Part of Hawick’s Flood Protection Scheme, the Borders town has gained a new Active Travel Network, giving locals healthy and sustainable choices.
Through 7km of widened shared-use paths, accessible ramps, and strategic footbridges, Hawick’s new Active Travel Network opens up opportunities for walking, wheeling and cycling.
Sustrans joined Scottish Borders Council, Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop, and members of the local community to celebrate the network’s launch recently.
The new and improved paths and bridges now connect many areas of the town, from Weensland in the north-east to Volunteer Park in the south-west.
This has significantly improved links between schools, businesses and local amenities, making journeys by walking, wheeling and cycling much more direct.
A particular success of the project has been the installation of new footbridges.
With the town built around the river Teviot, crossing the river is a part of daily life in Hawick. Three narrow crossings have been replaced with new 4m wide bridges, enabling walking, wheeling and cycling in both directions.
Alongside this, the project has also delivered a new additional footbridge at Weensland.
This new bridge shortens journey times between eastern residential areas of the town – benefitting communities like Burnfoot.
Holly is in Primary 7 at Trinity Primary School in Hawick, and uses the new path network for both walking and cycling. She said: “The bridges help us because before you had to walk around half the town to get somewhere. But now you can just go across the bridges and it’s there.
“It used to take me like 20 minutes to get somewhere, but with the bridges it takes me about 5 minutes now. It’s just easier to get places and I’m not as tired when I get there!”
The new network also provides safer places for young people to cycle, without needing to mix with traffic. Less cars on the roads also means better air quality – and the Active Travel Network has also created new green spaces across the town for locals to enjoy the outdoors.
Common Haugh and Wee Haugh have been revitalised, alongside the creation of a new Biodiversity Park at Weensland.
As well as boosting wellbeing, wildflower planting and over 2,500 new trees are helping nature to thrive.
The project has a broader environmental significance as part of the Hawick Flood Protection Scheme.
Hawick has a history of flooding due to its location at the confluence of the River Teviot and the Slitrig Water, and the town has suffered significant damage in recent years.
With the impacts of climate change ever closer to home, the Hawick Flood Protection Scheme is a major investment and undertaking, setting out to be one of the most comprehensive flood protection schemes ever built in the UK.
By incorporating active travel from the outset, the scheme has put walking, wheeling and cycling at the heart of Hawick’s future.
The Hawick Active Travel Network is a Sustrans Places for Everyone project, made possible by £12.6 million Scottish Government funding via Transport Scotland. The project was delivered in partnership with Scottish Borders Council, as part of the Hawick Flood Protection Scheme.
