The county council, in partnership with Oxford City Council, has received £500,000 to support Oxford becoming a zero emission transport city.

The Department for Transport invited cities, who are keen to decarbonise their transportation systems and make zero emission travel more accessible, to apply for funding.

The county council was selected because of its commitment to bike lanes, an all-electric bus fleet, restrictions that discourage petrol and diesel vehicles and initiatives increasing the use of electric cargo bikes (e-cargo) and vans to make deliveries.

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Bill Cotton, corporate director for environment and place at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Oxfordshire county council has got ambitious plans to move towards a zero carbon transport system. We have already launched the country’s first zero emission zone and are proposing other transport schemes to reduce the need to travel by car.

“We are delighted that the government is supportive of our plans. This funding will help us to continue to improve infrastructure for walking, cycling, buses and trains to support healthy living and give equal access to travel.”

As part of the bid, the county council has committed to delivering a range of activities from spring to autumn 2022, including a pilot of e-cargo bikes for deliveries, the development of designs for key cycle corridors in central Oxfordshire and the delivery of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme (ZEBRA).

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