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SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE COMMISSIONED REPORT F00NC17 i

For further information on this report please contact:

Richard RobinsonScottish Natural HeritageFraser Darling House9 Culduthel RoadInverness. IV2 4AG

This report should be quoted as:

Transport For Leisure Ltd. (2000) Transport Tourism and the Environment inScotland. Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report F00NC17

This report or any part of it should not be reproduced without the permission of ScottishNatural Heritage which will not be unreasonably withheld. The views expressed by theauthor(s) of this report should not be taken as the views and policies of Scottish NaturalHeritage. Scottish Natural Heritage 2000.

Transport Tourism and theEnvironment in Scotland

Report No. F00NC17

SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE COMMISSIONED REPORT F00NC17 ii

Transport Tourism and the Environment in ScotlandReport No: F00NC17Contractor : Transport for Leisure and Roger Smith

BACKGROUND

The report provides a brief introduction to environmental issues arising from the use oftransport by tourists. It describes environmental impacts on the natural heritage and on visitorsatisfaction, comparing different modes of transport and considering various touristexpectations. A number of regional profiles are included. These highlight good practice,issues that need to be addressed, and prospects for the future. Recommendations for furtheranalytical and practical work are made.

The audience for the report will include policy makers and practitioners in the tourism andenvironmental sectors, as well as those concerned with transport service provision. Thereport is intended to provide a starting point for further work and analysis. It will encourage agreater level of discussion about the implications of tourism transport for the qualities of boththe environment and the tourist experience.

MAIN FINDINGS

• The major environmental impacts from tourism transport arise from air travel and use ofprivate cars. Within Scotland leisure motoring accounts for approximately 90% of tourismtravel. The impacts of car use in tourism consist of traffic congestion, air pollution, visualand noise pollution, and danger to both people and wildlife Tourist activities such aswalking and cycling are also means of travel, but tourists invariably rely on public orprivate mechanised transport to get to their general destination.

• Public transport therefore has a potentially crucial role in reducing environmental impactsfrom leisure travel. Its lower environmental impacts can improve the experience of visitorsonce they have arrived at their destination. Other research indicates that between aquarter and a third of people (“pale greens”) who currently travel by car can be persuadedto switch to public transport once they near their destination, if such services are wellpromoted. This could include many leisure walkers. A smaller group (“deep greens”),includes many overseas visitors, and prefers to travel without a car. They could beattracted to Scotland as a high quality destination where there are some excellent, wellpromoted public transport networks, as well as outstanding walking and cyclingopportunities.

• Several Scottish examples of innovative thinking and good practice are described. Oneclear lesson which emerges is the need for local authorities, transport operators and sitemanagers to work in close partnership to develop and promote new green travel options.However there are few, if any, areas of Scotland where public transport is being promotedas part of a wider traffic management initiative to help reduce the environmental impact ofprivate cars. The two proposed new National Parks in Scotland may give a newopportunity to look at the wider issues of visitor and traffic management

• Transport is a cross-sectoral issue and most initiatives would benefit from a partnershipapproach between SNH and other public agencies. SNH should have four key roles intourism travel, through research, advice, demonstration, and funding through grant aid.

COMMISSIONED REPORT

Summary

For further information on this project contact : Richard Robinson, SNH, Fraser Darling House, 9 Culduthel Road, INVERNESS IV2 4AG [email protected]

For further information on the SNH Research & Technical Support Programme contact The Co-ordination group; Advisory Services, 2 Anderson Place, Edinburgh. Tel: 0131 446 2400

SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE COMMISSIONED REPORT F00NC17 iii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Tourism is now one of the world’s most rapidly growing industries. The major impactof that activity on the environment is related to transport, in particular to air travelwhose rapid growth in recent years has largely fuelled the international growth intourism, and also to car travel.

The impacts of the growth in air travel are something that is quite properly a concernof environmental agencies at both a national and a global level. However, withinScotland tourism travel is dominated by leisure motoring, which is now the primemeans for most visitors to arrive at and travel within their chosen destination. Withinthe Scottish countryside the percentage of visitors using their cars to reach or enjoya drive through the countryside is probably in excess of 90% of all visitors. All othermeans of travel – rail, boat, coach, bus, cycle and walking - share the remaining10%.

This situation is not likely to change significantly unless and until a combination ofworld energy shortages and related economic problems radically changes travelbehaviour patterns, which in turn would have catastrophic effects on Scotland’s ruraltourist industry, an industry which is now heavily dependent on the private car.

Recognising the economic importance of the private car for rural tourism does notreduce the need to monitor its negative environmental impacts, especially withinprotected landscapes. Traffic congestion in popular recreational areas may not beas severe as in parts of southern Britain, but nevertheless it is already occurring insome such areas at peak times.

However congestion is only one of the negative impacts of leisure motoring. Otherproblems include air pollution, whose more localised impacts on fragile eco-systemsmay not be fully understood, visual and noise pollution (a major factor in someprotected landscapes) and danger to both people and wildlife on both major andminor roads in Scotland caused by fast moving traffic on rural roads.

Walking and cycling are both mechanisms to reach the countryside and a means ofenjoying and experiencing that countryside in a high quality way. Most visitors,however, require some form of mechanised transport to reach their chosen area ofcountryside.

Public transport therefore has a potentially crucial role in reducing environmentalimpacts from leisure travel, and in improving the quality of the leisure experience. Itslower environmental impacts compared with a far larger number of cars can improvethe experience of visitors once they have left their mechanised transport, and itoffers new opportunities such as point-to-point walks as opposed to the traditionalcircular walk to and from the car.

Two groups of visitors are particularly open to new transport opportunities: PaleGreens who use cars but who are happy to step out of them once the near theirdestination, and Deep Green who rely entirely on public transport, walking andcycling.

Good quality public transport within the chosen holiday area can attract Pale Greenvisitors, who may come to Scotland by car, or who live in Scotland, and travel to theirchosen area by car, but once having arrived, can be persuaded to switch to more

SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE COMMISSIONED REPORT F00NC17 iv

sustainable forms of travel if such services are well promoted. Research suggeststhis could include up to a quarter or even a third of people who are currentlytravelling totally by car. This could include many leisure walkers. Scotland alreadyhas a major national and international market for walking holidays. Existing publictransport networks, if properly promoted, can provide excellent access for walkers,both within the wider countryside and to longer distance routes and trails. LikewiseDeep Green Visitors, who have no car or who prefer to leave their car at home(including many overseas visitors), can be attracted to Scotland as a high qualitydestination where there are some excellent, well promoted public transport networks,as well as outstanding walking and cycling opportunities. Such Deep Green visitorsmay currently be small in numbers but represent a growing niche market forsustainable tourism in Scotland.

In a brief review of initiatives and best practice within Scotland, several examples ofinnovative thinking and good practice are noted, including well integrated publictransport networks in areas such as the Western Isles, and outstandingly successfulexamples of joint promotion to heritage and leisure destinations by site managersand public transport operators. One clear lesson which emerges from this goodpractice, is the need for local authorities, transport operators and site managers towork in close partnership to develop and promote new green travel options for bothPale and Deep Green markets. Wherever possible the focus should be onincreasing the use of existing networks to establish new revenue flows to support therural transport network and the local economy.

Good as these examples are, there are few, if any, areas of Scotland where publictransport is being promoted as part of a wider traffic management initiative to helpreduce the environmental impact of private cars. This may be because there is still alack of awareness of the harmful impacts of recreational motoring in rural areas, andof wider car dependency. However, the designation of the two proposed newNational Parks in Scotland, in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and in theCairngorms, may give new opportunity to look at the wider issues of visitor and trafficmanagement.

There are places and times when suitable public transport services to meet visitorneeds are not available because of gaps in the network. Provision of good qualityservices to fill such gaps is especially important when they form part of a wider visitorand traffic management strategy. Ways to do this economically and efficiently shouldbe investigated together with funding mechanisms and ways to monitor their impact.As well as Local Authority, Scottish Executive and EU funding, these might alsoinclude securing visitor revenue from hypothecated car parking charges, or eventolls, in effect making the polluter pay for the greener alternative.

It is suggested that SNH should have four key related roles in the development ofsustainable tourist travel through the Scottish countryside, though as transport is across-sectoral issue most initiatives would benefit from a partnership approach withother public agencies. The roles include:

• Research in order to have a greater understanding of the environmentaland economic impacts of recreational motoring and car-based tourism onvulnerable areas of countryside, compared with alternative sustainabletransport networks. In addition there needs to be a clearer understandingof visitor attitudes and behaviour in relation to transport behaviour.

• Advice to disseminate this research and best practice through publicationsand a possible sustainable transport advisory service.

SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE COMMISSIONED REPORT F00NC17 v

• Demonstration projects to show how the research and advice can bemade to work in the real world.

• Grant in aid to encourage partners to develop new initiatives, includinggood quality promotion and monitoring of green travel networks, as well asmore radical experiment to develop car free initiatives. Considerationshould be given to making the promotion of sustainable travel opportunitiesto a recreational site a condition of any SNH grant.

SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE COMMISSIONED REPORT F00NC17 vi

SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE COMMISSIONED REPORT F00NC17 1

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Transport for Leisure Ltd. and Roger Smith (the consultants) were appointedby Scottish Natural Heritage to undertake a brief scoping study to examine the widerimpacts of tourist-related transport to and within the Scottish countryside.

1.2 In particular the consultants are asked to give a brief overview of currentresearch into the environmental impacts of tourism-related travel, whilst balancingthis against visitor expectations and experience of leisure transport in thecountryside.

1.3 This leads into a more detailed examination of what is currently known aboutthe economic, environmental and social impacts of tourism and tourist travel in theScottish countryside. An audit of the current situation in some of the main touristareas of Scotland in terms of existing public transport networks, including dedicatedleisure services, follows.

1.4 The study concludes with a series of recommendations for the current andfuture role of Scottish Natural Heritage, and in particular tries to identify priorities forresearch, policy development and action over the next ten years.

PART ONE: THE WIDER CONTEXT

2. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF TOURISM RELATED TRAVEL AT BOTHGLOBAL AND LOCAL LEVELS

2.1 Tourism is one of the world’s fastest growing industries. According to WorldTravel Organisation statistics the number of international “tourist arrivals” at touristdestinations has risen from around 25 millions in 1950 to more than 635 millions in1998.

2.2 Within the UK, the total number of tourist trips taken by UK residents, hasrisen dramatically in the last decade, by 61.4%, from 114.7 millions in 1990 to 185.1million trips in 1999, with tourist nights by UK residents spent away from home risingby 44.4% from 608.7 million nights in 1990 to 879.2 million in 1999 i.

2.3 Much of this growth nationally and internationally, has been fuelled by theavailability and cheapness of air travel, which has enjoyed, and continues to enjoyexponential growth.

2.4 Anticipated growth in domestic and international air travel suggestspassenger kilometres will reach somewhere between 5,639 and 6,115 billionkilometres by 2015, representing a worldwide growth of between 122% and 141%over 1995 figures. Freight aviation in this period increased in global tonne kilometresby 2,200%. Passenger aviation is predicted to grow to between 450% and 820% of1995 figures by 2050. By this period aviation will become one of the biggest singlecontributors to global climate changeii and, unless pollution problems are solved, amajor threat to the environment and to human health.

2.5 The UK experience closely reflects these world trends. In 1970 31.6 millionpassengers passed through UK airports. By 1995 this had risen to 129.6 millionpassengers, being an increase over 25 years of 310%. During the same period therewas an increase in the number of flights in and out of UK airports of 166%.


2.6 Negative environmental impacts of air travel include noise, which can besevere around airports, and the widespread scattering of major pollutants thatinclude nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, particulates, carbon monoxide,sulphur dioxide and very significant amounts of carbon dioxide iii. There is also theissue of very significant land-take for airports and their related ancillary services.

2.7 However as most of these impacts are caused by international flights andoccur outside Scotland, air travel is perhaps beyond the scope of this study, exceptto suggest that SNH may have a role in the wider national and international debateabout what many people believe to be a major and increasing threat to the naturalenvironment.

2.8 The growth in car ownership in the UK, from just over 2 million in 1950 to 22million by 2000 parallels the growth in air travel, and closely mirrors economicgrowth, and general prosperity, though in recent years increases in travel have infact been significantly faster even than general economic growth, and numbers ofjourneys by car and length of those journeys have also increased, rising from anaverage of 3,199 miles travelled per person in 1975 to 5,334 miles in 1999. In thesame period the average miles walked per person has declined from 252 miles peryear to 191 miles, whilst miles cycled have declined from 51 miles per year to 40(though a very small growth from 38 miles per year has actually occurred since1997)iv. These statistics have serious implications for the general health of thepopulation, reflecting increasingly sedentary, car-based lifestyles of both young andold people. Car journeys now account for 82% of all journeys in the UK in terms ofdistance travelled, and 40% of such journeys are for leisure purposes.v

2.9 It is easy to see why the car is so successful as a means of leisure transport.A car is flexible, able to travel to places no public transport can serve, and at times ofthe driver’s choosing. It gives the user greater freedom, greater choice. Carriage ofluggage is not a problem, nor the transport of equipment, children, or elderlyrelatives. Its ownership is linked to an individual’s status, and for many people it isan extension of their home, an expression of their taste and personality. Despiterecent increases in the cost of fuel, the total cost of owning and running a car hasdeclined in real terms compared with general cost of living indices, whereas the costof using public transport usage has increased, in some cases very significantly,faster than inflationvi.

2.10 Ownership and use of a car has now become a part of mainstream culture inScotland and in Britain as a whole, a personal aspiration even among people whocannot yet afford, or can no longer afford, to own and run a car. This is not likely tochange until such time as and when shortages of fuel and/or major economicrecession totally change behavioural patterns. As the so-called petrol revolt in theautumn of 2000 revealed, even moderate fuel shortages would, in the short term atleast, almost certainly lead to major economic and social upheaval, particularly inrural areas. A recent study of British Social Attitudes has suggested that whilst 90%of people believe that public transport in the UK should be improved and 80% thinkthere are too many cars on the road, nearly two thirds of the same people surveyedhave admitted that more reliable public transport would have little or no effect ontheir driving habits.vii

2.11 It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that barring such a collapse in oilavailability, car travel will remain the dominant mode for leisure journeys in theScottish countryside, with use of other modes largely confined to a minority whothrough necessity or choice follow a significantly different lifestyle.


2.12 This does not, however, mean that the impacts of such travel are insignificantor can be ignored. All travel, including boats, trains, buses, coaches, and evenwalking and cycling have some impact on the environment. In the case of rail andbus services these can be significant, but as buses and trains operate alongrelatively restricted corridors far less frequently than individual private cars, and, withmoderate loadings, have a far lower consumption of fuel (and therefore production ofpollution) per passenger kilometre, their impact is negligible compared with the 80%or so of leisure journeys made by private car. Water transport is also very energyefficient compared with land travel, which means that ferries are likely to makerelatively little impact, ignoring such issues as possible oil spills or sewage.

2.13 The impacts of car travel on the environment and on other road users can becategorised in five ways:

Air pollution.

o Transport, including road transport, is now the fastest growing source of CO2, theprinciple “greenhouse” gas viii According to research done in 1992 for CountrygoerNews an average 100km trip to the countryside in a 1.6 litre family car on typical mixof urban and rural roads generates 944grammes of carbon monoxide, 105g ofhydrocarbons, 230g of acid-rain causing nitrogen oxides, and a massive 15.8kilogrammes of carbon dioxideix. These calculations, based on Warren SpringLaboratory research figures, were for a car without a catalytic converter. Whilstcatalytic converters have drastically reduced certain pollutants, notably nitrogenoxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, they only work effectively after 3 – 4miles travel, when hot, and when new or well maintained, but more CO2 is thenproduced. A substantial number of car journeys are in fact less than five miles,hardly giving catalytic converters the chance to function. The World Watch Institutenotes that even with catalytic converters, 60% of the pollution created by automobileemissions happens in the first few minutes of operation. This suggests that recentreductions in toxic emissions resulting from the widespread introductions of catalyticconverters may not be maintained, and as car usage continues to rise, may even bereversed. There is also evidence that some heavy metal contamination from catalyticconverters, notably platinum, can occur in roadside dustsx.

2.15 There is further evidence from a variety of sources that vegetation is affectedby these pollutants both locally and further afield, particularly lichens and mosses,but also coniferous woodlandsxi. Nitrogen deposits can cause changes in speciescomposition, perhaps lowering certain species’ natural tolerance of frost, droughtand grazing impact. Nitrogen oxides in cloud and rain can also increase the acidity ofsoilsxii with consequent impact on wildlife habitats. The combined impact of nitrogenoxides and sunlight produces ground level ozones which ironically drift to affect ruralupland and mountain locations, for example the eastern Scottish Highlands, far morethan most of the urban and industrial areas where the pollution is produced. A majorreport Ozone in the United Kingdom 1993xiii indicates how in some of the remotestareas of Scotland during anticyclonic days of still air and bright sunlight actualdamage to vegetation begins to occur as ozone levels increase.

2.16 The impacts of vehicle pollution on human health are well documented.Hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, particulates and benzene all producedby petrol and diesel engines are carcinogenic. The UK Department of Health nowestimate that as many as 24,000 people a year may die prematurely through airpollution, most of it related to road transportxiv. Interestingly enough recent


Californian researchxv shows that the worst place to be for certain pollutants such ascarbon monoxide is sitting inside a car.

2.17 Global warming is now accepted by world scientific opinion as not onlyhappening, but also happening perhaps much faster than scientists first believed.xvi

There are already a number of reports in existence which detail likely scenarios inthe UKxvii, including a seemingly contradictory patterns of hot summer droughts andheavier autumn rains, more frequent and extreme storms and floods, rising sealevels, and shorterxviii winters, which could effectively end the Scottish ski industry.One particularly alarming scenario is the reduction or cessation of the Gulf Streambecause of changing salination levels in the Antarctic, an occurrence that wouldchange the climate in Scotland to something akin to Newfoundland. SNH’s ownInformation and Advisory Note on the Impact of Climate Change examines the likelychange in flora and fauna because of the new weather patterns likely to occurxix.Clearly these predictions will now need to be revised in the light of latest researchfindings, and it will be some time before the likely influence of changes on touristbehaviour are fully understood. Wetter and windier autumns will, for example, havea negative impact on what has been until recent years, a popular shoulder period fortourist activity in Scotland, attracting older, higher spending visitors. On the otherhand hotter summers in the south of Britain and on the Continent could attract moreactive visitors to the cooler Scottish hills and coastline.

Visual pollution.

2.18 Cars, whether parked or congesting narrow lanes or villages are a majorsource of visual pollution in the countryside, especially within protected landscapes.Whilst this is an aesthetic and subjective judgement, it is probably true to say thatthe more remote a location the more extreme the impact. This is particularly true ofwalkers’ cars parked for the day by roadside verges in otherwise remote valleys.

Noise pollution

2.19 This can be quite extreme in many rural areas close to busy through roadsused by tourist and other traffic and destroy rural tranquillity over a wide rural area.In some National Parks in the UK, for example the Yorkshire Dales, traffic noise anddisturbance is notably higher on Sundays when there are far heavier tourist trafficflows than during the week CPRE have done significant work on the loss oftranquillity in many rural areas in England. Research is needed into the current andfuture impact of tourist traffic close to popular and busy tourist routes in Scotland, inareas such as the Highlands, the Southern Uplands, coastal areas and the twoproposed Scottish National Parks.

Accidents and accident-risk fear

2.20 Road traffic is now a major source of death and injury in the countryside, bothto humans and wildlife. More insidious is the impact on so-called vulnerable userseven on minor roads – walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Indeed the allegedimprovements in road accidents statistics over the last few years have largely beenthe result of the rapid decline in non-motorised use of our roads as pedestrians andcyclists have kept off the roads or literally have taken to their cars. Work undertakenby TFL in the early 90sxx indicated that “fear of traffic” is the principle reason for non-participation of most of the British population in recreational cycling. This was alsoborne out by a recent survey undertaken on behalf of CPRExxi of users of country


lanes for walking, riding and cycling. 65% of those questioned said they feelthreatened by road traffic all or some of the time when out in the countryside.

Congestion.

2.21 Paradoxically this is the least frequently experienced negative impact oftraffic in the countryside, particularly in Scotland, a country noted for its “quiet roads”,but the only one which is actually experienced by the motorist themselves. It istherefore considered “not a problem” by most decision makers who are themselvesrural drivers. In fact congestion is a factor of both time and place, and areas such asthe Peak District, Snowdoniaxxii, the Lake District, the Sussex Downs suffer fairlyextremely conditions on fine Sundays, Bank Holidays etc. This in turn leads todemands for additional car parking, road improvements etc. Research by theCountryside Commissionxxiii and others predicts a spectacular increase (up to 300%)on traffic on some rural roads over the next 30 years. This will be equally true ofScotland, especially areas closer to major centres of population such as LochLomond, the Trossachs, the Ayrshire coast, parts of Fife, and the Pentland Hills overthe next few years. This scenario assumes, of course, continued unlimited suppliesof cheap energy, which in the volatile world of OPEC politics, and rising worlddemand is by no means certain.

2.22 There is difference of opinion about the extent to which this is regarded byplanners as a significant immediate or even long term issue for rural areas of Britain.One influential school of thought, which to some degree reflects Governmentthinking in both Scotlandxxiv and in the English Ten Year Transport Plan,xxv is thatfreedom to own and use a motorcar is such a major personal and political freedom,that Government is not in a position to influence demand but should invest in newcapacity, both in terms of better public transport, particularly railways, and greentravel opportunities for walking and cyclingxxvi, but also provide significant additionalroad space, most notably a major new programme of new roads and by-passes toremove congestion and trouble spots on the UK road network, on the assumptionthat demand will eventually reach saturation levels and balance supply.

2.23 This is not a view shared by the Royal Commission on EnvironmentalPollution and its equivalent in Germany, the Council of Environmental Advisors, whoin 1995 together issued a powerful warning about the current degradation ofEurope’s environment. The two bodies in their Joint Statement on Transport andEnvironmental Degradation suggested that “Governments must now create a newframework which will make it possible to combine the benefits of an effectivetransport system for people and food with protection of the environment and humanhealth. This will require comprehensive new strategies. A prime part of suchstrategies was the increase in mineral-oil tax, which they suggested should rise to atleast 100% above current (1995) levels by 2005.

2.24 Recent events now make such tax rises by Governments seem extremelyunlikely. Indeed hostility to current tax levels was particularly strong in rural Scotlandwhere it became a major political issue. The gravity of the threat outlined by theRoyal Commission however has not changed because of the political acceptability orotherwise of its proposed solutions. This is a debate, which we believe that ScottishNatural Heritage, as a leading environmental agency in Scotland, has to engagewith. For this reason we reproduce the Joint Statement by the two internationallyrespected environmental bodies as an Appendix, believing as we do that it raises


important questions about the need for fundamental changes in behaviour and howtransport is both managed and provided in the Scottish countryside.

2.25 Present lifestyles in Scotland, as in the rest of the United Kingdom andWestern Europe, which are based on the consumption of unlimited supplies of cheapenergy, and which are producing current transport trends are inherentlyunsustainable. Perhaps sooner rather than later individuals and society will eitherhave to change their patterns of behaviour or be forced to change by the pollution,shortages or environmental catastrophes - perhaps a combination of all three - thatwill inevitably occur. To assume that tourist and leisure travel in the Scottishcountryside is somehow different or on such a different scale as to be somehowexempt from this process is not a tenable position. As in other environmentalmatters, in leisure transport provision the mantra “Think Global- Act Local” has muchto commend it.

3. VISITOR EXPECTATIONS AND EXPERIENCE OF LEISURE TRANSPORT

3.1 By “Leisure Transport” we mean any journey which is made by a visitor intothe Scottish countryside either to access that countryside for a leisure activity(walking, climbing, cycling, sightseeing, fishing) or as a leisure experience in itself.

3.2 Whilst walking and cycling are important modes of travel in their own right,and whilst walking or cycling from home into nearby countryside is a vitally important,environmentally sustainable leisure activity which should be strongly encouraged bySNH, we are using the term “visitor” as someone who travels ten or more miles awayfrom home. Once the walker or cyclist is this kind of distance away from home andbecomes a visitor in this sense, how the network of footpaths, bridleways and quiet,traffic free roads allows this visitor to explore and travel through an area ofcountryside is an issue of considerable significance. It also touches on widerquestions of public access and the maintenance of the rights of way network, whichare of considerable importance to the quality of life of local people as well as visitors.

3.3 Likewise, enabling and encouraging cyclists to explore Scotland’s countrysidealong a network of roads and byways where they are not exposed to and threatenedby fast moving, dangerous traffic, whether their journeys are leisure or utilitarian inpurpose, is also a vital part of any sustainable transport strategy, and is part of aregion’s recreation provision.

3.4 Tourism by its very nature is about travel. For many people the journey itselfis an essential part of the holiday experience. If that experience is negative – late orcrowded trains, long waits at an airport for delayed flights, or queues alongmotorways – this can seriously affect the holiday experience, visitors arriving tiredand stressed even before the holiday begins. On the other hand if the journey is anenjoyable one – a leisurely drive along quiet roads or a comfortable, relaxed trainjourney, the trip can form an intrinsic and welcome part of the holiday experience.

3.5 The ability to explore the Scottish countryside and the way that countryside isperceived are determined by the mode of travel used. The car may be fast andflexible, but slower modes of travel such as a rural railway, a country bus, or islandferry and in particular cycling, riding or walking through that countryside can give afar richer, fuller experience. The rider, cyclist and the walker are closer to the naturalworld, to the rhythms of the landscape, local culture and character. Outside an air-conditioned vehicle, the walker, cyclist or rider enjoys a multi-sense experience. The


wind, the rain, the scents of the countryside, the tactile texture of a dry stone wall orheather moor are a part of the experience denied the motorist. Equally the motoristis insulated from the impact his or her vehicle is having on the landscape and onother people, most notably non-motorised users of the countryside and localresidents – the visual blight, the noise, the danger, the stench of petrol.

3.6 However, for most people, some form of mechanised transport is required toreach their Scottish countryside destination from home before the walking, cycling orother leisure activity can begin.

3.7 In this respect it is useful to make a distinction between “Pale Green” and“Deep Green” Visitors. Pale Green Visitors are an important group of visitors toScotland’s countryside. They will travel to the area by whatever is the mostconvenient, inexpensive and sometimes only practical means, which in the case ofvisitors from overseas, will mainly be by air, or from the near Continent, by ferry andcar (it is noteworthy that Scotland does not have a direct ferry link to mainlandEurope). For the majority of domestic visitors, particularly those from withinScotland, it will, for the foreseeable future, continue to be predominantly by car.

3.8 Once in the Scottish countryside, for most people the same car that broughtthem to the area will be the favoured means of exploring that countryside. Howeverfor many occasions and activities leaving the car to walk, cycle and in some cases tocatch a bus, train or boat for a day or half day’s trip is potentially an attractive option.It is interesting to note that many people who would not normally use public transportdo so when on holiday abroad and that is a behavioural response of visitors that can,with the right kind of marketing, be exploited, as examples in Scotland in section 5demonstrate.

3.9 Leisure travel does however not need to be by dedicated tourist servicessuch as the standard city centre open top vintage bus or tourist steam train,important and useful as these facilities are to tempt the otherwise nervous visitor outof their car. In Scotland there is a huge choice of rail, bus and even boat servicesthrough countryside of superlative quality which can be marketed to visitors whoseprime form of travel to and within Scotland is by car, but who can be persuaded,with the right promotional material, to leave the car behind for a day or half day for achange of activity. This is particularly likely to appeal to older people, who as trafficincreases, and especially at busy times, enjoy driving less. In section 5 we look atseveral examples where this is done by local authorities and by operators in manyregions of Scotland with great skill.

3.10 Whilst it always makes sound economic sense to promote existing networksto visitors (thereby securing valuable additional revenue to help support rural bus,train and boat networks), in some places and at some times there may be a realneed and justification for a special leisure service, either to fill gaps in the network oras an intrinsic part of a traffic management scheme, for example to provide a park-and-ride service, where it is considered essential either to close a road or to restrictparking at a particular site.

3.11 The ability of bus and train users to undertake linear walks or point-to-pointwalks, is one particular strength of public transport. Research by Ruth Crabtree inthe Lake Districtxxvii which examined the motivation of people with cars who hadchosen to use public transport that particular survey day, found that the prime reasonwhy people did so was not related to any concern for the environment, (which was alow priority) but the opportunity the bus offered them undertake a greater choice of


walks, including linear or dale-to-dale routes. Where such opportunities exist, forexample along the Fife coast where both trains and regular bus services parallel theFife Coastal Path, there is perfect scope to promote use of the bus and train to walksections of the route. Similar opportunities exist between stations on several raillines in Scotland.

3.12 On the other hand experience with Moorsbus in the North York MoorsNational Parkxxviii, a summer network of leisure services which is promoted tomotorists and non-motorists alike, confirms that there is a significant minority,perhaps up to 20% of car-owning and using visitors who can, with the right packagedeal of attractive services, interesting destinations and cheap fares, be tempted toleave their car behind for a day. This includes both holidaymakers and day visitors.Over 50% of visitors surveyed in 1999 using Moorsbus had a car available on theday of their trip – either parked at home or at one of the National Park’s strategicallypositioned fringe park-and-ride sites. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the propensity toswitch mode is linked both to educational levels and to attitudes. Research by theNational Park Authority indicated that motorists most likely to switch to Moorsbuseither from home or on one of the park-and–ride services, are likely to read theIndependent, Guardian, or even the Express; Telegraph and Sun readers beingmuch less likely to leave the cars behind.

3.13 The possibility of getting at least some motorists to switch modes when theyvisit the countryside is confirmed by a detailed attitude study undertaken in 1995 bythe RAC Foundation for Motoring and the Environment on Car Dependence. Theauthors concluded from their surveys that whilst many motorists will literally never bepersuaded to leave their cars behind unless forced to do so by physical barriers ormassive financial penalty:

“a significant proportion of people – perhaps a quarter to a third – report that theywould like to travel less by car, if circumstances allowed”xxix

3.14 The authors also make an important differential between “car-dependentpeople” who are difficult to influence and “car dependent trips” which depend muchmore on particular circumstances and whatever alternative opportunities, such aswell promoted bus and train services, that might be available.

3.15 A further important recent study Delivering Changes in Travel Behaviourxxx

uses experience of health professionals in persuading people to change their habitsand behaviour. The report concludes that exhortations, including slogans, areuseless. The most profitable targets, in terms of likelihood of change are people theauthors describes as “contemplators”. These are people who have, perhaps over aperiod of time, absorbed ideas and attitudes about sustainable travel and theenvironment, and who given the right circumstances and opportunity, such as a wellpromoted bus service, are likely to change their behaviour, however tentatively. Suchchanges of behaviour require constant support, from a variety of sources, if thebehavioural patterns are to be retained. This underlines the need for longer termenvironmental education, which in turn suggests that a wide range of providers,including local authorities, transport operators and site managers, need to beworking together to constantly support and reiterate the green transport messagewith high quality provision of both service and information, linked closely to their ownconservation and other messages. Unless providers themselves believe in themessage and product, which in turn reflects clear policies and deliverable strategies,it is difficult to get even well-disposed contemplators out of their cars.


3.16 What is required and indeed expected by such visitors is first of all goodclear, attractive publicity with motivational copy giving information about the journeyand the destination(s) served. This may differ significantly from standard timetableswhich most people find hard to understand and do not motivate. They will alsoexpect services to be punctual, totally reliable, with clean, attractive vehicles(whether modern or vintage), staff who are courteous and friendly and noovercrowding. On board information whether given verbally by staff or in the form ofleaflets, is also welcomed. Prices need to be reasonable and perceived by visitors tobe “good value” which normally requires some kind of discounts for families andperhaps for senior citizens.

3.17 Important as our Pale Green visitors are, perhaps the really important groupfor long term behavioural and cultural change in Scotland are the Deep Greens, whomay be trend setting role models for the future, and whose lifetime disposableincome is likely to be high. By Deep Green we mean those who, by necessity orchoice, do not own or use a car, or who are prepared to leave their car at home forthe day and travel the whole way by bus or train. These will include many youngerpeople and older people whose income, health or ability to drive prevents them fromowning a car. But they will also include a small, but perhaps growing minority, whofor whatever reason do not choose to own a car, or if they do prefer to leave the carat home. Many people in this group, including many younger people, both singlesand couples, live by choice in central London or other relatively compact, publictransport friendly cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, York, or Cambridge where acar is not a necessity. Some will enjoy relatively high incomes, good lifestyles, oftencombined with an active concern for the environment.

3.18 Deep Greens also include many overseas visitors, especially visitors fromGermany and the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Japan, and North America andAustralia who fly to Scotland or arrive by boat or train and who do not wish to hire acar (and indeed who may be nervous of driving along what for them is the “wrong”side of the road). Many will have either a Brit Rail pass or an Inter-Rail ticket,committing them to extensive use of the rail network.

3.19 For these people the ability to use public transport intelligently, includingreading a public timetable (such as Cook’s European timetable), is less of a problem.

3.20 What these people are looking for is a network of services to allow them toexplore part or the whole of Scotland. For them Scotland is a deeply romanticexperience, whose extensive network of interlocking rail, bus and boat services toremote coasts and islands is a challenge. Some will want to reach areas to walk orcycle, perhaps hiring a bike, others simply to travel around, staying in hostels or bedand breakfast establishments.

3.21 The kind of transport networks that Scotland already has, including the wordfamous scenic rail lines to Mallaig, Kyle of Lochalsh and the Far North, is part of theScottish tourism product. Speed of travel for these relatively sophisticated travellersis less important than quality of experience. Again these travellers need serviceswhich are reliable, with good quality information, enabling connections, often inremote locations, to be trusted 100%. They also do not wish to suffer unreliability orovercrowding (an increasing problem on some summer Scotrail services), and wantto travel on vehicles that are clean and well maintained, though they are, because oftheir nature, more tolerant of public provision than the Pale Greens. What they dorequire, however, are simple to understand network and rover tickets, preferably


multi-modal, which can be pre-booked ideally by Internet in their home environmentand give a complete choice of the network when they arrive in Scotland.

3.22 Some will merely choose to stay in Edinburgh or Glasgow, but can betempted out for the day by schemes such as the highly successful Scotrail packagesof discount travel/heritage destinations.

3.23 For these people Scotland is an ideal “green” destination. They are importantnot only because they will use the network intelligently to get to remote places withtheir spending power, but also because they represent the emergence of analternative culture to that of the dominant car culture, less dependent on theuncertainties of Scottish weather. As was noted by Professor Elwyn Owen at arecent CRN Conference in Cardiff, these more environmentally conscious peoplerepresent an important growth market for new forms of sustainable tourism in the UKcountrysidexxxi.

3.24 Some younger people will become car owners in time as their lifestyleschange, for example when a couple acquire a young family. But once used to publictransport they are far more likely to use their cars responsibly and, whenever theopportunity arises, return to the public transport either in a Pale or Deep Greenmode, particularly in their middle years when, with children away and mortgagespaid, they are likely to return to Scotland as discerning and high spending visitors.They will also influence others, and those who live in Scotland will be pro-active insupporting and developing green networks throughout Scotland


PART TWO: THE SCOTTISH DIMENSION

4. THE ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT OF TOURISMIN THE SCOTTISH COUNTRYSIDE – AN OVERVIEW

4.1 According to the Scottish Tourist Boardxxxii, in 1999 12.5 million tourists tooktrips involving at least one overnight stay in Scotland, generating direct spend in theeconomy of £2.5 billion, and sustaining jobs in tourism related employment for over160,000 people, or 8% of all Scottish people employed. Of these 12.4 million, 10.5million were from the UK, 1.9 million from overseas. UK visitors generated £1, 667million and overseas visitors an estimated £845 million in the Scottish economy.

4.2 City breaks of various kinds created £820 million of expenditure per annum, a20% growth over the last five years. The second most popular main holiday activitywas walking which generated £438 million. Strong future growth of this activity ispredicted. Golf in comparison is broadly static, earning £100 million per annum.

4.3 The USA is the most popular overseas country of origin with 470,000 trips toScotland, around 22% of the total, requiring 3.4 million bed nights and £240 millionof expenditure. However both the Republic of Ireland and the near Continent alsorepresent strong markets for Scotland. 1996-99 STB figures suggest Germans(10%) of overseas visitors, typically stay 10.9 nights and spend £406 per head pertrip, £37 per night; Dutch visitors (5%) stay 7.6 nights spending £46 per night £340per trip; Belgians (4%) 7.8 night spending £48 per night and £344 per trip, French(6%) 8.1 nights spending £36 per night £297 per trip.

4.4 A prime quality identified by visitors about Scotland in a 1999 TourismAttitudes Survey is “Beautiful Scenery” which is named by 96% of USA visitors, 94%of English and German visitors and 91% of Scottish. High in the ratings is Scotlandas being somewhere which is “good for hiking/walking”, so identified by 79% ofGermans, 71% of Americans, 66% of English and 62% of Scottish visitors.Significantly enough, 44% of Americans thought Scotland was “good for publictransport” (no doubt compared with their experiences in the USA) compared with25% of Germans, 18% of English and only 6% of Scottish visitors.

The Walking Market

4.5 Walking is a major activity for both UK and overseas visitors to Scotland.55% of all Scottish people have walked in the countryside for pleasure, and 51% ofwalking is done at the weekend. Walking for pleasure is dominated by the highersocio-economic groups - 72% of people in socio-economic categories A/B areregular walkers, compared with 55% in groups C2 and 42% in DE. Walkers alsotend to be in a slightly younger age range, although older independents are stronglyrepresented.

4.6 In 1998 it was estimated that 1.1 million trips were generated by people onwalking holidays away from home, representing 9.6 million bed nights and a spend inthe rural Scottish economy of £438 million. 79% of walkers come to Scotlandbetween the months of April and September, 16% between January and March andonly 5% between October and December.

4.7 39% of all overseas visitors go walking/climbing or orienteering on some partof their visit, representing 800,000 trips, and an average of 7.6 bed nights per headand £370 million of annual expenditure into the local economy. Walking is the third


most popular activity for overseas visitors after visiting castles, monuments etc. andmuseums and art galleries. Among UK visitors walking is the second most popularactivity, being undertaken by 23% of visitors compared with 26% who visitmonuments etc.

4.8 34% of UK walkers coming to Scotland camp or caravan, 31% stay in selfcatering accommodation, 17% stay with friends or family, 12% use hotels and 5%guest houses/B&B. Overseas visitors however prefer serviced accommodation, with43% staying at guest houses or B&Bs, 20% using hotels, 18% camping orcaravanning and 13% self catering. 83% travel to their walking destination by car.

4.9 The most popular regions of Scotland for walking are the Highlands, Argylland the Isles that between them attracted 33% of all walking visitors. Loch Lomond,Stirling and the Trossachs attracted 32%. A 1995 study for Highlands and IslandsEnterprise estimates that 500,000 mountaineers go to the Highlands every yearspending £334 million per annum, supporting 4,000 local jobs.

Cycling

4.10 Cycling, like walking, is a major growth market for outdoor leisure in Scotland.It is estimated that 750,000 trips were generated by UK residents to Scotland in1998, which represents (both leisure trips from home and touring trips), 50% growthsince 1994. The most popular months for cycling are between April and October andseven nights is the most popular length of stay away from home for a cycling trip,though shorter trips are common. It is estimated that cycling generates £48 millionper annum in the Scottish economy.

4.11 There are three predominant forms of cycling noted by STB:

• Cycle Touring where the cyclist (if not living in Scotland) travels to thedestination area by train or coach and cycles each day either from localaccommodation or between accommodation, (camping and caravanning beingthe most popular form of accommodation),

• Holiday Cycling, where the cycling is only part of one holiday activity amongothers and where most cyclists are likely to bring their bike by car or motorisedcaravan or perhaps hire bikes, and

• Mountain Biking off-road cycling along tracks and trails, where cyclists are alsomore likely to bring their bike by car or camper van or hire a cycle locally.

4.12 The Dutch are the largest single overseas market for all forms of cycling inScotland, followed by the French and the Scandinavians.

4.13 The impact of leisure activities in the English countryside was the subject of adetailed reportxxxiii by the House of Commons Environment Committee in 1995. TheCommittee took evidence from a wide range of national agencies, local authorities,National Park Authorities, user groups, environmental specialists.

4.14 They suggested that there was no conclusive evidence that the overallnumbers of visitors to the countryside had actually increased significantly in recentyears, nor that leisure or tourism activities as such were causing any significant,widespread ecological damage. However, they suggested that this view was not ajustification for complacency; in fact there were a number of cases where theyconsidered that more effective, sustainable management measures were required to


deal with specific local problems, for example with traffic and with the damagecaused by vehicles on green lanes.

4.15 Significantly for this report, whilst they did not see the car, as such, as amajor environmental problem in the countryside, they did suggest that as part ofoverall traffic management strategies for protected area of countryside landscapes,there was a need to restrict cars from certain roads at certain times. They expresseddisappointment that there had been so few experiments, for example with Park-and-Ride schemes as in the Goyt and Derwent Valleys in the Peak District, but were alsosceptical about the value of creating large new, unsightly car parks for this purposes,concluding “but in the end, if people are really happy with a bus ride, it makes senseto encourage them to make the whole journey by public transport”. The benefit of anapproach “which integrates the provision of public and alternative transport” as wellas car parking, was also stressed.

4.16 Whilst there are clearly dangers in applying experience from England to thesomewhat different political, social and environmental circumstances of Scotland, theconclusions of the Environment Committee provide a useful reassurance on the onehand that tourist traffic is not, in itself, the catastrophe for the Scottish countrysidethat people have at times feared, but nevertheless in many popular areas it willrequire careful management and the development of alternative networks of publictransport to help reduce and manage otherwise unacceptable pressures.

4.17 This does not reduce the wider, and more global, long-term need to reducecar dependency and the dominant car culture in the Scottish countryside. Rather itreinforces the point that local solutions, especially those which pro-actively supportalternatives to the car culture, can also contribute to the solution of long termproblems, if only by example and good practice.

5. PATTERNS AND IMPACTS OF TOURIST TRAVEL WITHIN SCOTLAND

5.1 Around 40% of all journeys made in the UK are for leisure purposesxxxiv. Thisincludes leisure shopping, visiting friends and relatives, accessing leisure facilitiesincluding sport and culture, as well as for eating out, and seems to be broadlyconsistent across the main travel modes.

5.2 Scottish people take an average of 29 trips a year on holiday or day tripsfrom homexxxv, which will include countryside trips. This is broadly in line with thenational average of 30 trips per year. It is safe to assume that at least 80% of suchtrips are by car. An average of 2.4 people will travel on a leisure trip.

5.3 Impacts of travel on the countryside include more than just leisure trips. Thetotal number of journeys by road vehicles (car, van, lorry) in Scotland is estimated at43 billion kilometres per annum, of which 17.9bn (42%) are on minor roads xxxvi.

5.4 Traffic levels in Scotland are reported as being broadly static, compared withan annual increase of around 2% per annum for the UK as a whole, though this mayreflect changes in the way traffic statistics are gathered in Scotland and localGovernment re-organisation. Traffic on major roads however (motorways, trunk and“A” roads) has increased by around 17% over the last ten years.

5.5 The average person in Scotland travels 6,700 miles per annum. 77% of thistravel is by private car, and 12-14% of all travel is for holiday or a day leisure trip,representing 800-950 miles per person per annum. The percentage of leisure


traffic on Scottish roads varies region by region, but in key tourist areas the amountof traffic in July or August can be up to 2½ times higher than in January; much of thedifference being represented by seasonal flows of tourist traffic.

5.6 Costs of injury accidents in Scotland (at standard DETR costing for slight,hospitalised and fatal accidents) amounted to £1,085 million in 1999, of which £25million was incurred on motorways, £494m in built up areas and £567m in “non-builtup” (i.e. rural) areas. However the number and costs of accidents has shown asignificant decline since 1989.

5.7 There are 2,700 kilometres of railway open to passenger and freight traffic inScotland, with a total of 334 stations, including a number of new or reopenedstations that have become operational over the last decade, mainly within or close tomajor conurbations, Between 1988 and 1997 there was a consistent 50-55 millionpassenger journeys undertaken by rail in Scotland per annum (this includes journeyswithin Scotland and from and to Scotland). In 1998/9 there was a 4% increase to 60million. 42 million of these journeys are to and from stations supported byStrathclyde PTE, where growth has been very significant from an average of 34/38million journeys in the 1980s to 42 million in 1999. Around 10% of all tourist tripswithin Scotland are made by rail.

5.8 Bus travel in Scotland continues to show a marked decline since the mid1980s. There were 413 million passenger journeys made in 1999, which representsa decline of 6% from 1998 and 36% less than in 1988/9. Distances travelled bybuses also fell by 3% since 1998 and 15% since 1988/9. The decline may berelated to the fact that price of bus travel has increased by 80% over the last tenyears, compared with a general increase in retail prices of 51% over the sameperiod, representing a 20% increase in real terms. The uncertainties of deregulationand on-street competition, with an almost total lack of marketing, especially forleisure travel, have also been a major factor.

5.9 This decline may also reflect the fact that car ownership as such is lower inScotland than in England and Wales (36% of Scottish households have no carcompared with 26% in England and Wales)xxxvii and as more non-car owninghouseholds acquire cars, this will adversely affect bus usage for leisure journeys inparticular, at least in the short term.

5.10 Within Scotland, air travel (including tourist travel) has shown an increase of73% over the last ten years, 55% between 1998 and 1999 alone. Only 6% of flightsare within Scotland (including to and from the Islands), but 57% are to other parts ofthe UK, and 26% are between Scotland and other countries in Europe, 69% of suchflights being from Glasgow airport alone. The recent problems with the rail industryduring the autumn and winter of 2000/2001 has undoubtedly given flights to otherparts of the UK, most especially to London, a very significant boost, much of which islikely to remain with the industry even when rail services are restored to normal.

5.11 Travel by ferry, mainly between the mainland and the islands, remainssignificant at about 6 million passenger journeys per annum, most with passengerstaking accompanied cars to the islands, and ignoring the changes caused by theSkye Bridge which replaced the Kyle-Kyleakin ferry, is broadly static in numbers.

5.12 In examining the total number of trips made by tourists to Scotland and themode of travel they chose, some interesting figures emerge. Among the estimated10.5 million UK tourists (which includes business tourists) and 2.14 million overseas


tourists who come to Scotland, the dominant mode of travel was by (65%) privateand hire car, with 77% of overseas visitors arriving by air. If Holiday Trips alone aretaken into account, out of the 6.1 million visits, car use increases to 73%, of trips,with train and coach tours each having 8%. Scheduled buses are used by 3% andboats are by just 1% of visitors. Though the train and coach figures might seemmildly encouraging for public transport use, given the dominance of Edinburgh and toa lesser extend Glasgow as rail-based destinations for both UK and overseasvisitors, the figure for rail-based visitors to the Scottish countryside is likely to be verymuch less than this, indeed will be closer to the UK average of around 3% for eachmode, as the figure for scheduled bus use indicates.


Table 1 Transport mode used by tourists to travel to Scotland

British Tourists % Total Trips 1999(10.5million)

% Holiday Trips1999(6.1m)

Private Car 63 72Hire Car 2 1Train 10 8Regular Bus/Coach 6 3Coach Tour 5 8Boat/Ship 1 1Plane 7 5Other 6 2Overseas Tourists* (2.14m) (1.27m)Air 77 70Sea and Tunnel 23 30

*Includes Irish visitor figures Source STB: Scotexchange (2001)

5.13 Leisure car travel is therefore undoubtedly the dominant mode, with at leastthree quarters of trips by visitors being made by car, but this includes visitors toholiday resorts and to heritage cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow where railtravel has an advantage. If purely countryside trips are examined, the dominance ofthe car for travel to and within a holiday area is even more complete. Assuming thatexperience in Scotland is broadly comparable with England and Wales, the 1994 AllParks Visitor surveys concluded that 91% of visitors to UK National Parks came bycar, with a mere 6% using all forms of public transport – train, coach and bus.xxxviii

5.14 Evidence from UK National Parks and other countryside destinations since1994 suggests that if anything, this trend has increased, with most visitor surveys inNational Parks, even those well served by public transport, recording figures ofaround 93-95% of visitors coming by car, with public transport use as low as 1 or 2%.

5.15 Evidence of the negative impact of leisure traffic is in Scotland, at themoment, mainly anecdotal. The general view is that there are few problems ofcongestion, if any, caused by tourist traffic anywhere in Scotland.

5.16 Though there is little formal research evidence, based on discussions wehave had with operators and local authorities, this does not appear to be entirelyborne out by the facts. In the popular summer months anecdotal evidence confirmsheavy traffic flows and some congestion in many popular areas of countryside, suchas along the shores of Loch Lomond, within the Trossachs and around Aviemore.We are also aware of fairly severe traffic and parking problems in such heritagetowns as Stirling, St Andrews, Fife, or villages such as Falkland with its Palacewhere conflicts between visitor traffic and the local community can, at busyweekends, be severe. There can also be congested conditions in some of thesmaller Highland settlements such as Fort William and Mallaig, as well as in popularcoastal resorts such as Crail, Anstruther, Stonehaven and Girvan during the mainschool summer holidays. Strict parking controls have also had to be imposed inheritage settlements such as New Lanark and at Culross.

o Though the rural traffic situation in Scotland is generally not as severe as inpopular recreational areas of England and Wales, it is likely that traffic managementsolutions will increasingly be required as traffic levels and visitor usage increases. In


some cases park-and- ride will be the appropriate solution, together with theprovision and promotion of alternative public transport networks. Likewise levels oftourist traffic on hitherto quiet roads in areas such as the two new National Parks inCairngorms and the Trossachs will necessitate management measures, both toreduce the speed and volume of such traffic, and to restrict unsightly and dangerouson-road parking.

6. NETWORKS AND OPPORTUNITIES

6.1 This section looks at public transport provision in some of Scotland’s regions;developments and initiatives in offering encouragement to both residents and visitorsto use means of transport other than the car; some currently undevelopedopportunities; and the potential for future development. In the time available, it hasnot been possible to carry out a fully comprehensive survey of the whole of Scotland,but the examples given here are felt to be indicative of the national pattern, which issummarised below.

The National Pattern

6.2 There are encouraging signs across Scotland that the links between tourism,travel and the environment are being recognised and taken seriously, but there isnonetheless a great deal more that could be done without very much additionaleffort. The partnership working between ScotRail, Strathclyde PTE and visitorattraction managers is to be commended as just one example. Others are detailed inthe case studies below.

6.3 However, there are many cases where non-car users are ignored. Forexample, the STB leaflet A Visitor’s Guide to Enjoying Scotland describes 12 cartours but makes no mention whatever of public transport alternatives. The sameapplies to the information leaflet for the West Highland Way, a walking route enjoyedby many thousands of visitors each year. Despite the fact that the route isremarkably well served by bus and train, there is surprisingly little mention of this inthe leaflet and no encouragement at all for walkers to use these services. There aremany more such examples, where only a little thought could have made publicationsmuch more useful.

6.4 Some regions of Scotland are now considered in turn, with each beingdivided into a Snapshot of the region; the Current Situation as regards publictransport; and Opportunities for Development. Case studies are interposed asappropriate.

The Northern and Western Isles

Snapshot

6.5 These archipelagos rely heavily on ferry and air links for travel both to/fromthem to the mainland and beyond, and between the islands. The population isscattered with few centres, and in some areas, both accommodation and facilitiesare quite limited. Main visitor attractions include outstanding archaeology, superbnatural heritage and wildlife interest, and the unique ‘island experience’ which is aprimary draw for many visitors


Current Situation

• Excellent ferry services to and between islands (though generallyperceived to be expensive)

• Reasonable (but very expensive) air travel to islands• Good air travel between islands in Orkney and Shetland• Reasonable bus services in Orkney and Shetland• Integrated bus services in the Western Isles (see case study)• Comprehensive public transport map and timetables obtainable from

Highland Council and TIC outlets

Opportunities for Development• Shorter sea crossings using faster, more specialised vessels, segregating

passenger, car and freight traffic (as recommended in Roy Pedersen’s1999 paper Ferry Futures)xxxix

• Competition on air routes to encourage price reductions (Stagecoachannounced just such a scheme in February 2001)

• Joint ticketing (as for instance on the wonderful day possible by flyingfrom Kirkwall to Papa Westray and returning by ferry, with refreshmentsincluded in the ticket)

• Combined ticketing with visitor attractions. Historic Scotland already offera reduced-price joint admission ticket for the main Orkney sites (SkaraBrae, Maes Howe, etc). Extend this to include bus and/or ferry travel aswell, and also look at it for major natural heritage sites such as Fetlar andHermaness

• Include public transport information on all local literature, for visitorattractions, craft shops, accommodation, etc.

• Further develop the concept of a unitary transport authority for the area(cf Pedersen again), building on the work of the existing HighlandTransport Operations Forum (see below)

CASE STUDY 1The Western Isles Integrated Bus Network

In April 1996, the Western Isles Council (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) introduced anintegrated bus service linking Lewis, Harris, North and South Uist, Benbecula andBarra. The service was developed by Les Watson, then contracted as TransportIntegration Project Officer and now Transport Co-Ordination Officer for theComhairle. He also chairs the Highland Transport Operations Forum.The integrated service was primarily aimed at maximising bus efficiency in terms oflocal business, commuter and shopping travel, and also improving the network ofschool buses. In this process, some school hours were actually altered so that onebus could serve two or three schools.Contracts were awarded for an initial 3-year period, and further contracts wereissued in April 1999, in which year the project won the annual award of the Instituteof Logistics and Transport for Passenger Transport Operations.The integrated bus service has also involved working with ferry operators as muchas possible, and in a number of cases ferries are now met by linking buses. This hasenabled an ‘end to end’ journey (North Lewis to Barra) to be possible in a day,something never achieved before.


There are obviously considerable possibilities for visitors in such a network. This hasbeen used to advantage by Caledonian MacBrayne in offering days out from Uig onSkye that involve three ferry trips and two bus journeys to tour Harris and Lewis, withone combined ticket. In the three years 1996-1999, some 5143 people used thisservice. Further promotion of ‘Days Out by Bus and Ferry’ are being developed, andit is now, for example, far easier than previously to visit Callanish from Stornoway bybus. It is hoped that Travelpass-type tickets for all ferry and bus services (possibleeven air) to and within the Western Isles can be introduced.The results of the integrated service have been remarkable. Harris Coaches’ ticketsales increased 107% (more than doubled) from 1996 to 1999; bus journeys onBarra went up by nearly a factor of three in the same period. A survey of bus usersin September 1998, not surprisingly, found a satisfaction rate of 90%. It is obviousfrom these figures that local car use must have declined by a significant amount.The integration of the service was made possible through its being wholly co-ordinated by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. The benefits are obvious, and this type ofintegration should be seen much more widely across Scotland in the future.Reference: ‘Bus Services in the Western Isles’, submission to the Institute ofLogistics and Transport 1999 Annual Awards, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Stornoway.Contact: Les Watson, Transport Co-Ordination Officer, Technical ServicesDepartment, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Sandwick Road, Stornoway HS1 2BW.Phone: 01851 709592. email: [email protected]

The Highlands

Snapshot

o This is a very large, thinly populated area, with magnificent coast andmountains.

Tourism is a mainstay of the economy, and the natural heritage is repeatedly citedby visitors as a principal attraction. The main centre, Inverness, is growing rapidly incommercial and tourism terms and was recently accorded city status. There is awide range of superb visitor attractions including castles (Dunrobin, Eilean Donan),natural heritage sites (Loch Garten ospreys, Highland Wildlife Park) and manyothers. The majority are accessible by public transport.

6.7 There are almost limitless opportunities for walkers and climbers. There arealso several winter sports centres (though these are heavily weather dependent).The area is now linked into the National Cycle Network via the A9 route to Inverness,and other regional cycle touring routes are being added.

Current Situation

• Good rail network with significant heritage potential, currently beingaddressed through Highland Rail Developments (HRD) initiative, one ofwhose aims is ‘to generate £1 million per year of new heritage railbusiness’. This includes the provision of such things as steam trainexcursions and observation cars, and also improved interpretive material(long needed), which informs passengers on key sites or areas, passedduring their journey. Links are being made with such places as the RSPBcentre at Forsinard, which is arguably easier to reach by rail than by road.Sunday services currently inadequate for visitor demand


• Good spinal bus network serving main centres and many outlying areas.Sunday services very inadequate for visitor demand, and missingaltogether in large areas

• Comprehensive public transport map and timetables obtainable fromHighland Council and TIC outlets

• The Highlands and Islands Public Transport Forum is looking at ways ofimproving and integrating services, and providing more incentives forvisitors to use public transport

• Road network much improved in last 30 years

Opportunities for Development

• Further develop ScotRail rural Day Return fares which, for example, offera day return from Inverness to Kyle, one of the most spectacular railjourneys in the world, for only £15

• Further develop ‘added value’ trips such as steam train from Aviemore toBoat of Garten, visit to Osprey Centre (RSPB), with combined ticket

• Consider a major campaign to market rail and bus services to walkers,climbers and cyclists. There are Munros in for example theRannoch/Corrour area which are most easily reached from the Glasgow-Fort William train service, but there are too few services to make accessconvenient, especially on Sundays, and the provision for cycles on thestandard two coach multiple units used on the service is inadequate.There would need to be simplified and flexible ticketing with journeybreaks built in, and partnerships could be formed with tourism businessesalong key routes.

• Related to the above, a useful objective would be to extend the current‘Munrobagger’ bus service between Fort William and Aviemore to othercentres

• Further develop initiatives such as Day Trips From Inverness – anexcellent series of excursions reaching as far as John o’Groats and Skye,with a single ticket providing bus, rail and (in some cases) ferry travel.Include visitor attractions admission in the tickets (see below under CaseStudy)

• Develop fast waterbus service on Loch Ness linking Fort Augustus,Lewiston, Drumnadrochit (Urquhart Castle), Foyers and Inverness. Thiscould be a wonderful visitor draw and also be part of combined ticketingoffers

• Include public transport information on all local literature, for visitorattractions, craft shops, accommodation, etc

• Ensure future funding of HRD. It is a partnership of 16 organisations, andsuch partnerships are crucial for the future

• Further develop the concept of a unitary transport authority for the area(cf Pedersen again), building on the work of the existing Highlands andIslands Public Transport Forum (see above under Western Isles)

CASE STUDY 2 Day Trips From Inverness


In summer 200, a total of 19 day trips from Inverness, using rail, ferry and bustransport, were offered, providing great potential for visitors to enjoy the Highlandswithout using a car. The journeys varied from local trips (e.g. Culloden and Findhorn)to adventurous journeys reaching as far as Skye, Durness, John o’Groats and evenLewis. In each case, one ticket covered all the travel involved. In some cases, discountadmission to a visitor attraction had been negotiated. These included Urquhart andDunrobin Castles, Timespan at Helmsdale, and Fort George. However, there wereother attractions (e.g. Brodie and Eilean Donan Castles and Inverewe Gardens),where this was not included, and this is a possible cause of confusion for visitors. Itwould be better if admission to the visitor attraction was included in the single ticketprice, as it is with the Strathclyde PTE scheme. The attractive leaflet describing the days out gave all the necessary travelinformation plus brief details of attractions. It also encouraged visitors to use theseservices as a basis for planning walks. However, it might be better if this area wasdealt with as a separate promotion. Although one of the tours included Boat ofGarten, there is no mention of the RSPB centre, which seems a curious omission.We also noticed a slightly risky nine minute connection between train and bus in FortWilliam which could perhaps be looked at. In a 10-week period, 8 of the tours were used by over 1000 people (figures are notavailable for local tours which did not require a special ticket). Two tours, which hadpoor uptake, are being dropped from the 2001 programme, which will run for alonger season. This is a highly commendable initiative which should enable people toenjoy visiting many parts of the Highlands without having to use their car, andthereby also help to sustain the public transport network. Contact: Les Watson, Transport Co-Ordination Officer, Technical ServicesDepartment, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Sandwick Road, Stornoway HS1 2BW.Phone: 01851 709592. email: [email protected] Stirling Council Area Snapshot 6.8 This is also a large and very diverse area. The main towns, including theadministrative centre, Stirling, are in the south and east, whereas in the north andwest the area has a more ‘Highland’ feel and includes villages such as Crianlarich,Tyndrum and Killin. The area takes in the eastern shore of Loch Lomond and asubstantial part of the proposed Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, due tobe formally declared in 2002. Stirling, a busy commercial and retail centre, is oftenreferred to as the Gateway to the Highlands. 6.9 Tourism is an important part of the region’s economy, with a diverse range ofattractions including Stirling and Doune Castles, the Rob Roy Centre in Callander,and all the natural attractions of the Trossachs/Loch Lomond area, including manyforest walks and trails. This too is a superb area for walking and climbing, and alsohas a number of excellent cycle trails such as the route from Callander to Killinlargely using an old railway line. The West Highland Way footpath follows the eastshore of Loch Lomond. The Current Situation • Rail services in the south-east of the area (Stirling/Dunblane) and north-west

(Crianlarich/Tyndrum)


• Good bus services in the south and east, reasonable services on spinal routesleading north and west, but again few services on Sundays in many places

• Generally good public transport information including detailed timetables and anexcellent colour map (£2.95 in 2000) showing the whole area with transport linksand town plans, but not including times

• Initiatives such as the Trundler buses (see Case Study below)• Tourist steamer on Loch Katrine• Well developed footpath and cycleway network Opportunities for Development • There appear to be few instances of transport operators and visitor attractions

working together• The detailed bus and train timetables for the area (Stirling Council) have very

poor maps which provide no proper information, and include nothing on anyvisitor attractions to encourage people to use these services for leisure trips

• The Trundler buses (or a development of them) could provide a superb service,but are struggling for want of proper investment, which should be providedcentrally or through external sources

• No use is made of Loch Lomond as a transport corridor, which cries out for afast, frequent water-bus service calling at Balloch, Rowardennan, Inversnaid,Inverbeg and Inverarnan. This could be incorporated into ‘day out’ journeys usingbus and train (e.g. from Glasgow train to Balloch, water-bus to Inversnaid, bus toDunblane, train to Glasgow; or water-bus to Inverarnan, bus to Crianlarich, trainto Glasgow; or trips from Stirling)

• Publications such as the West Highland Way information leaflet should includedetailed public transport information. SNH support for such publications shouldbe conditional on this information being included.

• Include public transport information on all local literature, for visitor attractions,craft shops, accommodation, etc

• The attractive Trossachs Trail leaflet, while including a picture of the Trundler buson its map, makes no mention of public transport services or how to use themand is presented purely as a car trail. Such implicit exclusion of non-car users,whether by intent or oversight, is simply not acceptable.

CASE STUDY 3The Trossachs Trundler

The Trossachs Trundler bus was introduced in 1993. The project involved a numberof agencies and was co-ordinated by the then Rural Stirling Economic Partnership.The original idea was to provide a unique summer visitor experience using a classicbus from the 1960s. Initially, the service ran from Stirling to Callander in the morningand from Aberfoyle to Stirling in the afternoon.

From 1995, the service ran on a circuit from Callander via Brig o’ Turk, TrossachsPier (Loch Katrine), the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park Centre and Aberfoyle back toCallander, the link to Stirling being provided by the regular Midland Bluebird service.A combined ticket was offered. Visitors could leave the journey at any point andrejoin it later. The service operated from May to September and attracted about5,000 users per year.

At the end of the 1999 season, it became clear that the elderly bus providing theservice was becoming impossible to maintain. Stirling Council thus put the service


out to tender, and in 2000 it was operated by a modern, wheelchair-accessible buswith capacity for one cycle. The bus ran 4 circuits per day from June to September,one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

While the Trundler bus has achieved reasonable success, Stirling Council wouldideally like to expand the service (particularly with the National Park in mind) butcurrently do not have the resources to do so. With the classic bus being withdrawn,the Trundler could be expanded as a full country bus service serving the localcommunity, taking in not just the places it currently visits but also extending to theeast side of Loch Lomond and even as far as Balloch. The provision for cycles couldalso be expanded, perhaps with a trailer.

Three vehicles could provide an hourly service linking Callander and Balloch viaTrossachs Pier, Aberfoyle and Drymen; six vehicles could provide a half-hourlyservice. Experience has shown that visitors are much more likely to use a morefrequent service. If told they have to wait for an hour, they are likely to opt for car useinstead.

An expanded Trundler service covering a wider area would link far better withexisting service buses (which tend to use the spinal routes) and with trains, andwould be a major step towards a properly integrated system for the proposedNational Park. Links with visitor attractions should also be pursued. The problemappears simply one of funding. This has however been overcome in the Highlands &Islands and could be overcome here, if suitable sources were thoroughlyinvestigated, including hypothecated visitor car park income and Scottish Executiveand EU funding packages. The Trundler has come far in eight years but has nowreached something of a crossroads. It now should be made possible for it to expandand go forward.

Contact: David Brown, Transport Division, Stirling Council, Viewforth, Stirling, FK82ETe-mail: [email protected]


Fife

Snapshot

o The ancient Kingdom of Fife, a long peninsula between the Firths of Forth andTay, has a character all its own. It has a fine coastline, with many attractive smalltowns and villages, plus some larger towns such as Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy.Inland, there are small hills (c. 300m), woods and farmland making a very goodscenic mix. The Lomond Hills, at the west of the area, are managed as a RegionalPark, and the complete Fife Coastal Walk is steadily being developed.

6.11 The Kingdom of Fife Millennium Cycle Project operated from 1997-2000 anddeveloped more than 300 miles of dedicated cycle trails in Fife, which are wellpromoted. These include off-road routes in forests. There are also many other visitorattractions including castles, museums and Scotland’s Nuclear Bunker. The area isof course noted for its golf courses and the British Golf Museum is in St Andrews,close to the Deep Sea World marine visitor centre. St Andrews is a university townand a major centre for golf. The birdlife all around the coast is good, and offshore theIsland of May, a nature reserve, can be visited by boat. Other natural heritageattractions include the very popular RSPB centre at Vane Farm and the ScottishDeer Centre.

The Current Situation

• Fife is extremely well served by public transport• There is a rail line running along the coast from the Forth Bridge as far as

Kirkcaldy, where it heads north to Cupar, Leuchars and Dundee• Coastal rail stations have an additional panel on the nameboard saying ‘alight

here for Fife Coastal Path’• There are good bus services not just around the coast but also inland across

Fife. Sunday services are better than in many other areas of Scotland• Both bus and train services have inadequate (or no) provision for cycles, given

the promotion of cycling in the area• There is a good free public transport map published by Fife Council, and the

Council’s public transport information line provides further information if needed,though this line is only open 0900-1600 Monday to Friday

• The Fife Attractions Forum, which includes 39 visitor attractions, is exploringways of encouraging visitors to arrive by public transport, including joint ticketingarrangements

Opportunities for Development • There are excellent opportunities in Fife, with its strong public transport base, for

transport operators and visitor attractions to work together, along the lines of theDays Out from Inverness, or Strathclyde PTE schemes, and these should bevigorously explored. Many visitors from major tourist centres such as Edinburgh,Glasgow or Stirling could be attracted into the Kingdom on such services

• The Fife Coastal Path leaflets should show bus links (see Case Study below)• If possible, extend the hours of the Public Transport information phone line,

particularly during the summer, into the evenings (say to 20.00) and also atweekends

• The Essential Guide to the Kingdom of Fife, published by the Kingdom of FifeTourist Board, is very attractive and includes a great deal of information on visitorattractions, places to eat, etc. Where these are accessible by bus or train, a


suitable symbol is given. However, there is no detailed public transportinformation, and users are referred to the Council’s public transport informationline for details. It would be simple to include summaries of services or even fulltimetables for the main rail and bus links within the guide


• Similarly, although this guide has some information on cycling, there is nothingon walking, which given the development of the Coastal Path seems anopportunity missed

• Bus and rail operators should aim to provide more cycle carrying provision• The former rail link from Leuchars to the internationally important tourist centre of

St Andrews should be investigated, in the short term as a dedicated bus-rail linkwith guaranteed connections and through ticketing.

CASE STUDY 4 The Fife Coastal Path The Coastal Path around Fife has been under development for a number of years.Most of the route from North Queensferry to St Andrews is now complete, and it ishoped to be able to complete the route round to the Tay Bridge in due course. Partsof the route are shared with a cycleway, but much of it is a footpath only. This is avery attractive walk, not just for the coastal scenery but also for the many interestingtowns and villages it passes through – places such as Kirkcaldy, Kinghorn, Leven,Pittenweem, Anstruther, Crail and of course St Andrews. The walk is currently promoted through a series of leaflets covering differentsections, which have been produced as the sections have been completed. In time, itis envisaged that a full guide covering the whole route will be needed. The walkleaflets refer to the rail services where appropriate (North Queensferry to Kirkcaldy),and as mentioned above, the walk is also signed at rail stations. However, theleaflets make little or no reference to the equally excellent bus service, which runsalong the coast, providing a frequent and convenient service, including on Sundays.This bus service actually enables much more flexibility in walk planning, as it linksmore centres than the train does. It would be quite easy for the walks leaflets to include details of the train and busservices, or at the least to say where buses can be caught and give an indication offrequency (hourly generally, half-hourly on some stages). This should be regardedas essential information. There is also a feeling that the walk as a whole (or as currently developed) could bebetter promoted. Although it is not yet at its full envisaged length, it is still veryattractive, particularly to walkers looking for a more modest challenge, and with aninterest in natural history, culture, etc. Given its outstandingly good public transport links, there is a clear opportunity forvigorous promotion of the Coastal Path in co-operation with bus and rail operators,which would achieve a number of aims including better use of public transport, and abenefit to the economy of the area. This promotion should be pursued. Contact: Sharon Rice-Jones, Marketing Officer, Transportation Service, Fife Council,Fife House, North Street, Glenrothes, KY7 5LT tel. 01592 413109. www.fife-cycleways.co.uk; e-mail: sharon.rice-jones@fife-cycleways,ukpeople.net


Strathclyde Snapshot 6.12 Strathclyde is the most densely populated area of Scotland, including as itdoes the conurbation of Glasgow and surrounding towns, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshireand Ayrshire. The highly developed road and public transport network provides manygood opportunities for people to access the countryside, and the area is within easyreach of the proposed Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. There are alsomany Country Parks, plus other natural heritage sites such as the RSPB reserve atLochwinnoch, easily reached by train or bus. 6.13 The area benefits from having one public transport authority (StrathclydePTE), and a high level of subsidy has meant that service frequencies are maintainedand low-cost fares are common. The authority has participated in a number of jointinitiatives with other agencies or private sector attractions, and one of these isconsidered in the case study below. Current Situation • Single public transport authority provides many benefits• Diverse range of recreational opportunities within easy reach of most of the

population. Well developed network of walking and cycling routes, many of themsignposted

• Diverse habitats include hill areas, lochs, canals and islands. The latter, formerlyholiday destinations for Glaswegians, are now becoming recognised as excellentnatural heritage areas (e.g. Bute with its trail network)

• Rural Daycard scheme offers unlimited travel all day in country areas (bus andferry)

• Many local environmental initiatives in recent years to improve habitats, creategreen space and increase awareness

• Still deprived or low-income areas where access to the wider countryside isdifficult, or the benefits are not fully realised

Opportunities for Development • A co-ordinated transport guide, covering at least the principal routes, would be

helpful. At present there are area guide covering certain areas e.g. Lomond,Cowal, Bute

• Extend ‘Great Days Out’ scheme beyond present five trips to other destinationsand attractions in the area, keeping the same format of one inclusive ticket.Particularly extend to bus operators, not just rail. Also extend period of offerwhere appropriate (e.g. New Lanark/Falls of Clyde could be all year)

• Work with ScotRail on ‘Walks by Train’ guide. There was an excellent bookcalled Exploring Strathclyde by Rail, published in 1990 and including 21 walks,but it is believed to be out of print



• Consider further initiatives to encourage people in poorer areas to access thecountryside – heavily subsidised or even free services especially at weekends,linked with attraction managers.


CASE STUDY 5 The ‘Great Days Out’ scheme This scheme offers an inclusive ticket from any SPTE rail station to a visitorattraction, and is a partnership between Strathclyde PTE, ScotRail, CaledonianMacBrayne, tourist bodies, and the visitor attractions. In 2000, the participatingattractions (with adult ticket prices) were: New Lanark (and the Falls of Clyde Reserve), £9.00 Millport Open Top Bus Tour, Cumbrae, £12.00 Younger Botanic Garden, Benmore, £13.00 Mount Stuart House, Bute, £15.50 Brodick Castle and Country Park, Arran, £16.50 The leaflet describing the scheme provided full travel details which included train,ferry and bus times. The offer was available 7 days a week through the spring andsummer period. The New Lanark offer included one child taken free. This is an excellent initiative which was well subscribed. The National Trust forScotland at Brodick Castle estimated that they had 6,500 visitors arriving with theseinclusive tickets, which is a significant figure over a 5-month period. It should be possible to extend this scheme, to take in other attractions or simplygood countryside destinations or natural heritage areas. One possible drawback isthat the tickets appear only to be available from SPTE rail stations. We see noreason why tickets should not be available from other outlets including touristinformation centres (and indeed each of the attractions, providing them with usefulcross-publicity). We would also hope that the scheme could be extended to include more bus travel,which would help people who do not have easy access to a rail station. Thereseems no reason, for instance, why the New Lanark ticket should not be available forpeople travelling by bus within the area. This scheme is to be highly commended as a good example of partnershipoperation, but is still capable of further development. Contact: Kirsty Innes, Strathclyde PTE. Tel 0141 333 3369.e-mail:[email protected] The Borders Snapshot 6.14 The Scottish Borders Council area is large, predominantly rural, and thinlypopulated (total population about 100,000, largest towns only 15,000). There is agreat deal of countryside, but the area is extensively farmed, and in the easternsection in particular there is relatively little access to open countryside, although theSouthern Upland Way long distance footpath does cross the area. There is also afine if short coastline, along which a path is steadily being developed. This includesthe St Abbs Head NNR. 6.15 Recent recreational developments have included the St Cuthbert’s Wayfootpath (Melrose to Lindisfarne), improvements to local path networks, and anumber of signed cycle routes including the Tweed Cycleway. There are also signedhorse-riding routes, which are among very few in Scotland.


6.16 Public transport provision in the area is adequate at best, and often ratherworse than that, with few if any services on Sundays in a number of places. TheCouncil provide public transport information, and issue a series of free bustimetables. There has been in the past a public transport map covering the wholearea, but this is now believed to be out of print. The Council has also in the past subsidised a ‘Harrier’ bus service providing circulartours to remoter areas such as St Mary’s Loch, during the summer months. 6.17 The only rail line runs down the coast, and there are no stations actuallywithin the Borders area (the nearest are at Berwick and Dunbar). The re-establishment of the line from Edinburgh to Galashiels (or possibly Melrose) iscurrently the subject of a feasibility study. There is no doubt that this line wouldgreatly improve recreational access both into and within the area, and it is socially aswell as environmentally highly desirable. Current Situation • Adequate bus services between main centres on weekdays, fewer on Sundays• No co-ordinated timetable available• No rail stations within the area• No known partnership ventures between transport operators and visitor attraction

managers Opportunities for Development • Produce co-ordinated timetable for main services• Investigate ‘walks by bus’ promotion both within the Borders and from Edinburgh• Develop partnership working between transport operators and visitor attraction

managers• Include public transport information on all local literature, for visitor attractions,

craft shops, accommodation, etc• Give high priority to re-establishment of rail link from Edinburgh to central

Borders

CASE STUDY 6

The Scottish Seabird Centre

Although this centre is not strictly speaking in the Borders, it is included here both asan example of a successful partnership, and as an example of what could beachieved if the Borders had a rail line.The Scottish Seabird Centre is a new visitor attraction in North Berwick. It opened inMay 2000 and was a Millennium Project supported by Lottery funding, East LothianCouncil and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian. Its aim is ‘to increaseawareness and appreciation of Scotland’s rich natural environment’ and its motto is‘The more people understand, the more they care’.In advance of the opening, the Centre developed a partnership with ScotRail throughwhich visitors can buy an inclusive ticket giving rail travel from Edinburgh (Haymarketor Waverley) to North Berwick and admission to the centre. The prices in 2000 wereadult £7.90, child £4.90, Family (2 adults and 2 children) £23.50, senior railcardholders £6.00.This represents a saving of about 15% on the normal separate prices. The Centre isa short, signposted walk from North Berwick Station, and is open all year. Publicity


leaflets are available from rail stations and from the Centre and TICs, and areattractively produced with enticing photographs of seabirds.Although exact figures were not available, Centre staff said that the scheme had hada very good uptake, and would certainly be continued in 2001. They are also lookingat ways of linking with bus companies on a similar scheme.This is felt to be an excellent example of forward planning by a new visitor attraction,especially one dealing with the natural heritage, taking advantage of a good railservice (hourly in both directions) to encourage visitors to travel this way rather thanby car.

Contacts: Tom Brooke, Manager, Scottish Seabird Centre, The Harbour, NorthBerwick, EH39 4SS Tel 01620 890020. www,seabird.org [email protected] Yellowlegs, External Relations Manager, ScotRail, Caledonian Chambers, 87Union Street, Glasgow, G1 3TA tel. 0141 335 4787. e-mail:[email protected]


PART THREE: THE ROLE OF SNH

7. CONCLUSIONS

7.1 This brief, and far from comprehensive, survey suggests complex andcontrasting patterns of provision and promotion of public transport for tourism inScotland. There are several examples of excellence and good practice whichcompares well with anything in Europe, where local authorities, tourist agencies andtransport operators are working together on a common agenda to encourage greateruse of public transport to access the countryside and tourist areas within Scotland,primarily as a means of bringing more visitors (including those without access to acar) into Scottish tourist destinations with commensurate economic benefits to ruralcommunities.

7.2 Equally we are aware of a number of missed opportunities, examples ofpopular leisure and tourist attractions such as the West Highland Way or FifeCoastal Path where potentially excellent public transport access solutions (far betterthan private transport in these circumstances) are either completely ignored bypromoters of the route or seriously under-played.

7.3 Where good promotional material makes use of existing networks, forexample ScotRail’s rural lines, inter-island ferries and cross-country bus services,this has the added value of helping to support and maintain rural transport networkswhich primarily exist to serve rural communities – an essential part of the ruralinfrastructure. Even if such tourist use is seasonal, it can make a huge difference tothe economic performance of routes which otherwise would be difficult to retain, andprovide wider justification for the development and improvement of such networks.This can develop into a “benign spiral” of improved services, better patronage andhigh income levels. Current experience in the Western Isles is an outstandingexample of how this can happen.

7.4 This suggests therefore that the promotion of existing services, for examplewith high quality marketing to develop the leisure market, and creating combinedtravel/attraction/accommodation packages, should be the top priority for SNH and itspartners. To achieve this effectively requires partnerships to be developed betweenlocal authorities, development agencies, tourist organisations, transport operators,site managers and accommodation providers with SNH acting as a catalyst foraction.

7.5 However, there will be many areas in rural Scotland, including many scenicareas, where the right kind of services at times required simply do not exist, eitherbecause there is no host community or host communities are too small in number tosupport regular bus, rail or boat services.

7.6 Providing public transport services in such circumstances should be seen tobe part of wider visitor management strategies for these areas. Such strategies mayhave to take many factors into consideration – the environmental capacity of aparticular area or site, the current visitor patterns, the need for managing visitors andtheir cars in ways which reduce negative environmental impacts. There could alsobe benefit to communities some distance away or on the edge of recreational sites,where visitors might stay, spend money, leave their cars before catching a bus, trainor boat into the protected area where cars might be restrained or car parkingrestricted.


7.7 What our brief survey would appear to suggest is that in even popularrecreational areas in Scotland these kind of wider visitor and traffic managementstrategies are generally not yet in place, except in fairly generalised terms, and thattraffic restraint or any form of park-and-ride in the countryside is not yet part of theScottish countryside experience. To some degree this is because congestion, theone problem in the Scottish countryside caused by recreational motorists thatdecision makers (invariably drivers themselves) perceive, is not yet at a level, inmore than a small number of areas, to be perceived as a serious or frequent enoughproblem enough to merit attention.

7.8 As this paper argues, such a view ignores the many wider negative localimpacts of cars in the countryside, and the wider and longer term global problems ofever-increasing car dependency and related car culture.

7.9 Such views may change, particularly with the creation of the two new NationalParks in Scotland in the Cairngorms and the Trossachs, both areas where there isalready high visitor usage, mainly generated by car. What will be the impacts forexample, especially during the cold winter months, of literally the mostly “cold start”emissions from thousands of cars being driven up or down a narrow mountain roadin Aviemore to the funicular railway car park?

7.10 This leads to a consideration of the suggested role for SNH, both in terms ofawareness raising and in proposing and implementing a wide range of solutions.

8. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PRIORITIES FOR RESEARCH, POLICY ANDACTION 2001-2011

8.1 Scottish Natural Heritage’s Mission Statement is “Working with Scotland’speople to care for our natural heritage”. Its prime aim, which fully recognises thevalue of Scotland’s natural heritage as a “local, national and global asset”, is topromote the care and improvement of that heritage and “its responsible enjoyment,its greater understanding and appreciation and its sustainable use now and for futuregenerations”. This all has direct relevance to the development and promotion ofsustainable modes of transport to and through the Scottish countryside.

8.2 We would suggest that SNH can deliver these aims in three related ways:

• By scientific research into impacts and behaviour in order to achievegreater understanding of processes of change and ways to influencethat change.

• By offering advice to a wide range of partners on best practice andcost effective ways of achieving desired objectives

• By offering grant-in-aid to organisations and individuals to help themdeliver objectives, for example by part-funding or pump priming thepromotion of services.

Research

8.3 Prime areas of transport-related research we believe are required in Scotlandto include the following:

• Global impacts of transport on the environment are well understood. What isless well understood are the more localised impacts on vulnerable eco-systems, for example on mountain landscapes, or on wildlife habitats, of


constant heavy emissions produced by tourist and other traffic. Current airpollution monitoring in Scotland is extremely patchy and only measuredeither urban or a very limited number of very remote rural sitesxl, notroadsides or sites heavily used by tourist traffic. Monitoring of sites may alsoinclude such factors as road salt run-off and oil leakages. The impact oflocal tourist and other traffic noise both on wildlife and on human perceptionsof tranquillity is also another major area where research is required.

• Changing behaviour. What are the key requirements to change attitudes

and behaviour towards public transport use? There are some goodexamples of inducing behavioural changes, for example relating to health.Can this experience be related to use of cars in the countryside ?

• Best practice and demonstration projects. The consultants are already

working on a short study of best practice in the UK and other countries ofrelated traffic management and public transport projects. There is a lack ofexperience of such schemes in the Scottish context. The creation of the twonew National Parks, as well as experience in other heavily visited areas, maygive opportunity to develop a range of experimental projects to help changevisitor behaviour. One important area where work is required is to give localauthorities confidence to use charging regimes (eg car park charges or roadtolls) to raise revenues which could be hypothecated to support recreationalbus services, including park-and-ride services from car parks. Monitoringsystems to gauge both short term and long term impacts of behaviouralchange are also important.

• The social and economic impact of well promoted public transport schemes.It is often claimed that well promoted rural bus and rail schemes have abeneficial effect in rural economies, but this is difficult to prove conclusivelyenough to ensure continued public finance to help maintain and marketnetworks. To what extent can such good quality networks actually reduce cardependency within local communities and by visitors over a longer period ?Research projects (which might be with partners such as HIE) that help tomeasure these impacts in a rural economy would be of particular value tohelp justify future investment in rural networks. This might be extended tolook at opportunities to develop car free areas or zones at certain times inprotected areas such as the National Parks, National Scenic Areas andNational Nature Reserves.

8.4 Such research can feed directly back into key areas of policy, for SNH itselfand for its partners.

Advice

8.5 The traditional, and still invaluable, way of disseminating such information isby the written word (increasingly electronically on web-sites as well as inconventional printed format), and SNH with its many publications and outlets is in astrong position to ensure both research information and practical advice is availableto a wide range of Government organisations, local authorities, operators, voluntarybodies and other partners within Scotland.

8.6 In 1987 the Countryside Commission published Public Transport to theCountryside (CCP 227). This was a popularly written manual on how to promote


recreational travel to the countryside. Though long out of print (it was republished in1989), it was popular and influential. CCW are currently considering a similarpublication.

8.7 Between 1992 and 1998 SNH also supported Countrygoer News, a quarterlymagazine devoted to best practice in the provision and marketing of public transportin the countryside. This was widely distributed to walking clubs and local authorities,and formed part of a wider awareness raising Countrygoer campaign. Thoughfinancial support was insufficient to allow the magazine to continue, it survives as aweb-site promoting best practice to a small but influential national and internationalaudience.

8.8 Useful as such mechanisms are, it might also be helpful to be able provide amore tailor-made advisory service to look at specific problems and opportunities forsustainable transport in the Scottish countryside in more detail. The CountrysideAgency and the Countryside Council for Wales have both operated a call-inSustainable Transport Advisory Service over the last decade, in which an expertAdvisory team has been available to work with local authorities in reviewingopportunities and developing new and innovative recreational transport schemes inthe countryside. Many major schemes, in Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons, North YorkMoors, Northumberland, Sussex Downs, Dartmoor were initiated by the AdvisoryService, and have since gone on to prove hugely successful and influential.

8.9 The advantage of such a service is that it avoids the need to constantly “re-invent the wheel”. It can also avoid the replication of expensive mistakes, ensureschemes and proposals are realistic and based on best practice both within the UKand overseas.

8.10 Whilst it may well be possible for SNH to provide this level of advisory help inhouse, few SNH officers are likely to have the range of practical experience or thetime to acquire it readily available. What is required is more than standard transportoperational experience, but needs to be based on wide experience of rural tourismand countryside management, especially in protected landscapes. Use of specialistconsultancy services on a call-in basis may be the most cost effective way ofachieving this.

Grant aid

8.11 The financing of new recreational bus services in the countryside is anotoriously expensive and even risky procedure, requiring a commitment of at leastthree years’ funding to be sure of any chance of success, and SNH, with its limitedfunds, would rightly be concerned about the cost implications of such a commitment.On the other hand, full or part funding of feasibility studies and pilot schemes, (aspart of its research programme) especially if supported by SNH, can often unlock orbe used to bid for significant funding, for example from the Scottish Executive orfrom EU sources.

8.12 Contributing, on a partnership basis, to the marketing and promotion ofexisting networks that serve protected areas is, on the other hand, easier to justify.This is particularly true if it could be shown that any contribution by SNH could addvalue to a particular promotional scheme or publication, for example by includinginterpretive or other information to add to the quality of experience of the visitor.


8.13 A key recommendation is for SNH to ensure (c.f. West Highland Way) that asa prime condition for all SNH grant aid, for publications, attractions or leisuredestinations, that the destination should be accessible by public transport on at leastone day of the week during the summer months. Detailed, user-friendly publictransport information indicating this should be available on all promotional literature.This should include maps or directions of access from the nearest bus stop or trainstation to the destination.


Sources i The UK Tourist: Key Trends 1990-99 (BTA 2000)ii Whitelegg J. and Williams N: The Plane Truth: Aviation and the Environment -Transport 2000 Trust (2001)iii Transport and the Environment – 18th Report of the Royal Commission onEnvironmental Pollution(1994)iv DETR: Transport Statistic Great Britain 2000 (2000)v DETR: Transport Statistics Bulletin – National Travel Survey 1997/99 update (2000)vi DETR: Transport Statistic Great Britain 2000 (2000)vii National Centre for Social Research: British Social Attitudes (1999)viii DETR: A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone – The Transport WhitePaper (1998)ix Howard D. in Countrygoer News, (1992)x Transport and the Environment – Developments since 1994 - Royal Commissionon Environmental Pollution, (1997)xi Stiftung Wald in Not (Bonn): Waldsterben (1989)xii United Kingdom Review Group on Impacts of Atmospheric Nitrogen: Impacts ofNitrogen Deposition on Terrestial Ecosystems (DETR 1999)xiii United Kingdom Photochemical Oxidants Review Group - Ozone in the UnitedKingdom DoE (1993)xiv DETR: A New Deal for Transport (1998)xv South Coast Air Quality Management District Report 1999 quoted by Laurie Howellin Green Scene ([email protected])xvi Report of meeting of World Coalition on Climate Change in Independent onSunday 14.1.01xvii DETR Climate Change Impacts in the UK; DETR: Climate Change Scenarios inthe UK (1998)xviii Report in Independent on Sunday 2.1.01 of meeting of International Panel onClimate Changexix Information and Advisory Note 111: Impacts of climate change on plants, animalsand ecosystems in Scotland SNH (1999)xx TFL at al. - The Market For Recreational Cycling – report to the CountrysideCommission (1994)xxi CPRE - Rural Traffic Fear (1999)xxii Environmental Planning Research Unit Cardiff University – Northern SnowdoniaStudy (1998)xxiii Countryside Commission: Trends in Transport and the Countryside (1992); RuralTraffic getting it Right Countryside Commission (1997)xxiv Scottish Office: Travel Choices for Scotland (1998)xxv DETR: Transport 2010 the Ten Year Plan (2000)xxvi Foster A.: Interview with Sarah Boyack in Local Transport Today (May 2000)xxvii Crabtree R.: Encouraging Modal Switch - report for the Friends of the LakeDistrict (1998)xxviii Breakell B. unpublished research paper for North York Moors National ParkAuthority (1999)xxix ESRC Transport Studies Unit, University of Oxford: Car Dependence – RACFoundation for Motoring and the Environment (1995)xxx Fergusson, Davis and Skinner: Delivering changes in Travel behaviour IEEP(1999)


xxxi Owen E.; Leisure Trends (Paper given to CRN Conference, Cardiff) November2000xxxii Figures from STB web-site Scotexchange (2001)xxxiii House of Commons Environment Committee: The Environmental Impact ofLeisure Activities Vol 1 - Report (1995)xxxiv DETR: Transport Statistics Great Britain – 2000 Editionxxxv DETR: Transport Statistics Bulletin – National Travel Survey 1997/9 update(2000)xxxvi Scottish Executive: Scottish Transport Statistics 1999 (2000)xxxvii DETR: Transport Statistics Bulletin - National Travel Survey 1997/9 update(2000)xxxviii CLR & JMP - Visitors to National Parks – Countryside Commission/CountrysideCouncil for Wales (1996)xxxix Pedersen R. Conference Paper given at Conference in Inverness on ScottishParliament What it can do for Rural Transport: Ferry Futures (1999)xl Broughton,Clark, Lampert and Willis: Air Pollution in the UK: 1997 DETR (2000)

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