Borders transport needs shunted, say officers

by DOUG COLLIE

A lengthy wish list of improvements needed to bolster the Scottish Borders' transport network have been largely ignored in a draft strategy covering south-east Scotland, according to a team of high ranking local government officials.

Now members of Scottish Borders Council are being urged to challenge the perceived urban bias and over emphasis on Edinburgh's needs set out in the strategy prepared by the South-east of Scotland Regional Transport Partnership (SUStrans).

In a hard-hitting assessment of the proposals contained in the 120-page strategy document, the Borders group headed by John Curry, Infrastructure and Environment at the council make it clear they do not like a reference in the document that "Scott Borders is the ‘Hinterland’ [of the region]. Also the correct name is the ‘Scottish Borders’".

The authors of the Borders response, to be considered at a full meeting of SBC this Thursday are Ian Aikman Chief Planning Officer;  Dan Cathcart Localities Transport Officer; Ewan Doyle Workforce Mobility Manager;  Gordon Grant Team Leader;  Graeme Johnstone Lead Officer; Erin Murray Research & Policy Officer, and Brian Young Infrastructure Manager.

These officers state: "From this review it is clear that the draft strategy does not properly represent the Scottish Borders and should be significantly changed to reflect more rural challenges and solutions. 

"It is proposed that Scottish Borders Council submit a structured response through the SEStran consultation portal and a detailed response to clearly articulate the areas where change is required in the draft strategy. Without an honest and detailed response the final strategy will not reflect the challenges and ambition of the Scottish Borders, leaving the region without the leverage to support cross boundary and local transport projects that are vital for our communities."

Borders councillors are then told: "SEStran’s programme for approval of the final Regional Transport Strategy indicates the ambition to seek approval from their board in March 2022. It is proposed that the Council requests a written response from SEStran on how they have actioned the Council’s comments so that we can consider the Council’s approach to being involved in the final approval process."

The territory covered by SEStrans takes in the eight council areas of Scottish Borders Clackmannanshire  City of Edinburgh East Lothian Falkirk Fife Midlothian and West Lothian. In total the SEStran authority covers 8,400 square kilometres with a population of 1.6 million.

In their 26-page review of the draft strategy the Borders team say: "There needs to be more differentiation between urban and rural areas. The document seems to be heavily skewed to urban challenges and solutions. 

"There is no recognition of the role that rural regions make to the overall transport network, other than travelling into Edinburgh. The draft strategy needs to acknowledge the important linkages of the region to the south into northern England; west to Dumfries & Galloway, South Lanarkshire and Glasgow; and north into Perth & Kinross and beyond. These corridors and linkages provide important opportunities for the SEStrans region and the Scottish Borders.

"There needs to be support for the development/delivery of the Borders Railway extension, improvements on the existing line and action to maximise the integration of Reston Station into the east coast mainline so that it supports the community and a modal shift. There is a clear opportunity to support these strategically important infrastructure projects".

It is also suggested there should be more emphasis on the correlation between good transport and good digital connectivity. Digital equality across the region will support an integrated and connected transport network especially in rural areas.

The final strategy should have significantly more emphasis on increasing public confidence in public transport following the national messaging to avoid public transport during COVID 19. There is also a lead role to play in behavioural change and public education to support sustainable transport choices to help deliver the strategy vision.

Borders officers go on to say: "There is a significant number of actions within the draft strategy without clarity on ownership, how they will be funded, delivered or programmed. The document would benefit from being shortened, especially in comparison with other regional strategy documents such as the Regional Economic Strategy, the Indicative Regional Spatial Strategy for the South of Scotland and the Edinburgh & South East Scotland City Region Deal Regional Prosperity Framework."

In a specific reference to electric vehicle [EV] charging the report to council declares: "The current model of Local Authority led EV charging infrastructure is not sustainable in the long term as the infrastructure created a high resources demand for operation and maintenance support, with regular technology updates and customer support. This has led to high instances of inoperable charging infrastructure that affects public confidence. 

"With the anticipated growth in demand, the private sector delivery and operation model needs to be developed in urban and rural areas to facilitate a transition to companies that have the experience and resources to deliver a network to meet the future demand."