Executive Summary

Moving Forward sets out plans and policies for transport in Argyll and Bute over the next three years and an indication as to our future aspirations. The strategy has been developed in the context of national and regional transport policy, as reflected in the new National Transport Strategy and Regional Transport Strategies. The transport strategy has been broken down into four chapters covering; Where we are now, What we want to achieve, The action we will take and finally How we will measure our progress.

Where we are now

• Many trips within our area take well over 1 hour and any trips outwith the area to major centres such as Glasgow or Edinburgh, on the whole, take over 2 hours. For remote rural and island residents these journeys take significantly longer.
• The condition of our road network is currently well below the Scottish average, with a significant backlog of essential works. Much of the road network is no longer fit for purpose and weak roads and bridges force weight restrictions to be applied impacting on the local economy.
• Sustaining viable public transport services is difficult in our remote and sparsely populated area. Many services operate at a low frequency, thus the task of integrating services is rarely easy.

There is a mix of rail, bus, ferry and air services in Argyll and Bute which go some way to reduce the remoteness of the area, however many of these services are costly to the passenger.

• In many of our towns and villages a lack of "safe" walking and cycling links reduce the opportunities to take part in active travel.
• Road safety is a major issue in Argyll and Bute where driving distances are greater than elsewhere in the country.
• Traffic volumes in Argyll and Bute are relatively low and in some locations road traffic is actually decreasing.

 These challenges have set the framework for the strategy in identifying the things we need to do to make transport better for everyone in the area.

What we want to achieve

Working with our partners we have developed a vision for transport in the area along with a number of objectives we want to achieve. Our vision is to enable a vibrant Argyll and Bute and our objectives are to:

• Encourage a growing and sustainable economy in Argyll and Bute.
• Improve people's transport experience.
• Manage the effect of transport on Argyll and Bute's rich natural environment.
• Improve accessibility for all our communities.
• Improve journey safety and personal security for everyone in Argyll and Bute.

In order to achieve these objectives, a variety of options are available to us. It is expected that no single option can achieve an objective and that a balanced package of measures will be required.

The action we will take

We have developed an action plan based on the following option themes:

Infrastructure

• Implement a programmed approach to road improvements.
• Implement a programmed approach to address the roads maintenance backlog.
• Improve traffic management throughout the network.
• Ensure all new development meets current transport policy.
• Manage the effects of climate change on the transport network.

A816, Carnasserie

Passenger Transport

• Improve passenger transport services.
• Improve service integration.
• Review passenger transport fares.
• Promote demand responsive services.
• Encourage Community Transport provision.
• Develop air services.
• Develop an Accessibility Planning model.
• Improve passenger transport information.
• Improve passenger transport ticketing.
• Improve passenger transport infrastructure.
• Improve parking at transport interchanges.

Freight Transport

• Develop a freight strategy.
• Increase the volume of freight shipped by sustainable modes.
• Continue to develop a strategic timber transport network.
• Identify opportunities for developing freight interchanges.
• Promote improvements to the national strategic transport network within and outwith the area.

Sea Transport

• Improve marine infrastructure / vessels.
• Review transport options for our islands.
• Improve the ferry network.
• Improve parking at ferry terminals.
• Review ferry fares.
• Improve marine interchange facilities.

Active Travel

• Develop a Cycling and Walking strategy.
• Develop and implement Travel Plans.
• Improve infrastructure for active travel.
• Promote benefits of active travel.

Safety

• Revise Road Safety Plan.
• Improve road user behaviour.
• Review speed limits.
• Improve road safety in sensitive locations.

How we will measure our progress

We need to be able to judge how effectively the strategy is working, and whether we are achieving our objectives and those of the country as a whole. The annual update to the Action Plan will indicate what we have achieved and where we need to make greater efforts. The strategy may need to be adjusted to reflect changing circumstances and we have developed a set of indicators that should let us know when our policies and actions need to be altered. This information will be gathered to inform the preparation of the next local transport strategy in 2010.