Strategic Partnerships in Scotland

Supported by funding from the Scottish Government, our Strategic Partnerships programme focusses on understanding local circumstances and helping partners to make the changes in communities people want to see.  

We support partners by working together to develop a strategic approach to delivering their priorities for active travel, supporting locally-led implementation of walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure and solutions by: 

Facilitating a strategic approach by supporting partners in developing their own active travel strategies, prioritisation plans, and specific project delivery processes.  

Adding capacity to develop and deliver high quality and inclusive active travel projects. This sometimes includes providing expert officers to support the delivery of new active travel projects in line with the partner’s priorities.  

Identifying and developing funding opportunities. This includes liaising with funders to discuss potential projects and submitting funding applications on behalf of partners.  

Building connections to ensure a collaborative approach with stakeholders and through community engagement. This includes bringing together the expertise and experience of a diverse range of partners and across council departments. 

Sharing knowledge, expertise and evidence. This includes highlighting the benefits, barriers and opportunities for active travel through the Walking and Cycling Index, and supporting partners in accessing and benefiting from expert teams from Sustrans to support their active travel priorities.  

Our main areas of work are:

Embedded Officer Programme

Through the Embedded Officer Programme, Sustrans supports partners in Scotland to make it easier for more people to walk, wheel and cycle by delivering what communities say will help them do this.  

Supported by Scottish Government funding, Embedded Officers provide partners with expertise and support to develop active travel policies and proposals as set out within the partners’ own plans and aspirations. 

They facilitate a strategic approach to active travel by sharing Sustrans expertise with partners to support them in achieving their active travel priorities, and by exchanging knowledge and best practice across a network of officers supporting partners across Scotland. 

To date: 

• More than half of Local Authorities in Scotland have already benefitted from support through programme, and we have built a legacy of impact with both Glasgow and Edinburgh City Councils.
  
• We have worked closely with Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs).
  
• We have partnered with key national organisations working in different areas where transport, health, nature and the environment are integrated. We embrace and action the multidimensional values that support sustainable transport infrastructure and the co-benefits of active travel across different sectors.
  
• We have leveraged community engagement, drawing experience from Sustrans Scotland in creating sustainable communities. We have been engaging with both rural and urban communities, which has allowed us to better understand the barriers of active travel implementation at different scales and support partners in delivering the solutions which communities want to see. 

We currently support two thirds of local authority partners through this programme including:

• Aberdeen City Council
• Aberdeenshire Council 
• Clackmannanshire Council
• Dumfries and Galloway Council 
• Dundee City Council
• East Ayrshire Council
• East Lothian Council 
• East Renfrewshire Council
• Fife Council
• Highland Council
• Inverclyde Council 
• Midlothian Council
• Moray Council
• Orkney Islands Council
• Perth and Kinross Council 
• Renfrewshire Council
• Scottish Borders Council
• Stirling Council
• West Lothian Council
• West Dunbartonshire Council

Walking and Cycling Index Scotland

The Walking and Cycling Index supports decision makers of cities and towns to understand and improve walking, wheeling and cycling across the UK and Ireland. 

As part of the Walking and Cycling Index UK-wide programme, which is supported in Scotland by Scottish Government funding, Sustrans Scotland works in partnership with eight Scottish cities to produce bi-annual reports and the Walking and Cycling Index Data Tool. 

These provide high-quality evidence to support active travel development and ensures walking, wheeling and cycling are attractive and accessible for everyone.  

The work is delivered by the Strategic Partnerships Team in collaboration with local authority partners in Aberdeen, Dundee, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth and Stirling.

Regional Transport Partnership Support 

Recognising the key role Regional Transport Partnerships play in ensuring active travel is delivered within the context of their Regional Transport Strategies, we have established a new Regional Transport Partnerships support project.  

The project is dedicated to support development and delivery of aligned regional strategic outputs as relate to Regional Active Travel Strategy and active travel integration with public transport, such as the active travel and public transport integration elements of RTS development, the delivery plan, regional active travel network plans and the National Cycle Network, network plans, and associated strategic delivery elements.

It provides specialist knowledge and practical resource to Regional Transport Partnership(s) in delivering high quality active travel interventions aligned with Regional Transport Strategies to maximise impact of active travel integration with public transport including both physical infrastructure and digital infrastructure.

Knowledge Sharing Partnerships 

We have recently established a Knowledge Partnership with the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) to make sure that our Embedded Officers and support offer in Sustrans Scotland is based on up-to-date expertise and in interaction with the wider transport sector. 

We have been working with both Scottish and international universities to provide a platform for young professionals to apply knowledge and explore their careers in active and sustainable transport.

We take part in Working and Advisory Groups as part of external initiatives to influence innovative policy and the development of evidence-led platforms for key stakeholders involved in sustainability projects. 

Knowledge Tools and Innovation 

Our support package for delivery partners is enhanced by a suite of tools designed to support partners to make evidence-based decisions and progress ambitious strategies into deliverable plans at pace and tailored to their context. Tools include: 

• The Network Planning Tool for Scotland, developed by Sustrans and the University of Leeds, which predicts relative levels of cycling on streets and paths across Scotland, based on analysis of everyday journeys that could be made by cycling, and displays them on a map.