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.
Demarcation of road surface in busy areas like a Kilmarnock Rd Shawlands to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists. Cars should be seen as guests. Decent cycle lanes / one on both side of road not a double on one side.
We have to design with this in mind as a priority, not the throughput of cars - and be prepared to filter cars out of some routes to simplify matters. Take the Pollok roundabout replacement. It's clearly designed with the throughput of cars as the key priority, and peds/cyclists are permitted to creep around the edges. How many bikes will be able to get through those chicane islands in one go, both ways? It should not be built. It would be easier to make something good if we were willing to filter cars out of 1 of the 5 roads leading into IMO, but we certainly shouldn't build what is proposed.
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c4059f7ad508406b9cfe9943c0bb97a6
Hi Jennifer, thanks for your comments. The proposal to replace the Pollok Roundabout with a traffic signal junction is intended to improve the junctions’ poor accident record and increase its reliability. The design seeks to place all vehicle, cycle and pedestrian movements under the control of traffic signals; although active travel users will be required to navigate several stages to cross the junction, it is proposed, however, to implement “walk with” facilities which enables vehicle movements in one area of the junction whilst active travel users cross at another area, i.e. maximising active travel crossings and maintaining traffic flow through the junction at the same time. This is an extremely busy junction serving as a significant corridor linking housing to the west of the junction with the M77 motorway and Silverburn Shopping Centre to the east. At locations such as this it is necessary to balance the needs of all users to ensure a safe and smoothly running junction.
Segregated cycle lanes that actually form a network. Reduce speed limits. Reduce car parking along the roads. Enforcement on irresponsible parking on pavements and footpaths.
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. We are currently planning the new city-wide mandatory 20mph limit to reduce vehicle speeds within in the city.
Hello, thank you for your input Laura. The council is in the process of designing and delivering the City Network, a comprehensive and functional network of protected cycle lanes. More details can be found at the Active Travel Strategy web page (https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/activetravel) . The City Network Delivery Plan, which sets out the delivery approach, was approved by the City Administration Committee in June 2023.
Less talk and less consultation, more doing. Redesign neighbourhoods with the sustainable travel hierarchy in mind. Look at traffic light settings on crossings (not even junctions) where pedestrians still have to wait up to 20 seconds until their green phase. Remove staggered crossings and allow crossing by pedestrians in 'one go' even if this means longer waiting times for cars. Clearly design out the option of illegal and inconsiderate parking, pavement parking. Consider 'traffic flow' for cyclists - where are dropped kerbs missing? Did I mention enforcement?
Also be aware that rat runs exist because main roads are clogged with traffic already. The problem needs to be fixed at source instead of making conditions even worse for people living on or using main roads.
Thank you for your response. As part of our Transport Strategy to 2030 we aim to reduce the number of car km travelled by 30% whilst prioritising active and sustainable travel. We do investigate complaints with regards to 'rat runs' and take the necessary action to address any road safety concerns within the community. Please contact roadsafety@glasgow.gov.uk and we would be happy to look into this.
We need a fully integrated public transport system. With reduced rail services (Shawlands) connection times are prohibitive and it's too expensive to buy a bus and train ticket when driving is generally cheaper than either of those options on their own. If people could combine bus, train and subway journeys in a single priced ticket they would be much more likely to leave cars at home.
Hello Fiona, thank you for raising the issues around integrated transport ticketing which, through the Glasgow Transport Strategy and in particular its Policy 39 (www.glasgow.gov.uk/transportstrategy), we continue to work with operators on. In terms of successes, the Glasgow Tripper ticket scheme between major bus operators allows bus travel across Glasgow for £24.60 per week: www.glasgowtripper.co.uk. Meanwhile SPT inform us that the Zone Card they provide, and which is a voluntary scheme including ScotRail, the SPT Subway and a number of bus operators, is to be re-launched later this year in a smart ticket format.
My dream is that we take the same sort of drastic action that was taken for covid lockdowns (however managed better) and just start taking as many cars as possible out of the equation altogether. We've seen how huge changes can be made very quickly (yes, and all the negatives that would go along with that) for public health outcomes. This would fit. Everything after that could then be based on the question of how we do all this (including life in general) without having to accomodate cars! A man can dream ...
Thank you for your input, it is our aim over the next decade to prioritise active and sustainable travel whilst discouraging personal car use. We tend to call it a vision as opposed to a dream, but hopefully we are heading in the right direction to return Glasgow to that Dear Green Place.
The privatised bus system is confusing, with different Fares, and similar bus numbers for different routes. Navigating that is often confusing. Could GCC provide a unified public transport system that integrates the railway, subway and buses all within one umbrella, such as Transport For London's scheme? One card (like the Oyster card) to tap in and out for all modes of transport, with a clear Fare structure. This could encourage more to use pubic transport, with a clear integrated network that's streamlined. This also should include the cycling network. TFL has all these mapped out to make it easy for Londoners to choose their routes easily and clearly. Could we do the same?
Hi Kirsten, many thanks for your comments. Issues with integrated ticketing are a particular challenge that we are aware of. Indeed Policy 39 of the Glasgow Transport Strategy (GTS) states the intention to: “Continue to lobby and support Transport Scotland, ScotRail, SPT and bus operators to enhance the availability of flexible, integrated and affordable smart ticketing and payments within Glasgow’s wider public transport system (rail, bus and Subway) and the modernisation of the Zonecard by SPT…”.
There have been a number of successes. SPT provide the Zone Card, this is a voluntary ticketing scheme which includes ScotRail, the SPT Subway and a number of bus operators. SPT have informed us that Zonecard is due to be relaunched in a smart format later this year. Additionally, the Glasgow Tripper ticket is a scheme between major bus operators which allows bus travel across Glasgow for £24.60 per week. See www.glasgowtripper.co.uk.
Just to additionally say that Glasgow City Council are members of the Glasgow Bus Partnership and we continue to work with SPT, member councils, Transport Scotland and bus operators on a number of issues, including transport and ticketing integration.
Long answer, apologies!
Changing the language is vital. Please stop talking about vulnerable road users. Pedestrians and cyclist are made vulnerable by reckless drivers in cars and lorries. Of course not every driver behaves recklessly, far from it, however, we as a society increasingly accept the notion that our public spaces can be dominated by cars and the needs of drivers, over that of other citizens. Our public spaces need to be shared and that means that a redistribution of space is needed. This is important on an environmental basis, but also socially and economically.
Thank you for your input, 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. We have various teams working together in the council to create the very environment you talk about; where people who walk, wheel and cycle will be prioritised in our public spaces. The term vulnerable road users (VRU's) seems to have crept into our vocabulary from Transport Scotland's road safety framework and is merely used to highlight the fact that people outside of the metal boxes used on our roads, are our most vulnerable road users and we need to prioritise and protect them.
Large scale campaigns to change the culture of perception around road use
Thank you for the input, we are currently planning a city-wide publicity campaign which will be launched in October/November 2023 to ask all road users to look out for each other and to make drivers more aware of the new hierarchy of road user.