Mobility Strategy 18 Month Review
Perth and Kinross Council · 27 May 2026
Back to Climate Change and Sustainability Committee — 27 May 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Climate Change and Sustainability Committee Date of Meeting: 27 May 2026 Report Title: Mobility Strategy 18 Month Review Report Number: 26/144 Report Author: Matthew Davis, Lead Officer Mobility Strategy & Carlyn Morilly, Transportation Development Officer Organisational Lead: Serge Merone, Strategic Lead - Economy, Development & Planning ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to update Members on the delivery of the Mobility Strategy, to present a draft Monitoring and Evaluation Plan and a draft revised Action Plan for approval, and to request approval to commence engagement on Mobility Strategy action 2, relating to Perth Transport Futures City Centre. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendations 3. Background/Context 4. Main Issues 5. Proposals 6. Conclusion 7. Impact Value Assessment 8. Appendices 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Notes the updates provided on the delivery of the Mobility Strategy and Action Plan 2.2 Approves the Mobility Strategy Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (Appendix A)
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2.3 Approves the revised Action Plan (Appendix C) and removal of 41 actions 2.4 Approves the Perth Transport Futures City Centre Engagement Plan (Appendix D) and its commencement 3. Background/Context 3.1 The Mobility Strategy is Perth & Kinross Council’s (PKC) Local Transport Strategy which was approved by the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee on 23 October 2024 and covers the period 2025-2040. 3.2 A Mobility Strategy was identified in the PKC Corporate Plan (2022-27) as a key strategy to help deliver two Corporate Plan priorities: tackling climate change; and delivering a stronger and greener economy. Developing the strategy also delivered on transport action T1 in the Council’s Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (adopted 2021). 3.3 Taking climate action is a key theme of the Mobility Strategy, along with reducing inequalities, delivering inclusive economic growth and improving our health and wellbeing, which are all aligned with the National Transport Strategy (NTS). The Mobility Strategy’s 11 Transport Planning Objectives describe the desired outcomes under each of these four themes. The NTS themes and transport planning objectives are included in Table 1 below. Table 1: Transport Planning Objectives and alignment with National Transport Strategy priorities 3.4 From the 11 objectives, actions were developed which were assessed as performing well against the strategy’s objectives, alongside deliverability considerations and alignment with national transport policy. This forms the strategic case for the programme of work set out in the Action Plan. NTS2 Priorities TPO PKC - Transport Planning Objectives Reduces Inequalities 1 To improve the affordability of transport options across Perth and Kinross for all 2 To improve the ability of rural communities and communities with protected characteristics to access jobs, education and services Takes Climate Action 3 To reduce CO2 emissions produced by transport across Perth and Kinross, by reducing car kilometres, decarbonising motorised transport and increasing the share of everyday journeys of people and goods by sustainable and active travel modes 4 To improve climate resilience across Perth and Kinross's transport network by reducing the impacts caused by extreme weather events Helps Deliver Inclusive Economic Growth 5 To support economic growth by improving the reliability and efficiency of Perth and Kinross's transport network 6 To support local development that encourages and facilitates local living and sustainable access, across Perth and Kinross, by achieving an increased active travel and public transport mode split to and from new developments 7 To improve the capacity and reliability of alternative sustainable freight and logistic modes across Perth and Kinross 8 To improve labour market access through sustainable transport, active travel, and digital opportunities, to and from Perth and Kinross Improves our Health and Wellbeing 9 To improve road safety and perceived safety for all transport users across Perth and Kinross 10 To improve physical and mental health within Perth and Kinross through walking, wheeling and cycling 11 To improve air quality across Perth & Kinross's road network by achieving revocation of both Air Quality Management Areas and reducing preventable pollutants
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3.5 Since approval of the Mobility Strategy, actions have been assigned to leads within PKC and the Mobility Strategy Working Group established to co- ordinate delivery across departments. This work has enabled a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan to be developed. 3.6 In the Climate Change Annual Report to Full Council on 25 February 2026, it was noted that the transport KPIs would be reviewed and amended in the next 6 months, as part of developing a monitoring framework for the Mobility Strategy. The Mobility Strategy Climate theme indicators outlined in this report are proposed to be included as transport KPIs for the Climate Change Strategy. 3.7 A key action from the Mobility Strategy relates to delivering the city centre improvements envisaged under Phase 4 of Perth Transport Futures Programme. Action 2 states “Make improvements within the Perth City Centre ring road to reduce car dominance and improve sustainable and active travel choices. Improvements may consider: parking and road space reallocation, traffic management arrangements, connecting services, and placemaking to optimise traffic flows and the space available, and improve sustainable and active travel choices to reduce congestion and local emissions”. 3.8 The expected reduction in city centre traffic following the opening of the Cross Tay Link Road in March 2025, created the opportunity to reallocate road space to make city centre improvements without significant negative traffic impacts. 3.9 A feasibility study commenced in 2024 to test this, entitled “Perth Circulation Plan”, which models the Perth City centre transport network operation with reduced provision for cross-city through traffic and enhanced networks for sustainable and active travel. An all-Member briefing was held on 27 May 2025. 3.10 The resulting conceptual plan is supported by traffic modelling which shows that the aspired changes to the city centre are broadly feasible (i.e. can be made without undue negative impacts on traffic flow). 4. Main Issues 4.1 In the 18 months since the Mobility Strategy was approved, progress has been made on delivering a range of actions. Key highlights include: • Progression with Perth Transport Futures through the opening of the Cross Tay Link Road and Destiny Bridge (Phase 2) and completion of a feasibility study for Perth Transport Futures City Centre (Phase 4). The Bertha Park Link Road (Phase 3) is nearing completion and is likely to open mid to late June 2026. • The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund (EVIF) Strategy and Action Plan is complete. Funding for new charge points has been secured, and installation and maintenance will be transferred to a private operator, with implementation expected to commence towards the end of 2026/27.
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• In 2024/25 PKC achieved a 100% delivery rate for level two Bikeability training in participating Primary Schools. • PKC has procured Traffic Modelling Software, allowing us to undertake some traffic modelling work in-house. This will allow us to model, for example, the impact of proposed LDP sites. • Significant expansion of 20mph speed limit streets on local and trunk roads has taken place, in accordance with Transport Scotland’s 20mph strategy. • Consultants are developing a new concept design and business case for the Dunkeld Road Corridor integrating bus priority and active travel, funded via Transport Scotland’s Bus Infrastructure Fund (BIF). • Investigative work is on-going into Park & Ride site usage and options for additional facilities in Perth and Kinross. • The Council’s Transport Transformation Project is reviewing bus powers available to PKC under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 along with options for future bus network provision. The Outline Business Case is due to be presented to Full Council on 2nd September 2026. 4.2 A Monitoring and Evaluation Plan has been developed containing two sections: process and outcome evaluation (Appendix A). The former tracks delivery of the Action Plan (i.e. the outputs) The latter determines the extent to which the Mobility Strategy’s 11 objectives are being achieved through a series of indicators. Process Evaluation 4.3 The Mobility Strategy includes an Action Plan and 167 actions are currently listed to achieve the Strategy’s Transport Planning Objectives. Monitoring of the Action Plan is co-ordinated through the Mobility Strategy Working Group using the Monitoring and Evaluation sheet appended to this report, containing an update from each action owner (Appendix B). 4.4 Four actions have been completed to date and work has commenced on 132 actions. The completed actions are: • action 28, develop an asset management platform to highlight road network status; • action 36, implement and enforce pavement parking ban; • action 57, free bus travel during the run up to Christmas and on the first Saturday of the month; • action 86, safeguard land for Park & Ride development in the local development plan. 4.5 Analysis of the Action Plan shows 80% of the actions are under the direct influence of PKC. The remaining actions are led by regional and national partners such as Tactran, Network Rail and Transport Scotland. For these actions PKC plays a supporting and/or influencing role, however they are all necessary to improve the transport situation across Perth and Kinross.
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Although 80% of the actions are assigned to PKC as the action owner, an initial review of the scale of work and associated cost highlights that delivery is strongly dependent on securing external financial support from Scottish Government. 4.6 To support the monitoring and evaluation of the Action Plan, an exercise was undertaken to sharpen its focus for delivery. This concluded with a rationalised list which involved merging or consolidating actions containing duplication or removing those that were not specific enough. Some actions have been reworded, particularly where wording has become dated, while maintaining the strategic intention. 4.7 Some actions, on review, were deemed to be policy statements rather than something that could be directly actioned. These were extracted into a list of policy statements (Appendix E), which will be considered for incorporation into PKC policies and guidelines, such as Local Development Plan 3 and the Roads Development Guide. 4.8 This process has reduced the number of actions from 167 to 126. The resulting list of Actions has been re-numbered sequentially. Actions referenced in this report are using the new numbering. The revised Action Plan is included in Appendix C. Outcome Evaluation 4.9 Transport Planning Objectives were developed, in accordance with Transport Scotland guidance, which define the changes that PKC are working towards. Their achievement will be influenced by Mobility Strategy Action Plan delivery as well as wider societal factors that are out with the control of the Council. 4.10 Having reviewed the Transport Planning Objectives, indicators have been developed to provide a meaningful indication of whether, and to what extent, the Mobility Strategy’s actions are advancing the objectives. The indicators rely on the availability of reliable and relevant datasets. The Regional Transport Partnership, Tactran, was consulted to provide expertise on selecting appropriate indicators and datasets, as well as to advise on where legitimate data gaps exist. Where data gaps exist, proxy indicators have been proposed until such time as more relevant data can be sourced or collected. The rationale for indicator and data selection, remaining data gaps and proposals to fill them is detailed in Appendix A. 4.11 A summary of the proposed indicators is set out in Table 2 below. As noted above, the indicators for Transport Planning Objective 3 will also be included as Transport KPIs for the Climate Change Strategy. Most of the required baseline data has been collected. Key areas where data is missing are for freight volumes moved by sustainable modes of transport and modal share data for new developments. The data sources used are currently updated annually or biennially.
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Transport Planning Objective Indicator Baseline 1) To improve the affordability of transport options across Perth and Kinross for all Number of residents registered for The Scottish National Entitlement Card (NEC) 31 March 2026 ▪ 21,216 (Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme) ▪ 50,899 (Older & Disabled Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme). Adults who used a local bus service in the past month, percentage who agreed 'the fares are good value' 2024 68% agreed that bus fares are good value 2) To improve the ability of rural communities and communities with protected characteristics to access jobs, education and services % of 16-24 year olds able to access a range of employment opportunities within 40 mins/60 mins by public transport 2023: Within 40 minutes: 80.5% Within 60 minutes: 63.8% % of 16-24 year olds able to access further education facilities within 30 mins/60 mins by public transport 2023: Within 30 minutes: 38% Within 60 minutes: 74.3% % of population within rural areas able to access by public transport within 30mins/40mins/60mins: (a) range of employment opportunities, (b) further education and (c) centres with a large food store and (d) Post Office 2023: 30 mins Further Education: 15.7% Food Store: 41% Post Office: 78.3% 2023: 40 mins Employment: 63.9% 2023: 60 mins Employment: 56.6% Further Education: 61.4% Food Store: 67.5% Post Office: 80.7% 3) To reduce CO2 emissions produced by transport across Perth and Kinross, by reducing car kilometres, decarbonising motorised transport and increasing the share of everyday journeys of people and goods by sustainable and active travel modes CO2 emissions from transport in Perth and Kinross 2023/24 493.8 kt CO2e Mode Share – All Journey Types 2024 24% Walking 54% Driver (car/ van) 16% Passenger (car / van) 1% Bicycle 5% Bus 1% Rail Mode Share – Child Journeys to School 2025 39% walk 4% cycle 2% scooter/ skate 8% park & stride 24% driven 20% bus 2% taxi Car kilometres travelled 2024/25 1824 million vehicle kilometres
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Percentage of cars and vans that are electric 2025 2.8%* Sustainable Freight Mode Share Data source under development 4) To improve climate resilience across Perth and Kinross’s transport network by reducing the impacts caused by extreme weather events Number of public road closures due to flooding or other climate change impacts 2023/24 99 Rail services cancelled/ delayed due to adverse weather 2024 • Glasgow – Aberdeen Line: 15 cancelled, 10 part-cancelled, 186 failures • Glasgow/ Edinburgh – Perth/ Inverness: 45 cancelled, 10 part- cancelled, 193 failures 5) To support economic growth by improving the reliability and efficiency of Perth and Kinross’s transport network Rail journey time reliability Annual average Feb 25 – Feb 26 86.4% of ScotRail services arrived or terminated at Perth Station within 5 minutes of their booked arrival time Bus journey time reliability Data source under development Road journey time reliability and congestion on key economic road network corridors Data source under development Bus/rail service integration Data source under development 6) To support local development that encourages and facilitates local living and sustainable access, across Perth and Kinross, by achieving an increased active travel and public transport mode split to and from new developments Mode share for selected new developments. Data Gap 7) To improve the capacity and reliability of alternative sustainable freight and logistic modes across Perth and Kinross Indicator under development Data Gap 8) To improve labour market access through sustainable transport, active travel, and digital opportunities, to and from Perth and Kinross PKC Broadband coverage 2025 Superfast availability 91.5% Gigabit availability 57.6% Unable to receive decent broadband 0.7% % of regional jobs accessible within 60 minutes by public transport 2023 59% of regional jobs are accessible within 60 mins by public transport for Perth and Kinross residents. 9) To improve road safety and perceived safety for all transport users across Perth and Kinross • Total number of people killed or seriously injured 2024 Total KSI = 96 Child KSI = 7
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(KSI) on roads in PKC • Total number of children killed or seriously injured (KSI) on roads in PKC Perceived safety - walking and wheeling 2024 • 77% of residents think it’s safe to walk or wheel in their local area • 56% of residents think it’s safe for children to walk or wheel in their local area Perceived safety - cycling 2024 • 48% of residents think it’s safe to cycle in their local area • 36% of residents think it’s safe for children to cycle in their local area, compared to 34% in 2023. 10) To improve physical; and mental health within Perth and Kinross through walking, wheeling and cycling Percentage of adult journeys travelling by either cycling or walking. 2024 25% journeys by walking or cycling Number of early deaths and serious long-term health conditions prevented annually 2025 The physical activity of walking prevents 33 early deaths annually, and walking and wheeling in the city prevents 144 serious long-term health conditions each year 11) To improve air quality across Perth and Kinross’s road network by achieving revocation of both Air Quality Management Areas and reducing preventable pollutants Number of monitoring sites where the annual mean air pollutant levels exceed national objectives 2025 No annual mean exceedances for NO2 (75 sites) or PM10/PM2.5 (4 sites) Number of monitoring sites where annual mean air pollutant levels are increasing & decreasing 2025 For NO2 (75 sites) Increasing (9), Decreasing (61), No Change (2), N/A first year in place (3) For PM10 & PM2.5, interim figures to be adjusted (4 sites) Increasing(3), Decreasing(1) * The national dataset from the Department for Transport is likely to be an underestimate, see Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for details. Table 2: Indicators proposed to monitor the Transport Planning Objectives, along with baseline data
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5. Proposals Mobility Strategy Reporting 5.1 Given the 15-year lifespan of the Mobility Strategy it is proposed that a report is brought back to this Committee every 2 years, detailing progress delivering the Mobility Strategy and achievement of objectives. Transport will continue to feed into the climate change annual reporting utilising the new KPIs outlined in this report. 5.2 During the next reporting period work will continue with Tactran, seeking to fill data gaps in the outcome evaluation process, working towards a complete suite of indicators to monitor the strategy’s objectives. Perth Transport Futures City Centre Plan 5.3 As noted above, a conceptual plan has been developed for Perth Transport Futures City Centre, which shows that the proposed changes are broadly feasible. The study area is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Perth Transport Futures City Centre Study Area 5.4 However the observed city centre traffic reductions, which this plan makes use of, will not last indefinitely. This is because in areas of high travel demand, traffic volumes usually increase over time to fill available road space. Hence there is a degree of urgency to begin implementing the Perth Transport Futures City Centre Plan.
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5.5 To prepare for this, engagement is now required to refine the conceptual plan and add in detail to create a deliverable proposal. Approval to commence engagement with residents, visitors, businesses and other stakeholders over the next 12 months is recommended by this report and an engagement plan is included in Appendix D. 5.6 The purpose of the engagement is to: • Inform people what Perth Transport Futures City Centre Plan is and why it is being proposed • Consult on the level of support for key principles underpinning the plan and the trade-offs that will be required to implement it 5.7 The engagement plan is being developed in line with best practice outlined in the National Standards for Community Engagement. 5.8 Proposed engagement methods include an online survey supplemented by market research to ensure a representative sample, focus groups of seldom heard and underrepresented groups and stakeholder workshops. 5.9 There is also the potential to trial measures from the Plan as part of major city centre projects that come forward over the next few years and monitor their effectiveness. 5.10 Perth Transport Futures City Centre project delivery will be planned and co- ordinated with the wider programme of city centre projects programmed over the next few years, including the bridges maintenance and associated traffic management as well as other engagement activities such as around public transport. 5.11 Additionally it should be noted that Mobility Strategy action 126 looks to make similar improvements within town and village centres, so the learning from Perth will be applied to shaping proposals that will be developed in other settlements. 6. Conclusion 6.1 The Mobility Strategy Monitoring and Evaluation Plan will ensure that the Council is fully informed regarding progress with delivering the Strategy and will measure the extent to which delivery is achieving the objectives. This is supported by a revised Action Plan that will be easier to read and contain less overlaps between actions. 6.2 Commencing engagement on Mobility Strategy action 2, Perth Transport Futures City Centre, will allow proposals to be refined by public and stakeholder feedback. There is a degree of urgency for developing and trialling measures in the city centre, because traffic reductions following opening the Cross Tay Link Road are likely to be transient and delays risk missing the opportunity to take advantage of them.
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7. Impact Value Assessment Mobility Strategy 18 Month Review 8. Appendices 8.1 Appendix A: Monitoring and Evaluation Plan 8.2 Appendix B: Action Plan Progress Update 8.3 Appendix C: Revised Action Plan 8.4 Appendix D: Perth Transport Futures City Centre Engagement Plan 8.5 Appendix E: List of Policy Statements