Green transport brings 100 jobs to Lake District

Plans to turn parts of the Lake District into a 'hub for sustainable transport' will bring 100 new jobs to the area, Cumbria County Council said.

The £5m government project has gained another £2m from operators in the area, bringing the budget to £6.9m.

The four year plan will see new public transport and better traffic management to tackle congestion, the council said.

It is hoped that the shift towards more sustainable transport will save more than 11,000 tonnes of CO2 in 2015.

The project will target the 15.8m annual visitors to the Lake District National Park as they are responsible for three quarters of all carbon emissions, the county council said.

Electric bikes

Cumbria councillor Tim Knowles said: "Cumbria has done brilliantly in being one of just 39 projects nationally to secure government funding.

"This money will allow us to work with the Lake District National Park Authority to make the Lakes a truly pioneering hub of sustainable transport and encourage a change in the way people visit and travel around the Lakes.

"We have an exciting four years ahead in delivering this innovative carbon reduction project and improving the lives of residents of the Lakes while at the same time improving the visitor experience."

The money will be spent on joining up passenger transport services, creating safe networks for walking, cycling and wheelchair use and also developing a system of pay-as-you-go electric bikes and low-carbon vehicles for hire.

It will take place across the tourist hot spots of Windermere, Bowness, Coniston, Ambleside, Grasmere and Kendal.