Participatory Democracy process
Road Safety Digital RoundtableWhat action can Glasgow take to prioritise the safety of people using sustainable transport modes (such as walking, wheeling or cycling), over accommodating cars?
Glasgow has committed in the Glasgow Transport Strategy 2022 Policy Framework to a minimum 30% reduction in private car kilometres travelled by 2030.
That's really simple: actions which genuinely reflect this priority! e.g. don't allow proposals for segregated infrastructure to be watered down because a few people complain about losing their favourite parking spot. Be open to closing MANY more residential rat-runs to vehicles. Involve people who cycle/walk regularly in the design of the infrastructure intended for them and incorporate their feedback *before* building anything. Add raised table crossings at junctions wherever possible to help slow traffic down. Reduce wait times for pedestrians at traffic lights and increase pedestrian phase lengths. Start to steadily replace parking (especially free parking) with almost anything else (housing, footpaths, parklets, bike parking, cycle paths, tables/benches, trees, ...). Continue joining up the various bits of the segregated cycle network. Remove useless painted cycle gutters and build more segregated lanes instead. Parking enforcement. Aim for >50% reduction in car km by 2030!
HI thanks for your input, I can answer a few of your points re road safety - rat running is something that we are aware of and now consider when planning any new designs. Where we are made aware of any existing issues, we will investigate and analyse traffic flow and speeds and take the necessary action i.e., speed calming measures. We always listen to concerns about crossing times and our new policy is to introduce puffin crossings which prioritise pedestrians. The new road hierarchy will influence all future decision making when reviewing existing infrastructure. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to email any concerns you may have about rat running to RoadSafety@glasgow.gov.uk
Hello, thank you for your comments. In relation to your comments regarding joining sections of the segregated 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. The City Network Delivery Plan was approved by the City Administration Committee in June 2023.
Identify positives first - Glasgow has a very significant urban rail system, a Subway, the city centre is very (too?)well served by buses. These form the foundation. Bus services increased both in number of routes and frequency, fares made much more affordable, with 'tap-on tap-off no ticket issued' being universal. The system used should be transferrable between modes. Not all buses should go via city centre, with interchanges around the centre allowing to transfer to train, subway, hire bike or walking. Introduce more cross city buses avoiding city centre. No parking inside the city centre (with the exception) and 'park and ride' facilities at interchanges outside a 3km radius of George Square. More pedestrianisation outside the city centre in local town centres. We still have a number of '15 minute areas' within Glasgow - these should be highlighted and emphasised as in Manchester.
Act faster when advised about design problems. Supervise Construction closer. South City Way and Garscube Road problems were identified by ordinary people from plans and early in construction. Council was informed. There is Still a CCTV camera in the middle of South city way and illegal left turns at Cumberland street are an hourly occurance.
Hello Iain, thank you for taking the time to join the discussion. I note your comments about Cumberland Street and wondered if you could clarify a little on the ‘illegal turns’ you have witnessed? You have mentioned left turns, whereas another responder has mentioned right turns at this location. It would be helpful for us to get a clearer picture of where the vehicles are moving from/to.
You also mention a CCTV camera in respect of the SCW - this is located on the footway adjacent to the cycle lane. As it is the primary camera for both Victoria Road and Allison Street it has to be positioned with a clear line of sight around the corner to both roads. It is also the primary data camera for the area and as it operates via wireless signals, again a clear line of sight is required. The foundations for the camera are significant; its current position is the only one possible without significant diversion of services or compromising adjacent basements. I hope this information helps.
Be bold: remember 1) the trend is towards more car use and associated deaths and disablement through accident and air quality, and to reverse this requires infrastructure that replaces cars; 2) schemes that restrict cars in public space are often unpopular in proposal, but are overwhelmingly popular after implementation. Remove the M8 and M74. There is no place for motorways in city centres and surrounding areas. They cut off the city. Motorways have been replaced elsewhere, and they can be here. Remove the presumption of a universal right to on-street parking. Non-disabled car users - a largely richer minority in Glasgow - should not be entitled to free public space at the cost of everyone else. Take the buses into public control and expand massively. Look at bus use in London vs elsewhere after other cities were privatised. Bike lanes must be segregated. Level kerbs - my partner and I have often taken taxis where we'd rather walk because kerbs are untraversable by wheelchair.
Thank you for your response, our Sustainable Transport team are working hard to change our roads and spaces to prioritise our most vulnerable road users, including re-allocation of road space. The M8/74 through the city is currently a hot topic with ideas for reducing speeds and creating a boulevard. The M8 certainly took away some beautiful buildings and architecture when it was built, so maybe we can help restore some of that for future generations. More discussion on this from everyone on the portal would be most welcome. :)
Thank you. But: really, I want to emphasise that making changes to the speed of the motorways and introducing boulevards to them is tinkering, and it's locking in car-centric infrastructure likely for decades. There isn't a way to have the motorway without it cutting off parts of the city, ensuring high car usage and destroying the landscape. No one wants to walk alongside motorways. Glasgow city centre is widely considered dead compared to other city centres, while places that have pedestrianised city centres have flourished. Even a huge chunk of car drivers consider the M8 to be a mistake, and there is an opportunity to undo that mistake: look at other cities that have removed their motorways, and the difference is so obvious and profound it hits you in the gut.
Thank you for you reply, the debate has really just started on this matter. As it evolves, I am sure that the people of Glasgow as well as businesses etc will have their say. One to follow closely :)
Worth remembering that pedestrianisation of commercial areas has made their business explode elsewhere!, to the extent that businesses not in the pedestrianised areas have campaigned against them due to an unfair unadvantage of those in them. There are lots of places I avoid patronising (as someone who usually eats outdoors when out) because honestly who wants to sit and eat by a main road?
Thanks, good point, traffic fumes + noise pollution doesn't equal a pleasant dining experience :)
Be bold and test more schemes. Close at least half of city centre roads to cars, there is no need for them all (apart from Buchanan/Sauchiehall St) to be open to private cars. This can be done cheaply and quickly using bollards and planters to create space for people. Increase the cost of driving into the city to be at least as expensive as using the train or bus, or there is little incentive for people to use alternative transport.
Connect cycle infrastructure to create a proper network, suitable and safe for children to use independently from age 8.
Hello Tom, thank you for your comments. The approved Interim Delivery Plan for the City Network, approved by the City Administration Committee in February 2022, identifies the design approach being taken, which follows all national guidance. This can be found at the Active Travel Strategy web page (www.glasgow.gov.uk/activetravel).
We need a joined up network of safe/segregated active travel routes
Ensuring through strict enforcement that this infrastructure is not occupied by driver's motor vehicles
Improvements to he cycle network such as a more joined-up network with rail links, and better maintained cycle paths, segregated cycle paths (with penalities for drivers using them as curb parking which is endemic in space such as the path along Mosspark Bvd at the outdoor sports centre), better lighting, secure bike parking in residential and commercial areas, enforcement of dangerous driving and parking rules - it's key to start to unlearn the car-centric society that we have built because we cannot sustain it any longer
Thank you Danni. We are in the process of designing and delivering the City Network which will provide a connected and functional network of protected cycling infrastructure across the city, with further enhancements to the walking environment. The Network is proposed to be on-carriageway so that it is usable 24-7, well-lit and is overlooked to increase feelings of social safety. More information on this can be found at the Active Travel Strategy web page: www.glasgow.gov.uk/activetravel.
The council has been successfully installing on-street secure cycle parking in residential areas across the city. In addition to this, a recently launched programme is providing secure on-street cycle parking shelters on the city centre streets. These shelters are available for short term parking, with space bookable via a smartphone app. Find more information on this at the following link: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=30412.
Enforce regulations . Stop curb parking.
Thanks for your input, 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.
Continue extending cycle lanes and link them up to one another.
Link cycle lanes to schools to ensure children have a safe route to cycle to schools.
Ensure that right of way is clearly marked at junctions where cyclists or pedestrians have priority
Install cameras at junctions
Ensure pavements are not closed for extended periods of time (eg, scaffolding in damaged buildings that is up for years and closes pavements to pedestrians, or building work that closes pavements for years at a time)
Thanks for your comments, the idea of cycling routes to school is great, we do support the implementation of walking and bikes buses and you may have heard of our award winning ultra smart cycle system; that allows lead riders to take control of the traffic signals on approach to ensure the entire bus gets through as one. Junction marking is an issue and we strive to ensure we keep markings fresh and clear as we battle against the toll the Scottish weather take on our roads. Please report any issues re road markings etc using the Glasgow App. :)
Hello Jennifer, to add to the other council officer's reply, the City Network is planned to pass within 400m of most schools, with additional interventions through the Liveable Neighbourhoods programme for those schools further away. Delivery of the City Network will progress in tandem with the Liveable Neighbourhoods tranches of work. More information on all this work is available via the Active Travel Strategy webpage: www.glasgow.gov.uk/activetravel
We need a joined up network of safe/segregated active travel routes
Thank you. We are in the process of designing and delivering the City Network, which will provide a comprehensive network of protected cycleways and improvements to the walking environment.