Councillors approve Elgin transport strategy

Moray councillors today agreed to the preparation of a transport strategy for Elgin.

Elected members were told that following the decision to scrap the proposed western link road, the council needed a new transport strategy capable of addressing the pressures placed on the roads network from existing and future development.

Transportation manager Nicola Moss said: “This must be prepared as a priority due to anticipated developments and the local development plan review cycle.”

In a report to a meeting of the full council, Mrs Moss said: “Without a clear plan for delivering transport infrastructure in a strategic manner, there is a risk that Elgin’s roads network will not develop in a way that can meet the increasing demand from population and employment growth.”

She added: “The western link road had previously been viewed as a strategic project of the council and work must now be done as a priority to identify alternative options to address transportation issues in Elgin.”

A traffic management study carried out 10 years ago identified a west-south distributor road as the best way of improving transport connectivity in Elgin, but that option had now been discounted and would not form any part of the review.

Councillors agreed to £100,000 of funding from council reserves to enable work to be carried out on the new strategy which it is aimed to have completed by September.

They were told that a strategy of this scale would normally take six months to a year and cost around £250,000, but the transport model for the western link road could be used as a baseline to help reduce costs.

Consultation with the public will help to inform the strategy and will begin at the start of the study period.

Views from the public will be south through a variety of means, including a wide-ranging survey as well as public exhibitions and displays.

Urging the public to participate, Mrs Moss said: “The views and experiences of everyone who uses Elgin’s roads network are vital to make sure the work we are doing represents people’s everyday needs and aspirations.”