7. To ask the Scottish Government how it supports people in making sustainable travel choices. (S5O-04402)

We have clearly set out our sustainable travel hierarchy within the national transport strategy to promote walking, cycling and public transport in preference to single-occupancy car use. The Covid-19 emergency does not change our advocacy of the hierarchy. We have continued to invest in active, public and shared transport solutions, which provide healthy and environmentally friendly journey alternatives to single-occupancy car journeys. Local authorities have embraced the new £30 million spaces for people programme to deliver bold and ambitious temporary active travel measures to allow people to physically distance while travelling or exercising.

We know that people should not be travelling long distances for leisure or exercise at this stage, but how is the Scottish Government engaging with local authorities to encourage more people to take up active travel, particularly given its benefits to physical and mental health and the environment?

Mr Dornan raises an important issue. The Scottish Government is grant funding Sustrans Scotland to deliver the places for everyone cycling and walking infrastructure programme, in partnership with local authorities across the country. We have repurposed £30 million of the budget to deliver the spaces for people fund, to help local authorities to change street layouts and support physical distancing during the transition out of the Covid-19 lockdown. As of 9 June, 30 of the 32 local authorities have inquired about or made claims to the fund, and 26 awards, worth more than £16 million, have been made to 17 local authorities.

Sustrans is also supporting 10 local authorities on 20 live or proposed projects. The majority of that support is around design and community engagement issues.