We enjoyed welcoming 80 delegates to our ‘Making Connections’ #activetravel networking event, in Inverness on Wednesday 26 February. We heard from a range of knowledgeable practitioners about their localised work to support more people to walk and cycle for their everyday journeys. Here’s an overview of the presentations.
🟣 George Ewing, Cycling UK
Noss Bike Bus in Caithness has demonstrated how travelling to school as a group brings the community together, transforms the environment around the school, gives joy to those involved or watching and instils healthy habits in children.
🟣 Amy-Roanna Trerise, Living Streets
Walk Once a Week (WOW), is a UK wide initiative, from Living Streets to encourage children to walk, scoot and cycle to school. 6,432 pupils across 35 primary schools are involved in the HITRANS area with walking the most popular way to reach school by 42% of children.
🟣 Jamie Joyce, Argyll and the Isles Coast and Countryside Trust
ACT ReCycle collects donated bicycles, reconditions them to a safe and functioning standard, and then provides them for free to residents in Mid Argyll. This work fulfils several sustainability development goals such as tackling rural transport poverty, improving health and wellbeing, addressing inequality, reducing waste and reducing carbon emissions.
🟣 Emma Walters, Lochaber Environment Group
The Fort William Bike Shed is a community-based bicycle project that aims to help people to overcome barriers to cycling through bike refurbishment, maintenance, training and community support.
🟣 Simon Erhardt, HITRANS
Hi-Bike is an e-bike cycle share scheme with 1,198 active users across Inverness and Fort William offering a sustainable way for residents and visitors to travel. Inverness Railway Station, UHI Inverness campus and Fort Willian High Street are the most popular destinations. This summer the scheme will expand into Elgin.
🟣 Michael Harvey, Sustrans Scotland/Orkney Islands Council
The Travel Matters Orkney report was a large piece of citizen engagement work on attitudes and behaviours around active travel across the Orkney Islands region. The data in this report gives an unprecedented understanding of what the Orkney public think about walking, wheeling and cycling. The findings are valuable in shaping solutions to support increased active travel in Orkney and have relevance for other rural and island settings.
🟣 Sheila Wickens/Becca Purvis, HITRANS
Opening on 31 March 2025 until 31 May 2025 is the Workplace Grant and Cycle Parking Grant for cycle storage and parking, bike repair stands and pumps.
Transport Scotland
