Pedal to the metal for Active Travel Routes in Fort William
New plans to improve active travel routes for residents in Fort William were approved by members yesterday at the Lochaber Area Committee.
Yesterday’s report presented members with the updated Fort William Active Travel Masterplan, which identifies specific interventions and estimated costs to improve Active Travel routes in and around the town.
These have identified prioritised action plans in each location which will serve as a framework for future investment and new development.
The identification of active travel networks enables a broad range of users, including those who walk, wheel or cycle.
Members were asked to note the recent policies that identify walking, wheeling and cycling at the top of the sustainable transport hierarchy. They also approved the use of the Fort William Active Travel masterplan as a material consideration when dealing with development proposals and as a supporting document for funding bids.
They also agreed to delegate Highland Council’s Executive Chief Officer for Infrastructure and Environment to liaise with other bodies, including Transport Scotland, with a view to identifying funding opportunities and a delivery programme to target early improvements across the Fort William active travel network.
The Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan report of 2018 highlights its commitment to building an Active Nation and has doubled its active travel spend since 2018/19.
Richard Gerring, Transport Planning Manager at Highland Council, said: “There are many benefits of active travel. It is good for individual health and can reduce national health spending, it is a cheaper form of transport, can help the shift to low carbon travel, improve air quality and can produce an increase in productivity and footfall in town centres and other locations.”
He added: “The approval by the Committee means there is now a strategy in place to enable the Council, Transport Scotland and others to take forward the adopted sustainable transport hierarchy now adopted within the National Transport Strategy”.
Fort William’s identified Active Travel Network consists of seven key routes, and the report identifies specific interventions and estimated costs to improve these routes for pedestrians and cyclists.
Route 1 – Fort William Spine Route (est. £3,768,214)
Route 2 – Torlundy Spur (est. £115,092)
Route 3 – Retail Park Links (est. £401,264)
Route 4 – College Link (est. £380,160)
Route 5 – Caol Links (est. £962,041)
Route 6 – Upper Achintore Links (est. £844,632)
Route 7 – Outer Orbital Route: A82 and A833 (est. £7,171,668)
The final report of the Fort William Active Travel Masterplan is now complete, and a summary of the report can be viewed on the HITRANS website and will also be uploaded to the Council web site:
Through funding from Hitrans the original Travel Audits and Masterplans for seven settlements across the region to establish a network of Active Travel routes.