People invited to launch of Speyside's Low Carbon Hub
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
SPEYSIDE residents and visitors are being invited to the belated launch of the area’s £390,000 Low Carbon Hub this month.
The celebration of active travel, which had been delayed by the pandemic, will take place at Aberlour's Alice Littler Park on Saturday, July 17, from 11am to 3pm.
The hub includes a range of facilities to encourage sustainable travel, including electric car and e-bike hire, electric vehicle charging points, upgrades to the local paths network and bike repair stations.
Moray Council and Moray Carshare will host the launch, which will include "bike doctor" sessions, a led cycle, health walk, bike register safety kits from Police Scotland, the chance to try different types of bikes and outdoor challenges.
So far the wide-ranging project has seen more than 10km of the Speyside Way, between Craigellachie and Aberlour, upgraded with bike repair stations set up at key points along the route. Three new electric vehicle charge points have been installed at Aberlour, including two rapid chargers, one of which will be dedicated to charging public transport buses. A third fast charger will be for Moray Carshare members.
An electric car and e-bikes are available to hire from Moray Carshare. An electric Renault Zoe R110 is now based at the Speyside Visitor Centre in Aberlour, and Moray Carshare is providing four e-bikes for hire from bike shelters at the Speyside Visitor Centre and at the Fiddich Park car park in Craigellachie.
The hub has been funded by the European Union’s Regional Development Fund and Transport Scotland, via the Low Carbon Travel and Transport Challenge Fund.
Moray Carshare manager Gordon McAlpine said: "A car-sharing club is an alternative to car ownership – a more affordable and environmentally sustainable way to have access to a car.
"Once they have joined the club, members book the cars online and collect and return the vehicle by themselves. They pay according to how many hours and how many miles they drive. Both the e-bikes and the electric car can be hired per hour, per day or per week, all at very affordable rates."
Funding of £635,000 has been secured for the next stage of Speyside Way improvements from Carron to Cragganmore, with construction beginning this month and due for completion by late autumn. Improvements will include resurfacing, bridge repairs, improved drainage and replacement of information boards and way markers.
This will provide a high-quality route for a number of smaller settlements, individual properties and businesses to Aberlour and Craigellachie.
Chair of the council’s Economic Growth, Housing and Environmental Sustainability Committee, Councillor Graham Leadbitter, said: "Speyside Low Carbon Hub is a fantastic example of where we must focus our efforts in our collective responsibility to tackle climate change and to empower people in both rural and urban communities to make sustainable travel choices.
"Electric vehicle charging points, car-share facilities, bike accessibility and major improvements to active travel routes have all contribute to giving people choice and enabling folk to make their climate changing choices."
The electric car and electric bikes operated by Moray Carshare have been partly funded by the Moray LEADER programme and by HiTrans.
To book a place on the led walk or cycle ride email janet.macdonald@moray.gov.uk.
