Transport / Active travel path projects given backing of transport partnership
Funding bids worth more than £1.7 million have been submitted to Transport Scotland
MEMBERS of Shetland’s transport partnership have approved a number of proposed active travel projects – including design work on a possible link between Lerwick and Scalloway.
The total value of the various projects, which would be funded by Transport Scotland, comes to more than £1.7 million.
Funding bids have been submitted by Shetland Islands Council to Transport Scotland for the projects.
Some of the construction projects being proposed include shared use paths in Aith, Swinister and Voe.
Members of transport partnership ZetTrans approved the projects in principle at a meeting on Tuesday but there was little detail other than their estimated costs.
ZetTrans’ lead officer Michael Craigie said a report will come to members in the near future with more details and a look at the “bigger picture” of active travel in Shetland.
ZetTrans chair councillor Moraig Lyall said she found it difficult to approve the projects when “you’ve got very little idea” of what is actually involved.
Meanwhile grants totalling £523,673 are set to be issued to Cycling UK, Scottish Cycling, Paths for All and Love to Ride UK for a string of active travel projects.
Again, this will be funded by Transport Scotland.
Craigie told Tuesday’s meeting that funding confirmation is expected to come imminently.
Scottish Cycling will receive nearly £90,000 for its Rock Up and Ride project, which would see a library of around 20 “quality bikes” set aside for bairns to use.
The project will focus on pupils from P6 and P7 in Bell’s Brae and Sound primary schools, and younger Anderson High School children, offering children “free access to bikes”, as well as fun and inclusive rides and cycling skills training.
This programme has already been in place for one year already, although the bike library element will be new.
Following questioning from Shetland West councillor Liz Peterson, Craigie said the plan is to move the programme into more rural schools in the future.
He said it has initially focused on Lerwick, where there are the most people, to get things up and running.
Meanwhile Cycling UK will be given £186,333 for two projects – a community-focused scheme to deliver a range of “walking, wheeling and cycling activities in communities where other support is absent”, and the other a funding stream to find organisations needing new or pre-used bikes, or to have their bikes repaired.
Love to Ride UK is also in line for a funding boost of £42,500 for a programme to inspire people to ride bikes more often.
Funding of more than £72,000 will also to go Paths For All for a ‘workplaces walking’ programme.
Shetland Islands Council is also proposing to set aside around £133,000 in “capacity and capability building” to create a dedicated post for active and sustainable travel, and to hire in consultancy support.
When it comes to active travel infrastructure, bids totalling £1.787 million have been made to Transport Scotland for 2025/26.
Around £310,000 of this is dedicated to design work for a Lerwick to Scalloway active travel link.
Speaking after the meeting, Craigie said the project would be split into east and west phases.
On the Lerwick side of the Black Gaet there could be a connection into last year’s active travel path in Gulberwick.
Craigie said a Lerwick-Scalloway link would be a “large project by any standards, whether it’s in Shetland or whether it’s in Scotland”.
He said the project would “take account” of the Mossy Hill wind farm development, which could include paths, but it is not specifically going to accommodate it.
Craigie said there are other ideas at play including Scalloway to Tingwall, and Tingwall to Lerwick.
He said one thing transport officials can do “better” at is establishing the “big picture” around active travel and how different projects fit together.
Settlement “audits” have been carried out across Shetland and Craigie said there are “well over 300 separate suggestions” which have come from these – from road markings and signs to larger infrastructure projects.
Among the construction projects proposed for 2025/26 are plans for a shared cycling and walking pathway in Aith – at a cost of £379,620 – and another in Swinister.
Shared use paths are also proposed for Lower Voe to Tagon, and Setter to Veester Hill.
At Tuesday’s meeting ZetTrans chair Moraig Lyall said she felt a pedestrian crossing would be useful at the Tagon shop in Voe to cater for the likely increased footfall.
A footway is also proposed in Symbister, at an estimated cost of nearly £130,000, while around £95,000 is being earmarked for traffic calming at Bell’s Brae Primary School in Lerwick.
Regarding the latter, there are traffic calming measures being proposed over the whole of Gilbertson Road, which was the subject of a petition from residents in 2019.
Possible changes include a flat topped hump near to the lower gate of the Bell’s Brae school which would see the road narrowed slightly, in a chicane style.
Tuesday’s meeting heard that possible active travel interventions in Brae have been put on hold prior to more clarity coming on the proposed new high school and energy hub projects in the village.
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