Step Four – Assessment

The renewed policy statement is a national policy commitment and therefore not designed to necessarily address the unique transport challenges relevant to island communities. It does, however, recognise the importance of ensuring that the local benefits of car use reduction, including the health, social and economic benefits of reduced air and noise pollution; reduced road danger; increased opportunities for active travel; decreased community severance; and reduced congestion; are extended to those living in island communities as well as those on the mainland. Four key transport behaviours have been identified to support individuals to reduce their car use by:

• Reducing the need to travel, using online services where appropriate
• Living well locally, accessing goods and services locally where possible
• Switching mode, to active travel or public transport where possible
• Combining or sharing trips, to reduce the total distance travelled by car

It is recognised that in island communities, interventions to support a reduced need to travel and more local living, as well as those to facilitate combined or shared trips may be more relevant than interventions to support switching of modes.

The policy seeks to achieve a national-level reduction in car use and not a uniform reduction in car use across all geographical areas, it is not anticipated to impact on island communities in a significantly different way than on other communities across Scotland. The commitment to produce place-based, experience-specific delivery plans provides further opportunities to engage directly with island communities and ensure that any plans for delivery within the islands are reflective of their circumstances and specific requirements.

In preparing the ICIA, I have formed an opinion that our policy, strategy or service is NOT likely to have an effect on an island community which is significantly different from its effect on other communities (including other island communities). The reason for this is detailed below

This ICIA has considered impacts at the level of the policy statement itself and acknowledges that individual ICIAs should be conducted on all policies to achieve car use reduction, as and when appropriate. This will enable individual policy interventions to be adapted to best meet the needs of island communities, in line with the National Transport Strategy (NTS2) policy to minimise the connectivity and cost disadvantages faced by island communities and those in remote rural and rural areas, including safeguarding of lifeline services.

The renewed policy statement sets out our commitment to support people to make more sustainable travel choices wherever possible, but does not require all individuals or geographical areas to make the same percentage reduction in car use. This means that the policy is not likely to have an effect on an island community which is significantly different from its effect on other communities. Similarly, our commitment to producing delivery plans indicates that we will ensure that these will be place-based and experience-specific, and we will ensure island communities are engaged as a part of this.

The range of sustainable travel behaviours have been deliberately chosen to be inclusive of people living in different geographical locations, so that those in places such as island communities, where there may be fewer opportunities to ‘switch mode’ can still contribute to and benefit from car use reduction through one of the alternative sustainable travel behaviours of: reducing travel by making use of online alternatives where appropriate; choosing local destinations where possible; and combining trips or sharing car journeys where car remains the only feasible option.