Future Island and Rural Transport Infrastructure

That the Parliament acknowledges what it sees as the importance of connectivity in Scotland’s rural and island areas; recognises Scotland’s net zero targets, which were voted for by the Parliament; notes the reportedly high output of carbon emissions from ferries serving Scotland’s islands; believes that reliable transport infrastructure is essential for local communities, providing social and cultural benefits, as well as underpinning local economies and tourism; notes the recommendation of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) to investigate potential fixed link connections, such as tunnels, along ferry routes on the Sound of Harris, the Sound of Barra, and between Mull and the Scottish mainland; further notes comments made by the then Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport, on 20 January 2022, that fixed links on these routes “could improve communities’ access to goods and services and make those islands more attractive for people to live and work in and visit”; understands that tunnels to connect communities on the Shetland Islands were deemed out of scope of STPR2 by Transport Scotland; acknowledges the creation of Shetland’s grassroots tunnel action groups, made up of community members advocating the potential advantages of tunnels to connect the isles, and notes that some of these groups are crowdfunding for technical surveys; understands that there is support among stakeholders for opportunities to explore the benefits of short subsea tunnels in Shetland, and notes the calls for a fixed link to replace the ferry on the Corran Narrows.