	1,645,200
East Dunbartonshire Council	A807 Active Travel Corridor	656,000
Glasgow City Council	Connecting Woodside St Georges Rd/Charing X	400,000
Inverclyde Council	Improvements to Existing Costal Path Past Tesco's Port Glasgow	296,000
Midlothian Council	Easthouses Primary School Crossings and Shared-Use Provision	485,138
Midlothian Council	Carlops Road Crossing Facility and Junction Improvements	140,975
Midlothian Council	Sherwood Crescent, Bonnyrigg: Traffic calming and crossing provision	126,949
Moray Council	A96 to Elgin Academy/ Bishopmill Primary School Priority Cycle Track at Side Roads	168,121
North Ayrshire Council	North Crescent Coastal Path Phase 2, Ardrossan	305,000
North Ayrshire Council	McGavin Park, Kilwinning	80,000
North Lanarkshire Council	Motherwell Train Station	420,000
Orkney Islands Council	Weyland Bay Coastal Path, Kirkwall	200,000
Scottish Borders Council	Tweedbank Railway Station to Melrose Active Travel Corridor	300,000
South Ayrshire Council	A759 Dundonald Junction Improvements	80,000
South Ayrshire Council	Dundonald to Barassie Active Travel Route	350,000
South Lanarkshire Council	Hairmyres Transport Interchange - Active Travel Network	272,000
SWestrans	Penpont to Thornhill Active Travel Route	420,000
The Highland Council	Wick Street Design	314,315
Total		9,739,648

A full list of successful awards, by Local Authority/Regional Transport Partnership, project name and grant amount, that received funding from the over £26 million ATIF Tier 2 allocation for 2025-26, as announced on 15 May 2025, is presented in Table 3 below: 

Table 3: ATIF Tier 2 projects funded in 2025-26

Local Authority	Projects Funded in 2025-26	Grant Award 2025-26 (£)
Argyll and Bute Council	Bowmore to Bridgend Phase 1 Active Travel Path	TBC
City of Edinburgh Council	Leith Connections	2,230,000
City of Edinburgh Council	Corstorphine Connections	149,000
City of Edinburgh Council	One Way Streets Exemptions for Cyclists (OWSE)	160,000
City of Edinburgh Council	Dropped Kerbs Programme	280,000
East Dunbartonshire Council	Lennoxtown Sustainable Transport Project	1,020,000
East Lothian Council	Transforming Wallyford Toll Roundabout for Walking and Cycling	1,152,400
East Lothian Council	Dunbar Railway Station Southern Access	577,000
Fife Council	Levenmouth - River Park Route Phase 1 and 2	TBC
Glasgow City Council	Connecting Yorkhill & Kelvingrove Phase 1	1,460,000
Glasgow City Council	Connecting Woodside St George’s Road/Charing Cross	991,700
Glasgow City Council	Flourishing Molendinar Phase 1	806,000
Glasgow City Council	Dumbreck Active Travel Route	622,300
Renfrewshire Council	Gallowhill Link	1,503,200
Shetland Islands Council	Bells Brae Traffic Calming Project	95,200
South Ayrshire Council	Dundonald to Barassie Active Travel Route	2,700,000
The Highland Council	Culbokie Active Travel Village	1,422,000
The Highland Council	Wick Street Design	2,165,000
The Highland Council	Raigmore Interchange	TBC

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