Place Objectives

C7. Transport to and around the Park

How people get to and move around the Cairngorms is going to be one of the biggest changes in the National Park over the coming years.

Image of woman waiting for the bus with her luggage at a bus stop in Aviemore. Photo by Liam Anderstrem.There is a need to improve public transport to cater for residents, commuters and visitors, and to move to a hub and spokes model (where one central ‘hub’ location caters for lots of smaller ‘spokes’) for key visitor destinations.

There will be less use of private cars in future and a need to look at site-specific solutions for key areas of the National Park, such as Glenmore. And we need to make it easier for people to get to work in the National Park more sustainably.

This is a key issue for the Cairngorms and one which we need to focus on to achieve our net zero and visitor management objectives. There is a need to ensure that work in the National Park follows the hierarchy of transport needs as set out in the National Transport Strategy.

Key Objectives and targets

Promote a modal shift towards sustainable and active travel in the way visitors and commuters get to, and everyone moves around, the National Park.

  • 20% of current journeys by visitors, commuters and residents within the National Park do not take place by car by 2030.
  • Increase active travel and public transport usage within the National Park.
  • 25% of visitors get to the National Park by public transport by 2045.
  • E-bike and adapted bike hire and charging facilities will be available in all main settlements and major visitor hubs by 2030.
  • Key public transport options will have capacity for people to bring bikes to the National Park by 2030.
  • Work to ensure bike capacity as part of the Highland Main Line development.
  • Support Sustrans-led work on promoting and developing the Lochs and Glens Way (formerly National Cycle Network 7) and National Cycle Network 195.
  • Promote low-cost initiatives to access the National Park by public transport (see People objective B10 – A Park for All).
  • Promote innovative approaches based on ‘mobility as a service’, demand-responsive transport initiatives, improved connectivity of bus routes, e-scooters, electric car schemes, car-share schemes etc.
  • Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030 programme.

Local authorities, Sustrans, Hitrans, Nestrans, Tactran, Transport Scotland, community transport companies.

Facts

0 %
of new housing will be for social rental, mid-market rental or other affordable categories by 2030
0 %
of visitors will get to the National Park by public transport by 2045