Arran public urged to have say on local transport at community meeting

While most of the transport concerns in recent days have surrounded the ferries, the public will have its chance to have a say on transport on Arran itself at a community gathering to be held next week.

It will be an opportunity for residents to suggest innovative solutions to overcome the lack of community connectivity on the island.

Arran Eco Savvy and Arran Locality Partnership are co-hosting the Arran Community Transport Gathering at 6pm on Tuesday September 18 at the Ormidale Pavilion. This event has been pulled together to enable local discussion around solutions for sustainable travel and transport on Arran.

With many problems being highlighted by residents on an ongoing basis the gathering seems necessary for collective solutions as well as added insight from guest speaker Daniel Lafferty of Transport Scotland.

Jude King, project manager for Arran Eco Savvy, said: ‘Eco Savvy’s underpinning quest is to make Arran a greener and more sustainable island. Previous projects have predominantly focused on waste, now focus is on energy efficiency, but the more we analyse the island and what we need to become greener and more sustainable, the more we are pointed to improving transport and travel. Arran residents have already identified the problems and we hope that all will attend this gathering to identify solutions, and potential community facilitators and collaborators to ensure results.’

Councillor Ellen McMaster, chairwoman of Arran Locality, reports that a lack of community transport was a consistent high priority theme which emerged from the series of island wide Locality Partnership roadshows held earlier this year. Transport is one of the key priorities of the Arran Locality Partnership along with social isolation and housing. People expressed deep concern that continuing lack of community transport options, supplementary to the present strategic level of ferries and buses, is hampering the connectivity of communities on the island and the ability of all ages to have access to work, leisure, activities and services such as post offices, GPs and general shops. They recognise that this lack of community transport affects all aspects of island life and is a root cause of social isolation for many in more remote communities.

It will also provide opportunity for Transport Scotland to note, as a part of its consultation for the National Transport Plan for the next 20 years, the island-specific travel and transport issues faced by islanders on a daily basis.

‘We hope many of the community will be able to attend as it is open to all,’ Jude added. Light refreshments will be provided.