1.4 Transport Issues and the challenges we face

Our partners and our residents have identified the following major transport challenges facing Argyll and Bute. These are included in the five key elements of: Economy, Integration, Environment, Accessibility and Safety. [Please see Appendix 1 for details of of the development and consultation process]

 1.4.1 Economy

• Our transport networks are not meeting the needs of our communities, e.g. poor quality roads, inadequate service frequency.
• Transport costs, including fares and fuel, are high, impacting on business competitiveness.
• Transport links to markets and tourist destinations are long and often and inefficient. This disadvantages our local industries.
• Journey time reliability is poor. For example, when transport networks are disrupted by a road traffic accident a lack of route choice leads to delays in deliveries impacting on customer satisfaction and service dependability.
• Traffic volumes on the strategic network impact on freight journey times during the tourist season.

Traffic on the A82, north of Tarbet

1.4.2 Integration

• There is a lack of confidence in the current travel information that is provided.
• Too many individual tickets require to be purchased for journeys.
• Existing competitive, institutional and legislative barriers are currently preventing full integration between different sectors / modes of transport.
• The integration between different transport providers (e.g. Caledonian MacBrayne, First Scotrail, and Scottish Citylink) and different transport modes (e.g. ferry, train, bus) needs to be improved.
• The general quality of transport interchanges is poor, e.g. facilities such as transport information, toilets, luggage storage, etc, at bus / rail stations and ferry / air terminals.

1.4.3 Environment

• The limited public transport provided in the area results in high car dependency and this is unlikely to change.
• There is a need to maintain the existing high quality environment throughout the area taking due account of its importance to the tourism industry and our communities.
• There are conflicts between policies aimed at growing the economy and preserving the environment.
• There is a general lack of fit for purpose cycling / walking routes, within local communities.

Oban is a popular tourist destination

1.4.4 Accessibility

• Many of our remote rural and islands suffer social and economic deprivation due to infrequent transport services.
• The cost of accessing basic services and jobs using public transport is too high.
• There are inequalities in ferry service provision to islands across the country.
• Transport services must recognise the trend towards an ageing population and the increasing demands this will place on public transport as a whole.

1.4.5 Safety

• There is a perception that some elements of the transport network are unsafe, e.g. personal security on public transport and at transport interchanges.
• There are concerns about road safety around schools.
• There are concerns about driver behaviour.

1.4.6 Other factors

In addition to these challenges, a number of other issues will affect transport provision in the area, both now and in the future.

• Our economy is not performing as well as that of Scotland as a whole - our gross domestic product (at basic prices) is 25% below the Scottish average.
• Depopulation is affecting a number of our more peripheral settlements. This trend needs to be arrested in order to sustain these communities.
• Physical inactivity resulting in poor health is a major concern across Scotland for both adults and children. Transport can play its part by encouraging “active travel”, e.g. walking and cycling, but changing attitudes in favour of this will be a challenge.
• The amount of timber to be exported from the area is set to double over the next ten years (750,000 tonnes rising to 1.5 million tonnes). This will place increased pressure on our unfit infrastructure.
• Both the Structure and Local Plan for the area have identified areas for growth. Oban is one such area which will grow as a service and economic centre. Providing the transport infrastructure necessary to support this growth and balancing car based travel demand in this location will be a challenge.
• The possible impacts of climate change on transport will be a significant challenge, particularly with regards to keeping transport networks operational.
• Poor transport services on and across the Clyde river and estuary are currently a constraint on economic development and growth in our commuter belt. As a result the area has not fully benefited from the economic regeneration of Glasgow.
• Increased business activity in the whisky industry will have a significant impact on freight movements, particularly to and from the islands of Islay and Jura. This is not only an issue for the transportation of the product and its components, but also for the waste produced as a result of the whisky making process.

This information has confirmed, “where we are” with transport in our area and forms a key resource in developing the strategy and formulating suitable options to address our transport challenges.