NEW government funding secured by Exmoor National Park will boost active travel routes across the landscape.

Special government funding provided by Active Travel England will support Exmoor National Park Authority (ENPA) in improving the infrastructure for walking, cycling and any active travel in and around the National Park.

Following consultation with local communities and visitors, the ENPA will develop some of the ideas and aspirations into detailed plans – ready to submit for future funding bids.

The Exmoor National Park Authority is working on this project with the active travel teams from Somerset Council and Devon County Council along with other key stakeholders.

Access and recreation manager for Exmoor National Park, Dan Barnett, said: “We are interested in all kinds of journeys, whether going to school, the shops or the doctors, or visiting a popular spot to enjoy some leisure time.

“People may want to think about roads, paths within villages or our public rights of way network. We can look at ideas within the National Park and routes to the Park from nearby settlements."

Boosting active travel can include improving link paths within villages, improving a road crossing to make it safer for walkers or horse riders to cross, or the implementation of a new cycle route suitable for families or less confident cyclists.

The benefits to the scheme to improve active travel include improved health and well-being, reduced air pollution, safer streets and less traffic congestion.

A representative of ENPA said: “We want to be sure that everyone who does, or might want to, travel around Exmoor gets the opportunity to feed in, regardless of their background or interests.”

A consultation is being run online on the ‘Active Travel Page’ of the Exmoor National Park website.

Through the consultation, people can add ideas and suggestions to a map and complete a survey to share their thoughts.

The information gathered from the consultation will enable the ENPA to prioritise future active travel projects when funding becomes available.

Ideas must be submitted by November 22, with results and proposed plans being released early next year.