In the past year or so, the city centre has had a lot more roadworks than usual. Many of the streets affected are in the Avenues project. These seem to all come at once after delays due to Covid-19, procurement issues and extra consultation.

However, other events have made the situation worse. Obviously, the Union St fire next to Glasgow Central station has closed the junction and Gordon St. The M8 viaduct works had already affected Garscube Rd and the Underline (New City Rd). Works on a collapsed sewer on Cathedral St and a burst water main on Cowcaddens Rd have just added to the pain.

Despite all that, new protected lanes are appearing. Glasgow City Council has an Avenues dashboard to update on progress. The following photos were taken in March/April as a snapshot of some of the current projects.

St George’s Road

Works started: 17 March 2025 (St George’s Rd article).
Progress: Part of Connecting Woodside programme. Works have been progressing north from Charing Cross with a mostly complete 2-way lane. Also, further work was underway around Clarendon Pl and Woodside Library heading north-east.
Connections: Charing Cross/Sauchiehall St at southern end. Northern end links to Garscube Rd.
Completion due: Was early 2026?

Cowcaddens Road/Dobbies Loan

Works started: 18 February 2025. (Cowcaddens Rd/Dobbies Loan article).
Progress: Avenues Plus project in ‘Block S’. Lane and planting beds mostly installed (complete with trees!). Each has had lane closures and 1-ways during works.
Connections: N Hanover St/Kyle St to east (and Sighthill Bridge beyond).
Completion due: Was meant to be April 2026 (but sinkhole repairs did delay work on Cowcaddens Rd). Revised to May 2026.

Argyle Street (West)

Works started: 13 May 2024 (Argyle St W article).
Progress: Last year I wrote: “Large parts of it are in place but unfinished, apart from the earlier phase in front of the JPMorgan Chase building.” Overall that’s still true but the western end, past Kentigern House, is much more complete. Work has moved a lot further east but there’s still a closed section of Argyle St around the Radisson Hotel. Apparently this is to do with water getting into the Low Level tunnels near Glasgow Central.
Connections: Crossings at western end to path under Kingston Bridge (link to Clyde Walkway/NCN7 and major developments near Daily Record building). Eastern end will link to Argyle St East (plans were in a recent TRO).
Completion due: It was December 2025 – revised to March and then May 2026.

George Square

Works started: May 2025 (was originally meant to be January – George Sq article).
Progress: Boards have closed off the square for a while. Statues were removed and the column has scaffolding. Road closures on the north side of the square for major roadworks (causing disruption for bus routes and access to Queen St station).
Connections: Avenue on N Hanover St. Protected lanes going in at north side should eventually link to George St Avenue (but it was put back by City Deal spending review).
Completion due: Still meant to be August 2026 (just after the Commonwealth Games).

North Hanover Street/Kyle Street 

Works started: 26 May 2025 (N Hanover St/Kyle St article).
Progress: Most work seems to have been on pavements – not much on the road so far.
Connections: George Sq at south, Dobbie’s Loan/Cowcaddens Rd to west and Sighthill Bridge off Kyle St at northern end.
Completion due: November 2026.

South Portland Street

Works started: January 2025.
Progress: Lots of fencing and diversions but some lane kerbs visible and planting beds emerging (hopefully for trees to return).
Connections: At north onto suspension bridge to Clyde Walkway. South into Govanhill.
Completion due: Was May, now July 2026.

Duke Street/John Knox St/‘Barras North’

Works started: January 2025 (Duke St article).
Progress: Another Avenues Plus project. Large parts of Duke St northern pavement has been resurfaced but not completely finished. Duke St has been closed westbound at Bellgrove St for works to add cycle tracks and planting on southern side. Some work has started on John Knox St too. ‘Barras North’ works on Sydney St are mostly done except a few bits of snagging.
Connections: At east, path through future development of Meat Market sheds (off Duke St/Melbourne St). At the western end, future High St and George St Avenues. 
Completion due: Was April 2026! However, now September 2026.

Dumbreck Road

Works started: December 2025 (following Shields Rd works, according to councillor).
Progress: A former Spaces for People cycle lane between Pollok Country Park and Bellahouston Park being made permanent. Areas fenced off at southern end with new crossing added. Looks like works will be moving north from there.
Connections: Southern end at the current South West City Way on St Andrews Dr. To north, the recently proposed Connecting Greater Govan Route 1.
Completion due: July 2026.

Completion

Shortly after last year’s update both George V bridge and Pitt St were completed with Sauchiehall Precinct mostly done a bit later. So, there has been new infrastructure to use.

Also, these photos were taken in March/April so there will have been some progress since then. They don’t even cover all works in the city (Byres Rd North and Yorkhill/Kelvingrove for example).

However, the overall theme is obviously a lot of delays and potential overruns. Duke St/John Knox St won’t be ready for the summer as originally planned. Probably not surprising based on recent experience and the scale of works overall (probably the most ambitious in Scotland).

However, the Commonwealth Games are only a few months away – there will need to be a big push to get the city into shape for hosting. If things go down to the wire the grumbling at the council is going to get an awful lot louder.

This frustration also increases the pressure for the new infra to deliver on what was promised; especially the Avenues project. Its price tag of £100+ million of City Deal investment also raises the stakes. So, usage figures could be under a lot of scrutiny. Many of us will want to have a look at the new lanes but it’s important we get more people to try cycling in the city centre.

One bright spot is the popularity of the Voi e-bikes. After the Union St fire, Voi had a surge of new customers using them as a stop gap for public transport. Let’s hope the Games can inspire similar usage levels to boost the city centre.

Snapshot of progress

The following is a snapshot of active travel works in and around the city centre during May/June 2025.

Most of these are part of the Avenues Project (or Avenues Plus). Not all projects include segregated cycle lanes, for example: Holland St and Sauchiehall Precinct (but the latter has removed raised platforms so there’s more space for cycling). The photos give an idea of how things are taking shape. 

St George’s Road

Works started: 17 March 2025 (St George’s Rd article).
Progress: An earlier phase is complete at Charing Cross so works are moving north from there. There are already some improvements to side road junctions.
Connections: Charing Cross/Sauchiehall St at southern end. Northern end links to Garscube Rd as part of Connecting Woodside programme.
Completion due: Early 2026.

Sauchiehall Precinct/Cambridge Street

Works started: 27 September 2023 (Sauchiehall Precinct article).
Progress: Long-running works – western part of Sauchiehall Precinct (Rose St end) is finished with platform removed and new trees. Work still going at eastern end around W Nile St. Cambridge St also has finished sections but road still fenced off at Sauchiehall St.
Connections: Sauchiehall St, Buchanan St and underpasses to Cowcaddens Subway and Garscube Rd. In future, due to link to W Nile St Avenue.
Completion due: Originally summer 2024, should happen summer 2025!?

Pitt Street/Holland Street

Works started: Late March 2024 (Pitt St/Holland St article).
Progress: Most of Holland St is done – despite the name, it doesn’t have bike lanes. Protected cycleway is on Pitt St – mostly complete but fenced off. Slightly twisty crossing from Waterloo St (maybe designed to slow southbound riders?). Gradient doesn’t look too bad there but maybe a bit steeper up to W George St (by St Vincent St church – see main image, above). Lanes seem wider to accommodate faster descent. Works still ongoing either side of Bath St. 
Connections: Sauchiehall St to north and Waterloo St at south (West City Way/Connect2 bridge over M8).
Completion due: Was May 2025 but still bits to finish – hopefully not long. UPDATE: Pitt St lanes seem to be open.

Argyle Street (West)

Works started: 13 May 2024 (Argyle St W article).
Progress: Large parts of it are in place but unfinished, apart from the earlier phase in front of the JPMorgan Chase building.
Connections: Crossings at western end to path under Kingston Bridge from Clyde Walkway/NCN7. Also, to major developments near Daily Record building, like Platform (confusingly, the third place in Glasgow with that name – after the Arches event and venue in Easterhouse). Eastern end will link to Argyle St East (currently being designed).
Completion due: December 2025.

George V Bridge/Broomielaw

Works started: 24 March 2025 (George V Bridge article).
Progress: Mostly complete at southern end and lanes on bridge itself. Work still to do to link new protected bike lanes to existing Broomielaw route (may include installing bike-specific traffic lights?).
Connections: Clyde Walkway/NCN7 at north and Barclays campus/Clyde Place at south.
Completion due: End of June 2025. UPDATE: the lanes seemed to be open mid-June.

George Square

Works started: May 2025 (was originally meant to be January – George Sq article).
Progress: Boards have gone up around former parking lanes. The Spaces for People planters seem to have been relocated to southern side of road. Not clear if it’s intended for pedestrians or cycling (with ‘bus boarder’ ramps onto pavement in front of bus stop). Slightly narrowed lanes in new arrangement seems like they could cause conflict for the next year and a half. Statues have been removed for maintenance.
Connections: Avenue on N Hanover St. Protected lanes going in at north side should eventually link to George St Avenue (but it was put back by City Deal spending review).
Completion due: August 2026. 

North Hanover Street/Kyle Street 

Works started: 26 May 2025 (N Hanover St/Kyle St article).
Progress: Just started on N Hanover St where bus diversion will cause a lot of disruption. Kyle St has some areas fenced off and a closure on a side street.
Connections: George Sq at south, Dobbie’s Loan/Cowcaddens Rd to west and Sighthill Bridge off Kyle St at northern end.
Completion due: April 2027.

Cowcaddens Road/Dobbies Loan

Works started: 18 February 2025. (Cowcaddens Rd/Dobbies Loan article).
Progress: Avenues Plus route on Cowcaddens Rd had to have a sinkhole repaired by Scottish Water.  On Dobbie’s Loan work has started on the southern pavement. 
Connections: N Hanover St/Kyle St to east (and Sighthill Bridge beyond).
Completion due: April 2026.

Duke Street/‘Barras North’

Works started: January 2025 (Duke St article).
Progress: Another Avenues Plus project – works to replace northern pavement on Duke St are nearly there. The protected bike lanes will go on the southern side of the road (and John Knox St works will follow). The ‘Barras North’ project between Barrack St and Bellgrove St has new speed tables and widened pavements, with a protected bike lane near completion on Melbourne St. Also, there’s been work on a crossing at Bellgrove St near the station.
Connections: At east, path through future ‘linear park’ and sheds development at Meat Market, off Duke St/Melbourne St. At the western end, future High St and George St Avenues. 
Completion due: April 2026.

Make or break

While not every detail will be perfect, and works can drag on, it’s clear there’s a lot happening. Once these are complete there will be the bones of a network of segregated cycleways around much of the city centre. We’ll still need to look at the gaps but there are further plans in the pipeline. It’s good to reflect on progress every so often and give credit where it’s due.

There’s a lot riding on the success of the Avenues project for active travel and the city in general. The disruption and pricetag mean there will be plenty of criticism (much of it from people who live outside the city). If we want more Avenues, and wider projects in the City Network, then healthy usage numbers from the above will really help the cause. And the more we (as individuals and as a group) can explain the difference they make to citizens, the better.

There are plans for redeveloping both towns and neighbourhood centres in this issue. Information varies from big budget visuals in South Lanarkshire to the ‘secret squirrel’ approach in Renfrewshire. Many of them are in areas which don’t always get the spotlight, either in the ‘shires’ or the edges of the city. Even the latest Avenues project is at the edge of the city centre. Also, there’s a less edgy (but important) city strategy and North Lanarkshire’s development plan and new crossings. Plus, a Dutch-style junction comes to East Renfrewshire…

Contents
(new consultations in bold)

1: Current Consultations

1. Pollok Roundabout Replacement
2. South Portland St (Avenues Plus) TRO
3. City Development Plan Scheme Participation
4. East Kilbride town centre: A new vision
5. Royston to Hogganfield Liveable Neighbourhoods
6. Yoker to Whiteinch Liveable Neighbourhoods
7. Glasgow Transport Strategy – Spatial Delivery Framework
8. Local Development Plan for North Lanarkshire (Participation)
9. Connecting Battlefield Phase 1 (Queens Drive and Langside Road TRO)
10. Our Johnstone (Town Centre consultation)
11. Connecting Woodside – Phase 2 (St George’s Road)
12. Waiting to Happen (junctions consultation)
13. *ADDITION* Queen’s Park consultation

2: Consultation Feedback

1. A77 Ayr Road Phase 2 update
2. New crossings in North Lanarkshire

3: Proposed Traffic Regulation Orders

1. East Ayrshire TROs
2. East Dunbartonshire TROs
3. Glasgow City TROs & Traffic Calming
4. North Lanarkshire TROs

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

1.1: Pollok Roundabout Replacement

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: Replacement for Pollok roundabout (Peat Road, Barrhead Rd and Braidcraft Rd). It’s a collision blackspot and barrier to active travel near Silverburn shopping centre. The consultation mentions safety and active travel. However, the aims are all about reducing journey times for cars and buses (design funded by SPT). The proposal would replace the current three-ring circus of a roundabout with an even more complex signal-controlled double junction (add your own clown joke!). The plan has nine lanes on Barrhead Rd and would require six crossings to get from one side to the other. It could easily take 15 minutes or more for pedestrians to cross the road(s). There’s no segregated cycling infrastructure, possibly as plans date from 2016, before updated Cycling by Design guidance. An Information Day was held on 10 August at Pollok Civic Realm. Feedback from the event said the staff had little sympathy for cycling.
Website links: Pollok Roundabout plans and Pollok Roundabout survey.
Deadline: 21 September 2023.

1.2: South Portland St (Avenues Plus) TRO

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: The first Avenue plans for south of the river. At first glance, it may seem like there’s not much to it (which may be why it wasn’t featured in the last issue). However, there’s a bit more to the junctions and potential links, especially as it aligns with the suspension bridge. The two-way lanes on S Portland St moving to one-way lanes at the crossroads may need some working out (it’s due to go to the next AIDF meeting later this month). Also, some revisions have taken place since the earlier versions of the plans, including potentially reversing a few one-way streets (options in consultation).
Website links: S Portland St storymap.
Deadline: 22 September 2023.

1.3: City Development Plan Scheme Participation

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: GCC say: “The Development Plan is Glasgow’s land-use plan that sets out strategic land use changes in the city for a 20 year period. This short survey is intended to engage interested parties on how best the Council can engage with citizens and stakeholders during the production of the city’s next Development Plan over the next 5 years.” So, engagement about engagement? The survey asks if you think GCC’s plans to promote the plan are sufficient or not.
Website links: Plan Scheme survey.
Deadline: 27 September 2023.

1.4: East Kilbride town centre: A new vision

Council: South Lanarkshire.
Subject: The same old story of changing (online) shopping habits, empty units and redevelopment. Surprisingly, the most recent building, Centre West, is due to be demolished for housing, with a new north-south street put next to it. Other demolitions would create space for a new town square and car parking by the Queensway trunk road. However, there doesn’t seem to be any new crossing to the square or the path along the south of the site. The existing underpasses often have issues with broken glass and poor sight-lines/personal safety. This is why SLC are building segregated on-road cycle lanes on Churchill Avenue (not in the plans). Will the path be upgraded with improved links west near Blacklands Rd or across to Churchill Ave’s 2-way protected lanes? Also, could there be a further north-south link between Brouster Gate and the new square?
Drop-in events are in the former Toytown shop, Princes Mall:
Thurs 21 to Sat 23 Sept, 10am – 4pm then Thurs 28/Fri 29 Sept, 10am – 4pm.
Website links: EK consultation boards and EK questionnaire.
Deadline: No obvious deadline but events finish late September.

1.5: Royston to Hogganfield Liveable Neighbourhoods

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: The Liveable Neighbourhoods project aims to improve active travel links and placemaking in sections of the city. The Royston to Hogganfield area is part of ‘Tranche 2’, which had a consultation in February 2023. The plans that came out of that are now up for comment. There are seven projects, mostly in Royston and Germiston, with one in Hogganfield. They include a plan to put an active travel route through the former St Rollox train works between Royston and the retail park. Also, to simplify paths between Royston Rd and Castle St. Other projects in the area include Royston Road Masterplan, Flourishing Molendinar (Blackhill) and the replacement for Barlinnie Prison. Consultation events have finished.
Featured: Digest 129, 1.8.
Website links: Royston to Hogganfield plans and survey.
Deadline: 01 October 2023.

1.6: Yoker to Whiteinch Liveable Neighbourhoods

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: Yoker to Whiteinch is also a ‘Tranche 2’ Liveable Neighbourhood. It has eight potential projects spread across the area. Most involve crossing improvements with one replacing an underpass at Victoria Park Drive South. There’s also some potential modal filters in Scotstoun and Hawick St (using bollards, planters, etc. to block through car traffic but still allow bikes and pedestrians). Some of the major roads, like Anniesland Road/Kingsway, will be picked up by the City Network program instead. LN’s are only funded to this stage as a whole so each individual project will need to get funding for detailed design and construction. However, the national funding for active travel projects has been increasing and is due to rise further to 10% of the Scottish transport budget (as asked for by Pedal on Parliament). Consultation events have finished.
Featured: Digest 129, 1.7.
Website links: Yoker to Whiteinch plans and survey.
Deadline: 01 October 2023.

1.7: Glasgow Transport Strategy – Spatial Delivery Framework

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: A second attempt at this consultation, which seemed to have a false start last month (and still has a broken link to the Transport Strategy – fixed below). The Spatial Delivery Framework covers some important parts of the strategy, especially the Bus Priority Corridors and Active Travel Network, which may conflict on some key routes. Also, Mobility Hubs, Freight Hubs, Road Hierarchy and the Environmental Report. Online sessions with stakeholders are taking place during September and early October.
Website links: Spatial Delivery Framework survey and Glasgow Transport Strategy information.
Deadline: 12 October 2023.

1.8: Local Development Plan for North Lanarkshire (Participation)

Council: North Lanarkshire.
Subject: NLC say: “The LDP… sets out the policies and proposals for future land use and development in North Lanarkshire. For example, it will guide where new housing, business and infrastructure will be located. …we want to make sure everyone with an interest can get involved. To help with this, we have prepared a draft Participation Statement.”
But, since the Participation Statement is a PDF file: “Accessibility: These files may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. Please contact us to request an accessible format.” Sigh…
Website links: NLLDP2: Participation Statement Survey.
Deadline: 13 October 2023.

1.9: Connecting Battlefield Phase 1 (Queens Drive and Langside Road TRO)

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: A belated return for this extension to the South City Way. Last time, it had one-way lanes and went down Grange Rd. A lot seems to have happened since, including various comments by residents in Queen’s Drive. So, now there’s a two-way cycleway on the western side of Langside Rd (avoiding Queen’s Dr on the eastern side). Also, the route stays on Langside Rd instead of going down Grange Rd. After some discussion with GCC during Stage 1 of this TRO, we received the following:
“The proposed… Bi-directional cycle lanes on Langside to the monument are an addition to the project. I can confirm the cycle lanes towards the Battlefield monument will not replace the cycle lanes towards the [Battlefield] rest. The Bi-directional cycle lane on Langside to the monument will be constructed using light segregation. To confirm the cycle[way]s do connect, but for TRO purposes we only show the green hatch on the carriageway. The cycle lanes will join within the large buildout at the junction.” So, it seems we get a bonus lane with more still to come (even later than planned).
Featured: Digest 114, 1.7, Consultation Extra (18 February 2020) and earlier.
Website links: Proposed TRO webpage (original consultation storymap).
Deadline: 14 October 2023.

1.10: Our Johnstone (Town Centre consultation)

Council: Renfrewshire.
Subject: Consultation for Johnstone town centre, west of Paisley and Elderslie. The council say: “We want to hear from people who live, work and visit Johnstone Town Centre. This is to help us prioritise improvements, identify growth opportunities and develop a new strategic vision for its future.” There’s an online survey (by Page/Park architects no less) but no further details on any plans so far. There’s due to be a day of consultation events on 27 September taking place in Houston Square and a few surrounding locations.
Website links: Johnstone town centre article and Our Johnstone online survey.
Deadline: 16 October 2023.

1.11: Connecting Woodside – Phase 2 (St George’s Road)

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: Updated plans for St George’s Road, between Charing Cross and N Woodside Rd. The 2-way protected cycleway will connect from the existing Avenue on Sauchiehall St and eventually link into existing infra next to Garscube Rd. There are some changes to junctions and new crossings along the route. The plans include the more direct crossing option at Phoenix Rd/Maryhill Rd. Also, there’s a rare sighting of a continuous pavement; at a side access road (with barrier) next to Woodside Library. Nearby is a novel cycle crossing going diagonally across a pedestrian crossing (with bike light phase apparently). Two side roads were already going to be restricted: Clarendon Place will be stopped up (opened at other end) and Glenfarg St will be filtered. Lastly, a cycle maintenance station has been added to the plans between Grant St and W Princes St (handy for the M8 off-ramp!).
Featured: Digest 121 (1.13).
Website links: St George’s Rd ‘Storymap’ (link fixed now), Connecting Woodside webpage (PDF drawings under St George’s Rd heading) and St George’s Rd survey.
Deadline: 20 October 2023.

1.12: Waiting to Happen (junctions consultation)

Company: New Practice (architecture practice).
Subject: Community engagement by the practice where Emma Burke Newman worked. She was killed by an HGV driver while cycling at the George V bridge/Broomielaw junction, near the casino, in February 2023. This consultation is about that junction and two others – Gorbals St at the Clutha Vaults pub and Albert Bridge/Clyde St (by the High Court). NP say: “These junctions are our focus of study as they feel like incidents-waiting-to-happen, and one is the site of Emma’s death.” Diagrams show movements around each junction (and include the council’s plans for the South City Way extension at the Clutha). New Practice carried out previous consultations like George Square and have applied their knowledge to make a user friendly page. “We want to hear your experiences when walking, wheeling, scooting, or as a driver to help inform solutions specific to these locations and create systems for a safer city for us all.”
Featured: Digest 141, 1.7.
Website links: Waiting to Happen consultation page.
Deadline: No obvious deadline (but New Practice say they’ll review the submissions and present to councillors).

1.13: *ADDITION* Queen’s Park consultation

Organisation: Queen’s Park Working Group.
Subject: A late addition – a community consultation about developing ideas of how to improve Queen’s Park & Recreation Ground. Queen’s Park is on the western edge of Langside Rd, with the Recreation Ground to the east. So, this separate consultation ties in with Connecting Battlefield, above.
Website links: Queen’s Park questionnaire.
Deadline: 30 September.

Section 2: Consultation Feedback

2.1: A77 Ayr Road Phase 2 update

Council: East Renfrewshire.
Subject: A milestone in phase 2 of the active travel project on the A77 at Newton Mearns. ERC report the new Dutch-style traffic light junction at Hunter Drive/Mearnswood Place is operational. As far as we know, it’s the first of its kind in a Scottish town. South Lanarkshire have been working on a similar junction on West Mains Rd, East Kilbride since last year but the cycle traffic lights remain covered up. The only other fully operational junctions like this are on the South City Way on Victoria Rd, Glasgow. Also, phase 2 has uni-directional cycle lanes, which are a rare sight outside cities. While all this should arguably be the default standard across the country, that’s seldom the case (see next item). So, ERC’s enlightened attitude deserves some praise. An official opening for the A77 project should follow shortly.
Featured: Digest 112, 1.7.
Website links: ERC tweet about A77.

2.2: New crossings in North Lanarkshire

Council: North Lanarkshire.
Subject: Following a recent TRO for a puffin crossing on the A73, your editor stumbled across a new toucan (cycle/pedestrian) crossing nearby. It and a second crossing seem to have slipped through the net last year (apologies). The new crossing is single stage between a new Lidl and a petrol station. Also, NLC have converted nearby pedestrian lights into a toucan crossing for NCN75. However, while the old crossing was single stage, the new one is two-stage with a ‘cattle pen’ island and ‘Cyclist Dismount’ signs! There are further signs at the end of Craigneuk Avenue and (widened) shared pavement on either side of Carlisle Rd to the lane that leads towards Hillfoot St.
Elsewhere, NLC are currently adding similar widened pavement and toucans on Alexander St and Netherton St, Wishaw. This will finally improve the route between the train station and University Hospital Wishaw. NHS Lanarkshire added an entrance to George V Park and an upgraded path in 2019.
Featured: Digest 139, 3.3.
Website links: NLC news article.

Section 3: Proposed Traffic Regulation Orders

3.1: East Ayrshire TROs

Subject: TROs for Disabled Persons parking places, road humps on Dean Road, Kilmarnock and proposed zebra crossing, Grougar Road, Crookedholm. Also, East Ayrshire Council made the order for ‘Various roads around Rugby Park, Kilmarnock’ on 04/08/2023.

3.2: East Dunbartonshire TROs

Subject: Off-street parking amendments – deadline: 25 September 2023.
Website links: East Dunbartonshire TROs.

3.3: Glasgow City TROs and Traffic Calming

Subject: As above, TROs for South Portland St and Queens Drive and Langside Road plus the traffic management order for Riverside and Merchant City. Also, several orders have been made for Cumbernauld Rd, Provanmill Rd, Royston Rd and Laggan Rd.
Website links: Glasgow City Proposed TROs and Glasgow City Proposed Traffic Calming Schemes.

3.4: North Lanarkshire TROs

Subject: Parking restrictions for an unnamed road off B8048 Kirkintilloch Road, Cumbernauld (next to a garage near Broadwood Stadium).
Website links: North Lanarkshire TRO (B8048).

As we move into summer holiday time (and Pride month) some new consultations are coming out. The biggest in this issue is the final section of Glasgow’s Avenues Plus project – Duke St and John Knox St. Also, another look at plans for Bishopbriggs town centre. Elsewhere it’s North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire and Loch Lomond.

Sadly May ended with news of a serious collision on Fielden St, Glasgow with a car driver reportedly hitting a cyclist. Tragically, John Morton died in hospital from his injuries on 4 June. GoBike would like to offer sincere condolences to John’s family and friends.

Fielden Street leads north from the corner at London Road police station in the East End. It’s a 4-lane road going uphill with a very poor surface in places. It’s one of the main routes between the M8 and M74 motorways and has issues with drivers speeding and changing lanes without warning. As with the death of Emma Burke Newman in January, the collision that led to John’s death was on a section of road without any protection but close to new cycling infrastructure (the East City Way under construction on London Road).

Earlier in May, the Glasgow Times published an article about road deaths in Glasgow in 2023 passing 2022’s total. Sadly, the number has already risen further. It emphasises the need for protected cycle lanes that are starting to cover more areas of Glasgow and elsewhere. However, there is still a very long way to go.

Contents
(new consultations in bold)

1: Current Consultations

1. Irvine housing developments – Revised draft plans
2. North Ayrshire Local Development Plan 3
3. Bishopbriggs Civic Space
4. North Lanarkshire Council – Green and open space survey
5. Duke Street & John Knox Street Avenues Plus project
6. Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park Partnership Plan
7. Devon Street Urban Park

2: Consultation Feedback

1. City Network Delivery Plan – Approved
2. Accessible and Inclusive Design Forum

3: Proposed Traffic Regulation Orders

1. East Dunbartonshire TROs
2. Glasgow City TROs and Traffic Calming

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

1.1: Irvine housing developments – Revised draft plans

Council: North Ayrshire.
Subject: Two sites are being redeveloped – part of Ayrshire Central Hospital’s grounds and Montgomerie Park in Irvine, either side of the A78. Both housing plans include accessible homes and walking/cycling links. Montgomerie Park seems to include a cycle path alongside the site, which links to an existing off-road path, but there isn’t much detail on width or design. Each development had an in-person consultation event in June.
Featured: Digest 120, 1.6.
Website links: Ayrshire Central Hospital revised draft plans and Montgomerie Park consultation revised draft plans.
Deadline: 16 June 2023.

1.2: North Ayrshire Local Development Plan 3

Council: North Ayrshire.
Subject: First consultation stage for the next Local Development Plan by North Ayrshire. It may be one of the first in Scotland under the new National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4 came into force in February 2023). As a result, it should have more emphasis on the environment, including active travel. Getting cycling routes/networks, developer obligations, etc. mentioned in the LDP makes them more likely to be delivered. Also, if developers proposals miss out or go against the LDP, these give people grounds to object and have plans altered or conditions added.
Website links: North Ayrshire LDP3 consultation website.
Deadline: June 28 2023.

1.3: Bishopbriggs Civic Space

Council: East Dunbartonshire.
Subject: Latest stage of consultation, now looking to finalise designs for phase 1 works. The ‘civic space’ is on Kirkintilloch Rd (A803) at the cross next to St Matthews Church and the Triangle shopping centre. The main focus is removing a mini-roundabout, service road and car parking to create a larger public space. Masterplan B is the preferred option EDC want to fine-tune. Visualisations for that option include a very short 2-way protected cycleway (~130m) on the western side of the A803. However, the wider masterplan shows a bi-directional cycleway continuing south of Bishopbriggs Cross (at Kenmure Ave/Springfield Rd). It’s not clear how to get in or out of the lane going southbound. It seems you may have to go on the carriageway in between the junctions so it probably wouldn’t work for an ‘unaccompanied 12-year-old’, as cited in guidance like Cycling by Design or LTN 1/20.
Website links: Bishopbriggs Civic Space storymap.
Deadline: June 30 2023.

1.4: North Lanarkshire Council – Green and open space survey

Council: North Lanarkshire.
Subject: Survey and audit data to feed into an Open Space Strategy and other policies. NLC avoid on-street protected cycle lanes, so anything affecting off-street paths could have a big impact on cycling in the county. Areas like the Seven Lochs Wetland Park have cross-border active travel routes (Hogganfield Loch to Drumpellier Country Park, Coatbridge). NL’s other country parks, Palacerigg (see above) and especially Strathclyde Park, are also havens for active travel. The latter has added and upgraded paths near Bellshill with more of NCN74 due to be re-routed through the park. The council ignored a GoBike suggestion for links between Strathclyde Park, Duchess Park, Ravenscraig and the existing Greenlink route (as part of redevelopment of Airbles Rd). There’s potential for similar links around some of North Lanarkshire’s dozen nature reserves. The consultation has a general survey and one about specific places that are important to visitors or residents.
Website links: Green and open space surveys.
Deadline: 10 July 2023.

1.5: Duke Street & John Knox Street Avenues Plus project

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: Long-awaited plans to add a cycleway and other improvements on Duke St and John Knox St, east of the city centre. The Avenues Plus project was awarded Sustrans funding in July 2019. The Duke St Avenue is about 1km long between George St and Bellgrove St. It doesn’t include the busy area where pedestrian Cameron Eaglesham was recently killed by a lorry driver. However, the Tennent’s Wellpark brewery and Drygate mean both streets have HGVs and buses. John Knox St goes north from Duke St uphill to a busy junction with Castle St at Cathedral Square. The original 2019 visual showed 1-way lanes on Duke St at the High St junction. Instead, the latest consultation images have a choice between 2-way lanes either on the northern or southern side of the road. Public events take place today (15 June) along Duke St then at Dennistoun Library from 2pm – 6.30pm.
Website links: GCC Consultation page and consultant’s site (due to go live from 15 June).
Deadline: 13 July 2023.

1.6: Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park Partnership Plan

Organisation: Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park.
Area: The park ranges from Loch Eck and Loch Goil in the west to Loch Earn and Callander in the east. Also, from Killin and Crianlarich in the north to Balloch in the south (but it misses out Helensburgh and Gare Loch).
Subject: A wide-ranging five year plan for the park. It includes a section on ‘Low Carbon Travel for Everyone’. Cycle routes and active travel are mentioned briefly but most of the section is about buses. That may make sense, considering the size of the park, but it’s still a bit disappointing. There’s already a cycle route from Balloch up the west side of Loch Lomond (and there were plans for an active travel route to Inverarnan as part of A82 works). Active travel paths were extended along the River Goil in 2021 and there seems to be plenty of scope for more.
Website links: Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park Commonplace site.
Deadline: 19 July 2023.

1.7: Devon Street Urban Park

Organisation: Glasgow Urban Sports (GUS).
Area: Southside between Eglinton St and Pollokshaws Rd.
Subject: Formerly GUS M74, now revised and renamed… “The Devon Street Urban Park project is a proposal from Glasgow Urban Sports (GUS), a community led organisation, that aims to transform an unused area of land under the canopy of the M74 motorway, on the southside of Glasgow, to create a new public urban park and community leisure space.” While the project still involves building a skatepark it seems to have broadened out a bit to gain more community support. There are new partner organisations on board and a new survey to fill in.
Featured: Digest 92, Item 1.14.
Website links: Devon St survey, new GUS website.
Deadline: No obvious deadline.

Section 2: Consultation Feedback

2.1: City Network Delivery Plan – Approved

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: The plan about how the City Network will be delivered has now been approved by the council. See maps and further info in previous issues and via links, below.
Featured: Phases 0 and 1 (Digest 134, 2.1), Phases 2 and 3 (135, 2.1) and Phases 4 and 5 (136, 2.1).
Website links: City Network roll-out approved and City Network – Delivery Plan report.

2.2: Accessible and Inclusive Design Forum

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: Successor to the previous Active Travel Forum, the AIDF is a very different partnership meeting. It looks at accessibility issues with new infrastructure – especially issues for visually impaired people and with input from Glasgow Disability Alliance. GoBike and Freewheel North were the only cycling-related groups represented (plus a Sustrans rep) out of about 20 people.
There was quite a lot of venting at the council about previous and ongoing issues with engagement, infrastructure and approach to the group and how it was reported. Later, there were some constructive points about bus stop bypasses. However, most visually impaired members wanted them scrapped and there was some negativity about cycling. Also, there was bad news about Argyle St West lanes, which weave around rain gardens and loading bays. With rail tunnels as little as 20cm under the road surface, there’s only enough depth for rain gardens further out. It’s not clear if the West plans need so many, as SEPA’s Flood Maps suggest more flood risk around Central Station and Argyle St East. However, the council officer wouldn’t engage about changing or moving rain gardens (due to ‘funding linked to environmental performance’).
The AIDF isn’t an easy assignment for GoBike. It’s due to move to a new format, meeting every three months, so it’s one we’ll need to get to grips with.

Section 3: Proposed Traffic Regulation Orders

3.1: East Dunbartonshire TROs

Areas: Kirkintilloch.
Subject: A TRO about raised road tables on Union St, Kirkie – deadline: 14 July 2023.
A series of TROs about Canniesburn Toll were sent to GoBike just before this Digest was published but aren’t on EDC’s website yet. They say these will be published in local press next week so we’ll pick them up in the next Digest.
Website links: East Dunbartonshire TROs.

3.2: Glasgow City TROs and Traffic Calming

Subject: Parking TRO for Springhill Parkway/Springcroft Road, Baillieston (near Easterhouse train station) – ends 16 June.
Various school streets are being made permanent. Also, the Raeberry St/Mount St TROs (part of Connecting Woodside) have been made.
Website links: Glasgow City Proposed TROs and Glasgow City Proposed Traffic Calming Schemes.