What does wheeling mean - in terms of walking, cycling and wheeling? Expand Wheeling includes wheelchairs, mobility scooters and scooters.
What does active travel mean? Expand Active travel means making journeys by physically active means, like walking or cycling or wheeling. These are usually short journeys, like walking to the shops, walking the kids to school, cycling to work, or cycling to the station to catch a commuter train.
Who is in charge of this active travel project? Expand Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust (PKCT) in partnership with Transport Planning & Engineering (TP&E) and Stanley Development Trust and in consultation with a steering group comprised of Luncarty, Redgorton and Moneydie Community Council, local councillors, local authority officers representing community greenspace and funders.
Will there be lighting along the route? Expand As a rural route, street lighting is not being considered on this project. Solar studs are an option and would allow users identify the edges and alignment of the pathway, but they are expensive (approximately £62k for the whole route). Solar studs at crossings and junctions only would be a possible measure to keep costs to a minimum. Retro-reflective studs that pick-up torch and head lights are another consideration. Any lighting installed along the route would not have a detrimental effect on neighbouring properties. Views on lighting are still being sought.
What provision will there be for cyclists or walkers passing each other on the route? Expand The design of the active travel route is a Shared Use facility. Minimal signs and painted ground markings will remind of this setup which is increasingly visible elsewhere. The route will have clear sight lines and the etiquette of notifying users ahead with a bell is to be encouraged.
How will steep gradients be dealt with to accommodate all abilities? Expand There are two styles of mitigation in consideration for the conditions within this project. The first is where the gradient is steep but linear in nature, meaning a retaining structure constructed on the face of the banking can carry the path obliquely across the slope at a more desirable gradient. The second is where the gradients are steep but there is an adequate area of reasonably open ground available in the vicinity of the preferred alignment. This would enable lesser gradients to be achieved through introducing switchbacks as a possibility.
At Gowrie Farm, would the path be altered given the proximity to houses? Expand Yes, accommodation works to mitigate the impact of the path on the surrounding area can be taken out, including lowering the path by 500mm, planting barrier vegetation, increasing the height of the existing fence and moving the alignment away from the boundary fence to cut across the fields as the path heads towards the cider orchard and the Gowrie Park Lodge land.
Is there shared agricultural use? Expand There is one stretch of 600 yards at Gowrie Farm that would share use with farm vehicles. The path there would therefore be designed to a road standard.
Does the route cross fields with livestock? If so, what safety measures will be in place? Expand The full route will be fenced off from agricultural land to protect livestock and route users. Gate arrangements at crossing points will enable the paths to be closed off to prevent the livestock from wandering down the routes. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code is applicable on this route as it is on all outdoor activities in the countryside.
Who will manage and maintain the path when the grass or potential hedge needs cutting? Expand Maintenance is in ongoing discussions with Stanley Development Trust, Perth & Kinross Council, and local community councils. It is hoped that a local path user group can be established as in many other parts of Perth and Kinross to maintain the active travel route.
Why is crossing the B9099 at Thistlebrig car park not being considered? Expand B9099 footways are too narrow to support shared use active travel, and the sightlines there are not as extensive as further west. So, crossing the road at this point and having the route follow along the B9099 would not be suitable or fulfil all abilities requirements.
What provisions will be made for safe crossing over the B9099? Expand The crossing point on the B9099 is positioned where currently there are short lengths of footway with dropped kerbs in place to facilitate a pedestrian crossing. There are good sights lines here though the speeds of vehicles on this stretch of the road are high (60mph). The crossing here will be supported by signage and road markings and will be designed in accordance with the recommendations of Cycling by Design 2021 Uncontrolled single carriageway crossing – rural situation. Plans do not currently include reduced speed or traffic lights. These are details that would need to be discussed with Perth & Kinross Council’s Roads Team.
Will the new active travel route be part of the River Tay Way? Expand Yes, the new route will be a part of the River Tay Way – a new long-distance active travel route between Perth and Kenmore being developed by PKCT.
Will the new active travel route be part of the National Cycle Network? Expand Sustrans have intimated that the route, if constructed to their required standards, will become part of the National Cycle Network linking into NCN77.
When will the work begin on the route and how long will it take to complete? Expand The timetable is to secure the route alignment through land agreements, commence detailed design, complete the technical design, and then move to fundraise for the route to be delivered as a whole project or in stages, as funding allows.
How many walkers, cyclists, wheelers and horse riders will use it and has a survey been carried out? Expand This unknown at present but what we do know is that there is minimal active travel at present due to the lack of infrastructure. Providing a through route that interfaces with the A9099 at several locations will allow it to be more permeable and so accessible to it being used in portions as well as in its full length.
How much is the new route going to cost? And how is it going to be funded? Expand The current estimate for constructing this completely new active travel route and infrastructure is £1,254K pre-tax.
Does the new active travel route require planning permission? Expand Yes. As the route is outwith the road corridor, the full route between the two villages will need to be submitted to planning for consideration.
Why is the current infrastructure at Five-Mile Wood not being considered as a possible link up with this project? Expand This could be a consideration for future projects. The current focus is between Luncarty and Stanley.
Will the route connect to Perth? Expand Yes, the ambition is for the route to connect to Perth and beyond to the South and to Kenmore to the North as part of the River Tay Way.
Will the route connect to Bankfoot? Expand Not specifically but the new infrastructure for the junction works at the A9 dual carriageway provides a more accessible route crossing the A9 then previously.
Why was a path along the riverside not considered? Expand This was considered but the width of the land available and the gradients along this section made the route a very expensive option to deliver.
Why was Route Y chosen over Route X? Expand In the online community consultation held in Spring 2021 on two possible active travel routes linking Stanley and Luncarty, Route Y was indicated as ‘Preferred Route’ by the 183 people who completed the online survey receiving 36 outright preferences versus only five for Route X.
Will there be benches along the route? Expand Yes, benches and/or perches are proposed to increase the enjoyment of the route whilst supporting all-abilities use in places where the views are open, the path is a good distance from the road, and near gradients.
Does the active travel route follow core paths? Expand As part of the feasibility study for this route, existing core paths between the two villages were considered, particularly LUNC/133 and STAN/117. However, building this type of route involving a fenced 3-metre-wide sealed surface path with verges would be challenging along the majority of the core path alignments, and the south end of STAN//117 is at a dangerous corner with minimal opportunity to provide a safe link into Luncarty as all abilities path specification requires.
Will the active travel path be suitable for horse riders? Expand The path will be wide enough for horses to use along with pedestrians, cyclists and wheelers. The surface of the path will be sealed surface, which may not be suitable for the comfort of most horses. So, where possible, a wide verge will be created to allow riders to take their horses
Why is the active travel route going to be so wide? Expand There is a quality standard for the creation of active travel lanes to provide maximum safety and ease of dual use based on the Five Core Principles of Cycle Design. Potentially, two users could pass each other easily and comfortably. Primary funder Sustrans requires this best practice in all their design projects.
What will the widths of the active travel route be? Expand The active travel route will be 3 metres wide in general. The adjacent verge will be 1 metre on either side to enable vertical elements like fences or signage to be set back a minimum of 0.5 metres so as not to detract from the usable space. Therefore, a 5-metre corridor will be required for the route, but only a 3-metre-wide path.