Stoneyfield active travel route opens
Cllrs Isabelle Mackenzie and Trish Robertson are pictured with council officials involved in the project and representatives from Sustrans, the Inverness Shopping Centre Retail Park and the Holiday Inn to officially open the new route.
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A new bridge and footpath linking the Inverness Shopping Centre Park and nearby businesses, including two hotels has been officially opened.
The project at Stoneyfield has been funded by using developer contributions matched by funding from the Scottish Government through Sustrans’ Community Links award scheme and is part of a network of new routes across the city aimed at encouraging people to walk and cycle as they go about their daily lives.
After cutting a ribbon to officially open the route, Councillor Trish Robertson, Vice Chair of the Highland Council’s Environment, Development and Infrastructure committee said: “This new network linking commercial and leisure businesses is a relatively small project with a big impact. It is part of the jigsaw bringing together a network of Active Travel community links as the East area of Inverness develops. I think it is a great example of how private money can be invested into the local community to bring real benefit to people. It’s a huge asset and I am sure it will be well used by anyone staying in the hotels to get to the cinema and other facilities at the retail park.”
Inverness Millburn Ward Councillor Isabelle Mackenzie wants to emphasis the safety aspect of the new route. She said: “We want to actively promote people to walk and cycle more but before this new pathway and bridge were built, anyone wishing to access the retail park from the hotels and local businesses and visa- versa would have had to walk or cycle right beside the very busy A96 road. This new route is safe to use both day and night and, as it also goes on to link with the route to the campus, opens up new active travel opportunities.”
The route is already proving to be popular with walkers and cyclists.
Sustrans Community Links manager Dave Keane said: “We are pleased to have been able to work with the developers at Stoneyfield and with the Highland Council to continue to add another new link to Inverness’ growing number walking and cycling routes. We are looking forward to continue helping to develop new routes around Inverness and the Highlands.”
The work was carried out by MM Miller and was project managed by the Council’s Project Design Unit.
Inverness Shopping Centre Park Retail Manager Jamie Turner who joined the Councillors, council officials and representatives from the Holiday Inn and Sustrans for the official opening added: “This is a fabulous addition providing great connectivity. It gives an extra boost to the Park as it makes both daytime and night-time access from the nearby hotels easier and safer for walkers and cyclists and encourages people to get more active.”