Scottish Rural and Island Parliament Transport forum report

Scottish Rural and Islands Transport Community (SRITC) has recently completed the 'Scottish Rural and Island Parliament - Transport Forum Report', which reflects on the insightful transport workshop organised by SRITC at the Scottish Rural & Islands Parliament in November 2023.

In November 2023, SRITC curated the ‘Transport Forum’ at the Scottish Rural and Islands Parliament (SRIP) - an event attended by 500 people with in excess of 60 curators across 20 venues in Fort William. The SRIP is a platform that empowers rural and island communities in Scotland by amplifying their unique voices and building stronger connections between them, organisations, and decision-makers in Scotland, the UK, and Europe. This participatory democratic assembly occurs every two years and attracts hundreds of people, allowing them to collectively influence policy-making and improve the lives of those living in rural and island Scotland (find out more about SRIP here).

The transport Forum report captures the rich discussions, valuable insights and innovative ideas that were shared during the workshop, which focused on the future direction of a Rural and Island Mobility Plan (RIMP). SRITC believe it will be an excellent resource for community members, providing a comprehensive overview of the discussions and highlighting key takeaways alongside the development of the RIMP.

SRITC was founded in 2018 to champion rural voices in transport policy discussions and highlight the grassroots work achieved by rural communities in solving rural problems. In particular, over the last three years, SRITC has led the development of a Rural and Island Mobility Plan (RIMP) to address the unique challenges and opportunities present in rural living. Through the ‘Spotlight on Rural & Islands Transport’, a report commissioned by the Scottish Government to review the National Transport Strategy (NTS2), SRITC highlighted gaps and opportunities for rural and island transport. It was identified in the report that Scotland should develop a RIMP.

SRITC hosted ‘The Gathering’ in 2023, a unique conference that brought together various rural transport stakeholders and industry practitioners. During the event, SRITC hosted a workshop with the participants to identify the themes that should feature in a Scottish RIMP. The report ‘A Rural and Island Mobility Plan; Building Blocks’ presents the findings of this workshop.

SRITC encourage you to take a moment to read through it and share your thoughts with the community. Your feedback and engagement are essential in shaping the future direction of the RIMP so feel free to share through your various networks using #wearesrtic and #ruralandislandmobilityplan.

Find the full report here: Transport Forum Report