Record number of cycling trips recorded on Millburn Road Cycle Route in Inverness
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This year’s total for the Millburn Road Cycle Route, which links the city centre, Inverness Campus, Beechwood Business Park and Raigmore, has hit the 100,000 mark.
It is the first time the milestone has been reached since the installation of a counter in 2014 – and represents a 30 per cent increase over the last four years.
Numbers have risen from 72,469 in 2015 and the total by the end of this year is expected to rise to 104,000.
The news has been welcomed by active travel campaigners who say it reflects a push to encourage more people to beat congestion and help their fitness and the environment by taking to their bikes.
The figure was revealed as transport partnership Hitrans and Highland Council develop plans to keep Inverness at the forefront of active travel, through projects such as the creation of the Inverness Active Travel Network and the production of an active travel map for the city.
Ranald Robertson, director of Hitrans, said the data was very encouraging.
“It demonstrates that more
and more people are making smarter travel choices,” he said.
“This can only be good news in benefiting people’s health, reducing traffic congestion and reducing our carbon footprint.
“We are working extremely hard with our council partners in the Highlands and Islands, Transport Scotland and Sustrans to promote active travel.”
Fiona McInally, the council’s Inverness active travel network manager, said: “It is very encouraging to see the significant rise in cycle journeys on Millburn Road and I am sure that this increase is reflected on other active travel routes in the city,” she said.
“Our city is roughly five miles wide, which is the ideal length for an active daily commute.”
Vikki Trelfer, Hitrans active travel officer, has produced an updated active travel map for Inverness and is working on maps for other main communities in the Highlands and Islands.
“Promoting the benefits of cycling and investing in infrastructure will be a key part of achieving our goal of becoming a low carbon Highlands by 2025,” she said.
The Millburn Road counter, which works through a pair of sensors embedded in the cycle path, counts each bicycle passing over them and displays the date, temperature, number of cyclists passing on the day and the total for the year.
