June 28 2012.

Newhaven and Lewes are to benefit from nearly £4million of investment in sustainable transport after local MP and Transport Minister Norman Baker announced the successful bids in the latest round of the government's Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

The funding announced by Mr Baker equates to an award of £3.77million - with £1.571million for Lewes and £2.206million for two East Sussex Coastal Towns Newhaven and Eastbourne. The aim of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund is to encourage growth and cut carbon. Locally, the successful bids will focus on providing low carbon alternatives to short car commuting.

The Coastal Towns bid, which will benefit Newhaven, includes cash for cycle parking improvements, a new community rail partnership line for Brighton and Seaford, Let's Get Moving cycle training for adults and Wheels to Work & Education initiatives. The bid aims to reduce vehicle miles by 6,782,933 vehicle miles and reduce carbon emissions by 8,552 tonnes.

Norman says: "I am very pleased to have been able to announce the last of the successful bids to the Local Sustainable Transport Fund on behalf of the government and very pleased that Newhaven and Lewes will benefit from it. Lewes will see tangible improvements to cycle and walking accessibility as a result of the LSTF, and a reduction in traffic. Newhaven, through the Coastal Towns bid, will see new cycle initiatives and support to get people onto more sustainable forms of transport.

"The Lib Dems have long supported a modal shift to sustainable transportation and now, in government, we are delivering on that."