Ayrshire is missing out on investment in Active Travel according to MSP Brian Whittle. During a recent evidence session of the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee, which Brian is a member of, the Scottish Government stated that they had a policy of investing in active travel as part of any major road investment project.
However, South Scotland MSP Brian has discovered that there is no planned support for active travel as part of the construction of the Maybole by-pass; the only major piece of road improvement in South West Scotland.
The Scottish Government had pledged to create a new Trunk Road Walking and Cycling Policy by September 2017 to replace the Trunk Road Cycling Initiative which was created in 1996 and has never been updated.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“The Scottish Government seem to have dropped the ball when it comes to promoting active travel. We need to be encouraging more people to walk or cycle, particularly for short journeys. Aside from the health benefits of being more active, we can also reduce pollution, particularly in built up areas, and potentially even develop new tourism routes using cycle routes and walking paths.
The Maybole by-pass represents a prime opportunity to develop active travel routes in Ayrshire, yet the Scottish Government appear to have ignored their own policy and failed to consider it in their plans for the route.
I hope the Transport Minister will re-examine the plans for the Maybole by-pass to see if some provision for active travel could still be introduced. I also hope we can soon have some clarity from the Scottish Government about a replacement for the Trunk Road Cycling Initiative which is long overdue.”
