Scottish minister hails proposal to re-engineer city centres to be mainly car-free

Scottish climate change minister Aileen McLeod has announced city-wide low carbon transport as one project to be considered for investment after it was selected as one of the most urgent ideas to be taken forward to reduce carbon emissions.

Chosen by the public and those working in the sector from a list of ten low-carbon projects proposed by environmental charity the Green Alliance, the proposal is for "significant restrictions" in the use of private motor vehicles in city centres, "transformational change" in cycling infrastructure, "increasing the scale and number of uninterrupted walkways or pedestrianising streets". The scheme is in-line with the Scottish Government policy, it says, but "proposes a step-change in the ambition level".

McLeod told the country's press she was "very impressed by the high-quality of these short-listed projects," selected after the Low Carbon Infrastructure Taskforce set up by WWF Scotland, the ICE and Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation deliberated for a year. The taskforce urged the Scottish Government to follow through and take forward the proposals.