Author: Eve Leeks

Making it easier and safer for people to travel actively is vital for increasing the number of everyday walking, wheeling, and cycling journeys.

This means ensuring that everyone, including those groups that are most vulnerable on the road, are adequately protected.

For example, children and young people.

Places for Everyone is working with partners across Scotland to ensure that the routes we deliver are accessible and intuitive for all ages and abilities.

The Walk Cycle Live Stirling project is an excellent example of how bold yet careful designs can be used to prioritise the needs of young Scots.

Routes to success

Children and young people regularly make essential active journeys as part of their everyday lives.

From going to and from school to seeing friends and family, walking wheeling and cycling are the earliest available modes which allow children and young people to travel independently.

Currently under construction, the £9.5m Stirling project will soon deliver an extensive network of new walking, wheeling, and cycling links across the city.

This will not only facilitate more active journeys between residential areas, transport hubs, as well as retail and hospitality venues but also key destinations for education and learning.

Delivered in partnership with Stirling Council, Walk Cycle Live Stirling proposes to create two major routes:

Route one, dubbed the University route, will provide a safe and accessible route between Stirling Train station and the University of Stirling, taking in iconic landmarks like Old Stirling Bridge and the National Wallace Monument along the way.

Route two, the College Route, aims to bridge the gaps between Forth Valley College and the City Centre along Albert Place, Dumbarton Road and Raploch Road, passing under the impressive shadow of Stirling Castle.

Each of these strategic corridors has been designed to be largely segregated from the traffic via physical barriers, providing comfort and reassurance for all users.

Generational change

Healthier than other modes, travelling by bike is also often cheaper more affordable than public transport and private vehicle use.

Factors such as these are ones which young adults, in particular, benefit from.

Alex Avallone, a recent graduate from the University of Stirling, shared their thoughts on what the project could mean for current and prospective students in the years to come:

“I didn’t cycle when I was studying, mostly because the roads were too busy and I didn’t feel confident doing so. I took the bus or walked. Now, I hope a lot of people will think twice and choose to cycle instead”

Alex Avallone, Graduate, The University of Stirling

Katherine Henebry, Senior Grant Advisor at Sustrans, has been working on Walk Cycle Live Stirling throughout its construction, and has high hopes for its grand opening:

“After completion, children and young people can safely travel independently along two key corridors in Stirling. These routes are a new start for foundational memories to be made – on the journey to school, as well as in the broader exploration of their hometown’s rich history and environment. We’re so proud to have worked with Stirling Council to make these journeys a reality”

Katherine Henebry, Senior Grant Advisor, Sustrans

Due be complete by Summer 2024, Walk Cycle Live Stirling is set to connect communities in the city and surrounding areas through active travel in a major way. This will be particularly transformative for children and young people.

The project received £7.1m in funding from Places for Everyone, as well as £2.5m of Scottish Government investment from the City Region Deal and £258k from Stirling Council’s developer contributions allocation.

Increasing walking, wheeling, and cycling are all great ways improve physical and mental health.

However, active journeys are also a key part of the national response to the climate emergency, and our overall ambition to reach net zero carbon emissions.

Through Places for Everyone, Sustrans is working with partners all across Scotland to deliver safe and accessible active travel infrastructure.

This includes new connections linking up isolated rural communities as well as expansive city-wide networks to help people get where they need to go.

As part of this, we want to ensure that every one of our projects is delivered in as sustainable a way as possible to reduce our own carbon emissions.

So how can we do it?

Outlining the techniques

How we approach the design and procurement of construction materials during project delivery can have a big impact on our carbon output. 
 
When delivering infrastructure, it is helpful to think about what we can avoid, what we switch to as an alternative, and also what we can improve in the process.

What to avoid

Reducing the need for new construction can significantly increase project sustainability.

This might mean finding different ways to meet your goals without building new infrastructure at all, or by simply making the most out of what already exists through reuse or repurposing.

This approach encourages us to think creatively and sustainably to minimize new constructions. 

• Utilising existing pathways: Before considering new constructions, explore if there are existing pathways that can be renovated or repurposed to suit the needs of the project. This might include old railway paths commonly used by the National Cycle Network, or old bridges that are no longer suitable for heavy vehicles but can carry lower loads.
  
• Multi-purpose facilities: Rather than building new assets, we can design spaces that serve multiple purposes, thus reducing the overall need for new constructions.
  
• Community Engagement: Engaging with the community can sometimes reveal alternatives and local insights that help in avoiding new constructions. For instance, local communities might propose efficient ways to repurpose existing assets that outsiders might not be aware of.

Forres Roysvale Park

In partnership with Moray Council, the Forres Roysvale Park project shows how excess road space can be used to implement sustainable drainage solutions. By narrowing the existing carriageway, a 3-metre-wide shared use path was introduced alongside tactical rain gardens. This not only provided a safe and direct link between Forres Academy and Applegrove primary and nearby residential areas, but also served to alleviate surface water issues. 

Where to switch

Opting for alternatives without compromising on quality can result in major savings to your carbon footprint.

This might involve changing the project scope, redesigning the approach, choosing different materials, or technologies that are more eco-friendly.

• Sustainable Materials: Using recycled or recovered materials can significantly reduce the carbon emissions associated with the production of new materials.
  
• Low Carbon Technologies: Leveraging technologies that are more energy-efficient or that have a lower environmental impact, e.g., using electric plant vehicles used in construction.
  
• Nature-Based Solutions: Taking advantage of nature-based solutions, like creating green corridors which not only facilitate active travel but also enhance biodiversity.
  
• Permeable pavements: Using permeable pavements can aid in water management, reducing the need for separate drainage systems.

Loans to Troon Railway

In partnership with South Ayrshire Council and Ayrshire Roads Alliance, an all-new traffic-free route to join the settlements of Loans and Troon was completed in 2023. As well as providing a key active travel link, the Loans to Troon route is notable for being constructed from almost entirely recycled paving materials. This serves to create an affordable, long-lasting but also sustainable connection between key trip generators, such as Marr College and Troon train station.

How to improve

Increasing the sustainability of the materials being used for construction can sway the carbon output of a project significantly.

This can involve thinking about the longevity and durability of the materials being used and, ultimately, planning for its reuse or recycling.

• Circular Economy Principles: Applying circular economy principles might mean designing assets that can be easily dismantled and the materials reused or recycled, thereby reducing waste.
  
• Long-life, low maintenance materials: Reducing the need to maintain and increasing time before resurfacing is needed in the future will help reducing carbon emitted during the lifetime of an asset.
  
• Native landscaping: Integrate local plants alongside paths. These require less water and maintenance, sequester carbon, and enhance the appeal of the path, encouraging more use.
  
• Inclusive Design and Aesthetic Design: Ensuring the pathway is accessible to people of all ages and abilities not only promotes inclusivity but also encourages more people to use the pathway, potentially reducing carbon emissions from reduced car use. Making the pathway attractive, possibly through the inclusion of art installations or well-designed green spaces, can encourage more people to use it, fostering a sense of community while also reducing carbon emissions through reduced car usage.

Roseburn to Union Canal

With the City of Edinburgh Council, work is underway to link the Union Canal with the North Edinburgh Path Network via a new traffic-free route. Inaccessible areas of decaying shrubland will be restored via tree planting and community gardens. This not only delivers a valuable connection from north to south, but also a new green corridor.

The above guidelines have been categorised according to the PAS 2080 Carbon Management in Infrastructure standard, which supports organisations wanting to lower emissions from their construction activities.

For further information, please see the Carbon Management in Buildings and Infrastructure report.

The South City Way has hit a major milestone by reaching Glasgow city centre.

To mark the occasion, the 2.5km route was officially opened by the Minister for Active Travel and members of the community on the 6 July 2023.

The fully-segregated, two-way cycle path has provided a high quality, direct and safe link between Glasgow’s southside and the city centre. 

It’s making it easier than ever for more people in the area to leave the car at home and make healthier and happier everyday journeys.

The route is also expected to benefit trade through improved access to the area.

The project was made possible by over £3.5 million of funding from the Scottish Government through Sustrans Scotland’s Places for Everyone/Community Links PLUS programme.

Glasgow City Council used their own funding as a partial match, bringing the project total to around £7m.

Construction work started on the project in December 2017 and was completed up to the Clyde in June 2023.

What is the South City Way?

The new segregated route has created a vital and accessible active travel link for local communities.

The South City Way has connected key destinations such as hospitals and medical centres, parks, businesses, academic institutions and places of worship along the cycling corridor.

The project has also improved access to public transport in the area.

To make it safer and easier to walk and wheel, pavements have been resurfaced along large parts of the route, with new crossing points installed, existing crossings improved and traffic speeds slowed through the addition of raised tables on side roads. 

These changes will make everyday walking, wheeling and cycling journeys safer, easier and more convenient for everyone. 

The South City Way also connects with National Cycle Network Routes 7, 75 and 756 at the traffic-free Clyde-side path.

This opens up the possibility of longer trips heading east from Glasgow to Uddingston, East Kilbride and Rutherglen, and west to Clydebank, Bowling, Dumbarton, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.

An innovative approach to active travel infrastructure

During the project, we worked closely with Glasgow City Council to trial two protected junctions at locations along Victoria Road.

These were the first protected junctions trialled in Scotland.

Protected junctions are road junctions that separate people travelling on foot, by cycle, and in vehicles. 

The trial was successful, with our Research and Monitoring Unit finding that between March 2019 and September 2021, the total cycle traffic through the junctions almost doubled.

More than 935,000 cycle journeys have now been recorded on Glasgow’s South City Way cycle route in the past two years. 

A project with community at its heart

The South City Way is about much more than the new connection to the city centre.

Businesses, community organisations and individuals have been at the heart of the project from the outset.  

The creation of a Community Projects Trail featuring murals, bike locking facilities, planters and much more was supported by the South City Way Small Grants Fund and led by local groups.  

This has helped make the active travel corridor an attractive, inclusive and welcoming space for everyone. 

Representatives from the Hidden Gardens, Govanhill Baths Trust, Bike for Good, South Seeds and Crossroads Youth and Community Association joined the Minister for Active Travel, Patrick Harvie MSP, and officials from Glasgow City Council and Sustrans Scotland to celebrate the South City Way launch event on 6 July.

A cause for celebration

Speaking ahead of the event, Minister for Active Travel, Patrick Harvie MSP, said:

“I’m pleased to welcome the completion of the South City Way to Glasgow City centre.

We will soon see over a million cycle journeys on this new active travel corridor, which is yet another example of segregated infrastructure making it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle for everyday journeys.

With the eyes of the world on Scotland for the first ever UCI 2023 Cycling World Championships, it’s schemes like this which demonstrate the shared intent of Government and Local Authorities to make cycling safer and more convenient as a means of everyday transport.

For our health, wellbeing and environment, our ambition to deliver more infrastructure like this, right across the country, has never been higher.

That’s why the Scottish Government has committed to spending at least £320 million, or 10% of the total transport budget, on active travel by 2024‑25.”

Patrick Harvie MSP, Minister for Active Travel

Councillor Angus Millar highlighted the newly released cycle journey figures as clear evidence of the demand for improved cycling infrastructure in Glasgow:

“It’s great to see the difference the South City Way is making to cycling in the southside area of Glasgow. 

The cycle journey figures are remarkable and show without doubt that people want to get about Glasgow more sustainably when infrastructure is available for them to do so.

Now that the South City Way has reached the city centre, I am confident the number of people cycling on the route will continue to grow.

Concerns about safety are the number one barrier to cycling and our work to ensure safe, segregated routes in all areas of Glasgow will support more people to choose cycling for everyday journeys across the city.

We will continue to work closely with the Scottish Government, Sustrans and communities across Glasgow as we deliver our commitment to create a comprehensive City Network for active travel over the course of the decade.”

Cllr Angus Millar, Glasgow City Council

Carole Patrick, Portfolio Director for Sustrans Scotland, added:

“The South City Way is about so much more than the new safe and direct connection to the city centre.

Working in partnership with Glasgow City Council through our Scottish Government-funded Places for Everyone programme, we are so proud of the fact that local communities have been at the heart of the project.

Businesses, community organisations and individuals have really embraced the opportunities for the southside.

The community-led projects supported by the Small Grants Fund have had such a powerful impact in making the South City Way corridor an attractive, inclusive and welcoming space for everyone. 

Putting communities at the heart of projects and investing in safe, high-quality infrastructure which makes it easier to leave the car at home and walk, wheel or cycling for everyday journeys is a winning combination.

Monitoring in 2019 and 2021, before and after the innovative protected junctions were installed, recorded a 100% increase in cycling journeys – and recent sensor figures show that the South City Way is supporting and encouraging more and more people to make healthier and happier journey choices.

“We look forward to continuing to work with our partners at Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government to build on the success of the South City Way and make it easier for even more people to walk, wheel and cycle.”  

Carole Patrick, Portfolio Director, Sustrans Scotland