Healthcare and climate campaigners come out in favour of Academy Street plans
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Highland Healthcare for Climate Action has said that they stand firmly behind the proposals to change Academy Street saying that “a healthy city centre is healthy for individuals and for business.”
The group is made up of healthcare professionals working in the Highlands who promote climate and health advocacy – they argue that current conditions on Academy Street are “not healthy for individuals, nor for the environment.”
They cite the “significant health problems” caused by air pollution underlining that “we should all be striving for a thriving, healthy community” and that “should result in increased footfall and ultimately should be beneficial to shops and businesses.”
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In a statement to the Inverness Courier they said: “As a group of healthcare professionals in NHS Highland, we welcome the proposals to reduce through traffic on Academy Street, and to make the street easier for the movement of pedestrians, wheelers and cyclists.
“The current state is not healthy for individuals, nor for the environment. Academy street has consistently had high levels of air pollution recorded, and this is an area that pedestrians, wheelers and cyclists need to move through to access various parts of the town centre.
“Air pollution is now a recognised cause of significant health problems, including respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and eye problems, and we welcome the move to reduce air pollution in the city centre, where multiple people are visiting.
“The Highland Council also needs to facilitate a move away from individual car transport where possible, and for people to use active and public modes of transport.
“This is essential for mitigation of the climate crisis, which poses a significant public health problem. These plans are a step in the right direction. We hope that the Council also recognises that these works must not be carried out in isolation, and that there needs to be significant work carried out in improving access to services by improving public and active transport networks, and ensuring that traffic reduction works in some areas do not lead to displaced traffic into other areas.
“We should all be striving for a thriving, healthy community, which includes attention to the climate crisis. A thriving, healthy city centre should result in increased footfall and ultimately should be beneficial to shops and businesses.
“This model has been followed in other cities, with a marked beneficial impact for all.”
