National Islands Plan: annual report 2021

Transport

Strategic Objective 3 – To improve transport services

We committed to ensure that existing and future transport-related policies, strategies and services are fully island proofed so that they truly meet the needs of island communities.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

In October 2021, we published the NTS2 Delivery Plan – Island Comunities Impact Assessment (ICIA) Screening Report.

To inform the development of our Aviation Strategy we carried out an online public consultation from the 18 October 2021 to 21 January 2022, giving people, including island communities, the opportunity to have their say. Transport Scotland officials visited airports in the Highlands and Islands to raise awareness of the consultation amongst local residents, and to encourage their participation. Local authorities from the Highlands and Islands also took part in stakeholder workshops, which we held to help develop our strategy.

The consultation document on the aviation strategy also contained a series of detailed questions on air services in the Highlands and Islands, and how they could better meet the needs of residents and tourists. Finally, we will complete an ICIA for any relevant actions which we are considering including in the strategy and undertake further consultation with Highlands and Islands stakeholders on specific topics where required.

We committed to engage with local authorities, island communities and transport operators in developing regulations and guidance for the bus services provisions of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, which aim to enable local authorities to better respond to local needs.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and the UK's exit from the European Union and associated resource constraints for local authorities, has impacted on the development of guidance and regulations and the related consultation processes and consequently delayed the implementation of the Act.

A virtual workshop was held on 17 March 2021 to involve stakeholders in developing materials for a consultation on implementing the Bus provisions of the Act. The consultation launched in July and closed on 6 October 2021. Following this, regulations and associated guidance are being developed to implement the provisions which include the ability for local authorities to run their own services, a new bus partnership model, franchising and provisions for information relating to services. Each local authority can determine which of these tools (or a combination of them) can help improve local bus services. https://consult.gov.scot/transport-scotland/part-3-bus-services-transport-scotland-act-2019/

We committed to produce a long-term plan and investment programme for new ferries and development at ports to improve resilience, reliability, capacity and reduce emissions to give confidence to island communities on our ongoing commitment.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

In 2019, Transport Scotland commenced the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) to help inform transport investment in Scotland for the next 20 years. STPR2 will help to deliver the vision, priorities and outcomes for transport set out in the National Transport Strategy (NTS2) and will align with other national plans such as the National Planning Framework (NPF4) and the Climate Change Plan.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, STPR2 has a two Phased approach, with Phase 1 reporting to the original timescale of winter 2020/21. An Update and Phase 1 Recommendations report was published in February 2021. Within this report, Intervention 19 refers to investment in ferries and ports.

This package includes the production and maintenance of a long-term plan and investment programme for new ferries and development at ports. The long-term plan would help address and improve resilience, reliability, capacity, accessibility, increase standardisation, and reduce emissions across the Clyde and Hebrides ferry service (CHFS) and Northern Isles ferry service (NIFS) network, to meet the needs of island communities. This measure was identified in the draft Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) for Scotland 2021/22 to 2025/26 and is supported by investment of at least £580 million during the next five years.

The Scottish Government's Infrastructure Investment Plan (February 2021) reinforced the NIP commitment to a "long-term plan and investment programme" which will be taken forward in 2022 with the aim of publication by the end of the year.

A further Vessel Replacement and Deployment Plan report for 2020 for the Clyde and Hebrides network was produced and discussed with key stakeholders. A summary of that report was shared with the key stakeholders through the CHFS Ferry Stakeholder Groups in June 2021.

During 2021, the Scottish Government approved the procurement by CMAL of the modern second-hand vessel MV Utne to serve on the Craignure-Oban route to Mull and bring additional resilience to the CalMac fleet as a whole. Ministers also approved the start of procurement of two new vessels for Islay, with shipbuilding contracts expected to be awarded around March 2022.

We committed to develop a new Ferries Plan that will meaningfully contribute to delivering the outcomes of wider Scottish Government strategies as set out in the National Transport Strategy and the National Islands Plan.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

The NTS2 Delivery Plan (17 December 2020) stated that: "We will also prepare the Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP) as the successor to the Ferries Plan 2013-22. We will develop objectives based on supporting delivery of NTS2 and the National Islands Plan and develop proposals to meet those objectives which represent value for money. The ICP will be closely linked to the outcomes of the STPR2, in order to consider island connectivity more broadly having regard to aviation, ferries and fixed links, and to connecting and onward travel."

Work in earnest of the Islands Connectivity Plan has been further delayed by the need to prioritise our operational response to COVID-19 and the majority of the work will now be undertaken in 2022 and beyond. We have been able to undertake some initial work on some topics including fares, emissions and investment planning. Our aim remains to publish a draft Plan for consultation, with supporting documents, in December 2022.

We committed to review the impacts of Road Equivalent Tariff and to consider future ferry fares policy options that will meet the needs of islanders and support island economies.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

As outlined above, the majority of the work on the Islands Connectivity Plan will be undertaken in 2022 with an aim of publishing a draft Plan for consultation in December 2022.

Also as part of the Ferries Plan, we committed to review and promote integration between ferries and other modes of transport on the mainland and islands, with a view to better facilitating the use of active, public or shared transport for all or part of journeys to and from islands in an affordable and accessible manner.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

This will be a strand of work undertaken as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan and the Strategic Transport Projects Review.

As part of the STPR2 two phase approach, an Update and Phase 1 Recommendations report was published in February 2021. Within this report, Intervention 11 concerns supporting integrated journeys at ferry terminals. This intervention would involve undertaking a detailed review of key ferry terminals to consider physical integration, timetabling, signing, ticketing, and other facilities required to deliver a seamless service.

For the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services, we committed to develop and introduce a new booking, reservation and ticketing system, with Smart Ticketing capability, to replace the existing system.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

A project has been initiated to procure and implement a new booking and ticketing system for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services. The procurement phase was completed and a contract awarded in 2021. Calmac Ferries Limited are now working with the supplier on Implementation.

The Calmac Ferries Limited run Ar Turas project (funded by Transport Scotland), will be introducing a modern ticketing and booking system, anticipated for 2022, offering customers an improved booking and travel experience, maximising the use of car deck capacity and improving communications with customers.

Further information can be found: Ar Turas | Latest News | CalMac Ferries

We committed to use the feedback from the NTS consultation to inform the NTS Delivery Plan which will seek to address the different transport challenges faced across Scotland's different areas and regions including islands.

This commitment was fulfilled in 2020. Please see the National Islands Plan Annual Report 2020 for further details.

We committed to determine strategic transport investments from our island communities through STPR2 – which will also inform Transport Scotland's Ferries Plan 2.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

In February 2021, the Phase 1 recommendations and associated impact assessment progress reports were published. These are the first STPR2 recommendations for transport investment, focusing on recommendations for transport projects or interventions that significantly contribute to STPR2 objectives, align well with NTS2 priorities, and can be progressed or delivered within the current spending period and will help support a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

A series of impact assessments have been undertaken on STPR2, including an Island Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA). On 26 March 2021, an ICIA specific workshop was held with representatives of island communities, organisations and local authorities. An ICIA specific workshop was also held with representatives from Orkney Islands Council on the 27 April 2021 at request from the Council.

We committed to work in partnership with local authorities and communities to improve walking and cycling infrastructure, the design of place and access to bikes, facilities, promotion and education to make walking and cycling the most popular choice for shorter everyday journeys including as part of multi-modal journeys.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

Transport Scotland funds Sustrans Scotland over £50 million each year to deliver the Places for Everyone active travel infrastructure programme. Local authorities can bid into this fund to create a range of active travel infrastructure schemes in their areas. Whilst match funding is requested for these schemes, local authorities also receive direct funding from the Cycling, Walking, Safer Routes grant to develop local infrastructure initiatives to promote active travel.

We continue to improve and expand work on our behavioural change programmes, such as increasing the uptake of child and adult cycle training, and driver awareness training for HGV and bus drivers.

At the end of 2021 we launched pilot projects as part of our commitment to provide free bikes to school age children who cannot afford one. Our island communities pilot is operated by Shetland Council who have partnered with the voluntary led Shetland Bikes Project, the Shetland Transport Partnership ZetTrans, and Ability Shetland. The pilot aims to assist 50 young people between the ages of 5-17 throughout the Island communities of Shetland. The pilot has made is first purchase of 25.

We continued to explore the potential to reduce the need to travel by using the planning system to promote places which bring people and services together.

We also grant fund Cycling UK £656k to run the Rural Connections programme which supports people in Shetland, Orkney, Western Isles, Argyll and Bute and other rural mainland areas to cycle, walk and wheel for everyday journeys, leisure and adventure. The programme offers a wide range of cycling and walking activities for all abilities.

Transport Scotland also funds the Smarter Choices, Smarter Places annual programme funded, managed by Paths for All, with a total of £9 million in grants awarded to sustainable travel behaviour change projects across Scotland. This includes the £5 million pro-rata Local Authority Fund and The £2 million Open Fund which is open to all third sector organisations and community groups.

Through the Island Communities Fund, £80,920 was provided to support Point and Sandwick Coastal Community Path SCIO in delivering the fourth phase of a coastal path linking the crofting townships of Shulishader and Flesherin with an accessible path that will improve access around the peninsula.

We continued to explore the potential to reduce the need to travel by using the planning system to promote places which bring people and services together.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

The draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was laid in the Scottish Parliament and published for public consultation in November 2021.

It includes a new policy on local living, requiring plans and proposals to support the principle of 20 minute neighbourhoods. The focus of a 20 minute neighbourhood is on creating places of short distances for walking, wheeling or cycling that can connect people to a range of amenities and services close to home.

The characteristics of each 20 Minute Neighbourhood will need to reflect the circumstances, opportunities and aspirations of individual places. 20 minute neighbourhoods are not a template, but rather they are a flexible approach, that can vary across the country and across settlement scales to suit context. As part of this, creating local hubs that meet local community needs with good accessibility will help to reduce the need to travel longer distances and provide local employment opportunities for rural and island communities.

Draft NPF4 states that improved digital connectivity is a priority to sustain current businesses and create 'smart' communities, helping to unlock opportunities for rural businesses and remote working, and make future community growth more feasible.

Draft NPF4 also includes an updated policy on sustainable transport and active travel. This aims to reduce the need to travel unsustainably as well as actively encouraging the provision of sustainable transport.

Our approach aims to be clear but also flexible enough to reflect the different priorities and challenges for placemaking across Scotland. Local development plans, prepared by planning authorities, will also work within this framework to bring forward place-based solutions.

Subject to requirements as set out in the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service and the Northern Isles Ferry Service contracts, we will always strive to improve, where necessary and possible, issues relating to freight and will engage proactively with operators, communities and stakeholders as appropriate.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

During 2021, the Scottish Government provided funding to CalMac for two short-term charters of the freight vessel MV Arrow to support freight services on the Stornoway-Ullapool route (the most popular route for freight on the Clyde and Hebrides network).

Our ferry operators also continue to work very closely with the freight sector to manage demand and utilise capacity as effectively as possible.