Thank you for your comments, with the ever rising costs of owning a car, including recent car insurance price increases, cycling is certainly a cheap alternative with all the added benefits you mention. We focus on these benefits in our campaigns to encourage more people to consider cycling :)
Bus service to my home area is unreliable. I stand at a bus stop with electronic sign saying bus is 3 minutes away then it disappears from the board and the bus never arrives. It takes me 15 minutes to drive to work but would take around an hour (including up to half an hour walking in whatever weather) to get there by public transport.
Thanks for your comments, that doesn't sound so good, hopefully there was a reason for the delay, but the sign should pick this up. Although we encourage active sustainable travel as the first choice, sometimes the car can be quicker - good to try alternatives though and more options such as electric bikes, could maybe work for you.
My partner and I love to walk and wheel (and I cycle), but often the pavements and kerbs are such that wheeling is impossible : the kerbs are often high, broken and dangerous, and my partner has previously injured themself badly trying to traverse them. If going somewhere less familiar, we often have to take a taxi because it's very likely we won't be able to reach somewhere by wheelchair. Plus in many directions it's made unpleasant by being next to stark, busy multi-lane roads. No one wants to walk alongside busy roads with no greenery, and the fumes of the cars are killing thousands.
Thank you for you comments, I'm sorry to hear about your experiences. As a local authority we strive to ensure access for all and this is now prioritised in our shared space and road design. If you are aware of any specific locations that need our attention, please do not hesitate to contact us. It is our aim to reduce car vehicle kilometres travelled by 30% in the city which should provide a safer and better environment for everyone. We have such a large amount of infrastructure, but are working hard to bring all of this up to standard, including a large investment this year to improve crossing facilities to make them more accessible.
The injury (mobility scooter swerved on the kerb and crushed my partner's foot) was at the cross of Calder St and Nursery lane but honestly there are so many dangerous or undropped kerbs (and so many cars parked across the rest) that for any distance you can expect part of it to be potentially impossible. If we want to go to the centre the kerbs and parked cars on Albert and Maxwell Drives sometimes require turning back. If we want to go to Kelvingrove or anywhere West then... I don't even know? Seaward Street and Govan Road are definitely not possible to travel by chair/scooter, even aside from the unpleasantness. Even locally, the junction at Nithsdale and Kenmure has a dropped kerb where it's impossible to get to due to a half-foot deep gutter, which is bizarre. I'm glad to hear that there's a fund for improving crossing facilities!, but right now it's harder to name ones that are safe and comfortable than ones which are bone-shaking and dangerous.
The Liveable Neighbourhoods programme (www.glasgow.gov.uk/liveableneighbourhoods) proposes interventions which will prioritise Connectivity People and Place. Streets for People projects will enable walking, wheeling and cycling to become first choice and complementary blue-green infrastructure enhancements will see additional greenery on our streets.
Cycling is the fastest way for me to get around the city (for the avoidance of doubts, I do abide by the rules and stop at red lights... but it is still much faster than driving or taking the bus). I also really enjoy cycling and it keeps me fit. It is also much cheaper than expensive bus fares and the petrol/maintenance combo for the car.
Thank you for participating and good to hear your comments. There are so many positives to cycling and we try our best to get the word out there, to encourage more uptake. Unfortunately, we do receive a number of complaints about cycling on the pavement and non compliance at red lights, so be good to hear your thoughts about how we could address this through education and engagement?
I think the the main reason for people cycling on the pavement is that they do not feel safe or comfortable riding on the road. This could be because they are not experienced enough at cycling, they are cycling with a child or because something is wrong with their bike (e.g. they have no light and it's dark), but most likely this is be because the road and/or traffic on that road looks too dangerous for them to cycle on the road. If I get a fright as a consequence of some repeated dangerous driving on a big road, I may revert to slowly cycling on the pavement for a little while, both to reassure myself but also to avoid that dangerous section of road. There are also many blur transitions when using the cycling infrastructure that lead to using the pavement from time to time: from itineraries that keep going from segragated lane to pavement to shared space or alternate from right to left of the road without any thought of how cyclists would transition.
There area number of unclearly signposted Shared Paths and shared Core Paths that I often get shouted at for cycling (slowly and carefully) on. To be honest, there is no way to reduce pavement cycling or non-compliance with redlights while the roads remain super scary and often dangerous to be on. Connection between cycle lanes and infrastructure is vital to reducing this sort of behaviour. Often cycle lights are slow to change and place cyclists last...
Hi, I'm sorry to hear of your on-road experience which is quite concerning. People on bikes need to feel safe on our roads and I am aware that research has shown that road safety is one of the main barriers for people not cycling - we need to do more. I have asked one of my colleagues in Sustainable Transport to pick up on your other points which are quite valid.
Cycling for getting to work, cuts out traffic and good for distressing on the way home. However it can be scary on the roads.
For leisure I would like to use the train but they are not frequent enough or on late enough to be useful so I mostly end up cycling.
Inter city- bike and train, would like to see better bike parking at central/ queen street.
Bike racks on front of busses are a great idea too.
Cycling is the fastest, cheapest and most fun way to get around. Reduces congestion, noise, pollution and the risk to pedestrians and other road users.
Thank you for contributing, as we expand our infrastructure to encourage more walking and cycling, hopefully this will lead to more people choosing active travel.
Affordable to cycle compared to driving and public transport in glasgow is not very affordable or reach many places.
Many thanks for your response. Are there any particular areas of the city that you would like to see better served by public transport?
Thank you for your response, cycling does have many benefits, including financial. Hopefully public transport costs and routes will improve over time.
I cycle because of the health benefits, the low cost of maintenance, and my desire to divest from polluting the planet.
Thank you for your comments, with the ever rising costs of owning a car, including recent car insurance price increases, cycling is certainly a cheap alternative with all the added benefits you mention. We focus on these benefits in our campaigns to encourage more people to consider cycling :)
Bus service to my home area is unreliable. I stand at a bus stop with electronic sign saying bus is 3 minutes away then it disappears from the board and the bus never arrives. It takes me 15 minutes to drive to work but would take around an hour (including up to half an hour walking in whatever weather) to get there by public transport.
Thanks for your comments, that doesn't sound so good, hopefully there was a reason for the delay, but the sign should pick this up. Although we encourage active sustainable travel as the first choice, sometimes the car can be quicker - good to try alternatives though and more options such as electric bikes, could maybe work for you.
Due to mobility issues
Thanks for responding :)
My partner and I love to walk and wheel (and I cycle), but often the pavements and kerbs are such that wheeling is impossible : the kerbs are often high, broken and dangerous, and my partner has previously injured themself badly trying to traverse them. If going somewhere less familiar, we often have to take a taxi because it's very likely we won't be able to reach somewhere by wheelchair. Plus in many directions it's made unpleasant by being next to stark, busy multi-lane roads. No one wants to walk alongside busy roads with no greenery, and the fumes of the cars are killing thousands.
Thank you for you comments, I'm sorry to hear about your experiences. As a local authority we strive to ensure access for all and this is now prioritised in our shared space and road design. If you are aware of any specific locations that need our attention, please do not hesitate to contact us. It is our aim to reduce car vehicle kilometres travelled by 30% in the city which should provide a safer and better environment for everyone. We have such a large amount of infrastructure, but are working hard to bring all of this up to standard, including a large investment this year to improve crossing facilities to make them more accessible.
The injury (mobility scooter swerved on the kerb and crushed my partner's foot) was at the cross of Calder St and Nursery lane but honestly there are so many dangerous or undropped kerbs (and so many cars parked across the rest) that for any distance you can expect part of it to be potentially impossible. If we want to go to the centre the kerbs and parked cars on Albert and Maxwell Drives sometimes require turning back. If we want to go to Kelvingrove or anywhere West then... I don't even know? Seaward Street and Govan Road are definitely not possible to travel by chair/scooter, even aside from the unpleasantness. Even locally, the junction at Nithsdale and Kenmure has a dropped kerb where it's impossible to get to due to a half-foot deep gutter, which is bizarre. I'm glad to hear that there's a fund for improving crossing facilities!, but right now it's harder to name ones that are safe and comfortable than ones which are bone-shaking and dangerous.
The Liveable Neighbourhoods programme (www.glasgow.gov.uk/liveableneighbourhoods) proposes interventions which will prioritise Connectivity People and Place. Streets for People projects will enable walking, wheeling and cycling to become first choice and complementary blue-green infrastructure enhancements will see additional greenery on our streets.
Cycling is the fastest way for me to get around the city (for the avoidance of doubts, I do abide by the rules and stop at red lights... but it is still much faster than driving or taking the bus). I also really enjoy cycling and it keeps me fit. It is also much cheaper than expensive bus fares and the petrol/maintenance combo for the car.
Thank you for participating and good to hear your comments. There are so many positives to cycling and we try our best to get the word out there, to encourage more uptake. Unfortunately, we do receive a number of complaints about cycling on the pavement and non compliance at red lights, so be good to hear your thoughts about how we could address this through education and engagement?
I think the the main reason for people cycling on the pavement is that they do not feel safe or comfortable riding on the road. This could be because they are not experienced enough at cycling, they are cycling with a child or because something is wrong with their bike (e.g. they have no light and it's dark), but most likely this is be because the road and/or traffic on that road looks too dangerous for them to cycle on the road. If I get a fright as a consequence of some repeated dangerous driving on a big road, I may revert to slowly cycling on the pavement for a little while, both to reassure myself but also to avoid that dangerous section of road. There are also many blur transitions when using the cycling infrastructure that lead to using the pavement from time to time: from itineraries that keep going from segragated lane to pavement to shared space or alternate from right to left of the road without any thought of how cyclists would transition.
There area number of unclearly signposted Shared Paths and shared Core Paths that I often get shouted at for cycling (slowly and carefully) on. To be honest, there is no way to reduce pavement cycling or non-compliance with redlights while the roads remain super scary and often dangerous to be on. Connection between cycle lanes and infrastructure is vital to reducing this sort of behaviour. Often cycle lights are slow to change and place cyclists last...
Hi, I'm sorry to hear of your on-road experience which is quite concerning. People on bikes need to feel safe on our roads and I am aware that research has shown that road safety is one of the main barriers for people not cycling - we need to do more. I have asked one of my colleagues in Sustainable Transport to pick up on your other points which are quite valid.
When in and around the city centre, walking offers the greatest flexibility
It certainly makes sense to walk in the city centre and to leave the car at home for shorter journeys - thank you for your positive input.
Cycling for getting to work, cuts out traffic and good for distressing on the way home. However it can be scary on the roads.
For leisure I would like to use the train but they are not frequent enough or on late enough to be useful so I mostly end up cycling.
Inter city- bike and train, would like to see better bike parking at central/ queen street.
Bike racks on front of busses are a great idea too.
Thanks very much for your response. I'd be interested to know what specific factors contribute to you feeling unsafe as a cyclist on Glasgow's roads?
Cycling is the fastest, cheapest and most fun way to get around. Reduces congestion, noise, pollution and the risk to pedestrians and other road users.
Thank you for contributing, as we expand our infrastructure to encourage more walking and cycling, hopefully this will lead to more people choosing active travel.