Construction work on Stirling's £11 million Walk, Cycle, Live Stirling project is now complete, with two new active travel corridors officially opened, significantly enhancing connectivity across the historic city.

Spanning over 6.5 kilometres, the project delivers vital links between communities, businesses, Stirling Train Station, the University of Stirling, and Forth Valley College. The new routes were officially opened on 24th April at a section adjacent to Wallace High School, attended by pupils, staff, funding partners, and local stakeholders.

The extensive project received the majority of its funding (£8.4 million) from the Scottish Government via Sustrans' Places for Everyone programme, with a further £2.5 million provided through the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal, and £325,000 from Stirling Council developer contributions.

Route one establishes a safe and accessible link from Stirling Train Station, crossing the historic Old Stirling Bridge and continuing up Causewayhead Road towards the University of Stirling campus. Route two connects Forth Valley College with Stirling's city centre, passing through Albert Place (featuring new traffic-calming measures and landscaping), along Dumbarton Road by the King's Knot, and onto Raploch Road beneath Stirling Castle.

The initiative aims to encourage active travel, benefiting physical and mental health, supporting Scotland's Net Zero ambitions, and boosting the local economy by improving access to city centre businesses.

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Danielle McRorie-Smith, Director of Go Forth, Stirling's Business Improvement District, highlighted the economic benefits: "It greatly helps accessibility for the city centre businesses and especially for the Business Improvement District. It cuts down on the volume of traffic and it's encouraging for the university students to have that link in with the city centre: to go there to spend their money, to spend their time, study, use the cafes and coffee shops and all the Business Improvement District businesses. I think it also makes it so much more attractive, from a placemaking perspective, when you see a healthy city centre and people using the cycle routes."

Wallace High School pupil Nora added: "It definitely encouraged me to cycle more because it's just a safer route. I don't really like cycling on the road, so it's a lot easier to go more places with the cycle paths."

Simon Strain, Head of Programme for Places for Everyone at Sustrans, said: "Making walking, wheeling and cycling safer and easier means everyone moving around Stirling has more choice for everyday journeys. Feeling confident enough to choose to walk, wheel or cycle benefits our health, our wallets, and our local environment. We're delighted that Walk, Cycle, Live Stirling has now made these choices a reality for more people in the city."

Stirling Council Depute Leader, Councillor Jen Preston, described the project as setting "a new standard for active travel infrastructure in a Scottish city". She added: "For the first time ever, there are seamless routes for cycling and walking in the heart of Stirling, linking communities and public transport hubs to businesses, schools, the university and college, as well as the wider region… I want to thank all our residents and businesses for their patience and understanding during the works, and we are committed to engaging with them to unlock the full benefits of this major investment."

The project is a significant component of the £214 million Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal, a partnership involving both councils, the University of Stirling, and the UK and Scottish Governments. These new routes also form the foundation for future planned active travel connections extending towards Clackmannanshire and the wider Forth Valley Region.

Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said: "To support the ambitions of Scotland's local authorities for more high quality active travel infrastructure, we are investing £188 million into active and sustainable transport in 2025-26… To help communities prosper, the Scottish Government is investing £45 million through the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal. The Deal aims to create 5,000 jobs in Clackmannanshire and Stirling by boosting transport, tourism, training, business growth and projects to tackle climate change."