As the case for supporting cycling and sustainable travel is made at #COP27, here in Scotland we continue to do the same nationally and locally. Sadly, despite positive commitments and policies in the past couple of years, financial pressures are once again creating uncertainty for budgets and priorities. Climate targets can’t be met without boosting active travel and that means we need more spending on projects and infrastructure which helps people to cycle, walk and wheel.

Police Scotland are also experiencing financial pressures and have put all projects on hold. This includes the National Dashcam Safety Portal – an online system for the public to upload camera footage and simply report incidents of bad driving.

The ongoing development of the new portal is under threat, so Cycling UK has a new e-action where you can write to the Chief Constable to say ‘Don’t scrap Scotland’s Dashcam Safety Portal’.

Read more in the blog post I wrote for Cycling UK.

*TAKE ACTION NOW* take the e-action – write to the Chief Constable and personalise your email by adding why road safety and the portal is important to you.

Section 1: Current Consultations

(in date order for responses)

1.1: Scottish Sentencing Council – Death by Driving

Only a few days remaining.

The sentencing council is seeking views on their draft guideline on the statutory offences involving causing death by driving. The guidance is for the courts to use when setting sentences in cases where death has been caused by careless or dangerous driving.

The consultation asks questions on:

• the overall style and structure of the guideline and its interaction with other guidelines
• the content of the guidance contained within the guideline
• the potential impacts of the guideline

The proposed guidance itself is well set out and clear – it makes sense to have the offences ordered by seriousness with the most serious appearing first.

However, what many people want to see are tougher sentences and courts using their sentencing powers to give out tough penalties. It’s interesting that the consultation document explains that currently the public generally expects tougher sentences than the courts deliver. This has to work for the public and victim’s families as well as being fair to offenders.

This consultation is not the ideal format to call for tough sentences for causing death by driving or other driving offences but there’s no harm in stating clearly what you want to see in order to make the roads safer.

Cases of drivers killing other other people whilst behind the wheel and receiving a short sentence are all too familiar. Pleas for tougher sentencing for road crime seem to go nowhere. Now is the chance to tell the sentencing council what you think.

Closes 22 November 2022

1.2: Transport Scotland – Cycling Framework for Active Travel

Transport Scotland is consulting on an important new strategy for cycling – specifically cycling for active travel. The draft Cycling Framework for Active Travel outlines the Scottish Government’s priorities for cycling up to 2030, and specifically aims to boost transport cycling (everyday cycling) for short local journeys.

This new strategy is the follow-up to the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland 2017-2020 and to be honest its a whole lot better. So if you agree and think that, on the whole, its a positive strategy please use this opportunity to praise Transport Scotland for going a good job.

Sadly, as cycle campaigners we are all too familiar with having to review draft documents which don’t promise to deliver what is needed for cycling. This new Cycling Framework is better but we can still provide input to improve it.

Cycling UK has produced a guide to responding to the consultation which includes suggestions for answers to supplement your own ideas.

Closes 19 December 2022

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

None this month.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

The Scottish Government has now published the independent analysis report of the responses to the Draft National Planning Framework 4 consultation.  Further information, and the Revised Draft NPF4, is available at TransformingPlanning.scot.

This weeks’ Scottish Budget saw the Scottish Government boost the budget for active travel by 30% to a new record of £150m. This is the third increase in successive years and comes after the Programme for Government commitment to spend at least 10% of the transport budget on walking, cycling, and wheeling by 2024/25.

That’s just two years’ away so many were hoping for more from this budget to put Scotland on a straight line increasing trajectory to £320m (see red line in diagram below). That would have needed approximately a £70m boost this time but an extra £34.5m is not to be sniffed at. Rather we have to look to the promised Spending Review in May (see consultation 1.5 below) to make the case for even bigger budgetary increases over the next two years and beyond.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Section 1: Current Consultations

(in date order for responses)

1.1: Transport Scotland – NTS2 Delivery Plan – Impact Assessments Consultation

Impact assessments are being undertaken on 37 strategic policies within the National Transport Strategy (NTS2) Delivery Plan and Transport Scotland would like to get your views on the initial screening of impacts through a survey.

Closes 5 January 2022

1.2: Scottish Parliament – Draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4)

The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee is leading an inquiry into the draft NPF4. Responses to this are needed early in January, whereas the Government’s consultation closes at the end of March – see 1.6 below.

The NPF4 is a major document setting out the direction for national planning policy and national developments for the next decades. The fourth NPF is focussed on meeting the net-zero target and supporting the nature restoration and recovery.

For the first time NPF4 includes a National Cycling, Walking and Wheeling Network as a national development, which should be welcomed. Also relevant to Glasgow is a ‘Clyde Mission’ national development. However, there’s not a great deal of detail on these proposed policies.

The Committee is seeking opinions on some different questions to those asked on the Government consultation so its worth bearing these in mind as you write your opinions.

The four questions, posed by the Committee, are useful for calling for better provision for cycling – see suggestions to include in answers in italics.

• What does your ideal home look like and what surrounds it? – Cycling parking, local cycle access to services.
• How can we design our environments to address climate change? – Dense networks of cycling infrastructure, and 20-minute neighbourhoods.
• How do you use space to stay healthy and well? – The importance of cycling to stay healthy and well and the need for planned high quality infrastructure to achieve this.
• How can planning encourage people to live in rural areas? – Rural areas also need cycle routes but also lower speed limits. Community travel hubs can also help guide people to sustainable travel solutions.

You can respond to the Committee in one of two ways – either use the survey type format or answer the above questions in writing (they welcome pictures or videos too). See the Committee’s page for more information.

The online survey-style response format seeks opinions on each section of the draft NPF4 to ask to what extent the policies in the draft document meet a list of criteria, including:

• support efforts to meet greenhouse gas emissions targets
• improve health and wellbeing
• improve equality  
• interact with other Scottish Government strategies 
• conflict with other outcomes and state how these conflicts will be managed 

Closes 10 January 2022

1.3: Scottish Parliament – Inquiry into the role of local government and its cross-sectoral partners in financing and delivering a net-zero Scotland

The Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee have a new inquiry looking into the role of local government in delivering Scotland’s net zero target. Ahead of the local election in May this is inquiry could make useful recommendations about the delivery of active travel infrastructure and cycling projects by Local Authorities.

The Committee is looking to find out the main barriers at a local level, to Scotland reaching its net zero targets. It will consider what practical steps councils are taking to break them down, in partnership with business, the voluntary sector, and local communities. It will also highlight areas where change will be needed if councils are to play a full role in the helping us achieve the goal of a net zero Scotland.

GoBike and GoBike members are probably well placed to provide the Committee with useful experience of working with councils – especially to answer question 10: How are councils working with cross-sectoral partners to decarbonise transport (including encouraging active travel) and to improve air quality?

There are 12 questions posed by the Committee to be answered in an online format – but as usual you don’t need to answer all of them.

Closes 21 January 2022

1.4: Scottish Government – NHS Scotland climate emergency and sustainability strategy 2022 to 2026 – draft

The Scottish Government and NHS Assure have developed a draft Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy 2022 to 2026 for NHS Scotland.

I haven’t looked through this yet but there must be opportunities to suggest how active travel can be part of this strategy. Comments should be returned on the template in the supporting documents by email.

Closes 10 February 2022

1.5: Scottish Government – Investing in Scotland’s Future: Resource Spending Review Framework

I will look at this consultation in more detail in 2022.

Closes 27 March 2022

1.6: Scottish Government – Draft National Planning Framework 4

There’s a good few months to respond to the Government about the NPF4. Overall its a positive document aiming to drive planning and national developments towards addressing the climate emergency.

The big news for cycling is the inclusion of a National Cycling, Walking and Wheeling Network as a National Development. There’s also more detail on creating 20 minute neighbourhoods.

I will look into this consultation and provide more suggestions for responses in the new year.

Closes 31 March 2022

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

I expect Transport Scotland to publish its ‘route map’ for how it will achieve its target for a 20% reduction in car journey kilometres by 2030. It’s not clear how Government will consult on this plan.

Also next year Transport Scotland is likely to consult on the second part of the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

None this month

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

Fastlink in Glasgow is absolutely not what we were initially led to expect.  It wavers from side to side of the road, cycling is allowed in this bit but not that, there is no accommodation for people exiting the southbound Clyde Cycle Tunnel to get across to the new hospital and one could go on.  Now we are aware that “cycle upgrades” are being carried out – in the form of shared footways off the main, direct route!  There has been no consultation that we are aware of.  The drawings we have are here: P_5100-S_100_Govan Road_Festival Park GA P_5100-S_101_Summertown_Rd and the letter we have sent, to quite a few people since we were not sure of the person in charge of this work is here: GoBikeFastlinkImprovementConcernsLetter251017 For simplicity we repeat the content of the letter below:

__________________________________________________________________________________

All by e-mail

Dear Mr Gillespie,

Fastlink Core Routes – Cycle Upgrades

You have, we understand, issued a series of drawings this year with the heading “Fastlink Core Routes – Cycle Upgrades and we have been given copies of 2 of these drawings, for Govan Road and for Summertown Road. We are also given to understand that this work is being funded by Strathclyde Passenger Transport.

Your acknowledgement that Fastlink causes problems for people who cycle and that upgrades are necessary is most welcome but these plans (Drawing Nos: PROJECTS/325100/13 and PROJECTS325100/100) show none of the expertise demonstrated in the South West City Way and the proposals for South City Way. Nor do they address, unless this is addressed on the drawings to which we are not party, the critical concerns for people cycling, ie the catastrophic failure to provide access from the southbound Clyde Cycle Tunnel across the Fastlink route to the hospital complex and the varying regime of cycle access to the Fastlink lanes along the route. Neither has there been any consultation.

Problems with these plans are detailed on the attached sheets.

The purpose of this letter is to ask the council to:

1. Immediately pause the work (which has started, but with the part addressing traffic issues outside Lorne Street School) so that the design decisions can be reviewed for effectiveness and value for money.

1. Ensure that all future work nominally to improve conditions for people who cycle or who would like to cycle is subject to a value-for-money test against a range of competing projects, is probed for weaknesses by consultation among potential users, and aims to meet the highest design standards.

2. Agree that the cost of the current work (if continued) is not included at any time when spending on cycle infrastructure is publicised.

Glasgow’s Strategic Plan for Cycling 2016-2015 claims a cycle network length of 310km at the start of the period. It notes as an opportunity the reallocation of road (not pavement) space. It aims to increase the network length by just 90km in the ten years of the plan. It will be failing if this modest addition includes these lengths of shared pavement and painted advisory cycle lanes in places where there is little if any need.

We in GoBike would be very pleased to discuss these proposals and what is needed to ensure a good cycling environment in this area with you and/or the relevant staff, but please acknowledge the receipt of this letter by return, provide a substantive response to Point (1) within one week, and to Points (2) and (3) within a month.

Yours sincerely

Tricia Fort

Convenor, GoBike!

______________________________________________

Fastlink Core Paths – Cycle Upgrades

Drawing Nos: PROJECTS/325100/13 (Summertown Road) and PROJECTS325100/100 (Govan Road and Festival Park)

1. General Issues

1.1 The Fastlink design is intrinsically confusing for all road users, with any number of wheels, or none.

1.2 Cycling is allowed on part of the Fastlink carriageway. The simplest, clearest, lowest cost way of improving conditions for cycling on the route is to allow it on all sections of the Fastlink carriageway.

1.3 There has been no consultation on the need for or design of the planned changes.. The Summertown Road plan is dated May 2017, the Govan Road one September 2017. Work started in October 2017 with only temporary TRO notices prohibiting parking posted the day the work started publicising that anything would be changing.

1.4 The plans quote Cycling Scotland’s Fact Sheet 01/07 but ignore Fact sheet 04/09 “Cycle Infrastructure Design Hierarchy of Provision”. This Fact Sheet calls for traffic reduction, calming the remaining traffic, junction treatment and redistribution of the carriageway space all to be considered before shared footways or segregated facilities are considered.

1.5 Failure to address the most obvious problems caused by Fastlink which are:

• Reaching the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital from the Clyde tunnel

• Hazardous conditions for cyclists starting up the southbound slope of Finnieston bridge,

• No quiet link between the Langlands Road cycleway and the quiet back street network leading to/from where Broomloan Road/Orkney St join Govan Rd.

1.6 The ‘improvements’ provided by the plans mainly depend on shared pavements. Shared pavements are disliked by people who cycle – they are interrupted by side roads and other access points, joining and leaving them is usually cumbersome and pedestrians are often not aware that cycling is legal on them. They encourage uninformed cycle users to treat pavement cycling as normal. They are disliked by pedestrians and generate misunderstandings and conflicts between users on foot and on wheels. They encourage the belief among drivers that bicycles are toys with no place on the roads.

2. Specific problems with Govan Rd / Festival Park plans

2.1 The map used is out of date; it does not show the new entrance to Festival Park on the long arm of Govan Road.

2.2 The Fastlink carriageway alongside the planned shared pavement on Pacific Drive is so sparsely used that signs are needed reminding people to check for vehicles before crossing. Creating a shared pavement is unnecessary.

2.3 The planned shared pavement on Pacific Drive is not very wide and takes cycles through bus shelters

2.4 A problem caused by Fastlink does exist within the zone covered by the Govan Road plan. It is the multi-stage caged crossing and narrow shared pavement currently used by NCN7/75 at the eastern junction of Pacific Drive with Govan Road. The solution offered by the plans is far below the highest standard of cycle infrastructure. It depends on another shared pavement (including passing through a bus shelter area), another two-stage caged crossing which is offset from the onward roubte and requires an awkward turn on the northern pavement round the railing and a pole.

2.5 The plan ignores the access road to the west and south of the Village hotel which needs just a dropped kerb at its Govan Road end to form a better alternative.

2.6 The plan shows no thought for the cohesiveness of the whole scheme. It creates a shared pavement circuit round the outside of Festival Park with different arrangements on the three sections – narrow shared pavement, widened shared pavement, segregated shared pavement.

2.7 The north-south arm of Govan Road with its newly designated shared pavement carries little traffic as the northern section is prohibited to everything except buses and taxis (and there are no buses). A shared pavement provides no benefit.

2.8 There is no reason to spend money on widening the pavement on the long Govan Road side of Festival Park in order to designate it as shared – people will not divert round two sides of a triangle to use a shared pavement. The road is generally quiet, and intended as part of a 20mph zone with speed cushions.

2.9 The Lorne Street and Brand Street parts of the plan appear to be addressing traffic and parking problems created by Lorne Street School rather than making cycling related improvements.

2.10 The kerb build-outs in Lorne Street create a pinch point – a hazard for cyclists whatever white paint there may be on the road surface.

2.11 The plan quotes Cycling Scotland’s Fact Sheet 01/07 Cycle Logo-only while ignoring the fact sheet’s guidance that the cycle logo is intended to be on the centre of the road surface, to“raise motorist’s awareness of cyclists, encouraging them to give cyclists space”. Their use inside painted cycle lanes will tend to encourage the belief of some drivers that cyclists must stay in the marked lane.

2.12 The hatched buffer zones on Lorne Street and Harvie Street are less than a quarter the width of the 4m of widened pavement beside Festival Park.. Cycling by Design (version currently being revised) recommends a buffer zone width of 1 metre if cyclists are to avoid being doored.

2.13 Painted advisory cycle lanes are a waste of money. They will be parked over.

2.14 A marked cycle lane on the left of the one-way Lorne Street will cause conflict between drivers and cyclists who want to turn right at Paisley Road West. If the changes to Lorne Street are needed because of the school traffic a better solution for cycling would be to use the Fact Sheet 01/07 cycle logo in the centre of the carriageway. The same applies on Harvie Street.

2.15.Shared pavement on Harvie St north of Brand Street requires a pointless diversion for people headed between Bells Bridge and Brand Street (i.e. most people) and will not be used.

2.16.The zebra crossing west of Harvie Street is a diversion for pedestrians on the most used (north-south) route: cyclists will not want to divert and dismount to use a zebra crossing legally.

2.17The signs indicating shared use are on posts which themselves reduce the available width.

3. Specific problems with the Summertown Road plans

3.1 The route is a poor option for west-to-east through travel as it requires two right turns. Few of those who use the main road route will be drawn by shared pavements to divert along Summertown Road in either direction.

3.2 The proposed shared pavement is of variable width, is broken by side turnings, changes sides, and is obstructed by street furniture including a post box, cycle stands, bus stops, and the posts carrying the shared use signs. Some of these new signs are placed where the space is already reduced by existing street furniture or bus shelters. All of these things will incline cyclists to use the road instead – but this will now be narrower than it was.

3.3 The problematic junction with Copland Road would be better addressed by making Copland Road the minor road, or with a mini-roundabout.

3.4 The plan appears incomplete at the western end.

On Sunday 08 October Walk Cycle Vote supporters gathered outside the SNP conference venue in Glasgow.  The photo above shows a young cycle enthusiast offering the Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf, a piece of Rocky Road Cake in grateful recognition of the doubling of the active travel budget.  His mum is looking on, as were several GoBike members, plus Pedal on Parliament supporters and other active travel activists.  Anna Richardson, Glasgow City Council’s Convenor for Sustainability and Carbon Reduction was there as was John Lauder, Director of Sustrans Scotland and Richard Dixon of Friends of the Earth Scotland.  The minister took the time to talk to just about everyone who was there and we look forward to seeing the effects of the budget increase sometime soon.

SNP Party Conference – 3pm on Sunday 8 October SECC, Glasgow – Please come along!

The force behind Walk Cycle Vote (GoBike’s a supporting member) have been kicking around the idea of a ‘cake event’ at the SNP conference on Sunday, to celebrate/acknowledge the doubling of the active travel budget.

They have just had confirmation from David Miller (the First Minister’s Special Advisor) that he’ll be able to arrange for the Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf,to join us at 3pm on Sunday.

If you can get along please do – the more the better!

• Meet outside the SECC at 2.45 to assemble with the cake

(venue: https://www.sec.co.uk/visitor-information/how-to-get-here/bike)

• Please wear a campaign or organisational T-shirt, jacket, hoodie etc to show the diversity of the partnership – hope you all have a GoBike t-shirt!
• If you have access to children and are willing to bring them then please do!

The annual Cycling Scotland conference comes to Glasgow this year and will be held at the University of Strathclyde, full details are here

Unfortunately we were unable to get a special rate for GoBike members but the early bird rate – you’ll need to be quick – is available until Monday 02 October, and if you have a valid student card, there’s a student rate.

The Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf, will be speaking, GoBike will have a stand, and there will be lots to see and do, if you can get time off work or spare the time, and the cash, to attend.

Cycling is about to return to St George’s Cross with the latest announcement of funding from the Scottish Government, see these articles from the Herald and the BBC.  Let’s hope it all comes to fruition:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15542741.Cities_braced_for_cycling_overhaul_after_major_cash_injection/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-41309510

It’s strange but the headline in the paper edition of the Herald is less anti-cycling than on-line.  Let’s hope the motoring lobby don’t spoil it for us.

It’s September 8th!!

It’s #GlasgowCycleInfraDay17!!!

Yes, the day has finally arrived for us to take to the streets of Glasgow and show the world exactly what our cycling infrastructure is like.  Some of it will be good, some of it will be bad, and we need to see it all so we can show it to the Council and help to make ours a true Cycling City.

Keep your camera with you today and when you spot any cycling infrastructure that you want to highlight (good or bad) – or if you spot somewhere that’s crying out for infrastructure it doesn’t have yet – take a picture and Tweet it with the hashtag #GlasgowCycleInfraDay17.  Don’t worry if you don’t have Twitter, you can still take part by emailing your pictures to us at CycleInfraDay@gmail.com.

You’ll be able to watch the gallery build throughout the day by keeping an eye on the hashtag on Twitter (you don’t need an account for this – just click this link), or by following the Twitter account (@CycleInfraDay).

Remember, this is supposed to be an easy way of documenting a day in the life of Glasgow’s cycling infrastructure.  So please be sensible; don’t go dashing across busy roads to get an ‘action shot’, or exploring the collapsed section of the cycle lane along the Clyde to show the damage after the weir jammed last week.

Most importantly… have fun!

With the Scottish Government this week announcing their commitment to double the budget for Active Travel in 2018/19, making sure your voice is heard when that money gets spent has never been more important.  Tomorrow you can shout it out loud.

It’s as easy as snapping a photograph of Glasgow’s cycling infrastructure and posting it on Twitter with the hashtag #GlasgowCycleInfraDay17.

Take pictures of the good stuff, what we want more of, as well as the not so good stuff.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a Twitter account; just email your pictures to us at CycleInfraDay@gmail.com and we’ll upload them for you.

So, get your cameras ready, charge your batteries and load up your memory cards… for tomorrow we shape the future of cycling in Glasgow!