I think a huge amount of education needs to take place to change drivers attitudes. There is a lot of hatred towards cyclists within the city and it can make cycling very dangerous. If it was an option I think all new car drivers should have to cycle around the city for a day to help them to understand why cyclists move to the front of the queue at traffic lights or why we hold our space on the road and don’t cycle right against parked cars etc.
Thank you for your comments, we work closely with our partners in Cycling Scotland and Police Scotland to help engage with drivers and other road users The new highway code hierarchy is a big step in the right direction, but you're right we need to do more. The Go Safe Glasgow road safety partnership is launching a new campaign in October 2023 to highlight this very issue and hopefully improve driver behaviour.
Thank you for your contribution. With regard to making 20mph the blanket speed limit, there was a private members Bill to reduce the speed limit on restricted roads from 30mph to 20mph across the whole of Scotland. Restricted roads are normally street-lit urban or residential streets, although there are some exemptions to this definition. Unfortunately when the Scottish Parliament voted on the Bill, it failed to get a majority vote and was not be made.
The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 has introduced a ban on footway parking across Scotland, which will in due course allow the council 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.
Have longer road crossing times for pedestrians. Reduce speed limit on all residential streets. Repair pot holes. Have no parking/drop off zones at all schools.
Thank you for your input, it is our policy where possible to increase pedestrian crossing times. The new Puffin crossings being installed monitor pedestrians crossing and keep traffic on red until they have safely reached the other side.
I don't think this can be tackled effectively by GCC alone. The real problem is Police Scotland not taking road crime seriously coupled with incredibly lenient sentencing. Virtually every other UK force has had a dashcam submission website for a long time, but up here we're still waiting for Police Scotland to implement a pilot version that was supposed to happen 2 or 3 years ago! All they have to do is copy the tech from an English force, it's not complicated! They clearly just aren't interested, so the government should be forcing them to do it. Almost every day you'll see a news report of someone being killed or seriously injured by a bad driver... who then often ends up with a slap on the wrist or no punishment at all. As long as the police aren't interested in pursuing prosecutions of obviously dangerous drivers and these people are allowed to continue driving (even if they are convicted!), the roads will remain unsafe for everyone.
Although their is no portal for footage at present crimes can be reported via 101 or through the Police Scotland website and when an enquiry officer is assigned they can obtain the footage.
It would be interesting to see if the data supported that position, in terms of actions by Police Scotland and then how sentencing followed - I wonder if the evidence would back up the position?
Also - work with contractors doing work that obstructs pavements that they keep to the legal requirement on signing out alternatives and providing ramps, so that pedestrians are not forced to walk on to the road and anyone with mobility issues is considered.
Re-instate clear signage on the speed limit. Re-design roads to physically make it impossible to speed. Create safe crossing points with outcrops and zebra crossings. Prevent inconsiderate and dangerous car parking with replacing and reviewing the position of all bollards (and use solid bollard that can not be removed by everyone). Street cleaning programme to remove mud, leaves, overflows of gullies etc, to prevent slipping. Enforcement, enforcement, enforcement on parking, vehicle idling, speeding
Less cars. And those that do drive cars are conscientious, courteous, appreciate that theirs is the least priority form of transport and behave accordingly. Joined up thinking around various initiatives (e.g. Avenues/Neighbourhood Infrastructure Improvement Fund/Private Developments etc) to ensure that improvements are made/money spent where most wanted/needed/likely to reduce injuries or save lives, not simply in line with a different set of priorities depending on who's setting them.
Hi there, the liveable neighbourhoods programme (https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/liveableneighbourhoods) has four themes; Streets for People, Active Travel, Local Town Centres and Everyday Journeys, these which will identify existing activity and propose new interventions to rebalance our streets. This can be implemented alongside other programmes and via a variety of funds to maximise impact.
Introduce parking permits across the city; enforce speed limits and legal restrictions regarding parking offences; drop kerbs; reduce street clutter and inappropriately placed bins etc; maintain road signage and road markings; repair roads and clear rubbish; build segregated cycling lanes and remove space for private cars; introduce additional zebra crossings across the city to accommodate pedestrians. And lastly, consider the city from a disabled persons perspective, how must the visually impaired navigate our city?
Hi Eleanor, the liveable neighbourhoods programme (https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/liveableneighbourhoods) has four themes; one of which is ‘Streets for People’ which will propose interventions to rebalance our streets. We have an ongoing project right now in Shawlands and Strathbungo looking at accessibility and improved connections for walking, wheeling and cycling (https://mansewood-to-shawlands-ln-glasgowgis.hub.arcgis.com/pages/latest-news). With regards to building a protected cycle network, please do look at the Active Travel Strategy web page (https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/activetravel) where you will find information on the plans for the City Network. On your final point; alongside EQIAs, projects report to the Accessible and Inclusive Design Forum which considers and mitigates potential impacts for people with visual impairments and other disabilities.
Bear with me on this one because I realise it's slightly abstract. I notice an increasing number of stickers which first began to appear on large vehicles (HGVs, then lorries) which say words to the effect of "Cyclists beware of passing this vehicle on the inside", and which are now increasingly displayed on smaller vehicles like company-branded cars, including Glasgow City Council's own vehicle fleet. Filtering is legal, but these stickers reinforce a misplaced urban myth that people cycling are not permitted to pass through stationary traffic. These stickers only externalise responsibility, in a contradiction to the new highway code rules about a hierarchy of road users, and against the spirit of rules 88, 160, 211. It matters because people outwith a large vehicle are the responsibility of the driver to keep safe, these stickers only undermine that message. There are good reasons for filtering if you cycle: it improves visibility and serves to reduce overall congestion.
Thank you for you're response, you are correct the stickers have become common place on larger vehicles, however I'm not sure about their effectiveness/purpose on smaller cars. I know GCC fleet place them on all new vehicles and I will discuss with our fleet manager moving forward. The stickers are not to prevent filtering, but more so to warn vulnerable road users that larger vehicles have blind spots when moving forward or turning from a stationary position. That shouldn't detract from the drivers responsibility from checking their mirrors constantly whilst stationary where they might see people on bikes or motorcycles approaching from behind. The new highway code means that drivers are more responsible for their actions should a collision of this type occur. More need to be done in this area and our road safety partnership is looking into this matter.
I think a huge amount of education needs to take place to change drivers attitudes. There is a lot of hatred towards cyclists within the city and it can make cycling very dangerous. If it was an option I think all new car drivers should have to cycle around the city for a day to help them to understand why cyclists move to the front of the queue at traffic lights or why we hold our space on the road and don’t cycle right against parked cars etc.
Thank you for your comments, we work closely with our partners in Cycling Scotland and Police Scotland to help engage with drivers and other road users The new highway code hierarchy is a big step in the right direction, but you're right we need to do more. The Go Safe Glasgow road safety partnership is launching a new campaign in October 2023 to highlight this very issue and hopefully improve driver behaviour.
Blanket 20mph speed limit, pavement parking ban+strict enforcement.
Thank you for your contribution. With regard to making 20mph the blanket speed limit, there was a private members Bill to reduce the speed limit on restricted roads from 30mph to 20mph across the whole of Scotland. Restricted roads are normally street-lit urban or residential streets, although there are some exemptions to this definition. Unfortunately when the Scottish Parliament voted on the Bill, it failed to get a majority vote and was not be made.
The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 has introduced a ban on footway parking across Scotland, which will in due course allow the council 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.
Have longer road crossing times for pedestrians. Reduce speed limit on all residential streets. Repair pot holes. Have no parking/drop off zones at all schools.
Thank you for your input, it is our policy where possible to increase pedestrian crossing times. The new Puffin crossings being installed monitor pedestrians crossing and keep traffic on red until they have safely reached the other side.
I don't think this can be tackled effectively by GCC alone. The real problem is Police Scotland not taking road crime seriously coupled with incredibly lenient sentencing. Virtually every other UK force has had a dashcam submission website for a long time, but up here we're still waiting for Police Scotland to implement a pilot version that was supposed to happen 2 or 3 years ago! All they have to do is copy the tech from an English force, it's not complicated! They clearly just aren't interested, so the government should be forcing them to do it. Almost every day you'll see a news report of someone being killed or seriously injured by a bad driver... who then often ends up with a slap on the wrist or no punishment at all. As long as the police aren't interested in pursuing prosecutions of obviously dangerous drivers and these people are allowed to continue driving (even if they are convicted!), the roads will remain unsafe for everyone.
Although their is no portal for footage at present crimes can be reported via 101 or through the Police Scotland website and when an enquiry officer is assigned they can obtain the footage.
It would be interesting to see if the data supported that position, in terms of actions by Police Scotland and then how sentencing followed - I wonder if the evidence would back up the position?
Also - work with contractors doing work that obstructs pavements that they keep to the legal requirement on signing out alternatives and providing ramps, so that pedestrians are not forced to walk on to the road and anyone with mobility issues is considered.
Re-instate clear signage on the speed limit. Re-design roads to physically make it impossible to speed. Create safe crossing points with outcrops and zebra crossings. Prevent inconsiderate and dangerous car parking with replacing and reviewing the position of all bollards (and use solid bollard that can not be removed by everyone). Street cleaning programme to remove mud, leaves, overflows of gullies etc, to prevent slipping. Enforcement, enforcement, enforcement on parking, vehicle idling, speeding
You could so easily resolve the unsafe parking problems by putting on more traffic wardens. Surely they would pay for themselves?
Less cars. And those that do drive cars are conscientious, courteous, appreciate that theirs is the least priority form of transport and behave accordingly. Joined up thinking around various initiatives (e.g. Avenues/Neighbourhood Infrastructure Improvement Fund/Private Developments etc) to ensure that improvements are made/money spent where most wanted/needed/likely to reduce injuries or save lives, not simply in line with a different set of priorities depending on who's setting them.
Hi there, the liveable neighbourhoods programme (https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/liveableneighbourhoods) has four themes; Streets for People, Active Travel, Local Town Centres and Everyday Journeys, these which will identify existing activity and propose new interventions to rebalance our streets. This can be implemented alongside other programmes and via a variety of funds to maximise impact.
Introduce parking permits across the city; enforce speed limits and legal restrictions regarding parking offences; drop kerbs; reduce street clutter and inappropriately placed bins etc; maintain road signage and road markings; repair roads and clear rubbish; build segregated cycling lanes and remove space for private cars; introduce additional zebra crossings across the city to accommodate pedestrians. And lastly, consider the city from a disabled persons perspective, how must the visually impaired navigate our city?
Hi Eleanor, the liveable neighbourhoods programme (https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/liveableneighbourhoods) has four themes; one of which is ‘Streets for People’ which will propose interventions to rebalance our streets. We have an ongoing project right now in Shawlands and Strathbungo looking at accessibility and improved connections for walking, wheeling and cycling (https://mansewood-to-shawlands-ln-glasgowgis.hub.arcgis.com/pages/latest-news). With regards to building a protected cycle network, please do look at the Active Travel Strategy web page (https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/activetravel) where you will find information on the plans for the City Network. On your final point; alongside EQIAs, projects report to the Accessible and Inclusive Design Forum which considers and mitigates potential impacts for people with visual impairments and other disabilities.
Bear with me on this one because I realise it's slightly abstract. I notice an increasing number of stickers which first began to appear on large vehicles (HGVs, then lorries) which say words to the effect of "Cyclists beware of passing this vehicle on the inside", and which are now increasingly displayed on smaller vehicles like company-branded cars, including Glasgow City Council's own vehicle fleet. Filtering is legal, but these stickers reinforce a misplaced urban myth that people cycling are not permitted to pass through stationary traffic. These stickers only externalise responsibility, in a contradiction to the new highway code rules about a hierarchy of road users, and against the spirit of rules 88, 160, 211. It matters because people outwith a large vehicle are the responsibility of the driver to keep safe, these stickers only undermine that message. There are good reasons for filtering if you cycle: it improves visibility and serves to reduce overall congestion.
Hi Chris, I believe these stickers are to highlight the vehicles blind spots and not to put cyclist off filtering.
Thank you for you're response, you are correct the stickers have become common place on larger vehicles, however I'm not sure about their effectiveness/purpose on smaller cars. I know GCC fleet place them on all new vehicles and I will discuss with our fleet manager moving forward. The stickers are not to prevent filtering, but more so to warn vulnerable road users that larger vehicles have blind spots when moving forward or turning from a stationary position. That shouldn't detract from the drivers responsibility from checking their mirrors constantly whilst stationary where they might see people on bikes or motorcycles approaching from behind. The new highway code means that drivers are more responsible for their actions should a collision of this type occur. More need to be done in this area and our road safety partnership is looking into this matter.