Councillors approve draft transport strategy for Elgin
Moray councillors today approved a draft transport strategy to help ease the traffic situation in Elgin.
The draft strategy, which has been six months in the preparation, focuses on how to keep the town moving while it expands and develops in the years ahead.
The document will now go out for a 10-week period of public consultation.
An online survey to help inform the draft strategy generated more than 800 responses and drop-in sessions were also held to enable people to express their views and offer suggestions.
Councillors heard today that Elgin was forecast to see significant growth between now and 2030, including the building of some 2700 new houses and the creation of around 960 new jobs.
Those developments alone were likely to generate an additional 15,000 car journeys every day.
In a report, transportation manager Nicola Moss said: “In the long term to 2030, with no improvements to the network infrastructure, there will be a significant deterioration in traffic conditions.”
The draft strategy highlights a series of short, medium and long term interventions to ease the traffic situation at a number of locations, with the cost of the package of measures estimated at between £20million and £30million.
Mrs Moss stated: “At this stage it is a strategy that is being proposed with a view to gaining consensus from council that this is the right thing to do in principle.
“This approach is about developing a series of integrated interventions rather than the past approach of ad hoc localised interventions as separate sites are developed.
“The next steps include preparing the full business case for the core package and considering funding sources and affordability.”
The period of public consultation on the draft strategy will run until February 16 and any changes will be incorporated in the final document.
A series of public drop-in session will take place during January along with an event at which key stakeholders will be welcome to comment on the draft. Click here to download or view the strategy
Moray Council area stretches from Tomintoul in the south to the shores of the Moray Firth, from Keith in the east to Forres in the west. The council and its 4,500 employees respond to the needs of 95,510 residents in this beautiful part of Scotland, which nestles between Aberdeenshire and the Highlands.
Famous for its colony of dolphins, fabulous beaches and more malt whisky distilleries than any where else in Scotland, Moray is a thriving area and a great place to live.
Headquartered in Elgin, the administrative capital of Moray.