Greens want Highland transport strategy to concentrate on 20-minute neighbourhoods
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Highland Greens wants a transport strategy for the region to make greener travel the more 'natural' choice.
Greens have called for measures to minimise travel as part of their response to a draft transport strategy for the Highlands. Drawn up by Highland transport partnership HiTrans a finalised strategy will cover the Highland, Moray, Western Isles and Orkney council areas as well as most of Argyll and Bute.
Setting a strategic framework for the next 20 years HiTrans is under a statutory duty to produce a finished plan and, as the first step towards this, has looked to establish a "case for change", identifying the transport challenges for the area.
Responding to that, Highlands and Islands Greens (H&IGP) say that minimising the need to travel is at the heart of their thinking.
Anne Thomas, H&IGP co-convenor, said: “Fundamental to achieving the objective of minimising the need to travel is for all towns and smaller communities in the region to comprise ‘20-minute neighbourhoods’.
“20-minute neighbourhoods are complete, compact and connected communities, in which most if not all key services are provided within walking or cycling distance of someone’s home.
"These services can include parks, public parks and gardens; allotments; repair cafés; libraries; community and sports halls; as well as schools, shops, doctors and dentists.
“An additional integral part of achieving 20-minute neighbourhoods is the provision of dedicated cross-community cycle-ways.
“By providing convenient and attractive services ‘on the doorstep’, 20-minute neighbourhoods offer economic benefits, by reducing the costs of travel; social benefits by helping to develop communities; and environmental benefits by lessening the need to travel and so reduce vehicle emissions."
The Greens' response adds: "The report makes a solid case for active travel to figure strongly in the final strategy.
"We would welcome seeing that emphasis directed towards providing dedicated active travel networks within towns and other communities, to maximise their attractiveness and therefore use (ie to reflect the importance of making active travel, when appropriate, the ‘natural’ choice of transport."
The idea of an integrated transport hub for Inverness, better connecting the city's bus and railway stations, has been an aspiration for many years and the Greens call for plans for this to be published "as soon as possible".
They also want a "light-rail shuttle service" to run between the city centre and Inverness Campus with the latter being at the heart of perhaps the fastest growing area of the city.
On the issue of park and ride the council is attacked for a measure "figured repeatedly" in development plans but "yet to materialise".
Greens suggest Tore, Balloch and the Canal Park as good locations for park and ride facilities.
On ferries they propose a year-round extension for the currently seasonal service between Cromarty and Nigg.
"There is a strong case for the Cromarty Nigg Ferry being run all year round to provide a commuting option from the Black Isle for jobs in Nigg and Invergordon which are projected to expand," the response states.
"The passenger ferries, if linked with buses on either side, could be promoted to tourists rather than encouraging them to take cars across."
HiTrans is now working on an options appraisal to properly develop options for the finalised strategy.
