HITRANS call for public to help shape Highland transport for next 20 years
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Members of the public can have their say on a 20-year vision for improved transport in the Highlands and Islands.
HITRANS, the regional transport partnership, is seeking the views on its new draft Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) for the Highlands, Moray, Western Isles, Orkney and the Argyll and Bute local authority areas.
A statutory eight-week consultation period began on Friday (April 19) and will run until Friday June 14.
Ranald Robertson, director of HITRANS, said: “Consulting with the public is the vitally important final stage of updating the Regional Transport Strategy, which guides our priorities for action and spending, and lies at the heart of what we aim to achieve and deliver for the communities we serve.
“The strategy reflects national policy and legislation, but at the same time reflects the very distinctive character of our region.
“We encourage as many people as possible to have their say.”
The public is invited to comment on the RTS and associated policies by completing a survey on material provided by HITRANS.
Contained within it are 11 themes, each containing a set of policies to address the transport challenges and problems in the region.
The final Strategy will provide the strategic framework for transport development. It is necessarily a comprehensive document which must be relevant to both immediate issues but also those medium to longer term challenges that will take many years to address.
Following RTS, then publish a delivery plan setting out priorities for implementation.
The delivery plan will be updated regularly, providing an opportunity to reset or realign priorities to the changing political, social, environmental and economic landscape.
The six objectives of the strategy are:
To make a just transition to a post-carbon and more environmentally sustainable transport network;
Transform and provide safe and accessible connections between and within our city, towns and villages to enable walking, wheeling and cycling for all;
Widen access to public and shared transport and improve connectivity within and from/to the region;
Improve the quality and integration of public and shared transport within and from/to the region;
Ensure reliable, resilient, affordable and sustainable connectivity for all from/to our island, peninsular and remote communities;
Improve the efficiency, safety and resilience of our transport networks for people and freight, and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
An online StoryMap sets out an overview of the RTS development process, a summary of the RTS vision and strategy objectives, themes and policies, and the draft RTS, with a survey on the material presented.
Hard copies of the documentation can be inspected or are available from HITRANS Office, Inverness Town House, 1 High Street, Inverness IV11JJ.
