Councillors move on transport study
Lochaber councillors have agreed to ask Scotland’s transport minister Michael Matheson MSP for Transport Scotland to take the lead on the first stage of an appraisal for the Fort William Strategic Transport Study and to complete it within six months.
Members of the Lochaber Area Committee last week approved the submission of a joint letter from the partner organisations (Highland Council, Hitrans - Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership - and Highlands and Islands Enterprise) on the matter.
Fort William, a town of 10,300, with many more times this number of people visiting during the year, has significant transport problems. Journey times are variable and roads are affect- ed by seasonal congestion and vulnerable to road closures and delays as a result of traffic collisions or roadworks.
The public transport network is limited with poor bus accessibility and declining services and limited rail network connections. The Strategic Transport Study (Pre-Appraisal) commissioned by the partners focussed on establishing evidence for problems and issues linked to transport in a specific area or corridor and identifying opportunities and constraints in the future and influence the development of solutions. The council says significant engagement with local communities has taken place to date.
Chairman of Lochaber Area Committee Councillor Andrew Baxter, Independent, Fort William and Ardnamurchan, said: ‘Fort William is an increasingly popular tourist destination and we have huge potential for broadening our economic growth in the future. Our transport network is crucial to this,’ he commented.
Chairman of Hitrans, Councillor Allan Henderson, Independent, Caol and Mallaig, added: ‘I would like to thank everyone involved in the pre-appraisal and bringing the report to this stage and I welcome the input from members of the public. This is a huge step forward.’