A total of 39 projects have won £155m from the DfT as part of the first allocation from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. They cover eight regions and a total of 37 local authorities, with many more as partners.

All have been judged to be effective against the fund’s two key objectives of creating growth and cutting carbon and include a variety of measures such as the promotion of infrastructure for electric vehicles and car-sharing.

Successful bids include:
• South Yorkshire, where there are plans to introduce a "wheels to work" scheme to help those in the most isolated areas get to work by bike, scooter or electric scooter, as well as new cycle infrastructure and a "Jobconnector" bus service to provide access to a new employment site.

• Oxford, where the council plans to support economic growth and development in the town centre by expanding the park and ride scheme, while introducing a single integrated smart card for car parking, buses and cycle hire.

• Stratford upon Avon, where plans include a new rail station and supporting train services; park and ride bus service enhancement and a walking and cycling facility to link the station with key residential and employment areas.

• Hampshire, where there are plans for a package of measures including car sharing, electric vehicle charging posts and improvement to bus services, by providing better information and ticketing using a smart phone application.

Transport Minister Norman Baker said: 'I am delighted to be able to fund these excellent projects. All the winning schemes have one thing in common – they will help build strong local economies while addressing the urgent challenge of climate change.

'We have empowered local authorities to create packages of sustainable initiatives that are tailored for their local areas, and this is only the beginning – even more funding will be announced next summer following a second round of bids.'