**UPDATE** The GoBike Board of Shame is missing in action! A reward is being offered for it’s safe return. #stringisnotprotection #

See the full story here:

“Roll Up! Roll Up! For Glasgow City Council’s FREE ride of danger rollercoaster THE DOOR ZONE!! Ride in it and get whacked! Ride out of it and get smacked! No height restrictions apply! Mind how you go! Brought to you by GoBike for Pedal on Parliament pop up weekend. #pop2019 #popuppop @gobikeglasgow

We have written to the council off the back of the protest.

Dear Glasgow City Council,

You may be aware that the GoBike Board of Shame was out on Kilmarnock Road last weekend as a part of the Scotland wide Pedal on Parliament protests.

We wanted to highlight the ever remaining danger that the painted lanes on Kilmarnock Road post to cyclists who appear to be expected to have to cycle in the dangerous door zone area of the road.

A door zone is the area beside parked cars taken up by the opening of a car door. People on bikes are advised not to cycle in the door zone as they risk injury from the impact of hitting an open door, or being pushed into traffic causing further significant risk. Dooring injuries are unfortunately very common and although most go unreported, the Department for Transport found that between 2011 and 2015 there were 2009 people injured (5 of where were fatalities) when cycling in the door zone.

Painted lanes in door zones cause a host of danger and stress to people cycling. The Highway Code states “Leave plenty of room when passing parked vehicles” (section 67), but should anyone choose to leave the painted lane and cycle out with it on the carriageway, they are routinely subjected to aggressive driving and punishment passes from motorists who misunderstand the cyclists motivation for their road position.

Not only are the cycle lanes on Kilmarnock Road painted in the door zone without a buffer, but they are also much narrower than mandated in the council’s accepted design guidance Cycling By Design. Even painted lanes that are not in the door zone do not provide any protection from motor vehicles, in fact they have been shown to be very poor as they encourage dangerous close passes (a). The cycle lanes on Kilmarnock Road also encourage people using them to cycle very close to side roads rather than a recommended distance away.

It is widely accepted in safe design for cycling that if parking is to be retained on main roads, the cycle lane should run between the footway and the parking, not between parking bays and the road. It is also essential that a buffer zone is incorporated between the parking area and the cycle lane.

We know that these door zones are an issue that has been highlighted to GCC many times over the twelve years since their installation and we feel that now, when GCC are moving to support active travel, is the time that they are tackled.

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you.

(a) Science Direct ‘How much space do drivers provide when passing cyclists? Understanding the impact of motor vehicle and infrastructure characteristics on passing distance.’

Have you spotted the Board of Shame’s next pop up location yet??

The North East Human Cycle Lane Pop Up – Cumbernauld Road

Friday 26th April 2pm

Join On Bikes to support their call for a network of segregated cycle lanes, particularly for young people, in the East End.

Web event page here. Social media event page here.

Glasgow City Centre Pop Up – BikeLane MEANS BikeLane

Saturday 27th April 10am

Howard Street (St Enoch Square)

Prevent the daily illegal parking on the lanes of Howard Street with a revolving human bike chain.

Web event page here. Social media event page here.

Complete the Bearsway Pop Up

Saturday 27th April 2pm

Join Friends of Bears Way to extend the unfinished Bears Way with teddy bears! A completed Bears Way would form an important route in East Dunbartonshire’s developing cycle network. Making it a healthier, happier and safer place to live, work and play.

Web event page here. Social media event page here.

East Renfrewshire Pop Up – The Ayr Hill Climb Ticketing Race

Saturday 27th April 3:30pm

Join GoBike to ride hill repeats of the Ayr Road and flyer cars parked in the cycle lanes.

Web event page here. Social media event page here.

Victoria Park Pop Up – Zebra Crossing Demo

Sunday 28th April 10am

Head to Scotstoun dressed as superheroes (or zebras!) to show you need to be a superhero to cross this junction that needs a safe crossing.

Web event page here. Social media event page here.

Cambuslang Hoover Lanes

Sunday 28th April 11am

Hoover-protected cycle lanes on Main St (near the old factory site)!

Web event page here. Social media event page here.

The GoBike Board of Shame Pop Up

Friday 26th-Sunday 28th April

And don’t forget – the GoBike Board of Shame is going to be out there too. It may even go on tour! If you spot it be sure to take a picture and share!

Web event page here. Web campaign page here.

And one last thing – you still have until 7am on Thursday morning to get your 2019 tshirt in time for POP weekend:

Please support Pedal on Parliament to help make Scotland a cycle friendly country.

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 7^th 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.