Use road building cash to drive active travel, urge campaign groups
Active travel groups have joined forces to call on the Scottish Government to put an end to building new roads.
In a joint submission to the public consultation on the priorities of the new National Transport Strategy, eight cycling and walking groups have laid out six priorities.
As well as calling for an end to road building and diverting those resources into prioritising active travel, delivering affordable public transport and improving access to bikes, they would like support for a change in public behaviour and improving the way land is used.
The current priorities for the strategy are to improve health and wellbeing, ensuring a prosperous economy, tackling climate change and promoting equality.
As part of their submission, the organisations, including Paths for All, Ramblers Scotland, Sustrans and Forth Environment Link, have called on the Scottish Government to end the building of new trunk roads and invest 10 per cent of the national transport budget in active travel, along with a similar amount from the 32 council in Scotland.
The strategy is aimed at developing a plan for Scotland’s transport for the next 20 years, prioritising active travel and public transport to counter climate change. The consultation is due to close today.
Sustrans deputy chief executive John Lauder said: “The new National Transport Strategy takes a big step forward.
“The way we travel plays a huge role in our lives so we’re especially pleased to see the strategy highlight the role transport can play in health and wellbeing.
“We know that walking, cycling and public transport are best placed to deliver the aims of the new strategy and these six priorities should be the focus to make it a success.
“This includes an end to expensive new road building schemes in order to tackle the climate emergency – this money can be better spent on sustainable, healthy alternatives.”
Ian Findlay, the chief officer of Paths for All, said: “I welcome the NTS’S overall vision of ‘helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland’ and I believe that the high-level outcomes and policies have the potential to achieve this vision.
“However, it’s essential that these are more than wise words in a well crafted strategy.
“Being truly faithful to the transport hierarchy will be transformational but will require bold leadership and culture change at all levels in the way we think about, plan, deliver and invest in transportation in Scotland.”