Cyclists and walkers in the West Midlands were celebrating yesterday after a national scheme to improve and create pedestrian and cycling links won a £50 million lottery jackpot.
Sustrans' "Connect2" project to transform local travel - which includes six schemes in the West Midlands - won the public vote in the Big Lottery Fund's "The People's £50 Million" contest.
The sustainable transport plans got the popular vote in the phone-in competition ahead of three competitors, including a proposal for a £100 million Black Country Urban Park.
Urban Park organisers have proposed an ambitious scheme for an environmental 'revolution' across Dudley, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Sandwell. It includes the unveiling of forgotten caverns beneath Dudley, a 12-mile "green bridge" park linking Walsall and West Bromwich town centres, an inspirational visitors' centre at Barr Beacon and widespread regeneration of Wolverhampton's canal network.
Yesterday they said the development would still be going ahead, albeit at a slower pace now the £50 million lottery funding had not been secured, and they were looking for different sources of funding.
Sarah Middleton, chief executive of the Black Country Consortium that led the joint bid, said: "It is a disappointment but the project will go ahead, it just won't happen as quickly as if we had the £50 million from the Big Lottery Fund.
"This has been an extremely worthwhile venture. The Black Country has gained national recognition for its outstanding industrial heritage, its world-leading geology and the opportunities presented by its unrivalled network of canals and green spaces.
"Perhaps more importantly, it has brought so many people and diverse groups together in pursuit of a common cause, something we hope to build on as we go forward.
"So we will take a quick breath and move on. We will shortly be announcing the next steps in achieving Black Country as an Urban Park."
Local authorities were still committed to supporting the plan, and the Consortium would be working with potential major future funders including the Heritage Lottery Fund and Advantage West Midlands, she added.
The other two finalists were the Eden Project biodomes in Cornwall and the Sherwood: Living Legend project in Nottingham.
Sustrans chief executive John Grimshaw said the Connect2 project would transform travel in many parts of the UK.
There are six individual Connect2 projects in the West Midlands which will open up new parts of the region to cyclists and pedestrians in North Birmingham, Rugby, Kenil-worth, Worcester, Shrewsbury and Hereford.
Nationally, the project will see 54 new walking and cycling bridges built, 58 more renewed or restored, and even the reinstatement of a ferry line in Northumberland, giving people easier and healthier access to their schools, workplaces, shops, parks and countryside.
"We are immensely grateful to everyone who got behind Connect2 to make their votes count," said Mr Grimshaw. "As a massive public consultation exercise Connect2 has engendered a huge amount of goodwill from all sectors. It has confirmed our belief that people want to walk and cycle more when given the right surroundings.
"But the hard work starts now and there will be a huge amount to be done to make sure we fulfil all our obligations to the Big Lottery Fund. Ultimately the real winners will be those thousands of people who will now be able to Connect2 their shops, schools, workplaces and each other every day."
The Connect2 project will begin in January, with local authorities matching the money won from the lottery giveaway.
