Annabelle Ewing’s Plan for Better Cycling and Walking Routes
Reliable walking and cycling routes can make everyday travel safer, healthier, and more affordable across Ochil and South Perthshire. For villages, market towns, and rural communities, good active-travel links connect people with schools, workplaces, shops, public transport, and essential services.
Annabelle Ewing’s approach would place practical improvements at the centre of local transport planning. The focus is on safer roads, better-maintained paths, stronger links between communities, and decisions shaped by the people who use these routes every day.
This matters in both urban and rural settings. A short missing pavement, an unsafe junction, or a poorly lit crossing can prevent residents from walking or cycling, even when the overall distance is manageable. A coordinated programme could address those barriers one by one.
Safer Routes For Everyday Journeys
The first priority would be to identify stretches where people already walk or cycle but face avoidable risks. These may include narrow rural roads, busy crossings near schools, junctions with poor visibility, and paths that become difficult to use in winter. Local route audits could bring together residents, schools, disability groups, cycling organisations, and council officers.
Safety improvements should be designed for a wide range of users. Protected cycle lanes may be suitable on busier roads, while quieter streets, traffic-calming measures, raised crossings, and wider pavements may work better elsewhere. The right solution should reflect the character of each settlement rather than apply a single template across the constituency.
Linking Villages, Towns, And Services
A strong active-travel network is more than a collection of isolated paths. Routes should connect homes with schools, railway stations, bus stops, town centres, health facilities, and employment areas. In Ochil and South Perthshire, this means considering how smaller settlements link to larger hubs and how people can complete longer journeys without relying entirely on a car.
Where full segregation is not immediately possible, clearly signed quiet routes and improved road crossings can provide useful progress. Secure cycle parking at transport interchanges would also help residents combine cycling with rail or bus travel, extending the reach of public transport.
The case for these connections is democratic as well as practical. Ewing’s wider interest in giving communities a stronger voice can be seen in her discussion of local democracy, a principle that should extend to decisions about local paths, crossings, and public space.
Practical Priorities For The Constituency
A constituency-wide programme would need clear priorities and transparent criteria. Routes serving schools, areas with limited public transport, and communities with a record of serious road-safety concerns could receive early attention. Projects should also consider whether they improve access for older residents, wheelchair users, families with prams, and people with visual or mobility impairments.
| Priority | Potential action | Community benefit |
|---|---|---|
| School travel | Safer crossings, traffic reduction, and cycle storage | More children can travel actively |
| Rural connections | Signed routes, passing places, and safer junctions | Better links between villages and services |
| Town centres | Wider pavements, cycle parking, and low-traffic streets | More welcoming local shopping areas |
| Public transport | Paths to stations and bus stops | Easier car-free journeys |
| Maintenance | Regular repairs, drainage, lighting, and winter treatment | Routes remain usable throughout the year |
Maintenance should be treated as a core part of transport spending, not an afterthought. A path that is flooded, broken, overgrown, or covered in ice cannot serve the community effectively. Publishing inspection schedules and reporting progress would help residents see whether promised improvements are being delivered.
Funding And Delivery
Improving walking and cycling routes requires cooperation between local authorities, transport bodies, schools, landowners, and the Scottish Government. As a representative at Westminster, Ewing could press for funding arrangements that recognise the needs of rural and semi-rural constituencies, where projects may cover longer distances and require more complex land or road planning.
Investment should be assessed over the long term. Better routes can reduce pressure on household budgets, support local businesses, improve public health, and lower transport emissions. A transparent funding plan would make it easier to distinguish between quick, low-cost changes and larger infrastructure schemes requiring phased delivery.
Local Voices In Route Design
Residents often know exactly where a route fails. They can identify crossings that feel unsafe, pavements that disappear, paths that are inaccessible, and places where signs or lighting are inadequate. Consultation should begin before designs are fixed, with accessible meetings, online mapping tools, and clear feedback on how comments influenced the final scheme.
Community involvement should continue after construction. Local monitoring groups could report defects and suggest adjustments, while schools and workplaces could help measure changes in walking and cycling levels. This would make active-travel policy a continuing partnership rather than a one-off consultation exercise.
A Connected And Inclusive Future
The strongest plan would combine immediate safety measures with a longer-term vision for connected travel. Small interventions such as dropped kerbs, repaired surfaces, clearer signs, and cycle stands can make a noticeable difference while larger links are developed. Each project should contribute to a coherent network rather than stand alone.
Key recommendations include:
- Audit walking and cycling routes with residents and accessibility groups.
- Prioritise safer school journeys, crossings, and links to public transport.
- Protect funding for maintenance, drainage, lighting, and winter upkeep.
- Create continuous routes between villages, towns, services, and workplaces.
- Publish delivery targets and progress reports for public scrutiny.
Annabelle Ewing’s plan can present active travel as a practical part of economic recovery and community wellbeing. By supporting safer movement, stronger local connections, and meaningful public involvement, Ochil and South Perthshire can become easier to navigate without a car.
Residents can follow the campaign, share local route concerns, and support Ewing’s work to bring these priorities into public debate. A safer path or crossing may begin with one report from a local user, but a coordinated community effort can turn those concerns into lasting improvements.