Consultation Digest (Local) Issue 99, 11 November 2021

A bear on a bike in the Square.

The route of the March for Climate Justice on Saturday 6 November started on Kelvin Way and passed more Spaces for People measures in George Square. An order has come out to help make the temporary Spaces for People measures around the square permanent.

The march couldn’t get anywhere near the COP26 venue at the SEC. It has just lodged a planning application for its sometimes public cycle/footbridge. Looking further to the future, this Digest also includes two long term strategies for Glasgow and another for South Ayrshire.

Image credit: Julia L via Pedal on Parliament Flickr group

Contents
(new consultations in bold – link jumps to article)

Section 1: Current Consultations

  1. South Ayrshire Active Travel Strategy
  2. Tarbet to Inverarnan A82 road/active travel improvements
  3. Glasgow’s Active Travel Strategy (Consultation draft)
  4. Nitshill Road (40mph Speed Limit) Amendment Order
  5. SEC Arrival Hall & Minerva St pedestrian/cycle bridge (planning application)
  6. George Square: City Centre Traffic Management Order 2010 (Variation No. 31)
  7. Draft Glasgow Transport Strategy: framework
  8. Draft Parking Management Plan (EDC)
  9. Ayr Road (South) Active Travel Improvements 
  10. Langside to Toryglen Liveable Neighbourhoods
  11. Ruchill to Cowlairs Liveable Neighbourhoods
  12. Raeberry St Quietway (Connecting Woodside)
  13. Ayr Road (North): Spaces for People, Phase 2
  14. Helensburgh to Garelochhead active travel route
  15. Rethink Glasgow

Section 2: Consultation Feedback

  1. COP26 Active Travel route closures
  2. City Deal Avenues: Programme update

Section 1: Current Consultations
(in date order for responses)

1.1: South Ayrshire Active Travel Strategy 2021–2031

Council: South Ayrshire.
Subject: Active Travel Strategy for South Ayrshire Council region, covering Ayr, Prestwick, Troon, Girvan, etc. Includes a list of infrastructure proposals but not much detail on the standards they might use for construction. Apologies this almost slipped through the net – email any last minute comments about the strategy to: saats@sweco.co.uk.
Website link: South Ayrshire Active Travel Strategy consultation page, South Ayrshire Active Travel Strategy (PDF).
Deadline: 12th November.

1.2: Tarbet to Inverarnan A82 road/active travel improvements

Organisation: Transport Scotland.
Area: Loch Lomond north west shore (A82) in Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park.
Subject: New shared path added to re-aligned/improved A82. Scenic route north from Tarbet to Inverarnan (at head of Loch Lomond).
First covered: Digest 97, Item 1.11.
Website link: Tarbet to Inverarnan ‘storymap’.
Deadline: 19th November.

1.3: Glasgow’s Active Travel Strategy

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: Active Travel Strategy to replace the previous Cycling Strategy. It certainly talks the talk’ and has some good case studies. However, will it be robust enough to ‘walk the walk’ and be implemented properly?
First covered: Digest 97, 1.5.
Website links: GCC Active Travel info and downloads and GCC Active Travel Survey.  There’s also, an Active Travel ‘Storymap’ and now a CommonPlace map for the proposed city network
Deadline: 22 November (not 24th as previously stated).

1.4: Nitshill Road (40mph Speed Limit) Amendment Order

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: South-west Glasgow.
Subject: A few 40mph signs to be moved along Nitshill Rd for a new development.
First covered: Digest 98, Item 1.6.
Website links: Nitshill Rd map, Nitshill Rd report, Nitshill Rd press notice.
Deadline: 22 November.

1.5: SEC Arrival Hall & Minerva St pedestrian/cycle bridge (planning application)

Existing/proposed plan for pedestrian/cycle bridge between SEC and Minerva St
Existing and proposed plan for ‘Red Smartie Tube’ pedestrian/cycle bridge (click to enlarge)

Organisation: Scottish Event Campus.
Area: SEC and Minerva St, Finnieston.
Subject: Proposal for the pedestrian/cycle bridge from Minerva St at Exhibition Centre train station. It will keep the same footings north of Stobcross Rd, so will still have its hazardous right-angle corners (but might lose the gates at the southern end). A new ‘arrival hall’ building will be added at the SEC end of the bridge (starting roughly where the current ‘kink’ is, south of Stobcross Rd). This is part of the wider redevelopment plans for the SEC.
Website links: SEC Arrival Hall & Minerva St bridge planning application.
Deadline: 25 November.

1.6: George Square: City Centre Traffic Management Order 2010 (Variation No. 31)

Plan for George Square and surrounding streets
Plan for George Square and surrounding streets (click to enlarge or see PDF map, below)

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: Order to make Spaces for People temporary measures permanent in George Square. These include walking/cycling only areas on the west and east sides of the square and at the junction with Hanover St. Also, the southern side is restricted to bus, taxi and cycles from 7am–7pm. There are other restrictions and disabled parking bays on the streets next to the square plus a few restrictions on parts of West Nile St.
Website links: George Sq map, George Sq City Centre TRO Report, George Sq press notice, George Sq Statement of Reasons.
Deadline: 26 November.

1.7: Draft Glasgow Transport Strategy: Framework

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: “The new transport strategy will be city-wide, and provide a framework for investment and decision-making on transport issues up to 2030.” Note: specific transport projects won’t be covered until the ‘Glasgow Transport Strategy: Spatial Delivery Framework’ in 2022.
First covered: Digest 98, Item 1.7.
Website links: Glasgow Transport Strategy page, Draft framework document (39MB!), GTS ‘Story Map’ (some parts load slowly or are broken), GTS online survey.
Deadline: 26 November.

1.8: Draft Parking Management Plan

Council: East Dunbartonshire.
Subject: A “coordinated, operational plan for parking management.”
First covered: Digest 97, Item 1.6.
Website links: Draft parking management plan consultation page and survey.
Deadline: 30 November.

1.9: Ayr Road (South) Active Travel Improvements

Council: East Renfrewshire.
Area: Ayr Rd south from Newton Mearns.
Subject: Build a replacement shared-use path on the north/west side of Ayr Road, between North Hillhead Road and the M77 overbridge.
First covered: Digest 97, Item 1.7.
Website link: ERC Ayr Road South consultation page.
Deadline: 24 December.

1.10: Langside to Toryglen Liveable Neighbourhoods consultation

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: From Langside (at edge of Shawlands) across Battlefield, Mount Florida and part of King’s Park to Toryglen (and Polmadie).
Subject: GCC says Liveable Neighbourhoods are to “rebalance the way streets are designed and used, to make them more people friendly” and “to place active travel and public transport as a first choice”. See also GCC’s LN overview and UBDC’s article.
First covered: Digest 96, 1.4.
Website link: Langside to Toryglen LN Commonplace map, About the Langside to Toryglen LN.
Deadline: No obvious deadline.

1.11: Ruchill to Cowlairs Liveable Neighbourhood consultation

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: From Ruchill (at edge of Maryhill) across Possilpark, Hamiltonhill, Rockvilla, Craighall, Keppochhill and Port Dundas to Cowlairs (plus Sighthill Park).
Subject: As above. One model that Liveable Neighbourhoods may follow is Quietways – see the next item for an example.
First covered: Digest 96, 1.5.
Website link: Ruchill to Cowlairs LN Commonplace map, About the Ruchill to Cowlairs LN.
Deadline: No obvious deadline.

1.12: Raeberry St Quietway (Connecting Woodside)

Raeberry St Quietway plan – Maryhill Rd junction
Plan showing revised junction of Raeberry St at Maryhill Rd and Trossach St (click to enlarge)

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: Raeberry St, North Woodside (west of Maryhill Rd).
Subject: Quietway on Raeberry St, part of the wider Connecting Woodside project (via GoBike member Alasdair). Key points include junction redesigns at either end of the street and new secure cycle parking. The eastern end (above) is narrowed at Maryhill Road and the crossing moved to make a direct link to Trossachs St (helping access to the Garscube Rd cycleway and the canal). Car parking bays in the street are set by the new North Kelvinside/Woodside Restricted Parking Zone (which should reduce the amount of vehicles in the area).
Website link: Raeberry St Quietway ‘storymap’, Raeberry St plans PDF, Raeberry St survey.
Deadline: No obvious deadline.

1.13: Ayr Road (North): Spaces for People, Phase 2

Council: East Renfrewshire.
Area: Ayr Rd through Newton Mearns.
Subject: Phase 2 consultation about replacing the phase 1 cones with light segregation.
First covered: Digest 91, Item 1.5.
Website link: ERC Ayr Road Phase 2 Commonplace page.
Deadline: No obvious deadline.

1.14: Helensburgh to Garelochhead active travel route

Council: Argyll and Bute.
Area: Gare Loch east shore (A814/B872).
Subject: Active travel route between Helensburgh and Garelochhead (by Faslane naval base).
First covered: Digest 95, 1.5.
Website link: Helensburgh to Garelochhead active travel consultation.
Deadline: No obvious deadline.

1.15: Rethink Glasgow

Organisations: Lateral North/OnePlanet/After The Pandemic
Area: Glasgow.
Subject: A “region-wide conversation to re-think a new vision for Glasgow’s future”. After The Pandemic have held a few events during COP26 and have a display in Strathclyde University Students Union until 12 November.
First covered: Digest 95, 1.6.
Website link: Rethink Glasgow, Commonplace site.
Deadline: No obvious deadline. 

Section 2: Consultation Feedback

2.1: COP26 Active Travel route closures

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: NCN7/Clyde Walkway (Riverside to Lancefield Quay), West City Way (bridge over M8), Finnieston, etc.
Subject: Further (and final?) response about active travel diversion routes from Get Ready Glasgow.
On signage: “We can confirm that the routes were re-signed on Thursday 4th November.”
On ramps at security gates for accessibility: “Cyclists approaching the gates should dismount. Ramps will not be provided.”
On a site visit with Cllr Christy Mearns and GoBike: “Unfortunately there is no-one available for a site visit as we are all in our operational roles.”
First covered: Digest 94, Item 1.2.
Website links: GoBike on Facebook/GoBike on Twitter.

2.2: City Deal Avenues: Programme update

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: City centre.
Subject: Report for an upcoming council meeting on progress with the Avenues project. Part of Sauchiehall St has already been upgraded to add cycle lanes, trees, etc. However, the timetable for other city centre streets has been seriously delayed. Appendix A shows there will be no new Avenues completed in 2022. Only one (Cambridge St) might be completed by July 2023, when Glasgow hosts the World Cycling Championships. The timetables for some others stretch to 2028.
Website links: Avenues GCC committee document.