In 2022, Aberdeen’s City Centre Masterplan was implemented, removing traffic from Union Street Central and transforming it into an active travel and public transport space. In 2023, further enhancements were made to the space, including segregated cycling facilities on South College Street, a key route to the city centre. These changes introduced additional traffic restrictions in the central core, establishing a network of active travel and public transport priority streets. These measures aimed to support safer walking, wheeling, and cycling, as well as more efficient buses, including improved access to the bus station. Between 2019 and 2023, traffic levels decreased 48% on Union Street and more than 20% on key approaches.

Progress continued in 2024 by delivering a segregated cycle route through the city centre and towards the beach. These measures complement the Low Emission Zone by limiting non-essential traffic in the city centre, with evident pollution reduction benefits. While the full impacts of the LEZ will not be felt until it is fully enforced, air quality improvements are already being achieved by individuals and organisations preparing for the LEZ. For instance, in 2023, the local bus fleet was 95% compliant, compared to 36% in 2018.

Following the delivery of new city centre bus priority measures, 600,000 bus passengers per month are experiencing improved punctuality (over 95%) and faster journeys. Bus journey times in the city centre have been reduced by up to 25%, ensuring people can confidently reach their destinations on time. A recent passenger survey found that 81% of respondents were satisfied with bus services, 86% were satisfied with journey times, and 65% were satisfied with punctuality. These improvements translate directly into modal shift, with nearly a 10% growth in bus use since the measures came into force, allowing operators to reinvest savings to benefit customers directly.

The Big Issue eBikes (BIEB) on-street rental scheme launched in 2022 has since expanded to 66 locations, predominantly in the city centre, with ongoing expansion to universities, parks, and suburban areas. A total of 9,392 users have made more than 63,000 journeys, saving more than 41,000kg of CO2 compared to car journeys. Infrastructure improvements are supported by behaviour change initiatives, including the delivery of I Bike in schools and communities.

The appointment of a new car club provider in 2022 and the rollout of electric vehicle infrastructure ensure that people can limit the impact of their travel, even when a car is the only option.

In 2024, the Integrated Travel Town (ITT) masterplan project initiated its next phase, with work commencing on five additional ITT towns. The delivery of ‘Strategic Active Travel Routes’ has led to the design and early implementation of key routes linking major towns to Aberdeen, including Ellon, Inverurie, and Portlethen. Collaborating with RTP partners NESTRANS, the Council outlines its aspirations for future active travel, identifying and mapping key corridor routes where small-scale interventions will enhance wider rural route access.

The authority has capitalised on the increasing adoption of Electric Bikes, launching what could potentially be the first unmanned rural E-Bike hire scheme in Scotland. A second expansion project is set to launch in the summer of 2025. This initiative has introduced a supporting website and online booking system that is open to community groups interested in launching their own schemes. The principal objective is to establish community-owned and operated E-Bike hire options supported by the council. Currently, 40 bikes are available for hire, with an additional 24 expected to be available by 2024.

Community mapping has been rapidly developed, with 22 communities now having access to their own tailor-made maps and 19 treasure trails. An additional 6 treasure trails are set to be launched in 2024. All projects are underpinned by a strong brand identity and marketing approach, with an outdoor advertising reach of 366,990 in 2022/23 and a TV and digital audience approaching 500,000.

The award-winning Bothy project, conducted in partnership with Cycling UK, continues to expand. In the previous two years alone, it engaged with almost 2000 participants and delivered over 200 cycle-related events.

Edinburgh’s strategic, joined-up transport planning and delivery plans, namely the City Mobility Plan and Our Future Streets, are now beginning to materialise, with delivery underway. Notably, Edinburgh was the first Council nationally to approve a target to reduce car kilometres by 30% by 2030, higher than the national/regional target of 20%. Between 2019 and 2022, car kilometres decreased by 7%, amounting to 164 million fewer kilometres. Moreover, carbon emissions from road transport decreased by 8% between 2019 and 2021, resulting in 53,100 fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Edinburgh has made significant progress in rolling out attractive, safe, and high-quality active travel routes. These routes, crucially, interact with each other to form a comprehensive cycling network, connecting communities and destinations across and to the city centre, enabling longer-distance journeys to be made by active means.

In 2023, the newly constructed segregated cycleway, forming part of the National Cycle Network (NCN) route 1 and providing a link with other active routes, including the George Street and First New Town project and Meadows to George Street, opened. The Edinburgh Tram extension to Newhaven is experiencing increasing popularity, with patronage doubling in the months since its launch. In 2023, Edinburgh Trams recorded 9.1 million customers. Lothian Buses are almost returning to pre-pandemic levels and continue demonstrating best practices in inclusion, accessibility, and customer service.

Glasgow has continued its investment in road safety measures with notable results and innovation, particularly in its travel to school and road safety initiative: STARS. The city’s latest STARS project combines the largest ‘School Streets’ programme in Scotland with the largest school film project in the UK. This School Streets pilot restricts traffic in streets surrounding schools during key times, creating predominantly car-free zones, now integrated into the school curriculum.

The council developed its Active Travel Strategy 2022-2031 (ATS) as part of the wider Glasgow Transport Strategy, aiming for a significant modal shift to walking, wheeling, and cycling to meet the city’s transport, environmental, economic, and social needs. The Travel Behavior Change Strategy, adopted in June 2023, further encourages sustainable transport choices by supporting engineering teams to plan and deliver behaviour change activities appropriate to infrastructure projects. The Cycling and Urban Sports Strategy (C&USS), adopted in November 2023, broadens the potential audience for physical activity by including ‘wheeled’ urban sports with cycling.

Phases 6 and 7 of Glasgow’s East City Way (ECW), completed in June 2023, added 2.5km of cycle infrastructure seamlessly linking Glasgow Green and the city centre with the east end. The ECW provides a fully segregated route between the city and cultural destinations such as the Emirates Arena and Celtic Park in 20 minutes, likely reducing car journeys. The project also improved pedestrian facilities with footways resurfaced, pedestrian guardrails removed, and pedestrian crossings upgraded. Before the ECW construction, road space was reallocated under the Spaces for People programme, allocating 50% of the carriageway to cyclists. Phases 6 and 7 were completed in time for the UCI World Cycling Championships in 2023, witnessing a 318% increase in pre-construction cycle use in the first three months of operation (July-September 2023), with 24,061 cycle journeys recorded.

Over the past five years, South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) has invested over £5 million in developing new cycle routes. Collaborating with local communities, SLC compiled Active Travel Studies for all major settlements, establishing a single aspirational cycle network covering the entire Council area. A baseline of cycling usage across the network has been established, and a robust strategy has been developed to continue investment in infrastructure.

In the fiscal year 2023/24, £0.875 million was directed toward traffic signal infrastructure to enhance traffic flow, including for buses. Notably, 99.3% of traffic signal faults were repaired within 48 hours during the same period. Additionally, £140,000 was invested in bus stop infrastructure improvements to enhance accessibility and the reliability of bus services. SLC has made significant investments in park and ride infrastructure, increasing the capacity from 607 spaces in 1996 to 2,711 in 2024, marking an increase of approximately 450%.

Furthermore, SLC initiated an STAG study of public transport in the Clydesdale area to gain better insights into the transportation challenges residents and workers face. To support the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), SLC installed 153 EV charge points and developed an EV Charge Point Strategy and Expansion Plan in collaboration with the Glasgow City Region. Efforts are underway to explore commercial models to attract private investment, to have up to 1000 public charge points in South Lanarkshire by the end of 2026.

SLC’s Road Safety Programme focuses on preventing Killed or Seriously Injured (KSIs) incidents by addressing Safe Roads, Safe Speeds, Safe Vehicles, and Safe People. A comparison between the baseline targets of 2014-18 and the most recent five-year average reveals an 11% reduction in fatal casualties and a 39% reduction in serious injuries. Notably, incidents involving children have decreased by 75%. There has been a 51% reduction in all severities compared to the national average of 45%. Additionally, SLC treats 49.3% of the road network for winter maintenance and 3.5% of footways on a precautionary basis prior to frost or freezing conditions. With over 3100 strategically placed salt bins across the network, SLC is well-prepared for winter conditions. Over £100 million has been invested in road-related assets, improving the condition of carriageways, bridges, and traffic signal infrastructure. The Roads and Rural Investment Plan (RIP) has significantly enhanced the condition of carriageways, with the Road Condition Indicator decreasing from 38.0 in 2009-11 to a low of 29.7 in 2020-22. Furthermore, a bridge-strengthening programme has made notable progress, with only 16 out of 123 bridges remaining to be addressed. SLC has invested £25.5 million to upgrade street lighting infrastructure to LED technology and renew columns.

In 2023, the Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) unveiled a new vision, “Call to Action,” outlining transport development over the next 15 years, including the delivery of the multi-billion-pound Clyde Metro network. This initiative aims to transform public transport over the next 30+ years and unlock the economic potential of the Glasgow City Region. The RTS was approved by Scottish Ministers in July 2023.

The Glasgow Subway is currently undergoing its third major modernisation phase, which includes the introduction of new trains, state-of-the-art communications, signalling systems, and an operational control centre. Two out of the 17 new state-of-the-art trains were introduced into service in December 2023, with the remaining set to be operational this year. Notably, the Glasgow Subway is the only transport operator in Scotland to have achieved a 100% return to full patronage following the pandemic.

A new Regional Bus Strategy is underway, exploring delivery models for improving services. This initiative makes SPT the first public body to investigate the bus powers within the 2019 Act.

Continued support for the MyBus door-to-door bus service enables people with mobility issues or difficulty accessing mainstream services to live more independent lives within their communities and access essential services.

Collaboration with operators has advanced the modernisation of the ZoneCard. Tickets will soon be available to customers in smartcard form, providing improved convenience and security.

In June 2023, the Transport Minister officially opened the redeveloped Motherwell Rail Station & bus Interchange, resulting from several years of partnership working between SPT, rail partners, and North Lanarkshire Council to transform town centre transport.

Bus infrastructure has been delivered to support users of the region’s bus network, including investment in new stops, raised kerbs, shelters, and the provision of ‘live’ real-time passenger information and roadside timetable information, all in line with the new Bus Information Standards.