Urban Transport
High quality, co-ordinated public transport has an essential role in transporting people into towns and cities. But for a healthy, safe and pleasant urban environment, free from excessive traffic and exhaust fumes, planning of streets and pavements should focus on creating traffic- free zones, with public transport co-ordinated to use transport corridors efficiently.
Compare the congested street scene in Edinburgh (left) with Bern (right).
Bus deregulation makes it difficult to plan transport in Scottish town and city centres to cut congestion and pollution.
Co-ordinating public transport interconnects routes to create an efficient metropolitan network offering an attractive alternative to the car for urban travel.
A Tale of Two Cities
Compare the congested street scene in Edinburgh (left) with Bern (right).
Bus deregulation makes it difficult to plan transport in Scottish town and city centres to cut congestion and pollution.
Co-ordinating public transport interconnects routes to create an efficient metropolitan network offering an attractive alternative to the car for urban travel.
Scotland’s capital city centre. Traffic chokes Princes Street. People are crowded onto pavements.
Switzerland’s capital city centre. Pleasant environment for people, with extensive tram and train networks
Rural Transport
Local bus services in rural areas have been in decline, with car travel becoming predominant. Combining the needs for local travel for shopping, employment and entertainment with other services including school and hospital bus services helps where this is practical. Development of leisure travel by bus is an opportunity in many areas.
SAPT believes that transport integration, including co-ordination of some local bus services with the rail network, could boost overall public transport usage by giving every community access to the national transport system.
Development of leisure traffic (“bus, boot and bike” on Loch Lomondside, left) is a boost to tourism and helps cut car traffic.
Full bus/train co-ordination as at Brig, Switzerland (right) integrates local buses into the national transport network and improves accessibility of rural communities.