Quiet routes have been installed by other council authorities across the UK including by Clackmannanshire, West Lothian and Kent Councils. In most cases, the measures taken to designate Quiet Routes include but are not limited to implementing gateway signage, diverted wayfinding signage, road marking improvements, warning signs and surface improvements.

The HITRANS Board comprises a Councillor from each local authority area covered by the partnership and three non-council members appointed in a personal capacity by the Minister for Transport following open advertisement and selection.

Furthermore, it is suggested that regular commuting by bicycle to work can significantly minimise the risk of developing cancer or heart disease when compared to other forms of transportation.

Each of the five aforementioned identified routes have been studied to assess their suitability as a Quiet Route and which provision would be required to ensure safety for all road users. The results of this study coupled with a round of initial public engagement has produced the following outcomes for each route.

A temporary traffic regulation order will be in place from December 2023 to June 2025 and will implement signage and marking interventions similar to that shown in the Provisions chapter of this StoryMap. A speed limit of 40mph as been applied throughout the scheme extents in addition to signage and marking provisions. Your feedback is welcome - please see 'What happens next?' section at the bottom of this page for detail of how to submit your feedback.

• Within the average household, an average of 1.93 household members have access to a bicycle.
• 40% of survey respondents reported an increase in their walking/cycling activity in comparison to pre-covid-19 activity levels.
• Just over 12.5% of those who commute to their place of work, do so by walking with the remainder using car/van.
• 33% of those who undertake school run/picking-up or dropping children at school do so by walking with the remaining travelling by car/van.
• Of those who travel for essential and non-essential shopping, 86% travel by car/van, 3% travel by motorcycle/moped, 7% travel by bicycle (or alternative form of active travel) and the remaining travel by walking
• Just over 6% of survey participants use a form of active travel to access healthcare (GP/pharmacy).
• 86.67% of survey participants are very likely or likely to use a Quiet Route, while only 6.67% are unlikely to use a Quiet Route.
• Of the respondents, 33.34% said they don’t feel safe walking/cycling/horse riding on local roads.
• Slower speeds of traffic in the area was highlighted to be the most the most important factor individuals are looking for in the area.

Raasay Primary School was the only school contacted to complete a hands-up survey where, five pupils took part in the survey. From the responses, it was identified that 20% of pupils travel to school by car and remainder (80%) travelling by bicycle or scooter; over half of pupils are accompanied by a parent/guardian when going to school. All the pupils who took part in the survey travel just 5-10 minutes to get to school.

The identified Tomatin and Strathdearn Quiet Route runs adjacent to the A9 via Tomatin. The route proposed to provide a safer route for active travel across Findhorn Bridge and through the centre of Tomatin. However, after initial public engagement and a thorough evaluation of the site conditions it has been determined that the Tomatin and Strathdearn Quiet Route scheme is unsuitable as a Quiet Route and will not be progressed as part of this study. However, feedback is welcome - please see 'What happens next?' section at the bottom of this page for detail of how to submit your feedback.

As this route option was found to be unsuitable as a Quiet Route it will not be progressed.

The key results from the public survey are given below:

'Share space' gateway and repeater signage will be used throughout the extent of the route to inform all road users that the route is a shared space between pedestrians, cyclists, motor vehicles, and equestrian users. The two images below are examples of 'Share space' signage which has already been implemented in Quiet Route projects by Aberdeenshire Council and East Lothian Council respectively.

To provide feedback on these proposals, please send an email to address below and reference which route you are referring to or to complete the Community Engagement Survey click on the link below.

If you require any information about the processing of your personal data please contact: info@hitrans.org.uk , hitrans-quietroutes@sweco.co.uk or the Local Privacy Officer at Sweco UK Limited, Mansion Gate Drive, Leeds, LS7 4DN