Strathclyde Cycle Campaign
Come along to the GoBike #paintisnotprotection protest on University Avenue, today Sunday 10th February, at 12:00 noon, gathering outside the Wolfson Medical Building.
We are going to create a human cycle lane along University Avenue to highlight the desire for segregated cycle infrastructure, on this important route. This is missing from the current University plans to develop the road.
Continue reading “University Avenue #paintisnotprotection – Today at Noon”
This Sunday (10th February) at noon, meet us outside the Wolfson Building on University Avenue to protest the lack of safe cycling provision in the plans for the redevelopment of University Avenue, running through the heart of the University of Glasgow. Bring your bikes and your pals, because we want to make a human bike lane on University Avenue. Help us show the University planners and the city council that segregated cycle lanes are needed in all directions, and that #paintisnotprotection
Continue reading “PROTEST FOR SAFE CYCLING ON UNIVERSITY AVENUE – SUNDAY AT NOON”
We’ve had a lot of disquiet from our members this week about a side street that has been unveiled on the South City Way. While we do know and understand that our council is making great steps forward with schemes such as the SCW, and that UK design guidance on side street treatments has a long way to come, the safety of people cycling is at the heart of what we campaign for. We are so aware that side streets are a common source of collisions and so for the sake of safety, we want to work to get this right.
We’ve been in touch with GCC and Sustrans as follows, and will keep you updated on any progress.
Hi to our contacts in LES, Sustrans, and Cllr Richardson,
First of all thank you for the work you are doing to create safe places to cycle in Glasgow. We can see how hard everyone is working on getting this right, however we at GoBike wanted to get in touch to express our concerns about the designs on side streets that we are seeing emerging on the ground, particularly in reference to the most recently completed junction on the SCW at Turriff Street, but also in the wider context of other schemes in the planning stages.
Continue reading “Side Streets”
We are close to the closing date of the Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) Bill Survey, and while we have no new formal consultations, we do have news of yet another stage of the South City Way and other positive news for cycling in Glasgow. Do read on ….
Continue reading “Consultation Digest Issue 26, 22 January 2019 – South City Way and other local and Scotland wide news.”
Following our GoBike Board of Shame stunt on the SWCW in December, Glasgow City Council have started moving into action on effecting the required repairs and improving the standard of maintenance on the segregated cycle lanes of the South West City Way.
Since our last update, the gritting on the lanes had been much improved and more effective, and we are thankful for the action on that. The repair action is now moving slowly. The first repair began on one of the Shields Road bus stops but was unfortunately then halted for five days with a full blockage of the cycle path remaining in place during that time. It seems that the understanding for the respect for our main commuting route from Glasgow City Council still has some way to go.
This work is now complete though, and we hope that the drainage will be improved there from now on. Elsewhere, near the other Shields Road bus stop, the flooding was drained but swiftly returned, demonstrating that a more permanent repair was required. We have been continuing to ensure that GCC are working on moving forward with the SWCW repairs, and have some of the following info to share with you:
To GCC from GoBike:
We’ve been sent on info from an FOI on the flooding on SWCW that suggests that the bridge would first need strengthening by Network Rail before the required resurfacing can take place. We would imagine that the timeline for this would actually be really significant, and so if this is indeed the case, we would like to suggest the requirement for a program of flooding maintenance at the site until this permanent repair can happen. We have also been made aware though, that heavy machinery such as (…..) vehicles have routinely been seen working on the bridge. Can you explain this?
The FOI also illustrates that there were 13 fault reports specifically on the flooding to the council over a period of a year and a half until the first investigative site visit happened in August 2018. Injuries have occurred at this site due to the neglect to attend to the repair timeously. This week repairs started at the other bus stop on Monday the 7th, which closed off the full cycle lane with barriers blocking cycle lane access, yet no signage and no diversion in place, just a ramp useful only to people with prams and wheelchairs. Work then ceased, incomplete, after the 7th, and the barriers still remain in place, now six days later. I attach an image to illustrate. Frankly, for a flagship route, one of the only truly safe routes we have in the city for people on bikes, the priority for it’s upkeep within the council is quite clearly insufficient.
To GoBike from GCC:
Thank you for your email regarding the South West City Way Cycle route.
We are currently investigating what options are available to resolve the issues with the surfacing on the bridge, taking account of the weight restrictions and work operations that are permitted to be undertaken on the bridge due to its condition. Vehicles should not be using the cycleway and thank you for bringing this to our attention. I will arrange for this issue to be raised with (….) at the next Roads Authorities and Utilies Committee (RAUC) meeting. The Council is also currently reviewing how these initial complaints were initially dealt with.
I can confirm repairs at the bus stop south of the railway bridge started on site on 7th January 2019. The works were to amend the drainage channel inlets, open them up to allow more flow of surface water and make future maintenance more accessible. The contractor has been made aware of the importance of maintaining the traffic management at all times and to resurface the ramp as a priority. I can only apologise it’s taken longer than expected.
The bus stop north (see image) of the railway bridge with the drainage issues has been investigated by LES and the contractor Mac Asphalt Ltd who were involved with the works to resolve the drainage. Due to the lack of existing drainage gullies on Shields Road a further investigation was undertaken on the existing gullies and manholes to allow for an additional 3No. gullies are to be installed within the cycle lane. Work is due to commence on site on Monday 21st January 2019. The cycle lane from the start of Shields Road at St Andrews Drive to the railway bridge will be closed for 7 working days to allow for the drainage to be installed. An alternative route using the footway will be signposted.
I hope this is of assistance.
So that work is due to start today, which is positive. Please let us know whether the diversion is adequate.
Thanks again to the council for working to get this sorted although it is unfortunate that it took such action before anything was done, when the issue had been so widely reported. We have been sent details of just how many reports were made in this FOI sent in from a super helpful member which makes for very interesting reading. But we hope that from here, the council will appreciate the importance of keeping our safe cycling spaces (which as we know, are few and far between) clear, working, maintained, and well…. safe.
Perhaps next, we can look at the issue of parking in the segregated cycle lanes too eh? We will be watching the repairs unfold and wont be resting easy – we already have our next target in mind for the GoBike Board of Shame. Watch this space.
Mark Ruskell launched his Safer Streets Bill in 2017 and it is now making its way through the Scottish Parliament as the Restricted Roads (20mph Limt)(Scotland) Bill. The full details may be seen here.
The Bill has now moved to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee for scrutiny and this committee has launched its own consultation, which closes on 28 January. There is information about the bill and a link to the committee’s survey here.
You can help us support this bill by doing two things – respond to this survey and contact to your MSP. We pulled together some help for you to do those things below. Continue reading “20mph – Help us campaign for the new Urban Default Speed Limit Bill”
This fortnight we have two new consultations in from East Dunbartonshire, plus high level previews of two Strategic Development Frameworks (SDFs) for Glasgow (the River Clyde corridor and Govan – Partick), as well as an update on campaigning for a 20mph default speed limit in our towns and cities. Continue reading “Consultation Digest Issue 24, 18 December 2018 – East Dunbartonshire news / the River Clyde / default urban 20mph”
Did you spot our GoBike Board of Shame out on the South West City Way this week? For it’s first outing we wanted to highlight the repair and maintenance issues that have been causing hazards to people on bikes since the lanes opened. Flooding and leaves are difficult enough to deal with, but when mixed with cold weather, the whole width of the cycle track becomes hazardous and impassable. Our members have been reporting the problems to the council since they began and we had had no response as to what is planned for its repair, if any. We had known of at least one injury having occurred at this site and there will be many more if this issue continues to be ignored, so we decided to take action. Continue reading “The GoBike Board of Shame – The South West City Way”
Sustrans Scotland in collaboration with Glasgow City Council yesterday launched the Glasgow ‘Bike Life’ report that has brought to the fore many interesting findings specific to cycling in Glasgow.
Significantly, that 30% of people don’t currently ride a bike, but would like to, and that 82% of residents support building more protected roadside cycle lanes, even when this could mean less space for other road traffic. Continue reading “Bike Life Report – Glasgow”
In the second of our two blogs looking at how increased provision for active travel to the area might affect local businesses, particularly in relation to Byres Road, GoBike members continue to examine the economic benefits that come with providing safe space for active travel.
Big changes are afoot on Byres Road. But big changes bring uncertainty – and one particular area for discussion has been how introducing segregated cycle lanes might affect local shops, cafes, and restaurants. Here, GoBike aims to clear up a few common myths by summarising the existing evidence about business and bikes. Continue reading “Busting the Myths About Business and Bikes”