Strathclyde Cycle Campaign
Yes, folks, we have a couple of contentious situations in this issue. See Section 3, Consultations Feedback where we discuss whether Elmbank Street will provide northbound access to the Sauchiehall Street cycle lane, but first, see Section 1 for the threat to the so-called “shared space” along Cowgate, the main street in Kirkintilloch. Continue reading “Consultations Digest Issue 3, 20 February 2018 – Stushies brewing: Elmbank Street Glasgow and Cowgate Kirkintilloch”
We have reduction in quantity but a considerable increase in interest in the consultations in this issue of our digest. Read on: Continue reading “Consultations Digest Issue 2, 06 February 2018 – Byres Road to the Barras to Kirkintilloch”
Welcome to the first issue of our Consultations Digest, a regular post, updating you on consultations in these three areas:
So we will be giving you far more information than we have in the past and we hope that this will encourage you, as GoBike members, to not only give us your views as to how we should respond but also to put your views directly to the organisation that has issued the consultation. Continue reading “GoBike Consultations Digest, Issue 1, 23 January 2018 – Scotland wide!”
Here’s a picture of the brand new Broomhill School and the City Council propose to make the road going up to the right on the picture one-way. But have they considered active travel and all the work other bits of the council do to encourage children to cycle to school? We fear they haven’t. So our letter to the council, GoBike Consultations Broomhill One Way 21 Dec 2017 about this plan, broomhill one way tro plan TRO201701501 confirms that we are happy with their proposal, provided that they maintain two-way cycling! Let’s hope that we are lucky with this one. Continue reading “Consultations: new and forthcoming in Glasgow, with even more speed cushions proposed for Santa’s sack”
Glasgow City Council propose, in a recent e-mail headed “Swinton Avenue Traffic Calming Scheme”: “to consider the introduction of the above named Traffic Calming Scheme and I wish to establish the views of your organisation.
Background to the proposed Scheme
The scheme is aimed at improving road safety by reducing vehicle speeds and discouraging rat-running.
Roads affected by the proposed Scheme
The list of roads affected by these proposals are:-
Swinton Avenue
Details of the proposed Scheme
The proposed Scheme (as depicted on the attached plan) will comprise of:-
Their drawing: Swinton Avenue Traffic Calming Propsal shows only 0.5m at the outer side of each set of speed cushion, ie one would have to cycle right in the gutter, over the cushion or in the 0.7m gap between the 2 cushions.
There appears to have been no consideration of active travel and we have proposed options of one-way chicanes with cycle bypasses or for the road to be stopped up allowing only cycle through traffic, and we have copied our letter, GoBike Consultations Swinton Avenue Traffic Calming 13 Dec 2017 to the 3 Councillors for the Ward, ie Ward 20, Baillieston. We have also mentioned the potential impact of Mark Ruskell’s 20mph bill – if you haven’t written to your constituency and list MSPs to ask them to support this, please do so!
Comments on the Swinton Avenue proposal are required by this Friday, 15 December – sorry for the short notice – but if you wish to put your comments in please do so to: LandServices.Mailroom@glasgow.gov.uk
You may remember that last month we responded quite positively to the proposals for the southern part of this scheme? That was the segregated cycleway sections; we had reservations but the council staff responded promptly and we are reasonably happy with that stage.
It is not the same at all with the second phase, which is all shared footway. There appear to be contradictions between the drawings that are on the website (and reproduced here) and the paper drawings we were sent by post. Just about everything is proposed to be at the Absolute Minimum dimension given in Cycling by Design – this document includes a Desirable Minimum, an Absolute Minimum and even gives reductions on the latter, which helps explain why some of the cycling facilities in Glasgow are as bad as they are. Consultation on this part of the scheme closes this Friday, 08 December, so, if you can, please do get your views in over the next 2 days.
Given the disappointment in the scheme I have copied the 4 Councillors for the Ward, it’s Ward 13, into the letter, so that they get our concern first hand. Two of these Councillors toured the ward on Friday with us.
The Council documents are here: YokerToKnightswood-Redetermination-220x85mm-RTO redetermination Statement of Reasons redetermination information Report 32518_TRO_01-Lincoln Ave 32518_TRO_01-Dyke Road 32518_TRO_01-Archerhill road
The GoBike response, objecting to the proposals is here: GoBike Yoker to Knightwood Redetermination 061217
Please do e-mail the Council if you have views on this scheme.
Further to the drop-in sessions held recently for Queen Margaret Drive and Battlefield junction improvements, Glasgow City Council have put out an initial on-line consultation for each:
This is early days for each consultation and the questions don’t ask you to choose a design option but do please answer the basic questions to voice your support for change.
Note that for Battlefiedl there is no question about cycling! So please add your views in the walking box. The closing dates are 15 December for QMD and 22 December for Battlefield – but best to do them both now before you forget!
Glasgow City Council is launching public consultation about the junction of Battlefield Road, Grange Road , Prospecthill Road and Sinclair Drive. Anyone who has tried to negotiate this junction on a bike or on foot will know that it’s tricky. We are told that the on-line consultation will go live today, 23 November at: www.glasgow.gov.uk/battlefield and it is now live. However, it may be best to wait, if you can until you have been to the public consultation event – details below – before submitting comments:
The consultation will, according to the website, allow acceptable designs to progress in order to achieve match funding from SPT in 2018/19.
A public drop in session will be held on:
Thursday 30th November 2017
3pm-7pm
Langside Library
2 Sinclair Drive, Glasgow, G42 9QE
Online survey/comments closing date: 22/12/2017
We have been forwarded information about a forthcoming consultation event by Glasgow City Council arising from proposals by the Queen Margaret Drive community to improve their street:
_________________________________________________________________________________
“Subject: Queen Margaret Drive Community Engagement
MESSAGE SENT ON BEHALF OF CHRISTINE FRANCIS, DIVISIONAL MANAGER, TECHNICAL SERVICES, LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES.
Following on from consultations organised by the local community of Queen Margaret Drive, Glasgow City Council (GCC) are taking forward a project to enhance walking and cycling provision in the area.
GCC will be holding a public engagement event with a supplementary online survey to gather comments. The outcome is to achieve a design that can be constructed in partnership with Sustrans and the local community.
We are proposing a number of changes to improve the environment for cyclists, pedestrians, local residents and businesses. New designs could see the implementation of:
• Improved paths
• Improved pedestrian crossings
• Reallocation of road space.
• cycle lanes
The consultation will allow acceptable designs to progress in order to achieve match funding from Sustrans in 2018/19.
A public drop in session will be held on:
Wednesday 22nd November
3pm-7pm
76 Kelbourne Scout Hall
Kelbourne Street
G20 8PR
Information and an online survey will be available and will be live from 15th November for a period of 4 weeks. The survey will be available at: www.glasgow.gov.uk/qmd.
Consultation posters will be erected in public premises and a leaflet drop will take place in Queen Margaret Drive. A copy of the distributed leaflet is attached for your information. This will provide the public the opportunity for residents and businesses to provide comments on the proposals that might assist with the detailed layout.
The closing date for consultation will be the 15th December.
I trust this is of assistance; however, should you require any further information, please contactSustainabletransport@glasgow.gov.uk “
________________________________________________________________________________
A local GoBike member says
“It articulates with the Byres Road refurbishment.
In addition, we are to get a new primary school at the top of QMD at the junction with Maryhill Road, where there is a blaes football pitch. There is an overgrown footpath around the south and east of the site, which will be retained and restored. This leads directly from QMD to a crossing on Maryhill Road directly opposite an access point to the canal (There is a student village on the other side and Scottish Canals recently installed cycle racks beside the footbridge.)
So, the QMD development will give us a continuous link from the canal, down QMD and Byres Road, across Dumbarton Road at Partick Cross and on to the Riverside Museum and the new footbridge to Govan.
It also connects with the Kelvin Walkway (NCN 756).
So, it meets with our objectives of having a continuous network following routes where cyclists want to go.”
The city council have produced one of their cards to advertise the event: QMD active travel Postcard LR
Please do get along to this event if you can and contribute to making Queen Margaret Drive a place for people not cars.
Our friends in Get Glasgow Moving have sent us encouragement to respond to the Local Bus Services consultation, as well as the Smart Ticketing consultation, which both close at midnight on 5 December 2017. Both these are being run by the Scottish Government. The associated papers are moderately technical and perhaps overly complicated but please do respond to both before the closing date.
The better our bus services, the more people will use them, the less traffic congestion there will be, the less pollution there will be and the better our towns and cities will be for those of us who walk and cycle.
Smart ticketing seems to be a no-brainer and the sooner it is brought in for travel throughout Scotland the better. It will make using public transport easier for us all.