How Dundee could be transformed under £245m sustainable transport plan.

A large portion of the city’s road network should be improved to make it more suitable for walking and cycling.

Last week, graphics were released demonstrating how swaths of Dundee’s major highways could be converted into active transport pathways.

The CGI images showed the modifications proposed for Arbroath Road and Lochee Road to make them more suitable for cycling and walking.

The suggestions are part of a larger, decade-long sustainable transport delivery strategy announced by Dundee City Council last year.

In addition to developing active travel infrastructure, the initiative seeks to improve public transport in the city and zero-emission automobile infrastructure.

The project is projected to cost around £245 million and will be funded primarily through external partners.

But what other active travel efforts are included in this strategy, and how may they appear? The Courier breaks down all you need to know.

Active freeways

The construction of so-called active motorways is a critical component of the project’s ten-year active travel strategy.

The goal is to promote walking, wheeling, and cycling by creating “direct active travel routes” that are separated from traffic on busy roadways.

Dundee City Council assessed its six strategic routes and created concept ideas for ‘active motorways’.

The routes are Arbroath Road, Pitkerro Road, Macalpine Road, Harefield Road, Perth Road, and Lochee Road.

How will these look?

The Arbroath Road active motorway is projected to take between four and six years to complete and will cost around £20 million.

Dundee City Council anticipates this to come from the Transport Scotland Active Travel Transformation Fund.

The Pitkerro Road active motorway is designated a ‘long-term’ project, which means it will not be completed for another seven to ten years.

This plan is estimated to cost £10 million and is likely to be funded by the Transport Scotland Active Travel Transformation Fund.

The estimated cost of the Macalpine Roadactive motorway is £16 million.

This might also take four to six years to complete, with funding coming from the Transport Scotland Active Travel Transformation Fund.

Meanwhile, the Harefield Road active motorway is a long-term project with an anticipated cost of £20 million.

It is expected to be funded in the same way as the other motorways and is a ‘long-term’ project. The Lochee Road project is anticipated to cost £24 million, making it the most expensive active motorway.

Like the others, the local council sees the Transport Scotland Active Travel Transformation Fund as a source of revenue.

Active travel routes

Dundee City Council also intends to create a “cohesive network of active travel routes”. The projected active travel network will consist of three types of routes:

• The core network (active motorways). The active travel network will be built along major arterial roads. Secondary network. This will connect the principal network to local destinations. Tertiary network. This will connect households to established active transport routes via streets with lower speed restrictions and accessible footways.

The network’s delivery is contingent on ongoing financing for the next ten years.

More 20mph zones for Dundee

DCC is also committed to putting huge sections of the city’s roads 20mph, which they believe will assist “support the uptake of active travel”.

Currently, most residential neighbourhoods follow the national speed restriction of 30mph for urban roadways.

Approximately 75% of the road network is considered appropriate for 20mph, with 30% currently decreased to 20mph.

Implementing 20mph zones throughout Dundee is likely to take up to three years and cost £500,000.

The money will most likely come from Transport Scotland’s Cycling, Walking, and Safer Routes Fund.

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