Spaces for People scheme is a success but opportunity's could be missed
The Spaces for People scheme put in place by the Scottish Government during the lockdown was undoubtedly a welcome move, but as restrictions ease there’s a growing risk that it becomes a missed opportunity.
The scheme, administered by Sustrans, granted Perth and Kinross Council £1.1m to improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists and to help maintain physical distancing. This included additional signage and road markings, reduced speed limits, widening pavements and temporary cycle lanes and cycle segregation.
That last point is crucial. There’s been a marked increase in people cycling during the lockdown, but while places like Dunfermline and Dundee have experienced truly enormous spikes in cycling rates in Perth and Kinross Council appear to have lagged behind.
It’s not enormously surprising. Making roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians doesn’t seem to have been a priority for the council over the years. The roads linking villages to Perth and each other are entirely unsuited to cycling, and the speed of cars is a massive deterrent.
In Crieff for example, there has been a concerted campaign by local residents to see a permanent reduction to 20mph on the section of the A85 that runs through the town. Having met and spoken with some of the campaigners it’s obvious that their concerns are completely justified. Narrow pavements and fast cars sadly make Crieff an unwelcoming and unsafe place for anyone on a bike or on foot.
It’s frustrating that the modest improvements made in Perth through the Spaces for People fund haven’t made their way to the rest of the council area. I understand the council are considering their options but it’s disappointing that the swift action taken in Perth wasn’t replicated elsewhere.
The Transport Minister Michael Matheson recently announced that a further £3.4m would be allocated to the already oversubscribed Spaces for People programme, which will hopefully mean benefits are felt outside of the Fair City.
It’s not all good news though. This cash is being reallocated from the active travel budget, meaning the pot of money available to make long term permanent changes to walking and cycling infrastructure is diminished. Meanwhile, the roads budget, which dwarfs the active travel budget, remains entirely untouched. Only a tiny fraction of the Scottish Government’s roads budget could have made an enormous difference to the Spaces for People fund while leaving cash free to invest in long term improvements in places like Crieff and Comrie
Crieff often suffers from some of the worst air pollution in Scotland and a huge bulk of that comes from vehicles. It’s no surprise then that air pollution plummeted during lockdown with fewer cars on the road. When there are fewer cars on the road everyone benefits, not just cyclists. Air quality improves, streets are safer and public spaces finally belong to people not cars.
There is a real opportunity here to undo years of neglect towards cycling infrastructure and give more people the chance to feel confident getting on their bikes or going for a walk. Temporary measures were right and essential during the lockdown but it’s time to look to the future and make sure we take this chance to build back better.
This article orginally appeared in the Strathearn Herald