5/9/2016 - Putting walking and cycling on the map in Inverness
A new Active Travel Map for Inverness was launched this week, providing local residents and visitors alike with key information on the excellent opportunities for walking and cycling around the city.
The map has been produced by HITRANS, the regional transport partnership for the Highlands and Islands, and highlights recommended on and off-road routes, information on locations of cycle parking and bike shops/bike hire. It is the first in a series of maps being developed for towns across the Highlands and Islands, to help more people walk and cycle for everyday journeys. Thanks to funding from Sustrans, HITRANS hopes to produce maps, covering all of the region’s main settlements. The maps support the active travel masterplans for each town developed by HITRANS to identify priorities for investment in infrastructure to encourage more walking and cycling.
Councillor Audrey Sinclair, Chair of The Highland Council’s Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee and a member of the HITRANS Partnership Board said: “The HITRANS Active Travel Map will provide a great resource for both locals and visitors to Inverness who want to know more information about travelling sustainably to key locations and City Centre attractions. Inverness came out as the top city for cycling to work in the Census statistics last year and we are keen to build on this through both the provision of high quality infrastructure and promotional materials such as this map. I hope that the map will further encourage people to shift their travel mode away from the private car.”
Neil MacRae, HITRANS Partnership Manager, said: “Our aim is to work with local partners to provide a practical network of high quality routes suitable for walking and cycling within each settlement to enable convenient and safe access to all major destinations. At the same time we aim to create a network of routes for pedestrians focused upon railway stations, bus stations, ferry terminals, major employment areas, local shopping areas, leisure/recreation centres, hospitals and other main trip generators.”
The Active Travel Map is part of a wider range of activities being delivered under the HItravel brand, developed by HITRANS. HItravel is currently running a campaign in east Inverness and in Nairn to promote cheap, healthy ways of getting around. Since the start of April, a team of HItravel advisors has been providing information and advice to local people about their travel options. This includes a programme of in-class active travel workshops and on-bus sessions in local primary schools, delivered in partnership with Stagecoach North Scotland. Through this work, pupils are finding out about the benefits to them, their families and their local communities of making sustainable travel choices.
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The team is also holding a series of information roadshows at key sites in east Inverness and Nairn where local people work or visit. Advisors will encourage staff and visitors to those locations to choose walking, cycling, bus and car sharing for journeys. The team is working with a number of major public and private sector employers who have shown strong levels of interest in the project and its aim to promote alternatives to the car.
The Active Travel Map is now on the HITRANS web site and is available via this link http://www.hitrans.org.uk/userfiles/file/HI-Travel-active-travel-map.pdf
It is also being distributed widely over the coming weeks. Pupils participating in the classroom workshops will receive a copy to take home to their families, and every individual the team meets during the roadshows will be provided with a copy.
Printed copies of the map will be available in key locations such as the tourist information centre and city bike shops.
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For more information please contact Neil MacRae, HITRANS Partnership Manager on 01463 719003 email: neil.macrae@hitrans.org.uk