Supporting the delivery of ‘pop-up’ active travel infrastructure

Spaces for People – East Lothian Council

As travel patterns change—particularly following the pandemic—we’ve seen an increased demand for space where people can safely walk, cycle, and exercise. ‘Pop-up’ active travel infrastructure provides the answer and can include measures such as the reallocation of space on wide roads to create new cycleways, the widening of pavements, point closures, or contraflow cycle lanes.

Our team was approached by East Lothian Council (ELC) to help deliver initiatives that create pop-up active travel infrastructure, through funding secured from Scottish Government and administered via Sustrans Spaces for People. As new infrastructure was introduced, there was resistance from local businesses and communities who were unsure what the measures were intended to achieve. At this point, the Council sought additional consultancy support on communication and consultation with local communities and Stantec was appointed to lead.

By adopting a one-team approach with the client, ensuring public acceptability, effective messaging, consideration of maintenance issues and health and safety, we gained the support of the local communities and businesses. As a result, temporary active travel schemes were delivered in accordance with national guidance and best practice while reflecting the local characteristics of each settlement and customised local needs.