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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT – CYCLING DIVERSIONS DURING COP26

Starting this Thursday 21st October many of our city’s most used cycle paths and flyovers are due to close around the site of the COP26 at the SEC (and wider), and will remain closed until at least Monday 15th November.

GoBike have pushed hard for improvements to the initial diversion proposals and have had a few of our suggested improvements taken on board and implemented. We are however deeply disappointed that stronger decisions were not made to keep our sustainable form of transport safe and attractive to everyone during the climate conference. This was a missed opportunity for the city to make active travel the easiest choice during a period of road closures and predicted traffic chaos around Glasgow. We outline more on that further below.

Get Ready Glasgow (the COP communications arm of Glasgow City Council) have issued the following updated map to illustrate GCCs proposed diversions.

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Consultation Digest (Local) Issue 97

Tarbet Inverarnan A82 shared path

Ta-ra to Tuesdays.

The cut-down Digest will continue on Thursdays.

There is obviously quite a lot happening around Glasgow just now as well as a few consultations each for East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire and Argyll & Bute.

Forthcoming consultations:

Glasgow Transport Strategy: Policy Framework – following on from previous consultations last year.

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PoP on COP GoBike Feeder Ride

Join us on the GoBike feeder ride from Strathclyde Country Park to the start of the Global Day of Climate Action march on COP26 on the 6th of November. We are riding along a safe route, suitable for all ages and abilities, at a pace where no-one will be left behind. We plan to pick up folk on the way at the following meet points:

09:15 Strathclyde Country Park Sports Centre
10:00 Blantyre Train Station
10:25 Newton Train Station
10:45 Cambuslang Rosebank Bridge
11:10 Dalmarnock Bridge Underpass
11:30 Glasgow Green McLellan Arch
Noon Kelvingrove Park

At the march we plan to join Pedal on Parliament’s ‘Cycling Bloc (sustainable transport)’ where we can tell the world that THIS MACHINE FIGHTS CLIMATE CHANGE.

To help us get an idea of how many biscuits we need please visit our Facebook Event and tell us if you are going to come along.

There are six feeder rides in Glasgow, if you are coming from a different part of the city. Also, should you becoming from even further afield there should be a ride you can join. Information on all the rides being organised can be found out here from Pedal on Parliament. 

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Consultation Digest (Local) Issue 96, 30 September 2021

Section of Queen Margaret Drive map

Less wordy on a Thursday.

The cut-down Digest continues in its new Thursday slot. Also, contents links have been reinstated.

Forthcoming consultations:

  • Two Liveable Neighbourhood pilots have started with two to follow – Dennistoun to Cranhill and Greater Govan to Kingston.
  • Glasgow’s draft Active Travel Strategy goes to council committee next week with consultation to follow.
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Sunday 03 October – GoBike cycles the south and south-west of Glasgow

Join us on Sunday, 10:00, for a 15 mile tour of the south and south-west of Glasgow. We meet at the north end of Bell’s Bridge and if you don’t know that part of the city too well or haven’t seen the changes to the cycle infrastructure or just want a bit of fresh air before the rest of your Sunday, then this is the ride for you.

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GoBike petition supported by councillors at council hearing.

Our petition on Active Travel Routes during COP26 was heard at council on Thursday and we are happy to say that we have made positive moves forward on points 2 and 3 of our asks.

The chair of the committee has asked officers to engage with GoBike about the closures, and to keep councillors updated. Officers also presented some new plans to include soft segregation along some very short stretches of the diversions. We have identified other stretches along the diversion route that also desperately need protection, as well as a suggested shortening of the diversion route, avoiding one of the most dangerous stretches. We have sent this suggestion map in to council officers for review.

GoBike suggested diversion route (pink) and areas needing soft separation (green)

We expect to meet with a representative of the Scottish Government shortly to also push them to go further and we will continue to push for cooperation between the council and Police Scotland in redetermining a lane of Finnieston Street for cycling. We were told at the hearing that security measures to ensure people’s safety is paramount, yet we don’t feel that the safety of people who would usually travel by bike on a traffic free route is being afforded the same protection. We also heard that people driving will also be affected by long diversions however we responded to say that the motor traffic diversions will be suitable for all people driving, and the cycling diversions will not.

The full statement and asks we gave to the councillors at the Wellbeing, Empowerment, Community and Citizen Engagement City Policy Committee is as follows:

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Consultation Digest (Local) Issue 95, 16 September 2021

sections on Helensburgh to Garelochhead active travel route

Easier to Digest?

You’ll notice some changes to this Digest to make it quicker to read (and for your author to produce). This has been dictated by circumstances (lack of holiday cover). However, it will act as a pilot and some aspects may be retained longer term. 

This slimmed down version of the Digest is based loosely on a ‘listings’ directory and removes the (usually empty) ‘Forthcoming consultations’ section. In future, if anything is forthcoming it will be mentioned in this intro, as follows.

Forthcoming consultations: Liveable Neighbourhoods pilot areas  – consultation expected within the next month or so. 

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Consultation Digest (National) Issue 7, 10 September 2021: New term and new Active Travel Minister

I’m sure by now you will have heard that Glasgow MSP Patrick Harvie has been appointed as the new Active Travel Minister in the Scottish Government – congratulations to Patrick. The new role was created after a deal was reached between the Scottish Greens and SNP on a form of power-sharing in Government. The agreement included a raft of measures which will benefit people who want to cycle including a commitment to boost funding for active travel to £320m by 2024/25, which is 10% of the transport budget.

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Consultation Digest (Local) Issue 94, 31 August 2021

Glasgow LEZ sign

Consultations baton change.

As the 2020 Paralympics take place in Tokyo, how is Glasgow looking towards its own global event: COP26? Currently, the city council has a new, short notice consultation about suspending public access rights. You may have seen GoBike banners on the subject or media coverage of support from Scotland’s new Active Travel minister – Green MSP, Patrick Harvie. It’s also a last call for the survey on Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone.

It’s a final fling for a handful of consultations around Glasgow (and one in Renfrewshire). There’s a bit longer for a few others – a new survey on secure cycle parking in the city centre and the last leg of East Dunbartonshire’s Active Travel Discussion.

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