Author: Eve Leeks

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News News & Opinion

Why we need to adapt travel infrastructure for genuine sustainable travel choices

Case study photos taken as part of Bike Life Perth 2018 report Children

by Chiquita Elvin, Sustrans Scotland Infrastructure Manager, Places for Everyone

Our transport infrastructure and built environment needs to adapt in order to provide people with genuine sustainable travel choices.

We need fundamental changes to the way we travel.

In order to respond fully to the climate crisis we need to reduce our dependency on cars altogether, not simply change the type of cars we use. The importance of this cannot be over emphasised enough.

Too often electric cars are seen as the answer to how we respond to the climate crisis, be that as individuals or within the transport planning and design community.

But although electric vehicles appeal to our sense of newness and novelty, whilst keeping the status quo, they do not address a number of the key issues faced by professionals working to ensure climate adapted infrastructure is integrated into master planning and regeneration.

Ultimately, an electric car is still a car, and they impact on place, safety and sedentary lifestyles in the same way as conventional cars.

People need genuine sustainable travel choices

Our transport infrastructure and built environment needs to adapt in order to provide people with genuine sustainable travel choices. And not just in Scotland, but across the UK and across the rest of the world as well.

Not only would this bring many positive environmental impacts, from lowering net carbon emissions, reducing noise pollution and the environmental cost of building and maintaining news roads, but active and sustainable travel infrastructure offers improved health and economic benefits too.

Designing for everyone

In practice, this means accounting for the most vulnerable groups in society first in the design process. By designing our streets and public places to be accessible to all, we end up with places that work for everyone.

So, for example, if we make our footpaths safe, attractive and appropriate for the setting, then this has a knock on effect for other road users and the natural environment.

Slowing and/or reducing traffic volumes and the types of vehicles which use our streets then makes them safer and more pleasant for people to walk, wheel or cycle through.

Making sure we include green and blue infrastructure, such as trees, rain gardens or other sustainable urban drainage systems, means that our streets and public places are more pleasant to spend time in.

Thinking about the context

As planners and designers we must also consider the context in which people travel and how their lives can often dictate this. Responding to the needs of women as a group, for example, means taking into account travelling with children, fears around personal safety and recognising that women more often trip-chain than men.

By then, for example, ensuring there is widespread, affordable public transport which is more accommodating of all users, would provide people with a realistic option to leave their car at home for more (if not all) of the journeys they make every day.

Equally, creating an extensive network of continuous, safe walking and cycling routes in an urban area would enable parents with children, along with everyone else, to travel more actively and sustainably. This could be through addressing the way traffic flows through our streets, as above, or by incorporating protected cycle lanes where this is more appropriate.

The knock on effect of this would allow all groups access the vast range of benefits that active and sustainable travel brings. From a boost in health and wellbeing through increased physical activity, air pollution and carbon emission reduction, inclusivity, economic benefits (can we add a hyperlink?) and a number of other outcome areas.

The best way to ensure that future urban transport systems support people’s wellbeing, and support flourishing, healthy communities, is to invest in infrastructure that can be shown to make a positive impact.

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Behaviour Change Case Studies News

Changing travel behaviour in Clackmannan Town

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Clackmannan Development Trust was established to regenerate the town and make it a better place to live, work and visit.

A public consultation identified two key priorities for the group. Firstly, to make the town a more attractive place to spend time with and secondly, to improve links for people travelling by foot and bike.

A portion of £2.2million of funding was awarded to the Trust and Clackmannanshire Council through the closure of the local power station. This was used as match funding to work with Sustrans through its Places for Everyone fund.

This resulted in wider pavements, new trees planted, cycle parking installed and traffic restrictions at peak times outside Clackmannan Primary school.

Although the Trust’s remit was much wider than encouraging active travel in the town, they recognised how promoting walking and cycling activities could complement their other aims and objectives.

“The achievements of CDT to date and their ambitious but deliverable programme shows that when communities and local authorities work effectively together, even smaller communities can achieve sustainable and prosperous futures”

Alan Murray, Traffic & Transportation Team Leader

Transforming the school run

To help encourage children to travel actively to school along the new route, the Development Trust set up ‘Saddle Up Clackmannan’. This led to:

  • The training of six volunteer ride leaders, who lead monthly rides to promote local routes
  • Regular cycle confidence and maintenance sessions
  • A fleet of bikes available to borrow free of charge.

Inspired by the popularity of the project, the Trust then applied for funding from Smarter Choices Smarter Places Open Fund to employ an Active Travel Coordinator.

The Coordinator delivered in-depth, tailored behaviour change programmes throughout the town. This helped encourage all residents to travel by foot or bike for more of their everyday journeys. 

Key Learning
Photograph: Five children on bikes in front of Clackmannan Primary School
Interventions on Port Street made it easier for pupils at Clackmannan Primary to get to and from school on foot, by bike or by scooter

After a new route has been built, it is important to think about how people may be supported and encouraged to use it.

Community based organisations, such as Development Trusts or charities can be well placed to help.

These activities don’t have to be led by a group that only focus on cycling or physical activity.

Even if there are currently no cycling or walking groups in an area, it doesn’t mean that there is not the desire or capacity to carry out active travel activities. Organisations working in other sectors will also have local knowledge and could be well placed to lead on these.

Next steps

Through the regeneration of Clackmannan, the Trust have developed a strong working relationship with the Traffic and Transportation team at Clackmannanshire Council.

The two groups share a long term vision for active and sustainable travel in the community. The Trust are now working with the Council to see if it would be possible to create new paths linking Clackmannan to other towns.

By creating a culture where it is normal to travel by bike or on foot, the Trust hope to show there is local demand for these projects.

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Behaviour Change Case Studies News Places for Everyone

Reaching new audiences along the South City Way

Bike for Good, interior and exterior shots, Glasgow
Two women stand, talking at a counter in Bike for Good's shop. A third woman stands behind the counter smiling. The women to the left of the image is holding a green and white bike.
The new Bike for Good Hub provides servicing, repair and a community base

A proactive approach to reaching new audiences has seen a surge in the number of people trying cycling for the first time along the South City Way in Glasgow.

The South City Way project is a partnership between Glasgow City Council and Sustrans, funded through Transport Scotland. The 3km route, from Queen’s Park into the City Centre, seeks to rebalance the streets in favour of people walking and cycling and to make journeys in the area more pleasant.

Local charity Bike for Good were funded by Glasgow City Council to deliver behaviour change measures before and during construction of the project.

They offer bike recycling, cycle training, outreach activities and maintain the city’s Nextbike public bike hire fleet.

The charity has strong partnerships with local organisations around the cycle route and provided tailored support activities to different audiences. 

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Focused Impact

Bike for Good’s purpose was clear: to reach people new to cycling and help them to overcome their barriers to being more active.

By organising a wide range of events that mixed food, music, films and socialising they reached people who would not have been interested in purely cycling-focussed activities.

 As a result, two-thirds of cycling activity participants were new to cycling.

Removing barriers

A section of text is written on a blackboard: "Changing lives through cycling! Our Glasgow South Community Hib offers a range of services for..."
Bike for Good run a wide range of programmes from their two Glasgow centres

Bike for Good worked hard to make it easier for more people to come along to their engagement sessions.

The sessions are free to attend and the charity proactively took their services to different areas along the route. 

As well as reaching new audiences by partnering with other organisations working on health, integration and rehabilitation programmes, they offered activities for specific audiences including:

  • Women only rides and cycle skills training
  • Kids afterschool club with occasional trips away
  • “Spokes Not Blokes”, a monthly maintenance session for women and non-binary people

Finally, Bike for Good also ran a pilot project aimed at giving people affordable access to bikes. Aimed at people on low or no income and population groups who are less likely to cycle the “Bikes for All” pilot provided access to Glasgow’s Nextbike public hire scheme for £3 year – a discount of 95%.

This meant that as well as Bike for Good activities being accessible to a wider range of people, they have increased their understanding of ways to effectively encourage participation in cycling among under-represented and minority population groups.

In a two-year period (July 2017 – July 2019), 414 people were signed up, representing 8% of all new annual members of the nextbike scheme in Glasgow during this time. In the same period, 10,253 bike rentals were made by Bikes for All participants, representing 2.3% of all nextbike hires in Glasgow. (from the Bikes for All impact report, November 2019).

Key learning

Tapping in to existing social and support networks helps increase engagement with a bigger range of audiences, especially those who may be seldom heard.

Activities that encourage people to use new infrastructure should be tailored for different target groups or individuals. As a person starts to make more journeys by bike, their needs will change. This means that there needs to be a range of ways to support them.

Local Authority Support

Glasgow City Council provided funding to Bike for Good through Smarter Choices Smarter Places funding. This two year agreement has enabled them to provide a visible and welcoming community space to promote active travel to those living and working around this new route.

The targeted use of this fund to support this significant new route is to be commended. It has supported and complemented the  changes to the built environment carried out by Glasgow City Council and, by coming from a trusted, local organisation, will help lead to longer, more impactful changes in the community.

Key learning

Just as individuals will have specific active travel needs, different infrastructure projects will require different approaches to how they encourage people to walk and cycling more in the surrounding area.

Based on the reported success of Bike for Good’s activities, a relatively small investment in providing support activities can have a large impact. The number and type of people using the route will be key measures of success, so the benefits of supporting a wider audience to be cycle-ready are clear.

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News News & Opinion

Shoreditch Parklet – An urban jungle

Shoreditch Parklet
Shoreditch Parklet

Shoreditch is not the first area of London you think of when you think “parks”. Shoreditch High Street is a hub of trendy shops, with high tech start-up stretching off to either side and on fleek bars peppering the area. It’s the place to go in London for an artisanal coffee or a craft beer rather than relaxing in the sun.

In 2017, the urban greens and design agency Meristem was commissioned by three local authorities to create a modular system which would bring park life to Shoreditch’s Calvert Avenue. Taking over just two parking bays, an outdoor seating area for up to fourteen people was created outside the paper&cup coffee shop. .

The seating alone isn’t the biggest impact on the local area. The parklet contains twelve meters of planters with hardy shrubs, which screen the seats from the road and help to adsorb pollution in the local area. There are also two trees providing shade and increasing urban biodiversity, as well as parking for eight bikes.

The new seating created by the parklet provides more space for customers visiting local businesses and encourages people to linger in the area, helping the local economy. More cycling spaces encourages people to cycle or use public transport rather than driving to their destination.

A Parklet for People

The Shoreditch Parklet is one example of what can be done in a small space to open it up to the community. Temporary parklets, as Friends of the Earth created on George Street, Edinburgh, can help show the impact that reduced traffic can have on an area, while we can support the creation of permanent or semi-permanent parklets through the Community Links scheme, to let communities create a new space for relaxation.

Please get in touch if you would like to find out how a parklet can be added to your town, street or village through Places for Everyone.

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News News & Opinion

£60 million investment in active travel across Scotland through Places for Everyone

Representatives of the each of the successful projects with Cabinet Secretary Michael Matheson outside the AK Bell Library, Perth
Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity at Places for Everyone Launch 2019

Five major transformative projects in Perth, Edinburgh, Arbroath and Glasgow (x2), will benefit from Sustrans funding, expertise and support to make walking, cycling and wheeling more accessible to all. They will receive almost £60m over the course of their development. 

During the next year (2019/20), a further 200 projects across Scotland will benefit from the Places for Everyone expertise, support and funding.

The investment was announced in Perth by Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Michael Matheson, alongside the launch of the public consultation for Scottish Government’s new National Transport Strategy (NTS2) for Scotland.

Speaking in Perth, Mr Matheson said:

“The National Transport Strategy sets a clear direction for a future where we have a sustainable, inclusive and accessible transport system that helps deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland.

“We know cycling, walking, use of public transport and shared transport options all need to be more affordable, accessible and attractive if we are to make this vision a reality.

“The Strategy is being launched alongside the allocation of £60 million for five new active travel projects, underlining the importance of sustainable transport and the added benefits that it can bring.”


By putting people back in the heart of places – whether in cities or smaller towns, Places for Everyone makes it easier for people of all ages and abilities to travel actively and to create healthier, happier places to live, work and play.


SUSTRANS SCOTLAND DIRECTOR, GRACE MARTIN

Sustrans Scotland Director, Grace Martin, said: “We are delighted to announce the projects that will be supported by Sustrans Places for Everyone programme, funded by Transport Scotland. Five large scale projects that will make a real difference to the residents of Perth, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Arbroath.

“Working in partnership with the Sustrans Places for Everyone programme provides support and expertise through all stages, from concept and design to delivery and construction. The programme helps to connect communities and create liveable towns and cities.

“We’re excited by the new National Transport Strategy designed to make sure transport helps Scotland to meet its priorities for prosperity, reducing inequality, tackling climate change and healthier people.

“Sustrans Scotland looks forward to working with our partners to deliver these goals by helping more people to walk, cycle and wheel.”

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News News & Opinion

South Glasgow fund boosts local organisations

Exterior of the Bike for Good Hub, Govanhill
First Use Courtesy of Sustrans Glasgow - South City Way Henry Northmore Senior Communications and Public Affairs Officer | Sustrans Scotland Rosebery House | 9 Haymarket Terrace | Edinburgh | EH12 5EZ 0131 346 1384 | 0782 466 4445 Copyright © John Linton 2019 All rights reserved John@lintonpix.com 07986592673

The funding comes from the South City Way Small Grants Fund, which was created to inspire communities and organisations along the 3km segregated active travel route to form new places for people to gather and mingle, new artworks and projects to encourage walking and cycling.

Projects receiving grants of up to £5,000 have been put forward by a range of local groups including the Govanhill Baths, local cycling charity Bike for Good and South Seeds, who have previously developed a community croft for the area. Other funded projects will see the creation of a new mural in the Queens’s Park Arena, development of a new public space by residents of Albert Avenue and new additions Glasgow’s rich landscape of city murals.

Lucy Gillie, General Manager of South Seeds said, “This small fund has enabled us to run some short life projects which we hope will have a big impact, the first is to brighten up Queen’s Park Station and we already have loads of volunteers.”

Several projects are focused on the challenges facing locals who want to cycle more. Soul Riders is restarting and expanding a group encouraging women to start cycling by hosting led rides, training and cycling events to inspire those who are unconfident on a bike or new to cycling. South Seeds are seeking to tackle bike storage issues common in tenements by installing a new secure cycle locker in the local area. Other projects include new facilities to secure bikes along the route and creation of sculptures from recycled bike components.

Tierney Lovell, Infrastructure Manager for Sustrans Scotland said, “We have had tremendous support from the local community for South City Way. We wanted to make sure that the project reflected the diversity and the passion of the communities along the route, and we have been able to give our support to an amazing array of projects as a result. We’re really pleased that South City Way is going to create an artistic and cultural legacy for the area.”

South City Way was the first project to be awarded funding from Transport Scotland though Sustrans Scotland’s Community Links PLUS scheme (now Places for Everyone), with match funding from Glasgow City Council. The project will see the creation of a segregated cycle route from Queens Park to the Trongate, with improved pavements and crossings. A brand new artwork is being created in cooperation with the New Gorbals Housing Association, Glasgow City Council and Pidgin Perfect.

Phase 3 of the project is currently underway, with the construction of new cyclelanes, pocket parks and upgraded pavements along Victoria Road between Queen’s Park Station and Coplaw Street. Phase 3 of the route is expected to be completed in early 2020.

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News News & Opinion

Enlightening Candlemaker Row

Candlemaker Row Promo Graphic

Meadows to George Street is one of the winners of Sustrans Scotland’s 2017 Community Links PLUS competition, now known as Places for Everyone. Places for Everyone is an opportunity to conceptualise, design and deliver exemplary and inspirational walking, cycling and placemaking projects in Scotland.

Our vision is to transform cycling, walking, public spaces and accessibility for all on some of Edinburgh’s busiest and most iconic streets.

Our design proposals include new segregated cycleways, wider pavements, and pedestrian priority areas. We propose to close some streets to some types of traffic. We also want to plant new trees and create new public seating areas.

As part of our consultation we wanted to invite people to enjoy a street usually dominated by vehicles, to have time to pause, look up and enjoy the architecture and see the street in a new way.

Join us as we pedestrianise one of Edinburgh most historic streets for a FREE family fun day of buskers, circus performers and incredible art installations on Sunday 9 June, 10am – 4pm.

Street art specialists Open Close will create a huge installation with natural turf covering much of the street road surface. They invite you to claim the space as your own and imagine what Candlemaker Row would be like if it was pedestrianised. How would you use it?

Chris Rutterford is one of Scotland’s leading mural artists and he will be displaying several pieces from his portfolio which largely focus on crowd scenes from iconic Scottish moments. He will also be painting live during the event.

There will be roaming circus performers from Think Circus who will be delivering ad-hoc workshops for any budding acrobats, clowns or jugglers who want to get involved!

A programme of six busking musicians will be playing throughout the day, alongside the Bubble Whisperer, to help bring the street to life.

We invite you to come and participate in this fantastic FREE event and a rare opportunity to see Candlemaker Row pedestrianised! There is no particular schedule for the day and no matter what time of the day you arrive you will be able to enjoy all of our outlined activities.

Date: Sunday 9 June
Time: 10am – 4pm
Venue: Candlemaker Row & Merchant Street

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News News & Opinion

Connecting Woodside introduces 20mph zone

Lowering traffic speeds in towns and cities to 20mph can seem like quite a small change to make to an area, but the move can have a hugely positive effect on local communities and businesses as well as the environment.

Glasgow’s Woodside area has become the latest in Scotland to adopt a lower speed limit. The move, which extends the current 20mph limit in the majority of the city centre, follows on from the completion of Edinburgh’s city-wide reduction in speed earlier this year – which was funded by Scottish Government through our Community Links programme.

Sustrans’ vision is for active travel to become the default option in cities and communities throughout the UK. And there is a growing body of evidence around the world showing that reducing speed limits on roads can reduce the risk and impact of collisions, helps our towns and cities thrive and can make streets more appealing for walking and cycling.

When 20mph limits were introduced in London there was a significant reduction in the number of casualties in road accidents. Evidence from the Department for Transport, meanwhile shows that people on foot are more likely to be severely injured when cars are travelling above 20mph. The move doesn’t just benefit walkers however, and the same study found that drivers were less likely to be injured in collisions at lower speeds.

Safety issues aside, one of the more pleasing findings from Edinburgh’s roll out of 20mph limits was that the changes meant that more children were now playing outside, thanks to the decreased risks. People also report benefits such as less noisy streets – particularly at night – as well as better air quality.

As a winner of Sustrans’ 2017 Community Links PLUS design competition, Connecting Woodside aims to introduce safe, segregated cycle routes, walking opportunities and links to nearby neighbourhoods. However a key part of the project, which is being run in partnership with Glasgow City Council, is also focused on improvements the local area, making it an attractive place to live and visit.
Introducing 20mph limits in residential zones will be key to meeting these aims.

By doing so, the move will help to transform the neighbourhood into a safer, more attractive place for people to live, invest and visit helping to contribute to a healthier, more active Glasgow for everyone.

Find out more about how we can support 20mph schemes in your local area.

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News News & Opinion

Edinburgh residents invited to feedback on Meadows to George Street active travel project

Funded by the Scottish Government through our Community Links PLUS design competition, the project aims to transform this busy transport route in the heart of Edinburgh.

Residents are being invited to visit the project webpage to sign up for updates and take part in the online Placecheck tool. The tool allows the public to feedback on what they would like to see improved on specific sections of the planned Community Links PLUS funded route.

Placecheck will be open for feedback until the 31st July 2018.

There will also be the opportunity to chat with the project team in person on Saturday 21st July. Tell us what you like, don’t like and what you would like to see improved between 10am – 3pm, near the Greyfriars Bobby statue on the corner of Forrest Road and George IV Bridge.

If you would like to participate but can’t make it along on Saturday, there is also a freepost address:

FREEPOST-RTCHJJEK-TCCZ, G4 MGS, Active Travel Team, The City of Edinburgh Council, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh EH8 8BG

Find out more about Community Links PLUS.

Update 31/08/2019: Community Links PLUS has become part of Places for Everyone. Details for the new programme can be found here.

The latest updates on Meadows to George Street can be found at the dedicated project site.

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News News & Opinion

Eight Scottish local authorities successfully shortlisted in Community Links PLUS 2018

Run by Sustrans and funded by the Scottish Government, the   CLPLUS delivers pioneering and game-changing projects which inspire public bodies in Scotland to design better places and spaces for people to live, walk and cycle in for everyday journeys.

Proposals from Angus, Edinburgh, Dundee, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Perth and Kinross, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire councils have all been selected to go through to the second phase of the competition, and funds each of the 10 projects with a grant of £50,000 to further develop their proposals.

The next stage will include extensive engagement with local communities and stakeholders and developing designs which could be taken to construction. Out of these 10 finalists, a number of successful projects will be selected to be taken to construction after 2020.

The grants will total £500,000 from Transport Scotland funds, delivered through Sustrans Scotland. Each project is expected to begin further development of the proposals within the next month with the judging stage of the competition set to take place in April 2019.

CLPLUS is demonstrating that designing places around the needs of people delivers a wide range of benefits, including boosting local economies, supporting smaller retailers, healthier communities and safer, more attractive streets.

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said:

“The Community Links Plus fund generates some of the most exciting ideas for introducing the infrastructure we need to encourage more people to leave their cars at home and make journeys by bike or on foot.

“It’s very encouraging to see we have eight different local authorities which have not only identified opportunities in their areas but have been shortlisted for this stage of the competition. We will look forward to finding out which ideas are taken through to construction.

“The Scottish Government doubled the active travel budget to £80 million to help create an active nation of people leading healthier and more active lifestyles.”

Sustrans Scotland Head of Infrastructure Matthew Macdonald said: 

“These 10 shortlisted projects are a bold step towards a healthier, more sustainable and vibrant Scotland which designs places around the needs of people over vehicular access.

“With the backing of Transport Scotland, Sustrans will now work in partnership with the eight shortlisted local authorities to help develop their pioneering visions into realistic proposals which have the support and input of their local communities.

“These exemplar projects demonstrate the wide ranging benefits that well designing safer, friendlier places bring, such as boosting footfall for local business, improving the health of local people and creating safer environments that are more pleasant to live in and move through.”

Councillor Lynne Short, Dundee City Council city development convener, said: 

“This is an exciting win for Dundee as we look to offer more opportunities for people to cycle and walk safely around the city and beyond.

“Reaching the next stage of this process will allow us to further develop our ideas and consider options on how to improve multimodal connectivity between the centre of the city and communities.”

The 10 shortlisted projects are:

1. Angus Council: Accessible Arbroath, Active Travel, Active Town

The redesign of the A92 in Arbroath to create a segregated cycleway and footpath through the town and reduce the number of car lanes from four to two. The project would also create a 1.5km active travel corridor linking the West Links play area to the Abbey and would include redesigned junctions, crossings and landscaping to encourage and enhance cycling and walking for visitors and residents.

2. City of Edinburgh Council: Edinburgh Active Travel Network

Creating a connected network of routes across the capital, enabling cycling to be a realistic journey choice from many parts of the city to the city centre, Edinburgh Park/Gyle, Leith and the Waterfront and the Bioquarter, and also bringing significant benefits to pedestrians and to the wider public realm.

3. Dundee City Council: Northern Links

The creation of three strategic cycle routes connecting the city centre and the communities to the north east and west. These routes would form a joined up network and cross the city’s inner ring road, to encourage more people to walk or cycle to the city centre and waterfront.

4. East Renfrewshire Council: A727 Active Travel Corridor,Toll to Toll, and the A77 Newton Mearns to Glasgow Cycle Corridor

Linking Thornliebank with Clarkston the A727 Toll to Toll project would see the creation of dedicated cycle paths and improved walking routes as part of an enhanced public realm. The project would also create improvements for people walking and cycling along the A77 from Newton Mearns and Giffnock to Glasgow, by creating segregated cycle ways and connecting to key public transport links in the area.

5. Glasgow City Council: North City Way

The North City Way (NCW) aims to deliver a coherent, predominantly segregated, walking and cycling route from Milton into Glasgow City Centre, via Ashfield, Cowlairs, Keppochhill and Sighthill. It will utilise a vehicle-free bridge over the M8 and a new bridge over the Glasgow – Edinburgh railway, creating a quiet and safe route to the City Centre for people on bikes and on foot from the north of the city and beyond.

6. Glasgow City Council: Yorkhill Kelvingrove Cycling Village

Through partnership working with Glasgow City Council and Sustrans, the Community Council have already overseen some enhancements to the area including improved roads, footways and signage, installation of cycle racks and on-street cycle pumps and new Nextbike stations. Following this success, this project aims to improve the look and feel of the area, prioritising the needs of pedestrians and cyclists and creating an attractive ‘gateway’ to the SECC/Hydro.

7. Glasgow City Council: Glasgow Avenues Plus

The City Deal funded ‘Avenues’ project is a core component of the City Centre Strategy and Action Plan 2014-19, which aims to “ provide an excellent and sustainable quality of life and experience for citizens, visitors and investors that will drive growth in employment, population and shared prosperity”. Through the development of Avenues the project aims to introduce connected green routes across the city centre that will link key neighbourhoods, gateways and focus points, display a people-centred approach to street design, promote sustainable modes of transport and improve perceptions of the city.

The project builds on the Community Links PLUS partnership and will extend the benefits of both the pilot Sauchiehall Street Avenue (under construction) and ‘The Underline’ (one of the next Avenues due for completion in 2021) into the communities on the north-western fringes of the city centre. The proposed Glasgow Avenues Plus activity will further extend this connected network through and out into the wider city, provide short and long term cycle storage at key transport nodes and develop community based cycle initiatives across Glasgow providing the opportunity for all abilities all ages to participate.

8. North Ayrshire Council: Coastal Connections

Coastal Connections aims to improve the walking, cycling and public transport links between Irvine, Stevenston, Saltcoats and Ardrossan by creating new, segregated routes, bridges and new links between the towns. It will contribute to the regeneration of the areas, by creating placemaking hubs, improving waymarking and provide improved access to schools, employment areas, town centres, housing areas and key attractions including the

Maritime Museum and new Portal leisure centre.

9. Perth and Kinross Council: Perth City Region Cycle Network 

The creation of eight new, safe and direct walking and cycling routes into the city centre which will encourage more active travel and help improve the look and feel of local areas. The routes would link to public transport and National Cycle Network routes in the area.

10. South Ayrshire Council: Accessible Ayr

Accessible Ayr is a project to transform how people access Ayr town centre and how the town centre links to key destinations in the area, including local attractions and residential areas. The project reimagines Burns Statue Square with the potential to link the rail and bus infrastructure through a new combined public transport interchange.

Find out more about Sustrans’ Community Links PLUS competition

Update 31/08/2019: Community Links PLUS has become part of Places for Everyone. Details for the new programme can be found here.