Sauchiehall Street – GoBike response to the Traffic Regulation Order for part of the Avenue concept

Glasgow City Council are progressing their plans for the Sauchiehall Street “avenue” with a Traffic Regulation Order and a Planning Application.

GoBike has now responded to the Traffic Regulation Order, with this letter: GoBike Sauchiehall Street partial support 280217  The full details of the Order may be seen at: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=18127 but, unfortunately, they do not include details of the cycle way as this is new construction, rather than a change to the existing road layout.  While we very much support the principle of reducing traffic access, limiting parking and a separated cycle way, we do object to the proposal to make Elmbank Street, shown on the photo as it meets Sauchiehall Street, one-way.  This contravenes the default position in the City Council’s design guide, Cycling by Design and limits accessibility in the city for people on bikes.

The Planning Application for the new work on Sauchiehall Street is on the Council’s website at: https://publicaccess.glasgow.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=OKT65HEXMXU00 but all the documents appear to be “unavailable at this time”!  A bit of a contradiction in terms but we are considering our options for comment.  Having looked at the drawings listed with the TRO we are concerned that there are no links to the cycle way from Woodlands Road and St George’s Road – that area over the M8 is not a happy place to cycle, even though lots of us have journeys through there – and the links out of the cycle way into the Core Path area of Sauchiehall Street and all the streets in between Newton Street and Rose Street are unclear.

If you have views about these proposals, please make them clear to the Council or to the Councilors for the area.  Comments on the TRO close this Friday, 03 March and on the Planning Application 21 days after 17 February, according to the advert, which might be 10 March.