Fair, sustainable access for all
Thank you for your feedback on our proposed Local Transport Strategy. The consultation has now closed.
We are updating based on your feedback and will publish the final strategy by the end of 2023.
Here is the full Local Transport Strategy for Fife 2023-2033 (draft for consultation)
A full list of actions is set out in our Proposed Actions document.
We have assessed the environmental effects of the draft strategy in our draft Strategic Environmental Assessment. We have also considered its effect on all residents of Fife in our draft Equality Impact Assessment.
What is the Local Transport Strategy?
The Local Transport Strategy sets out our vision and action plan for managing Fife’s transport system over the next ten years, until 2033. The strategy will help us improve the services we provide and make the case for investment.
At the Main Issues consultation in early 2022, we asked you what your transport challenges were. We wanted your ideas on how to improve transport in the future. Our proposed strategy is based on what you told us.
Fife Council manage and operate the following transport services:
- Walking, cycling and wheeling routes
- Supported bus services, community transport and school transport
- Roads, including bridges, road safety, street lighting and winter maintenance (but not trunk roads)
- Car parks and electric vehicle charging
We also work with our partners to support commercial bus services, rail services, and freight.
Our vision and priorities
Our vision is that by 2033, Fife's transport system will support communities with affordable, seamless, and sustainable access to all aspects of our daily lives.
Our vision looks at four key priorities:
- Fair access to daily activities
- Safe and secure travel for all
- Just transition to net zero
- Transport network resilience
Our vision and priorities support the outcomes of the Plan for Fife and the National Transport Strategy 2. Our proposed actions are also consistent with the draft SEStran 2035 Regional Transport Strategy.
Our priorities in full
Access to work, education, healthcare, and leisure is crucial for our wellbeing and our economy. We will provide opportunities for all, with a focus on:
- walking, cycling, wheeling and public transport
- supporting town centres, and
- integrating transport with the built environment
What we will do:
- Increase walking, cycling and wheeling trips, from 23% in 2019 to 30% by 2033
- Develop an Active Travel Strategy, including a plan for a prioritised Fife-wide walking, cycling and wheeling network
- Work with partners to increase the number of Fife communities who can access their daily services within one hour on public transport by 20% by 2033
- Explore options to improve our supported bus services
- Support national initiatives to improve ticketing and integration of public transport
- Support community-led redesign of town centres for people
- Prioritise sustainable transport in Fife Council’s upcoming Local Development Plan 2
Our transport network should be accessible and safe for all members of the community. We will focus on improving safety, security, and access for all protected characteristics, particularly for those with disabilities and all genders.
What we will do:
- Adopt Vision Zero, a long-term aim for no road casualties, and work with partners to halve road deaths and serious injuries by 2030
- Review our policies on speed limits and street lighting
- Carry out audits to review how accessible our walking, cycling, wheeling and public transport network is
- Work with partners in the Bus Service Improvement Partnership and Road Casualty Reduction Group
The Council declared a climate emergency in September 2019 and has committed to a just transition to net zero by 2045. We will provide leadership in working with others to decarbonise the transport sector, by encouraging sustainable travel. We will also assist in the roll-out of zero-emission vehicles.
What we will do:
- Provide leadership in working with others to reduce transport emissions by 56% by 2030, compared with 1990
- Support a 20% reduction in vehicle kilometres by 2030, compared with 2019
- Support sustainable travel choices through education and engagement
- Build no additional road capacity, except in specific circumstances
- Deliver our public EV Strategy & Expansion Plan, which sets out how we will work with partners to provide public electric vehicle charging
- Support the Scottish Government's target to purchase only zero-emission fleet vehicles after 2025
- Review our procurement practices to make sure our suppliers are reducing their emissions
Safe and effective operation of our transport network is crucial to keeping Fife moving. We will focus on proactive maintenance and resilience in the face of supply chain disruption and extreme weather caused by climate change.
What we will do:
- Maintain our existing road condition and availability, despite increasing pressure due to climate change and supply chain cost
- Prioritise proactive maintenance and trial new technologies
- Focus on the maintenance of walking, cycling and wheeling infrastructure
- Develop a climate resilience plan for our transport network
Delivering the strategy
We will deliver our vision and objectives by:
- Focusing on the solutions that provide the best value to the community
- Supporting innovative technologies
- Enabling community-led delivery
- Applying for multi-year and revenue funding