Highland Council has been awarded more than £750,000 to roll out a network of safe walking and cycling routes across the north.
In the coming weeks a series of temporary walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure along priority routes will be rolled out in towns across the Highlands in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
These measures will ensure that people can move safely on essential journeys and whilst taking daily exercise.
A grant totalling £752,954 has now been awarded to Scotland’s largest local authority to complete the works following a successful bid to the Scottish Government’s Spaces for People fund, which is administered by Sustrans.
Colin Howell, head of infrastructure, said: “As we move very rapidly from bid to implementation stage, we are working hard to ensure that these measures are rolled out in a safe and inclusive way that considers all users. Making sure people can safely social distance and move around using active travel are our key priorities. To ensure the best chance of these interventions being effective we are rolling them out now and encourage people to provide feedback through our Council’s website so we can react to issues people raise where necessary.”
The temporary measures will also form a key component of village, town and city centre recovery strategies.
Karen McGregor, Director of Sustrans Scotland, said: “It’s clear that people across Scotland want to do the right thing during Coronavirus. They want to look after their physical and mental health.
“Providing funding support to Highland Council through our Spaces for People programme will make it easier and safer for people to travel around Inverness and other towns across the Highlands for essential travel and exercise.”