TRANSPORT bosses in York are set to step up their bid for up to £5 million in Government cash to help keep cycling schemes running in the city.

The money is being made available through the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF), and City of York Council is looking at making an application as Cycling City York funding comes to an end.

The authority’s executive member for city strategy, Coun Steve Galloway, will next week decide whether to push ahead a bid for a share of the fund after officers said the chances of success will be increased if it is submitted early.

The Cycling City scheme has seen York receive £3.68 million from the Government over the last three years to improve and develop facilities aimed at getting more people to choose bikes ahead of cars, with the council being among its partners.

A report by the programme’s manager Graham Titchener, which will go before next week’s meeting, said talks were also being staged between the authority and its neighbouring councils in North and East Yorkshire about the possibility of a further bid, which could include new ticketing and information systems for public transport networks.

“For York, £5 million would go a significant way, as has been proven in the Cycling City York programme,” said the report.

“The LSTF funds would represent a significant investment to take York further forward in developing a more sustainable city, which is critical for its continued success and growth, without which the momentum of previous works may only just be maintained at best.

“A key consideration is that the quicker local highway authorities can get their bid submitted, the better chance it has, and York is in a better position than most to put in a bid building on recent work.”

Mr Titchener also said discussions about potential transport schemes and where the money could be found to pay for them had been held with council officials in York’s German twin city Munster, as securing European Union funding would improve the chances of a successful LSTF bid.

The Press reported earlier this month how businesses throughout York are being urged to lobby the Government in support of an application for transport funding.