Consultations Digest, Issue 6, 03 April 2018, THE FULL VERSION! Are cycle lanes where they are needed, see Item 1.4

Three new consultations for this fortnight, all in Glasgow. The first is for Glasgow’s ‘The Park Conservation Area’ taking in Kelvingrove Park and surrounding areas, the second, with more opportunity to raise the profile of active travel, is for the High Street / Saltmarket area of the city, pictured here, and the third is on parking controls in the Kelvingrove area. As GoBike we have now submitted responses to the Jura Street and Scotstoun /Jordanhill requests for views.  Both of these consultations are still open for you to get your responses in.

1.  Current Consultations

1.1  Draft Park Conservation Area Appraisal, Glasgow, closes 24 May

The very smart area in the West End, inhabited by some of our members, The Park, is being consulted on here:  https://www.glasgowconsult.co.uk/KMS/dmart.aspx?strTab=PublicDMartCurrent&NoIP=1 It’s all very nice, but there isn’t any mention of cycling and there is room for improvement in the area, so do please get your ideas in.  Consultation opened 29 March and closes 24 May.

1.2  Glasgow High Street/Saltmarket Action Plan, closes 07 May

This is one that we need to comment on!  The critical section on the Public Realm starts on page 9 of the word document that you will find here: https://www.glasgowconsult.co.uk/KMS/dmart.aspx

We have the welcome statement “A street audit has been commissioned from the organisation Living Streets, who champion the pedestrian experience, and the associated draft report will be produced by April 2018″  Living Streets are involved in many active travel forums.

We learn that High Street Station is to be improved and made DDA compliant which will certainly help anyone trying to get their bike to or from a train, however, there’s not one mention of cycling in the document. There is reference to all the road junctions and the quote “The adjacent Argyle Street Avenue project will also explore public realm solutions for the area around Glasgow Cross.”

Consultation opened 26 March and closes 07 May.  If you have views please get them in and if there is anyone interested in helping to form the GoBike response, please e-mail consultations@gobike.org and we’ll pool our ideas.

1.3  Scotstoun / Jordanhill car parking controls, closes 16 April

This consultation was featured last time but is open for responses until Monday 16 April and our letter, going in today, is here: GoBike Scotstoun Jordanhill Parking letter 030418  Not surprising to us, the view in the Highway Code is not to park within 10m of a road junction and Glasgow City Council propose to put down double yellow lines to reinforce that.  This consultation closes on Monday 16 April so still time for you to respond, see: www.glasgow.gov.uk/proposedtro.

1.4 Jura Street, proposed cycle lanes, closes 06 April

This on-line consultation closes on 06 April so get your views in quick.  The proposal is for a much needed dropped kerb at the north end to access the subway under the M8, then for a segregated cycle lane most of the way to Paisley Road West, with several options for the last wee bit.  The traffic lights will be altered at Paisley Road West with improved access to Bellahouston Park.  All this for a quiet road, albeit one that people use to access the new hospital in Govan – however, we hear a whisper that GCC might be looking for funding for cycling on Paisley Road West!  Wouldn’t that be good.

The letter we have submitted today is here: GoBike Jura Street comments letter 030418  It is important to get your views in for this consultation as, depending which option is selected, there might not be the requirement for a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO).  If there’s no TRO, there’s no need for public consultation, we were told at the consultation event last week.

1.5  The UK Government has called for evidence on cycle safety, closes 01 June

One of our members managed to find the closing date for this consultation, which we mentioned last time, and it’s 01 June. They also told us of this document that you might be interested in to aid your response: A personal injury expert has backed   Enforcement is the key, though.

1.6  THE GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL, (KELVINGROVE), (TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND PARKING CONTROLS) ORDER 201_  closes 11 April

Parking changes are proposed for these streets: Corunna Street, Minerva Street, Minerva Way, St Vincent Crescent, St Vincent Crescent Lane and West Greenhill Place, so if you are concerned about parking on these streets, have a look at these documents: Kelvingrove (TRO-2017-016) – 001 – Publication Notice of Proposals (Press Notice) Report Statement of Reasons and get your views to saferparking@glasgow.gov.uk by 11 April.  You can also see the documents at: www.glasgow.gov.uk/saferparking

Given that parked cars take up the space where we would normally cycle, it’s important to see how this affects you.

2. Upcoming Consultations

Nothing new for you at the moment.

3. Consultation Feedback

Two members of the GoBike committee recently had a tour around Fastlink, the Festival Park and the exit from the southbound Clyde tunnel with representatives from Glasgow City Council.  They were disappointed with an apparent lack of concern shown about the Clyde Arc (Squinty) Bridge traffic arrangements, the so-called “cycling improvements” on the Brand Street, Lorne Street and Govan Road quiet streets, and the very poor, in fact hazardous, exit arrangements from the southbound Clyde Tunnel.  Most of this work was brought in with no consultation, we were told that none was required as there was no Traffic Regulation Order.  We also discovered recently that the south footway adjacent to the Fastlink lanes near the BBC has now been redetermined for dual use.  So you can now legally cycle on the footway – next to the almost empty Fastlink lanes!  We will be putting our views in writing to the council and we’ll publish the letter in a future digest.

Until then, get your consultation views in, and thanks!

Apologies for the previous, truncated post; this was caused by serious difficulties with my internet provider.