Cycle Friendly Kingussie, with funding support from the Scottish Government, through Sustrans Scotland’s Community Links programme,, is exploring ways to make it easier to walk and cycle within and around the town. They have commissioned engineering consultants AECOM to engage the community to assist in developing proposals to improve walking and cycling routes and facilities in the area, including safer routes to schools.
The project aims to help ensure that Kingussie remains a place where locals and visitors wish to spend time whilst walking and cycling between local attractions and amenities. In particular, the project is focussing on ensuring the key routes from where people live to the facilities on the High Street, the HIgh and Primary Schoool, Medical Centre, Badenoch Fitness Centre, Railway Station, Council Offices, Community Hospital, Galleries and Community spaces are attractive for pedestrians and cyclists. It will also look at ways to better and safely connect the town the proposed cycleway on the dualled A9, the Speyside Way, National Cycle Route 7 and others.
Walking and cycling more often for everyday journeys has physical and mental health benefits, environmental benefits and benefits to the local economy. High-quality spaces can have many social, health, economic and environmental benefits as places thrive when people have a range of reasons to be there – Kingussie has much to celebrate already as a great place to live in, visit and do business in, the town centre plays a vital role in that. The project aims to strengthen this offer, creating ways to connect up and navigate through the town that benefits everyone, including those with mobility difficulties.
The public is being asked to submit their views on what they like, do not like and would like to see improved in relation to walking, cycling and quality of public spaces in Kingussie via an online Placecheck Tool. Comments can be submitted on this tool until Tuesday 19 March 2019 HERE. Keep an eye on the Cycle Kingussie website and facebook pages for updates on the project and information on future events.
“Cycle Friendly Kingussie has been around now for over four years. During that time we have seen an increasing number of people attend our regular ride outs and maintenance evenings. To get funding from Sustrans to help us understand how we can make Kingussie an even friendlier place for cyclists and pedestrians is great, the views of local people are really important to shape that future and we would encourage everybody to have a say using the online tool and look out for a future drop-in session.”
Mark Tate from Cycle Friendly Kingussie
For more information or to give feedback by email you can get the team on info@cyclefriendlykingussie.org