Members of the Nestrans board have today been praising work done to achieve transport objectives across the North east.

The board were discussing the partnership’s annual monitoring report which showed some significant steps towards changing travel habits and meeting emissions objectives, as well as expanding economic opportunities in the region.

Some of the highlights are below:

Rail

• Increased passenger numbers across all north-east stations with total numbers now exceeding 6 million annually. The highest growth has been in Portlethen where 221% more people used station in 2014/15 than did in 2010/11 and in Inverurie which saw an increase of 55% in the same period.

Freight (harbour)

• The volume of freight through Peterhead and Aberdeen Harbours now sits at over 6 million tonnes, an increase of 10% since 2005. Peterhead in particular has seen strong growth, up by 48% between 2005 and 2014.

Bus

• There were nearly 19.5 million bus journeys made in the north east in 2015/16.
• The proportion of passengers using bus (or rail) to access Aberdeen Airport has shown considerable growth, from less than 5% in 2001 to over 14% in 2013.

Cycling

• The number of cyclists on key routes in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are both increasing, with the strongest growth in Aberdeen which saw a 50% increase between 2008 and 2016.

Car

• The numbers participating in carshare schemes and the car club are increasing, with over 3,000 registered car sharers and over 1,200 car club registrations, both at their highest ever levels.

Emissions

• Carbon emissions from transport have seen a 16% reduction across the north east between 2005 and 2014.
• Indicators which relate to air quality and show reducing average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and particulates. 2015 levels in Wellington Road, Union Street and Market Street all show improvements and are close to achieving European-defined maximum levels.

Safety

• Number of injuries in road traffic collisions in the north east has seen further reduction with total number of casualties now 46% lower than in 2005.
• Number of fatalities in road traffic collisions in the north east has seen further reduction and the five year average for 2011-15 is at the lowest level recorded.

Councilor Ramsay Milne, chair of the Nestrans board, described the headlines as “incredibly positive and something the whole region should be proud of”. He said: “There are some really strong numbers in this report, which show how much time people are taking to think about their travel choices. It also shows that they are taking on board the safety message and that our communities are expanding economic opportunities.

“We could not report such strong results without great partnership working and the board remains acutely aware that much of this success is thanks to the hard work of others.”

Full content of the monitoring report can be found online herehttp://www.nestrans.org.uk/db_docs/File/Board_Meeting_30_09_2016/3c_Monitoring_Report.pdf