Ayr to Prestwick Active Travel Route

Ayrshire Roads Alliance are working in collaboration with Sweco to upgrade and improve walking and cycling infrastructure between Ayr and Prestwick. The intention is to provide a new high standard, attractive and widely accessible active travel link between the towns, connecting to existing and future walking and cycling routes.

This Storymap provides an opportunity to present your views, opinions and ideas to help inform the optioneering stage of the project, where we will be identifying constraints and opportunities, and considering route options through the project study area.

Active travel is making journeys through physically active means, such as walking and cycling, as an alternative to motorised transport. Active modes of travel are the most reliable, easy and healthy ways to make every day journeys.

Providing, improving and maintaining an infrastructure for walking and cycling will ensure that those who choose to walk or cycle can do so, and do so more often.

Environments in which walking and cycling are easy choices will be safer for everyone, promote healthy living choices, treat and prevent disease and reduce health inequalities. Active travel has a positive effect on people’s health and wellbeing.

Access to jobs, services and leisure will be widened for all – including children, older people, people with disabilities and people with low incomes.

More people choosing to walk or cycle will reduce pollution and emissions from motorised travel and so help tackle climate change and improve air quality. This will also bring related health benefits.

Both the Scottish Government and South Ayrshire Council are committed to increasing levels of active travel use and participation for the purposes of transport and leisure.  This commitment is linked to both national and local policies and strategies, which set out the long-term vision for active travel in South Ayrshire and Scotland.

The main objective of this active travel project is to encourage a greater number of walking and cycling journeys, in not just the towns of Ayr and Prestwick, but throughout the wider, west of Scotland region.

A study area has been created, as shown in the image below, within which an active travel route linking Ayr Esplanade to Prestwick Town Train Station will be proposed.  It is envisaged that the proposed route will also connect to existing core paths in addition to future aspirational schemes such as Accessible Ayr, The Culzean Way and the Prestwick to Barassie Active Travel Route.

At this stage in the project, we are gathering data and information that would enable potential viable route options to be identified within the study area, with a view to assessing and appraising these options, such that a preferred route can be established.

The existing active travel provision between Ayr and Prestwick is mainly a mix of on-carriageway routes and gravel / dirt core paths, with small sections of segregated and shared-use provision throughout.  The existing National Cycle Network Route 7 (NCN 7) serves as the main cycling link between the two towns, however this existing route meanders through various side streets and industrial roads.

The proposed route will seek to replace the current NCN 7, providing a more direct and attractive active travel link between Ayr and Prestwick. Some of the potential areas that have been initially identified are shown in the image gallery below.

We firmly believe that a successful project can only be delivered when the needs of those that will use the infrastructure are taken on board. Your input and comments on the proposed scheme are therefore key and will help us shape the proposals.

Please use the following survey link to provide us with information related to your current travel behaviours and also what you would like us to consider within this project.

Click here for  Consultation Survey 

Alternatively you can also give us your feedback by emailing us directly on:

 sm-gb-ayr2prestwick@sweco.co.uk

Ayrshire Roads Alliance will treat all personal data as confidential and will retain data for no longer than is necessary for the purpose of the Study and in accordance with the Retention Policy and relevant Data Protection Legislation which may be viewed at: 

 https://www.ayrshireroadsalliance.org/About-this-website/Privacy-policy.aspx 

For any data protection queries, please contact: enquiries@ayrshireroadsalliance.org

Sweco will comply to all relevant standards and policies relating to data protection. All information collected in this survey will be utilised only for the use of the project. Further information on Sweco’s policies can be viewed at:

 https://www.swecogroup.com/about-us/sweco-data-privacy/