Step Six – Making Adjustments to your Work

It was indicated in the Island Communities Assessment for the NTS2 that the “challenges faced by island communities are clearly recognised and the Islands (Scotland) Act will ensure that authorities need to consider the impact of their work on Scotland’s islands.”

The development of the revised Cycling by Design takes into account issues raised during consultation with HITRANS and local authorities with largely rural communities. As a result of that consultation, changes were made to the design guidance to indicate that where user numbers are relatively low, a reasonable level of service can still be achieved even if desirable minimum widths are not met. Combined with the “Design Review” process and the updated text on the “Interaction Between Pedestrians and Cycle Users”, this will give designers of rural schemes appropriate flexibility to implement either a shared footway or a cycle track with reduced widths where these are the best solution for the local context (but still setting out that a higher level of service is desirable where it can be achieved). This overcomes the main concern raised during consultation, which was that rural (and island community) schemes may not be viable if criteria for separation of cyclists, desirable minimum widths and high levels of service were applied too rigorously in a rural or island context. 

The guidance will remain under continual review and be updated as and when required to ensure best practice is maintained in response to emerging developments elsewhere and information arising from research. During development of the design guidance a number of evidence gaps were identified in relation to some design details and research has been commissioned on these areas with a view to informing future updates of the guidance. The Steering Group had a wider discussion on HITRANS’ request for rural examples and case studies to be incorporated into the guidance. It was concluded these would be developed but kept separate from the guidance document and more likely in the form of a webpage for ease of keeping up to date.

For successful delivery of the aims of the guidance it will require to be complemented by measures such as training of practitioners, education outreach for all road users, and local education campaigns where new infrastructure is provided.