HITRANS success at Scottish Transport Awards
HITRANS’ work across the region was recognised.
The 22nd annual Scottish Transport Awards celebrated industry achievements around the country.
They are supported by the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, Network Rail, The Railway Industry Association and CPT Scotland.
HITRANS’ Hi-BIKE project in the category for best contribution to sustainable transport.
HI-BIKE is an on-street e-bike share scheme offering 90 bikes which can be accessed via an app with 24/7 access. Anyone over 16 can become a member.
Currently, there are 13 docking stations around Inverness and 12 in Fort William serving workplaces, transport hubs and residential areas.
The most popular HI-BIKE docking points in Inverness are the train station, Inverness Campus and Hilton Community Centre
In Fort William, the train station, travel centre and Caol are the top three most used stations.
The popularity of both train stations for HI-BIKE pick-up and return suggests the bikes are being used for connecting travel with a rail journey.
In the transport team/partnership of the year category, HITRANS was shortlisted for the Sustainable Aviation Test Environment (SATE) project.
SATE established the UK’s first operationally based low-carbon aviation test centre, based at Kirkwall Airport.
Led by HITRANS, it has evolved to become a regional asset for the Highlands and Islands, with Phase 2 of the programme covering 15 consortium members and a budget of around £15 million.
Consortium partners include HITRANS, HIAL, EMEC, UHI, Loganair, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions, Windracers, ARC Aerosystems, Cormorant SEAplanes, Hybrid Air Vehicles, Flare Bright, Connected Places Catapult, Arcadis, HIE and Orkney Islands Council.
SATE was first assembled under the UKRI Future Flight Challenge programme in 2020.
The aim of SATE is to improve regional connectivity to support remote and rural communities, improve business resilience, and support Government’s aviation decarbonisation strategy, including the Scottish Government ambition for a Highlands and Islands net zero aviation region by 2040.
Implementing the project’s ambitious goals requires advances in technology, regulation, and policy.
SATE has demonstrated its ability to work across these fields through focused activities on airspace modernisation, demonstration of novel aircrafts, infrastructure readiness to support emerging technologies and feeding into Scottish and UK Government industry groups to assist with policy and strategy development.
HITRANS was also a finalist in the transport local authority of the year category, which was won by Orkney Islands Council.
HITRANS brings together local authorities and others to take a strategic approach to transport in their area and encourage active travel.
Earlier this month it awarded £2.4 million of Transport Scotland’s People and Place Programme to initiatives to encourage people to walk, wheel or cycle on short trips and use public transport for longer journeys.
It includes £583,822 for 10 community schemes in Highland, Moray, the Western Isles and Argyll and Bute for projects such as free or cut-price bikes, cycle repair sessions and safe routes to school.
HITRANS said: “Being shortlisted in three categories in these national awards is recognition for the work HITRANS does in bringing innovation and strategic thinking to transport issues in the Highlands and Islands. Congratulations to all the category winners, particularly our partners Orkney Islands Council.