Over four meetings hosted by UCT and Planning Aid Scotland and a community survey throughout last summer we asked:
What can be done to improve walking, cycling, wheeling* and public transport opportunities that will better connect our communities within the Lochbroom area, and with surrounding areas?
Around 100 people responded to give us a great range of ideas and suggested actions and, with the support of Planning Aid Scotland, the Active Travel and Sustainable Transport Action Plan was finalised earlier this year (see full report here). The report, based on your feedback, identifies the following 5 priority actions.
- Create more walking, cycling or wheeling (Active Travel) routes including a route that links Braemore and Lochside communities to the south and Ardmair to the north with Ullapool. (Lochbroom and Ullapool Community Trust have already been awarded a grant from Sustrans** to define our active travel ‘strategy’ which will include reviewing the feasibility and impact of a path between Ardmair and Braemore Junction.)
- Make pavements and paths more accessible by ensuring they are clear, well maintained and incorporate features such as dropped kerbs. This could include finding funding to support upkeep.
- Improve community transport. Improvements should include access to buses for young people to access training and work opportunities as well as being given more time to socialise outwith school.
- Develop better access to and management of parking including provision of disabled spaces and enforcement.
- Improve traffic management including implementing traffic calming measures to reduce speed of vehicles and make roads safer.
We are now setting up an Active Travel and Community Transport working group that will meet monthly to further define and deliver against these actions.
If you would like to join the group or would like to help in any way then please get in touch with Sandy Underwood at sandy@ullapoolcommunity.org
We look forward to hearing from you…
* walking, cycling and wheeling is often called ‘active travel’ where wheeling refers to baby buggies, wheelchairs and similar non-motorised forms of wheeled transport.
** Sustrans is the sustainable transport charity and funding has been granted through their ‘Places for Everyone’ scheme.