transport
Community travel grant available
Outdoor activity is recognised as good for our mental and physical wellbeing.
While many can easily get out to enjoy Scotland’s wonderful nature it can be more difficult for those with limited independence; the elderly, those with disabilities and people with a long-term illness, for example.
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) wants to help everyone have the chance to enjoy what many people take for granted and is offering 50% travel grants to community and similar groups through the Buchan Countryside Group. Many people simply need some practical help to get their first taster of the outdoors and can use the confidence gained from this first adventure to continue exploring.
The grant is open to groups operating in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray and the Cairngorm National Park. Attractions include nature reserves, wildlife centres, country parks and a network of footpaths that link up our open spaces.
For more information and application details. see the Buchan Countryside Group website.
Scottish Natural Heritage is the government’s adviser on all aspects of nature and landscape across Scotland. For more information on SNH please visit their website.
Transport in Kincardine and Mearns – What’s the latest?
An overview of transport in Kincardine and Mearns by Nestrans’ Marketing and Communications Co-ordinator Lucy Johnston.
Access to Laurencekirk
What is it?
In December 2013, Nestrans commissioned an ‘Access to Laurencekirk’ study in partnership with Transport Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council and Tactran. The study is being undertaken in the form of the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) assessment, which will consistently explore potential options to address the Laurencekirk transport problems through a detailed consultation process.
Local Transport Initiatives in Kincardine & Mearns
Mearns Community Transport (MCT) runs a variety of different transport schemes, available to the residents of the Kincardine and Mearns area.
MCT believe community transport is more than getting folk from A to B. It is about social inclusion, tackling isolation, providing independence and opening opportunities.
The primary service run by MCT is the Community Minibus, which is a fully accessible minibus available for hire to all community groups and organisations in the Mearns. The vehicle is a Mercedes Sprinter minibus which can carry 15 passengers and is available for hire to all community groups and organisations in the Mearns and can be used by these groups for outings or events etc.
Is your child’s car seat correctly fitted?
At the end of last year, a Road Safety Education Report revealed the findings of children’s car seat clinics carried out across Aberdeenshire between June and September 2014.
Out of 244 car seats checked, 78% were incorrectly fitted and 40 of the seats had major faults.
The checks were carried out as part of the Good Egg Safety campaign which provides information and advice on in-car child safety.
We spoke to Transport Safety Education Officer Lucy Cramb about the car seat clinics and asked her advice on how to fit your child’s car seat correctly.
A sober affair – Transport and the Aberdeenshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP)
For most of us, getting to the doctors or a health appointment isn’t an issue. We might drive, get a lift with a friend or family member, or get the bus or train. We might be disgruntled over the frequency of the buses, or indeed the cost, but nonetheless we would get there.
But what if we weren’t able to get a lift, or couldn’t afford the bus? We hear about how transport is an issue for the ADP and an initiative they have come up with try and address it.
The APD – what is it?
Aberdeenshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) is a collection of public bodies and citizen activists seeking to draw together interested parties to collectively tackle the issues associated with problematic alcohol and drug use and support recovery from addiction.
Key Messages
The ADP’s three key messages are:
- Addiction can affect anyone. Difficulties with alcohol and drug misuse do not tend to occur because people have been hedonistic or irresponsible. They are more likely to occur because people are trying to cope with significant difficulties in their life and may also be affected by a range of fundamental disadvantages in life, including isolation.
- Recovery from addiction is possible. People should be hopeful that with support, they can follow a pathway of recovery that leads to a happy, fulfilling and contributing life. Some of the most inspirational and serene people you can meet are those who have pursued a recovery journey.
- Stigma and inequities in access to support can inhibit recovery and make addiction worse.
What does the APD do?
Aberdeenshire ADP works with communities on issues of prevention, public protection and recovery. The ADP has an active agenda to involve and engage citizens in improving support services and contributing to their delivery.
The ADP and Transport – what’s the link?
For the last few years, a common response from citizens has been that the availability and affordability of public transport in Aberdeenshire has been a barrier to people accessing the services and support of the ADP. Not only this, but it restrains people from regular aspects of community life which are necessary to engage with the wider community and pursue a journey of recovery.
Substance misuse services aim to support people who can afford to access their services but this isn’t always possible.
How are we resolving these issues?
The ADP’s 3 community forums have tried to support people in need by providing funding for bus passes but have struggled with obtaining funding. Meanwhile, the has ADP sought to influence Transport Scotland to open the existing concessionary travel scheme for older and disabled people to include those actively working to recover from addictions. The current criteria for entitlement are here: http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/public-transport/concessionary-travel-people-aged-60-or-disability
Similar requests from a number of other ADP’s across Scotland led to Transport Scotland agreeing in October to support a pilot project in Aberdeenshire to test whether temporary dispensations to the concessionary travel schemes would result in improved engagement and recovery outcomes for alcohol and drug clients in order to influence future policy.
How does the Pilot work?
The pilot commenced on 2 December and will run until end March 2015. The pilot enables certain staff in Substance Misuse services to assess whether difficulties in accessing affordable transport are a real barrier to someone making progress on one or more aspects of their agreed recovery plan.
If so, the staff member is able to authorise the person’s application for concessionary travel and will record their deliberations on a simple spreadsheet. This data will be evaluated at the end of the pilot to assess whether the rate of engagement in recovery activities such as care and treatment appointments, mutual aid, or other activities directly related to supporting recovery has increased and whether this has resulted in improvements in individual’s recovery progress.
If we can show that access to concessionary travel support enhances people’s recovery, we hope to persuade government to change eligibility for the scheme on a permanent basis. We hope the business case will stack up and that stigmatising views about people in recovery don’t get in the way.
For more information on the ADP please visit: http://www.aberdeenshireadp.org.uk/ or follow the ADP on Twitter: @abdnshireadp
On Your Bike….
April in K & M Communities looks at transport. We thought it might be fun to look and see what others countries do. So, read on to find out how public transport Chinese style operates…..
Think we’ve got transport headaches? How do you think the most populated country in the world copes, especially when 95% of them don’t even own a car?
There are 1.3 BILLION people in China. Personal cars are a fairly recent addition to China’s roads, and thankfully so! Even with the government-limited issuance of license plates through a monthly lottery, the roads are already congested with their inability to contain such an explosion in numbers and constantly needing repair, and air pollution hangs thick. China will likely never hold such numbers like America does in percentage of the population with private cars. So for the 95% who don’t own cars, there have to be efficient, available methods to get around.
Kincardine & Mearns Community Plan
Priority 2 Transport – 3rd review
Intended Outcomes:
Partners and local residents are working together to identify issues and opportunities and improve upon transport in a coordinated way. Read the rest of this entry »
K&M Transport Futures Forum
Keeping in line with the K&M Communities blog topic for this month, which is ‘reminiscing’, does anyone remember the inaugural session of the Transport Futures Forum, held on 29th May 2014?
Whether it rings a bell or not, let us refresh your memory…
The K&M Transport 
Futures Forum is a new, high-reaching transport initiative rooted in the community. This exciting project is being supported by a range of partners to allow a collective, global approach to local transport solutions and is open to anyone with interests and ideas on transport in Kincardine and Mearns.
The Forum looks at local transport issues affecting our communities in K&M and explores ideas which could potentially address them. The aim is to give a greater voice to transport users from local communities and brings together a range of partners to work together to achieve results. Read the rest of this entry »
What are the corners that we need to turn?
Kincardine and Mearns Transport Futures Forum looks at local transport issues affecting our communities in Kincardine and Mearns and explores ideas which could potentially address them. The Forum aims to give a greater voice to transport users from local communities and bring together a range of partners to work together to find solutions.
A group of local people interested in Transport recently gathered at the Forest View Centre in Stonehaven for the inaugural session of the new forum which is intended meet four times a year.
Grasshopper – New Integrated Bus Tickets!
First Aberdeen, Stagecoach and six local bus companies have joined forces to launch a new ticket designed to make bus travel in the City and Shire more convenient. Read the rest of this entry »
THOUGHTS FROM MICHAEL MORGAN: JUST WHAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE TRANSPORT?
Michael Morgan is a Community Councillor for Newtonhill, Muchalls & Cammachmore. He is also the Community Representative for the North Kincardine area on the Kincardine & Mearns Community Planning Group. He has been active in various ways exercises to strengthen the voice and involvement of local people in the issues that affect them. Michael is going to write a regular blog and in his first contribution here, he offers his thoughts on local transport and asks you to get involved in the new K&M Transport Futures Forum. Please note that any opinions expressed here are Michael’s own and not those of any of the partner organisations involved in the Community Planning Group or K&M Communities. “From a personal point of view driving on the A90 is dangerous and parking in Aberdeen is a nightmare. The time has come when shopping online is cheaper and easier than shopping in Aberdeen. What happens if you don’t have a choice, if you work in Aberdeen and have to commute by car, bus or train? Public transport is failing us in so many ways throughout the whole of Kincardine and Mearns. Read the rest of this entry »
MEETING TRANSPORT NEEDS – 2ND REVIEW
Intended Outcomes:
Partners and local residents are working together to identify issues and opportunities and improve upon transport in a coordinated way.
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