South Ayrshire Council News

Members of the Council’s Transportation Team are pictured with Councillor Peter Convery.

South Ayrshire Council has won the Scottish Transport Award 2007 Walking and Cycling Award. This award recognises the Council’s innovative and exciting work, that has led to an extensive number of cycle and walking routes being created in South Ayrshire.

The Scottish Transport Awards 2007, which are supported by the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Transort Studies Group, Transport Scotland, the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Transport Times acknowledge real improvements to local transport.

This is the fifth year that the awards have been held, this year the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow was the venue for the awards ceremony, which brought together people from all over Scotland to celebrate industry achievements.

“Staff from the Council’s Transportation section of the Department of Development, Safety and Regulation, submitted their Local Cycle Feeder Routes scheme for consideration for the Scottish Transport Awards 2007.

Councillor Peter Convery, the Council’s Portfolio Carrier for Sustainability and Environmental issues said: “To win a national award of this calibre for the walking and cycling routes in South Ayrshire is a tribute to the innovation, dedication and determination of all the staff involved in the project.

“Walking and cycling are environmentally friendly and sustainable ways of travelling. The network of routes can be enjoyed by people of all ages, whether they use them to travel to and from work, during their leisure time or as a way of keeping fit.

“South Ayrshire Councils Local Transport Strategyrecognises the need to promote and encourage greater use of sustainable transport. Scotland’s National Transport Strategy prioritises cycling, together with walking, as the preferred method of transport, so it is very important to provide high quality facilities for cyclists and walkers.”

Here are some of the projects that helped South Ayrshire to win the award:

• Joint partnership working to develop cycle routes in the South Ayrshire area to feed in to National Cycle Route 7.
• Meeting public demand for safe and direct routes to schools.
• Designating over 11 kilometres of road space to new local cycle routes along main arterial roads to Ayr.
• Introducing cycle routes to schools and incorporating them in school transport plans.
• Creating rural routes for recreational purposes and increased access to the countryside.
• Encouraging Council employees to cycle to work.
• Reducing car usage which benefits the environment.
• Creating a safe environment along cycle routes to encourage men, women and children to use the routes.