Inverness community looks at ways of getting more residents walking and cycling
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Consultants have been appointed to help inform active travel plans for a large swathe of Inverness.
The West of the Ness Active Travel Group have appointed Inverness-based Alan Jones Associates to collate information and survey people across the area on where walking and wheeling areas should be introduced and improved.
The area is bordered by the Caledonian Canal in the west and the River Ness in the east and includes Ballifeary, Dalneigh and Merkinch.
The scheme was originally planned by women who had difficulties in getting to and from school, the shops or work without using a car – and now includes a steering group from a broad spectrum of the community including the five main schools in the area.
Helen Smith, who is the chairwoman of Ballifeary Community Council, said: “The whole scheme came about after Sustrans, a sustainable active travel charity, connected three community councils who were worried about similar issues.
“Those connections led us to put in an application to the Places for Everyone funding stream to look at a community survey.
“This is the first stage, and we have around £50,000 worth of funding. It will see people discussing and being interviewed about the area that we live in and what will make it more sustainable for active travel in the area.
“This can be anything that matters to people. For example in Ballifeary in the winter we have difficulty in walking on the pavements which means we might need to revert to using a car for a short journey. However, we introduced a pavement gritting scheme that meant we all helped in making sure the street was gritted on icy days and we could still walk to school.
“We are interested in what gets in the way of people actively getting out and about around the area. It might be that areas are not signposted, or ways to walk or cycle or wheel are not easy to access.
“The next stage will begin to look at the equipment or work that we need to do to make the area more accessible.”
Sjoerd Tel, infrastructure co-ordinator for Sustrans, said: “This is an ambitious project that deserves all the support it can get.
“In time, there will be further opportunities for the local communities to participate in this, helping the team to focus on those streets that need changes for walking and cycling the most.”
