Food & Health Alliance

Smarter Choices, Smarter Places:

Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) is a £15 million Scotland-wide initiative to encourage Scots to reduce their car use in favour of more sustainable alternatives such as walking, cycling and public transport.

Organised by the Scottish Government with support from COSLA, local authorities and regional transport partnerships, SCSP will see £10 million of Scottish Government funding being invested in a variety of initiatives across Scotland. A further £5 million of match funding will also be available from councils, public transport operators and developers.

The money will be spent on improving local facilities for walking, cycling and public transport alongside promotion and information campaigns (Smarter Measures).

This coordinated approach will be tested in a range of different locations throughout Scotland, from rural towns to city centres.

Seven Local Demonstration Projects:

Over the next three years SCSP will fund seven areas in Scotland – Dumfries, Dundee, Kirkintilloch and Lenzie, Barrhead, Larbert and Stenhousemuir, Glasgow’s East End and Kirkwall – to explore ways of encouraging local people to drive their cars less and try alternative ways of getting about. Each area has a detailed programme of activity that will continue until March 2011.

Activities in these Local Authorities will include: better public transport services and residential improvements; upgrades in walking and cycling infrastructures; studies into travel patterns and access; intensive marketing and awareness campaigns; and workshops and information packs. Communities involved range from between approximately 10,000 in Kirkwall to 37,000 in Dumfries.

Dumfries & Galloway and SWestrans:

GoSMART Dumfries is the campaign created by Dumfries and Galloway Council and South West of Scotland Transport Partnership (SWestrans) to encourage both residents and visitors to Dumfries to reduce their car use in favour of more sustainable modes of travel.

Dundee:

Dundee Travel Active is the campaign created by Dundee City Council to encourage residents of and visitors to central Dundee to adopt healthier lifestyles by reducing their car use in favour of more sustainable and active modes of travel. The project has its' own Dundee Active Travel website offering active travel advise for the people of Dundee. 

East Dunbartonshire:

Healthy Habits is the campaign created by East Dunbartonshire Council to achieve a shift in attitude that encourages people in Kirkintilloch and Lenzie to get healthier by becoming more active via the reduction of car use for local journeys.

East Renfrewshire:

Go Barrhead is the campaign created by East Renfrewshire Council to increase sustainable travel, such as walking, cycling and public transport use, over the next three years in the town of Barrhead. Go Barrhead have also developed their own Go Barrhead website which provides advise for local residents.

Falkirk:

Take the Right Route is the campaign created by Falkirk Council to achieve a shift in attitude that encourages people in Larbert and Stenhousemuir to reduce their car use in favour of more sustainable modes of travel. A website to support the project has also been developed.

City of Glasgow:

The aim of Glasgow City Council’s East End Accessibility project is to encourage residents and visitors in Glasgow’s East End to foster healthier lifestyles by adopting sustainable and active modes of travel.

Orkney:

Kick Start Kirkwall is the campaign created by Orkney Islands Council to encourage both residents and visitors to Kirkwall to reduce their car use in favour of more sustainable modes of travel.

Monitoring & Evaluation:

The projects are being monitored and evaluated by the University of Aberdeen, Derek Halden Consultancy and Integrated Transport Planning. The research consultants carried out baseline monitoring including focus groups and travel diary surveys between January and April 2009, to be followed up with telephone surveys in 2010 and 2011 and a final round of travel diary surveys in 2012.