Falkirk Active Travel Strategy

There is strong evidence that the ‘pedestrian pound’ supports high streets, as pedestrians spend more per month than people arriving by car. That’s why improving our high street environments for pedestrians is an essential part of community regeneration and planning for sustainable economic growth. For example, improvements to Kelso’s traffic management and pedestrian experience in the early 2010s led to a 28% increase in footfall along the High Street, supporting local retail sales.

Falkirk Council have been using Smarter Choices, Smarter Places funding since 2008 . Smarter Choices, Smarter Places funding allows a location-specific approach to suit the unique characteristics of each community. Locations throughout Falkirk District have benefited from interventions, such as, a network of signs to key destinations and walking and cycling events that encourages active travel.

We can also trial temporary interventions to understand their impact on local businesses. In a trial in Shoreditch, East London, two car parking spaces were turned into seating for 14 people and 8 cycle parking spaces. During the trial period, the adjacent shops’ takings increased by 20%.

Transport is important for promoting social inclusion and wellbeing, allowing people access to employment, healthcare, education, and other services.

When barriers to walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport emerge, it is often vulnerable groups, such as those with disabilities or mobility issues, who are most affected.

To make walking, wheeling and cycling viable choices for parts of longer distance journeys, active travel infrastructure has to be well-connected to public transport systems. Even where public transport might cover most of a journey, users still need to walk, wheel or cycle to the transport hub where they access the public transport. This part of the journey is referred to as the ‘first and last mile’. Steps taken by the Council going forward will contribute to enhancing safety during the ‘first and last mile' to improve accessibility.

Improving Inclusion: 1 in 4 Falkirk District residents do not have access to a car or van. Improvements to active travel routes and connections to public transport will improve their ability to move around the District.

Connections between public transport and walking, wheeling and cycling do not just make sustainable transport an easier choice – for many residents of the Falkirk District they are essential. A quarter of the Falkirk District’s residents do not have access to a car or van – making it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle to where they need to goensures that no opportunities are missed as a result of transport differences. Making it easier for people to travel actively also creates an opportunity for those who do have access to a vehicle to consider giving it up or using it less to reduce running costs.

We know that some new technology, like electric cars, are harder to fit into families’ budgets. We also know that with rising fuel prices, car ownership may not be a financially sustainable choice.

Walking, wheeling and cycling are much more affordable, and help to address transport poverty within the Falkirk District. Our strategy includes investment in the infrastructure, skills and materials that people need to feel confident moving about actively. This means reducing risks around cycle theft, and making it safer to store cycles at home and at key destinations.

To reduce the number of vehicles needed in our town centres, we need to support businesses to have active ‘first-mile’ and ‘last-mile’ delivery solutions, such as, cargo bikes or hand trolleys.

We also need to make it easy for people to use walking, wheeling and cycling to ‘click and collect’, meaning that even online purchases will create somefootfall for the high street. £21 million has been dedicated to a Central Sustainable Transport Hub known as ‘Falkirk Central’ at the current Falkirk Grahamston Station and an associated ‘GreenCorridor’ that will connect local communities.

This investment will ensure that walking, wheeling and cycling is a key component in sustainable development, and will support the rejuvenation and growth of the Falkirk District’s economy.

• We will trial pedestrian and cycling improvements and monitor the economic impacts on local businesses through business engagement.
• We will invest in secure cycle parking infrastructure at key destinations.
• All new flats will have dedicated secure cycling storage.
• We will invest in infrastructure and placemaking to make the walking, wheeling and cycling gateways to town centres welcoming and accessible.
• We will work collaboratively to increase the flexibility of land use, to encourage thriving high streets.
• We will remove time restrictions for cycle access on Falkirk town’s high street to increase cycle access and facilitate greater use of cargo bike delivery models.
• We will explore opportunities for cargo bikes in the Grangemouth Investment Zone, and make arriving at this zone, by foot, cycle and wheel, a welcoming and accessible experience.
• Ensure the Grangemouth Investment Zone is accessible via walking, wheeling and cycling.

20-minute neighbourhoods aim to create attractive, safe, accessible environments that connect people to the facilities and services for their everyday needs via short, convenient walking, wheeling and cycling trips without depending on a car.

Within a 20-minute neighbourhood, there are typically schools, green space, grocery stores, health facilities, recreational opportunities, and diverse and affordable homes – keeping jobs and spending local, and journeys achievable by active modes.

We know that for liveable neighbourhoods to be successful, vehicle speeds and traffic flows need to be managed. Our public consultation revealed that more than 50% of over 65-year-olds felt roads were unsafe for them as a pedestrian. As a response, in line with the global Streets for Life campaign, led by the United Nations, we are working to make 20mph the norm for places where people mix with traffic. We know that limiting vehicle speeds reduces risks to pedestrians and is an important part of making a more equitable balance between road users. We are committed to a phased approach to the introduction of 20mph restrictions, with all towns and most villages as a first step. We will continue to investigate and implement appropriate measures to improve safety and accessibility for all people, whether walking, wheeling or cycling.

Being able to move around the community safely is particularly important for children. That’s why Falkirk Council is making a commitment to ensure that all children attending school within their local catchment have a suitable walking, wheeling or cycling route to school. This will reduce traffic around schools, and congestion and parking issues at the beginning and end of the school day whilst encouraging more active lifestyles from early age.

Improving Inclusion: Children and young people under 17 cannot legally drive private cars. Investment in walking, wheeling and cycling promotes independence and opportunities for young people.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people enjoyed cycling across the UK, and used it as an alternative to their previous method of travel. Cycle sales rose by 677% during the pandemic. We want to promote long-term investment in these plans, undertaking schemes like those in Milan, Italy. The Italian city launched an ambitious scheme to reduce car usage after lockdown. Called 'strade aperte' [open streets], the plan aims to reallocate 35 km of street space from cars to cycling and walking.

The ability to play outside is not just important for children, but also for adults. Recreational exercise, such as, walking, cycling and jogging, is an important component of active travel provision, particularly where leisure destinations can be made accessible by walking, wheeling and cycling.

Everyday users can appreciate historical and cultural projects that protect and enhance our unique historical, natural and cultural environment. We will promote and support projects that provide access to community spaces and green space, such as the Helix Park and Bo’ness Foreshore.

We know that recreational exercise can be a stepping stone to having the ability and confidence to use walking, wheeling and cycling for everyday journeys.

Improving Inclusion: Having quality spaces for recreational exercise and time outdoors can be therapeutically beneficial to many disabled people and those with learning difficulties.

We also want to ensure strong connections to and from our rural communities.

We know that in rural communities walking, wheeling and cycling may look different. In many rural areas, it is not feasible for every journey to be within the urban 20-minute neighbourhood model. But this does not mean those who live in rural communities should be excluded from positive developments in the transport network. To apply the concept of ’20-minute neighbourhoods’ in a rural setting, we will:

• Provide the infrastructure to support more walking, wheeling and cycling;
• Promote the provision of accessible transport to remote areas;
• Improve the integration between different forms of transportation; and
• Rationalise car parking and introduce low speeds to reduce congestion and improve safety.

Incorporating the 20-minute neighbourhood concept into our strategy aligns with our vision that prioritises a modal shift to walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport. Whilst we acknowledge our more rural locations, we hope to improve connectivity so that travelling by bus, bike, or train is as, or more, convenient as the private car.

As the modal shift to sustainable and active travel occurs, we aim to improve connectivity between active travel routes and train stations to reduce congestion. Additionally, secure storage facilities at transport hubs will be key in encouraging the mixed-use of sustainable and active travel. If we are to encourage the use of public transport and walking, wheeling and cycling, we must ensure the provision of infrastructure that makes this as convenient as possible.

• We will review existing footway, path clutter and remove, or relocate, anything unnecessary which is a barrier to access for all people whether walking, wheeling and cycling.
• We will invest in new street infrastructure, such as, pedestrian crossings, wider foot ways, and protected vehicle-free spaces to improve the pedestrian experience.
• We will improve connectivity and integration between different modes of transport to ensure seamless mobility. This includes steps, such as, exploring integrated ticketing, walking, wheeling and cycling access to train station, and active travel integration with Car Club vehicles (e.g. cycle racks).
• In areas of high pedestrian demand we will ensure that the default position is pedestrian priority at signal-controlled junctions.
• We will prioritise cycling movements over motor vehicles through greenlights, and investigate ‘green wave’ technology to help cyclists progress through a series of junctions more smoothly.

We want to create a greener, more inclusive, and more economically successful areas. Investment in active travel is not a short-term solution – it is a long-term commitment to making our communities better places to live, work and play.

It is well-known that one of our biggest changes we can make in our daily lives to reduce carbon emissions is changing the way we move around. In Scotland, transport accounts for a third of all carbon emissions – more than any other sector – with private car use making up nearly half of all transport emissions. Falkirk Council has declared a climate emergency. We know that prioritising walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport use as part of our response to this emergency is essential to help all of us rapidly and significantly contribute at a local level towards tackling this global emergency.

Climate change is not the only reason to move towards cleaner transportation choices – we want the air in our towns to be cleaner for all those living in, working in, or visiting us, and for the local wildlife.

Improving habitats for plant and animal life supports our commitment to biodiversity net gain – making sure that our interventions result in an increase in more high-quality habitats.

In the Falkirk District, we have two active Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) – Falkirk Centre, and Grangemouth. These are areas where we know that the national air quality targets are not currently being met. Across the region, but particularly in these areas, it is essential that we make it easy to travel actively, to reduce the number of cars on the road and improve air quality.

Cars, even electric ones, release particles into the air via their brake pads and tyres. These particles create even more localised pollution than car exhaust, contributing to asthma and other health conditions. By reducing vehicle traffic on our streets, particularly near schools and homes, we can create cleaner air and a safer, more welcoming environment for walking, wheeling and cycling.

Walking, wheeling and cycling also help people to live healthier lifestyles, as physical activity is part of their everyday movement from place to place. And walking, wheeling and cycling can improve both physical and mental health.