Girvan to Grangeston

Ayrshire Roads Alliance are in the process of creating a walking, wheeling, and cycling (known as ‘active travel’) route between Girvan in South Ayrshire and Grangestone Industrial Estate.  Wheeling refers to an alternative means of travel to foot/pedestrian-based mobility, such as travel by wheelchair, mobility scooter or wheeled walker.

The route will create a safe and attractive environment for walking, wheeling, and cycling, making active travel the obvious choice for everyday journeys undertaken by the communities within Girvan and by employees at Grangestone Industrial Estate.

Funding for the project was awarded by Sustrans through Places for Everyone. Places for Everyone is an active travel infrastructure programme supported by the Scottish Government and administered by Sustrans.

Currently, those walking from Girvan to Grangestone Industrial Estate need to cross the A77 and B741 without assistance from a safe crossing. Vehicles on these roads can travel up to 60 miles per hour (mph). The pavement is also narrow along sections, making walking side-by-side, or using a wheelchair, difficult along the route. Those cycling need to cycle on-road, as there are no cycle paths adjacent to the A77 or B741.

In the last five years, four people walking along or crossing the A77 have been involved in a collision with a vehicle, unfortunately one of those people died.

Walking, wheeling, and cycling are the most reliable, efficient and healthy ways to travel short distances for everyday journeys. Increased rates of active travel has a broad range of benefits, for individuals and the wider community.

Physical inactivity costs the UK £8.2bn annually and results in poor mental and physical health. Walking, wheeling, and cycling are great ways to increase physical and mental wellbeing, and are accessible to the majority of the population.

A decrease in the numbers of vehicles on the roads also reduces air pollution and the risk of traffic fatalities.

Walking, wheeling and cycling is estimated to generate an annual benefit to the UK economy of £36.5billion (Sustrans). Active travel infrastructure and a community engaged in walking, wheeling and cycling can benefit businesses too. For example, cycle parking delivers five times higher retail spend than the same area of car parking (Department for Transport).

Active Travel is a social and inclusive way to travel and the infrastructure along new routes can foster a sense of community and create enjoyable places to exercise, socialise, and relax.

It's quicker than you think too, on average, you can walk a mile in around 15 minutes or cycle a mile in five minutes.

In Scotland, transport is the highest emitter of carbon and pollution, with cars releasing the largest amounts out of all road-based transport options. Road transport, such as cars, vans, lorries and buses, accounts for approximately 66.2% of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Scotland (Transport Scotland, Scottish Transport Statistics 2022).

Changing to active travel can have significant carbon emissions benefits.  The largest benefits come from shifts from car to active travel for business, social and commuting journeys (Paths for All)

Through work carried out to date and feedback provided during the community engagement period in July 2023, the team are working to design a route between Girvan and Grangeston.

More information on the route and specific measures that are being proposed will be provided once they are available.

If you have questions about this project please email  Girvan-Grangeston@sweco.co.uk 

Based on our experience on similar projects, we have outlined our response to frequently asked questions (FAQs) below. As the project progresses, we will update the questions received and our corresponding responses here.

Ayrshire Roads Alliance are in the process of creating a walking, wheeling, and cycling (known as ‘active travel’) route between Girvan and Grangeston. Wheeling refers to an alternative means of travel to foot/pedestrian-based mobility, such as travel by wheelchair, mobility scooter or wheeled walker.

This project focuses on delivering a safe and connected active travel network, making every day active travel journeys a natural option for those travelling between Girvan in South Ayrshire and Grangestone Industrial Estate due to the journey being a convenient, safe, and healthy lifestyle choice.

People and community are placed at the heart of the Girvan to Grangeston project.

The route will create a safe and attractive environment for walking, wheeling, and cycling, making active travel the obvious choice for everyday journeys undertaken by the communities within Girvan and by employees at Grangestone Industrial Estate.

The project is being developed by Ayrshire Roads Alliance, with support from Sustrans.

The project is being developed by Ayrshire Roads Alliance, with support from Sustrans.

The decision-making process will be driven by feedback from the local community and key stakeholders. Stakeholders are people, groups or organisations who will provide insight into the primary interests of the impacted communities and areas, and/or hold expertise relating to active travel improvements. For this project, key stakeholders include but are not limited to businesses at Grangestone Industrial Estate, local walking and cycling groups and public transport operators along the route.

The decision-making process is also driven by the objectives and themes from local policies and strategies and by data around the local context, including the types of transport currently used in the area and accident data by location and transport type.    

This is the very beginning of the project and will follow what is known as the 'RIBA Stages'. There are 7 stages; we are at Stage 2. This means by the end of Stage 2 there will be an agreed definition for the scope of the project, initial engagement undertaken, and the development of initial designs.

The project has received funding through the Sustrans Places for Everyone Programme for Stages 0 to 2.

Places for Everyone is an active travel infrastructure programme supported by the Scottish Government and administered by Sustrans.

As a local resident and/or business, we want to capture your views on the initial route ideas. By providing your feedback, we can better understand the challenges you and/or your business face in relation to accessing and using routes for active travel between Girvan and Grangestone Industrial Estate.

Yes, if you would like any of the engagement documents in an alternative format, please email  Girvan-Grangeston@sweco.co.uk 

If you have a query or comment about the project or this engagement period, please email us at  Girvan-Grangeston@sweco.co.uk 

Information provided will be treated confidentially and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018. Our privacy notice, which explains how we will process your personal information, how long we will retain it and your rights as a data subject, are available at:  https://www.ayrshireroadsalliance.org/About-this-website/Privacy-policy.aspx