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Bus stop bypasses are a specific type of layout which divert the protected cycle track around the back of the bus stop waiting area, ensuring that bus passengers are not affected by cycle traffic as they board and alight the bus. The Scottish Government is not aware of any intention of the UK Government to pause the installation of such types of bus stops, and does not intend to pause their installation in Scotland.

The Scottish Government understands that the UK Department for Transport intends to write to local authorities in England to request a voluntary pause in new installations where passengers board and alight directly into a cycle track. The Scottish Government does not currently intend to pause the roll-out of these facilities and already provide guidance on their use through the ‘Cycling by Design’ document. Their provision should be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis by the Transport Authority.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that the opinions of disabled people, including those with sight loss, are fully considered in the design and approval of active travel infrastructure. The second National Transport Strategy sets out key priorities for the transport system in Scotland, including ‘reducing inequalities’ and ‘improving our health and wellbeing’ as two of its key priorities’, and places inclusive design at the heart of transport planning. When considering designs such as bus stop bypasses, delivery partners are required to ensure that funded projects have undertaken all statutory procedures, including but not limited to an Equality Impact Assessment. Through this process, the Scottish Government expects delivery bodies to undertake meaningful engagement with equality groups to ensure that lived experience, including that of people with sight loss, directly informs design choices. This helps to ensure that active travel infrastructure supports safe, independent and confident travel for everyone.

The current guidance for Scotland was published in 2021 in the ‘Cycling by Design’ document and includes recommendations for incorporating cycling facilities where these interact with bus stops.

The Scottish Government recognises the challenges that cycle infrastructure at bus stops, including bus stop bypasses and shared use bus boarders, can present for some people. It is also conscious of the benefits that connected, coherent and protected cycle networks can achieve. Recognising this complexity Transport Scotland commissioned independent research in 2021, which was jointly funded by Department for Transport, to investigate issues of inclusion where bus stop bypasses have been introduced. The study reported in 2023, with recommendations on developing the design guidance in Scotland to enhance bus stop accessibility.

The forthcoming updates to Scotland’s design guidance, supported by this research and ongoing engagement including with disabled people, are to focus largely on emphasising best practice messages. Transport Scotland will continue to engage directly with UK Department for Transport and review any updated guidance from Active Travel England, in relation to the UK Government Bus Services (No. 2) Bill.

The Scottish Government funds active travel infrastructure through delivery partners such as Local Authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships and National Park Authorities. As such, Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs) related to specific design elements, such as bus stop bypasses are typically carried out by these delivery partners as part of their statutory duties during project development and delivery.

While the Scottish Government does not directly conduct EQIAs for infrastructure designs related to delivery partners, we require delivery partners to ensure that all funded projects comply with relevant statutory procedures, including consideration of impact on disabled users.

This approach is consistent with the outcomes of the second National Transport Strategy, which seeks to deliver a fairer transport system that meets the needs of everyone, and with the recommendations of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), which emphasise the importance of inclusive and accessible active travel networks.

The current guidance for Scotland in ‘Cycling by Design’ emphasises the importance of physically separated cycling infrastructure, to avoid or minimise interaction with live motor traffic and with pedestrians at bus stops. Transport Scotland, commissioned independent research in 2021, which was jointly funded by Department for Transport, to investigate issues of inclusion where bus stop bypasses have been introduced. Forthcoming updated guidance following this published research and ongoing engagement on accessibility, including with disabled people, will emphasise this message and further highlight that it can be beneficial to provide cycle routes and bus routes on separate corridors, to reduce interactions.

The Scottish Government does not hold centralised data on the number of bus stop bypasses, also known as floating bus stops, currently under construction or planned across Scotland. Responsibility for the planning, design and delivery of bus and active travel infrastructure rests with individual local authorities. As such, detailed information on specific infrastructure projects, including bus stop bypasses, is held with the local authority. You may wish to contact the relevant local authority directly for the information on projects in their area.

Since 2011, the Scottish Government has provided over £65 million to support the development of public EV charging across Scotland. As a direct result of this funding, and increasing private sector investment, Scotland now has over 6,900 public charge points, a target for 6,000 public Charge points was met in October 2024, two years ahead of schedule. Scotland has one of the most comprehensive public charging networks in the UK, with, on a per head of population basis, more rapid public EV charge points than any other part of the UK except the South East of England.

Through our £30 million EV Infrastructure Fund we are continuing to supporting local authorities to work in partnership with the private sector to expand public EV charging across Scotland, with public funding prioritising those areas of Scotland less likely to benefit from stand-alone private sector investment in public EV charging infrastructure, including rural and island communities.

Through the EV Infrastructure Fund, each local authority or collaboration or local authorities has received the following funding to support the expansion of the EV network:

• Angus and Perth & Kinross collaboration, £1,987,678. This is expected to deliver an additional 183 charge points across the region.
• North of Scotland collaboration (Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Highland and Moray Councils), £7,236,380. This is expected to deliver an additional 589 charge points across the region.
• Glasgow City Region (East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire Councils). £3,613,960. This is expected to deliver an additional 3,349 charge points across the region.
• Ayrshires Collaboration (East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire Councils), £2,891,168. This is expected to deliver an additional 307 charge points across the region.
• Dundee City Council, £309,768. This is expected to deliver an additional 129 charge points across the region.
• Funding for the following collaborations has yet to be announced:
• South of Scotland (City of Edinburgh, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian Councils)
• HITRANS (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands Councils) collaboration with Argyll & Bute Council.

Local authorities are taking forward public procurement to deliver their respective projects.

East Lothian Council and Stirling Council took the decision not to take forward projects citing high levels of existing public charging infrastructure across their respective local authority areas.

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