Hard to pick a single answer. I've gone for "reckless driving" since it's the most general way to describe the near-anarchy we have on the roads, and there's no distinction to be made between "driving recklessly" and speeding, being distracted, or being drunk. All of these mean you are more dangerous to everyone around you and they should be much more strictly policed than they actually are. The general standard of driving is extremely poor.
Illegal/dangerous parking is also absolutely endemic in the city and it's rare to see any enforcement. It's become a complete free-for-all: on junctions, on pavements, on corners, on fully segregated cycle paths, in pedestrianised areas, blocking dropped kerbs, etc. There's nowhere drivers won't park if they can get there without damaging their vehicle.
Sorry to hear of your experiences. If there are any specific locations that you feel we need to look at, please drop an email to RoadSafety@glasgow.gov.uk and we will look into it. Although we have seen an increase in the number of road deaths this year, this is against the trend of year on year reductions in all road casualties for the past 10 years.
Thank you for your comments, our Road Safety team regularly liaise with schools, parents and Police Scotland on this matter as we try to encourage more active travel to school
Dangerous driving is on top of the list and this includes a few of your suggestions (speeding, reckless driving behaviour, distracted driving and drunk driving).
There is a new classic driving move that I have observed many times over the past few months: drivers speeding to overtake a car/cyclist that has rightfully stopped at the red light in front of them. I have experienced it as the driver/cyclist of that car/bike that had stopped, as a pedestrian about to cross and as a cyclist waiting to be able to turn right at the light. This used to happen at quiet times, but I now see it more and more at peak traffic time. The last time as a cyclist was really scary.
Vehicles parked badly on double yellow lines and around corners in narrow roads also represent a risk for pedestrians who then become invisible when trying to cross, and cyclists and drivers who cannot see incoming traffic and have to turn much wider then their lane to get around the parked vehicles.
I would be interested to hear more about this issue, can you please email RoadSafety@glasgow.gov.uk with more details and I will raise it at our next road safety partnership meeting. Are you stationary when the car is overtaking or is it on approach to the lights/junction?
Marinettaroulettes might be referring to the 'must get in front' attitude, but more generally I notice drivers often try to compete wherever there are 2 lanes or more going in the same direction from a set of lights. This is commonplace at the junction beside Aitkenhead Road police station, as an example: since there are two lanes southbound and northbound on Aitkenhead Road, most drivers will choose the lane which is most sensible for where they are going (lane 2) but a minority of drivers choose the other (in this case lane 1) in order to advance in the queue. That this is so common and directly outside a police station only emphasises how weak the influence of enforcement is on driver behaviour. Rules 165 and 167 apply in these circumstances.
Thank you for your response, hopefully our forthcoming road safety campaign will have an impact on driver behaviour; however I will discuss how we can better deal with this type of driver behaviour at the next Go Safe Glasgow meeting.
Disappointing to note there is no option for traffic control measures- that would be my top choice. Then I was going to say speeding drivers but drivers will only speed if road conditions allow. We need 20 mph zones in ALL residential areas eg Kilmarnock Rd through Shawlands. We need physical demarcation of road surfaces in these residential/ shopping areas which are busy with pedestrians. There was a fatality in Kilmarnock Rd at a very busy and speeding part of the street. We need to create an area which using road surfaces visually slows drivers down.
Thank you for your comments, we are currently progressing plans for a city-wide mandatory 20mph speed limit, which along with other planned measures, should contribute to a reduction in speed and collisions. Our liveable neighbourhoods team are working hard to improve the look and feel of local communities with a view to prioritising active and sustainable travel.
All of the above. Rat running, Rampant ableism, Pavement parking, selfish parking, incredibly short pedestrian crossing times. There appears to be no enforcement within the city. Indeed Police Scotland are not shy about parking on pavements or in bike lanes. When challenged it is apparent they are doing paperwork or getting lunch or have just abandoned outside their own premises. (Cowcaddens Police station has acres of parking, a large disabled community and there are often police vans on the pavement out of habit. They need to be setting an example and enforcing internally and externally). Speed limits need to drop city wide and in residential areas rat running needs to be discouraged with Bollards and single lanes making high speeds impossible. I have a traffic counter which roughly measures speed and there are a few 40mph plus in my 20mph "advisory" limited street.
Thank you for taking part in the debate, unfortunately I cannot comment on police vehicles other than to say they sometimes have to park wherever they can to undertake their lawful duties. I will however raise this matter at the next Police liaison meeting. I am pleased to advise that we will be introducing a city-wide 20mph mandatory speed limit to reduce vehicles speeds thereby making our communities safer for our most vulnerable road users. In the meantime, if you have any concerns about particular roads in your community, please don't hesitate to email RoadSafety@glasgow.gov.uk and we can check with our new speed analysis tool. Where we identify a speeding issue, road safety engineers will investigate.
Lack of cycle lane. Speeding cars. Speed limit on the road too high (Maryhill Road leading towards Bearsden). Illegally parked cars obstructing pavements and paths. Aggressive behaviour towards cyclists on the road.
Thank you for your comments, we are currently reviewing speed limits throughout the city with a view to introducing a mandatory 20mph speed limit on most residential roads. We are also planning a new road safety campaign for 2023 to encourage all road users to share our roads with courtesy, care and respect.
Thank you for your input, you will be pleased to hear our forthcoming road safety campaign (November 2023) will focus on this important message for all road users.
All of the above really, everything could be improved, however the biggest improvement of all is just massively reducing the number of cars on the road/in and around the city centre, as quickly as possible, as everything else can then be geared towards infrastructure improvements across the board that benefit all other modes of transport.
Thank you for your response, we are working towards reducing car KM travelled by 30% by 2030 as well as re-balancing our streets and places to encourage more active and sustainable travel.
I also agree with other comments that the enforcement of the traffic regulation is too poor. Main concerns are speeding and parking. Would ideally like to the city's parking scheme widened. In my street in Shawlands cars often tripple park in junctions, on double yellows, blocking views for other road users and often making it impossible to cross the road for pedestrians. I dread for the moment when fire engines or other large emergency vehicles need to get through...
Our parking attendants work throughout the city to help improve safety and address poor and inconsiderate parking on our streets. I can also advise that the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 has introduced a ban on footway parking across Scotland, which will in due course allow local authorities to enforce vehicles parking on footways, vehicles double parking and vehicles parked at dropped kerb locations. The legal framework to permit enforcement is still in progress but we anticipate that these powers will be available to local authorities by early 2024. In terms of speeding, a city-wide mandatory 20mph speed limit is due to be introduced to improve road safety for our most vulnerable road users.
Speeding vehicles are constantly an issue in Shawlands. Other issues include irresponsible parking which blocks kerbs and obscures vision, distracted driving due to phone use, very poor road quality which poses considerable dangers if you cycle. The road safety around Shawlands primary school is very poor. Driver behaviour is often reckless, and there is little provision for pedestrians to cross roads safely throughout the whole district. Minard road is a case in point: very difficult to cross, and lots of families need to cross it in order to reach the school. More pedestrian crossings please!
Hi, thank you for your comments and insight into driver behaviour in the area. As a matter of course I will review vehicles speeds around the school using our speed analysis tool and where necessary liaise with our road safety engineers and colleagues in Police Scotland. As part of our review of the school zone, we will look into crossing facilities and what else can be done to improve road safety in the area for pedestrians and cyclists. In terms of parking, I can advise that the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 has introduced a ban on footway parking across Scotland, which will in due course allow local authorities to enforce vehicles parking on footways, vehicles double parking and vehicles parked at dropped kerb locations. The legal framework to permit enforcement is still in progress but we anticipate that these powers will be available to local authorities by early 2024. Please note, any road faults can be reported via the Glasgow APP - hope this helps :)
All of the options are valid to some degree, but when an accident occurs the speed at which the motor vehicle was travelling and its mass are the main factors in the degree of damage suffered by casualties.
Thank you for your comments, the new highway code places pedestrians and people on bikes at the top of the new hierarchy, this is reflected in our road safety plan and transport strategy; to prioritise and protect our most vulnerable road users. The introduction of a 20mph speed limit has been shown to reduce the seriousness of any collision.
Hard to pick a single answer. I've gone for "reckless driving" since it's the most general way to describe the near-anarchy we have on the roads, and there's no distinction to be made between "driving recklessly" and speeding, being distracted, or being drunk. All of these mean you are more dangerous to everyone around you and they should be much more strictly policed than they actually are. The general standard of driving is extremely poor.
Illegal/dangerous parking is also absolutely endemic in the city and it's rare to see any enforcement. It's become a complete free-for-all: on junctions, on pavements, on corners, on fully segregated cycle paths, in pedestrianised areas, blocking dropped kerbs, etc. There's nowhere drivers won't park if they can get there without damaging their vehicle.
Sorry to hear of your experiences. If there are any specific locations that you feel we need to look at, please drop an email to RoadSafety@glasgow.gov.uk and we will look into it. Although we have seen an increase in the number of road deaths this year, this is against the trend of year on year reductions in all road casualties for the past 10 years.
School safety zones are not honoured. Cars recklessly drive through with no concerns for pedestrians or cyclists.
Thank you for your comments, our Road Safety team regularly liaise with schools, parents and Police Scotland on this matter as we try to encourage more active travel to school
Many thanks for your contribution. Would you be able to tell us more about your experience of reckless driving in the city?
Dangerous driving is on top of the list and this includes a few of your suggestions (speeding, reckless driving behaviour, distracted driving and drunk driving).
There is a new classic driving move that I have observed many times over the past few months: drivers speeding to overtake a car/cyclist that has rightfully stopped at the red light in front of them. I have experienced it as the driver/cyclist of that car/bike that had stopped, as a pedestrian about to cross and as a cyclist waiting to be able to turn right at the light. This used to happen at quiet times, but I now see it more and more at peak traffic time. The last time as a cyclist was really scary.
Vehicles parked badly on double yellow lines and around corners in narrow roads also represent a risk for pedestrians who then become invisible when trying to cross, and cyclists and drivers who cannot see incoming traffic and have to turn much wider then their lane to get around the parked vehicles.
I would be interested to hear more about this issue, can you please email RoadSafety@glasgow.gov.uk with more details and I will raise it at our next road safety partnership meeting. Are you stationary when the car is overtaking or is it on approach to the lights/junction?
Marinettaroulettes might be referring to the 'must get in front' attitude, but more generally I notice drivers often try to compete wherever there are 2 lanes or more going in the same direction from a set of lights. This is commonplace at the junction beside Aitkenhead Road police station, as an example: since there are two lanes southbound and northbound on Aitkenhead Road, most drivers will choose the lane which is most sensible for where they are going (lane 2) but a minority of drivers choose the other (in this case lane 1) in order to advance in the queue. That this is so common and directly outside a police station only emphasises how weak the influence of enforcement is on driver behaviour. Rules 165 and 167 apply in these circumstances.
Thank you for your response, hopefully our forthcoming road safety campaign will have an impact on driver behaviour; however I will discuss how we can better deal with this type of driver behaviour at the next Go Safe Glasgow meeting.
Disappointing to note there is no option for traffic control measures- that would be my top choice. Then I was going to say speeding drivers but drivers will only speed if road conditions allow. We need 20 mph zones in ALL residential areas eg Kilmarnock Rd through Shawlands. We need physical demarcation of road surfaces in these residential/ shopping areas which are busy with pedestrians. There was a fatality in Kilmarnock Rd at a very busy and speeding part of the street. We need to create an area which using road surfaces visually slows drivers down.
Thank you for your comments, we are currently progressing plans for a city-wide mandatory 20mph speed limit, which along with other planned measures, should contribute to a reduction in speed and collisions. Our liveable neighbourhoods team are working hard to improve the look and feel of local communities with a view to prioritising active and sustainable travel.
All of the above. Rat running, Rampant ableism, Pavement parking, selfish parking, incredibly short pedestrian crossing times. There appears to be no enforcement within the city. Indeed Police Scotland are not shy about parking on pavements or in bike lanes. When challenged it is apparent they are doing paperwork or getting lunch or have just abandoned outside their own premises. (Cowcaddens Police station has acres of parking, a large disabled community and there are often police vans on the pavement out of habit. They need to be setting an example and enforcing internally and externally). Speed limits need to drop city wide and in residential areas rat running needs to be discouraged with Bollards and single lanes making high speeds impossible. I have a traffic counter which roughly measures speed and there are a few 40mph plus in my 20mph "advisory" limited street.
Thank you for taking part in the debate, unfortunately I cannot comment on police vehicles other than to say they sometimes have to park wherever they can to undertake their lawful duties. I will however raise this matter at the next Police liaison meeting. I am pleased to advise that we will be introducing a city-wide 20mph mandatory speed limit to reduce vehicles speeds thereby making our communities safer for our most vulnerable road users. In the meantime, if you have any concerns about particular roads in your community, please don't hesitate to email RoadSafety@glasgow.gov.uk and we can check with our new speed analysis tool. Where we identify a speeding issue, road safety engineers will investigate.
Lack of cycle lane. Speeding cars. Speed limit on the road too high (Maryhill Road leading towards Bearsden). Illegally parked cars obstructing pavements and paths. Aggressive behaviour towards cyclists on the road.
Thank you for your comments, we are currently reviewing speed limits throughout the city with a view to introducing a mandatory 20mph speed limit on most residential roads. We are also planning a new road safety campaign for 2023 to encourage all road users to share our roads with courtesy, care and respect.
Courtesy, care and respect sound like the right tone!
Thank you for your input, you will be pleased to hear our forthcoming road safety campaign (November 2023) will focus on this important message for all road users.
Many thanks for your contribution. Of the issues you described, is there one that you find has the most significant impact on you as a road user?
All of the above really, everything could be improved, however the biggest improvement of all is just massively reducing the number of cars on the road/in and around the city centre, as quickly as possible, as everything else can then be geared towards infrastructure improvements across the board that benefit all other modes of transport.
Thank you for your response, we are working towards reducing car KM travelled by 30% by 2030 as well as re-balancing our streets and places to encourage more active and sustainable travel.
I also agree with other comments that the enforcement of the traffic regulation is too poor. Main concerns are speeding and parking. Would ideally like to the city's parking scheme widened. In my street in Shawlands cars often tripple park in junctions, on double yellows, blocking views for other road users and often making it impossible to cross the road for pedestrians. I dread for the moment when fire engines or other large emergency vehicles need to get through...
Our parking attendants work throughout the city to help improve safety and address poor and inconsiderate parking on our streets. I can also advise that the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 has introduced a ban on footway parking across Scotland, which will in due course allow local authorities to enforce vehicles parking on footways, vehicles double parking and vehicles parked at dropped kerb locations. The legal framework to permit enforcement is still in progress but we anticipate that these powers will be available to local authorities by early 2024. In terms of speeding, a city-wide mandatory 20mph speed limit is due to be introduced to improve road safety for our most vulnerable road users.
Speeding vehicles are constantly an issue in Shawlands. Other issues include irresponsible parking which blocks kerbs and obscures vision, distracted driving due to phone use, very poor road quality which poses considerable dangers if you cycle. The road safety around Shawlands primary school is very poor. Driver behaviour is often reckless, and there is little provision for pedestrians to cross roads safely throughout the whole district. Minard road is a case in point: very difficult to cross, and lots of families need to cross it in order to reach the school. More pedestrian crossings please!
Hi, thank you for your comments and insight into driver behaviour in the area. As a matter of course I will review vehicles speeds around the school using our speed analysis tool and where necessary liaise with our road safety engineers and colleagues in Police Scotland. As part of our review of the school zone, we will look into crossing facilities and what else can be done to improve road safety in the area for pedestrians and cyclists. In terms of parking, I can advise that the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 has introduced a ban on footway parking across Scotland, which will in due course allow local authorities to enforce vehicles parking on footways, vehicles double parking and vehicles parked at dropped kerb locations. The legal framework to permit enforcement is still in progress but we anticipate that these powers will be available to local authorities by early 2024. Please note, any road faults can be reported via the Glasgow APP - hope this helps :)
All of the options are valid to some degree, but when an accident occurs the speed at which the motor vehicle was travelling and its mass are the main factors in the degree of damage suffered by casualties.
Thank you for your comments, the new highway code places pedestrians and people on bikes at the top of the new hierarchy, this is reflected in our road safety plan and transport strategy; to prioritise and protect our most vulnerable road users. The introduction of a 20mph speed limit has been shown to reduce the seriousness of any collision.