SNP ministers have revealed their ambitious 20-year blueprint for future transport investment.
The Scottish Government’s second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) includes 45 recommendations which ministers hope will make transport in Scotland more sustainable.
READ MORE: Tunnels to replace ferries and a Clyde Metro map – here's what's in the Scottish transport review
Here are five of the most interesting:
Glasgow Metro system
The strategy outlines mass transit systems, including the Clyde metro for the Glasgow region.
Councillor Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “Today’s announcement marks a major step forward in our commitment to creating a modern, sustainable, integrated public transport system for the city of Glasgow and its surrounding metropolitan region. Clyde Metro’s inclusion in the STPR2 report is a huge vote of confidence in the work done to date by Transport Scotland and the City Council in advancing the concept and the compelling case for it.
“Metro will be transformational – reducing social and economic inequalities, delivering on economic growth, better connecting outlying and poorly served communities and incentivising large-scale modal shift from private car to public transport.
"Over the past several decades, modern rapid transit systems like Metro are what Glasgow’s comparator cities across the globe have been busy constructing. We cannot continue to be left behind. More than arguably any other single intervention, Clyde Metro can help deliver a vibrant, prosperous, inclusive and sustainable city region, a transport system fit for our international standing and ambitions.”
Potential tram extensions for Edinburgh
The plan states: "We will continue to consider additional support required for public transport and keep this under review in light of the uncertainty and other challenges presented by Covid-19."
This will include support for light rail. Transport Scotland will continue to engage with Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Tram to understand the ongoing impacts and potential further support required
Replacing some island ferry routes with bridges or tunnels
The document says that “the current ferry routes on the Sound of Harris, Sound of Barra and between Craignure and Oban face a number of issues and challenges”.
It suggests that “replacing ferry services with fixed links (bridges or tunnels) can improve reliability, connectivity, capacity and crossing times”.
It proposed a Sound of Harris fixed link to improve connectivity between the Uists and Lewis/Harris and a Sound of Barra fixed link between Barra and the Uists.
It adds: “The provision of these fixed links would allow for the reconfiguration of transport provision between the Outer Hebrides and the mainland.
“The provision of a fixed link between Mull and the Scottish mainland would allow for the reconfiguration of transport provision between the island and the mainland.”
The strategy recommends “further work is undertaken on business cases to better understand the benefits, costs and challenges”.
It states: “These studies would consider the feasibility of replacing existing ferry services currently delivered by CalMac as part of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) contract.
“These studies would also ascertain the potential savings associated with the public sector subsidies required to operate the ferry services and involve input from communities that may potentially be affected.”
Full decarbonisation of Scotland’s public transport network
The document says transport is Scotland’s biggest carbon emitter and the recommendations emphasise decarbonisation and behaviour change for ferries, rail and buses as well as increasing the shift to zero emission vehicles.
Improving active travel infrastructure
The new plans will also encourage more people to walk, wheel and cycle more often; cutting carbon emissions and improving health and wellbeing, particularly of children, while supporting sustainable economic growth.
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said: “The investment decisions we make now have never been more important. A green recovery from COVID-19 will set us on a path to delivering a fair and just transition to Net Zero. The pandemic has led to fundamental shifts in travel behaviours and we want to ensure that people continue to make sustainable travel choices, that they return to public transport and our economic recovery does not overly rely on road-based travel.
“The STPR2 recommendations support the measures set out last week in our route map to reduce car kilometres by 20% by 2030 and represent a major piece of work by this Government to make Scotland – all of Scotland – more sustainable."
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