4. Recommendations

STPR2 recommendations are in 6 themes:

Make it easier for people to use active travel (walk, wheel and cycle)
Change travel choices and behaviours
Make public transport more accessible and affordable
Stop using fossil fuels which put harmful gases into the atmosphere
Make the transport network safer and hard-wearing (needing less repair, less often)
Make better long-distance connections (travel to and from other countries).

The recommendations cover the whole of Scotland. But the recommendations then need to meet the needs of different parts of the country.

Make it easier for people to use active travel (walk, wheel and cycle)

Getting people to walk, wheel and cycle more often:

cuts air pollution
reduces inequality as better access to jobs, services and leisure
makes communities nicer places to be
improves health
is good for the economy

Better active travel routes are helpful for people who can feel left out of society. This can be disabled, young and older people, and those without a car.

The STPR2 recommendations would need local councils and Regional Transport Partnerships to work together.

This would result in a high quality, safe nationwide active travel network connecting Scotland’s communities.

Changing travel choices and behaviours

Getting people to make healthier, reliable and safer travel choices.

The recommendations encourage people to make use of active (walk, wheel or bike) and public transport.

They include:

campaigns to change behaviour
increasing active travel (walk, wheel and bike) to school
more access to bikes
changing road user behaviour
more 20mph limits and zones on roads

These recommendations aim to make roads safer. This will mean fewer accidents and will mean people are happier to use active travel.

For these STPR2 recommendations to work, many public, private and community organisations would have to work together.

Make public transport more accessible and affordable

Many people need access to affordable and reliable public transport so they can access jobs and key services like shops. This is for those living in rural areas as well as towns and cities.

Spending money on better public transport would encourage more people to use it. This would mean less use of cars and less air pollution.

Different people have different needs. We need a range of ideas to meet the challenges and barriers of everyone travelling by public transport.

This includes better transport stations and setting up a public transport ticketing scheme. This would make all public transport services more accessible and affordable.

There are different recommendations for cities and country-side communities. People have different needs in these areas.

Stop using fossil fuels which put harmful gases into the atmosphere

The Scottish Government has made a commitment that there must be net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Net zero means we take out as much harmful gas from the atmosphere as we put into it.

We have to do this if we are to meet the targets for climate change.

Transport is now the largest source of harmful gas emissions. Cars make the most gas.

The only way the net-zero target can be reached is by:

stopping use of fossil fuels in cars and lorries
getting more people to use public transport and active travel
getting people to take shorter trips or no trips at all

Make the transport network safer and hard-wearing (needing less repair, less often)

The STPR2 recommendations look at ways to make transport safe and hard-wearing.

Transport Scotland will keep checking the roads and plan for repairs. These will look at safety and climate change impacts and make roads better.

STPR2 has identified areas that need looked at first.

There are recommendations looking at speed on major roads and their impact on communities. These would mean less accidents and be better for the local environment.

STPR2 understands that goods vehicles like lorries and their drivers have their own needs. A national review of lorry parks is recommended to look at barriers stopping their development.

Make better long-distance connections

It is important that long distance connections are made better. It should be easier to travel in Scotland and across its borders.

STPR2 makes recommendations about better access to large seaports.

STPR2 recommends spending money on ports to support new greener ferries. This will give island communities better links to the mainland.

STPR2 looks at how important rail is for longer journeys for passengers and goods.

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