City committee approves travel plans for Inverness.
Members of The Highland Council’s City of Inverness Area Committee have approved three plans that will greatly improve sustainable, active and safer travel opportunities for the people of Inverness and wider area.
The committee has:
The City of Inverness is one of four UK cities taking part in a European Commission funded project called QUEST. The other participating cities are Bath, Milton Keynes and Blackburn. As a requirement of participating in QUEST, The Highland Council has developed a Sustainable Transport Action Plan - with partners HITRANS - which members have approved.
The plan addresses various opportunities covering: travel structures and communications; public transport; parking and traffic management; and walking and cycling. Some of the actions included in the plan could see:
Members also approved the construction of an active travel route for cyclists along Millburn Road which will tie in with the construction of the Inverness Campus to city centre route via the new ‘Golden’ bridge over the A9. This £388,000 project is being funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), developer contributions, and HITRANS. The works are proposed to begin in October 2013 with completion before or by 31 March 2014.
For the safety of pupils and families of Glenurquhart Primary School - members have approved a £7,500 Safer Routes to School contribution towards an estimated £15,000 project to install a zebra crossing on the A831. Aird and Loch Ness Ward members have already agreed to contribute £7,500 for this project from the Ward Discretionary fund.
Also as part of the Safer Routes to Schools Scheme, members approved a £15,000 contribution towards an estimated £25,000 project to develop 65m new footpath over a disused Railway Bridge linking Burnside Drive, Westhill with the existing footpath at Kenneth Place, Smithton. In addition to improving the safety of pupils walking and cycling to and from Smithton Primary School the wider community will also benefit from the project. The scheme will be subject to planning consent and a legal bridge agreement with Network Rail and land owners.
Leader of the City of Inverness Area, Councillor Ian Brown welcomed the projects, he said: “We are creating great opportunities for the people of Inverness to take part in sustainable and active travel. We are looking not only to the future sustainability of our City but are also investing in the health of our residents. Many of the excellent projects that will develop out of today’s decisions will have long term consequences for the future transport, health and safety of people in Inverness and its wider area.”
Leader of The Highland Council, Councillor Drew Hendry added: “These projects support the Council’s long term commitment to create a Carbon Neutral Inverness in a Low Carbon Highlands; known as Carbon CLEVER Highlands by 2025. Any way in which we can encourage more people to walk and cycle more and to leave the car at home is welcome as part of our Carbon CLEVER commitments.”