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Sustainable and Active Travel

Mile for mile, short car trips create the most CO2 emissions. So if you’re not going far, why not walk instead? As well as helping the environment, you’re likely to feel better too. And it’s free.

Electric vehicles are already an increasingly common sight on local roads, and Orkney Islands Council is keen to promote their use, through Orkney’s Electric Future, which is aimed at encouraging a further uptake in numbers of EVs, reducing consumption of fossil fuels and raising demand for something our islands have in abundance – locally-generated renewable energy.

EV Charging Infrastructure

EV Charging points are possibly the most expensive piece of infrastructure presently being installed in public car parks. An interactive map on the Reflex Orkney website details the location of charging points as well as details of renewable energy sites.  Electric bicycles are also available to hire. You can also read more in our Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy. 

Orkney's Green Travel Plan

Orkney Islands Council adopted its Green Travel Plan following committee approval in November 2016.  The Plan aims to:

• Contribute to the health and wellbeing of the people of Orkney.
• Promote, encourage and enable safe, active and sustainable travel so that they become the modal choice for everyday journeys thereby reducing Orkney’s Carbon footprint.
• Improve the cycling and walking environment by connecting current infrastructure (subject to external grant funding) and create a comprehensive network that will encourage a greater number of walking and cycling trips.
• Reduce parking congestion problems at workplaces, reduce business mileage claims and business travel costs.

The objectives of Orkney’s Green Travel Plan are:

• To increase the modal share in active and sustainable travel i.e. walking, cycling and use of public transport for everyday journeys.
• To incorporate the needs of pedestrians and cyclists into all traffic management schemes.
• To increase the modal share of car sharing journeys, reducing the mode share of single occupancy car journeys.
• To reduce the modal share of private car use of business trips.
• To enable and encourage where practicable, people to work at or closer to home.
• The introduction of behaviour change marketing of active and sustainable travel modes, providing enabling interventions and information subject to external funding.

Find out more in the Green Travel Plan.