August opens with Cycle to Work Day and plenty of Traffic Orders from Glasgow, East Ayrshire and East Dunbartonshire. There’s analysis of the event for the eastern side of Argyle St, with accessibility issues raised again. Also, a major city centre plan being pushed by GCC (with several emails to GoBike). It has a few surprises which could help connect the city centre. (Tonight’s Digest was delayed by connection and commuting issues –apologies.)

Forthcoming consultations

The second stage of consultation about the Raeberry Street Quietway is due to open tomorrow (5 August). This follows the first phase consultation from late 2021 and is part of the wider Connecting Woodside project. Also starting soon (about a year after the Traffic Order) is the North Kelvin/North Woodside Restricted Parking Zone.

Contents
(new/updated items in bold – link jumps to article)

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. Paisley Town Centre – Causeyside Street Regeneration
2. Ayr to Prestwick Active Travel Route
3. Connecting Battlefield
4. Kittochside Road Traffic Calming Scheme
5. Carmunnock Road Roundabout 20mph Speed Limit Zone
6. Barras North (Calton Village) TRO
7. Laggan Road filter TRO
8. Rugby Park, Kilmarnock – Parking Consultation
9. George Square & ‘Block C’ Avenues – ‘Our Place’
10. Glasgow City Centre Transformation Plan
11. Greater Pollok Strategic Development Framework
12. Greenock to Battery Park SfP lane

Section 2: Consultation Feedback

1. A803 & St Helen’s, Bishopbriggs – Traffic Regulation Orders
2. Garnethill Traffic Management and Parking Controls Order
3. ‘Argyle St East’ Avenue webinar notes

1: Current Consultations
(in date order for responses)

1.1: Paisley Town Centre – Causeyside Street Regeneration

Council: Renfrewshire.
Area: Causeyside St and St Mirren St between Paisley Canal and Gilmour St train stations.
Subject: A potentially very useful link on a main road. A segregated cycletrack is proposed between the pedestrianised part of Gilmour St down Causeyside St to just past Stow Brae (where there’s a link to NCN75 at Telford’s). Renfrewshire Council removed some Spaces for People projects and have very little protected, on-road infrastructure. So, even though the proposed cycletrack would be 2-way, it’s a big step forward for the area. Talk of keeping/adding car parking spaces may jar but it’s one less stick for critics to beat it with. There will still be many hurdles to clear, including accessibility and reaction from shoppers/shopkeepers. The plans are by Amey, better known for their trunk road work. That may explain the lack of trees and the convoluted junction south of Stow Brae.
Website links: Causeyside St ‘storymap’ (with survey at end).
Deadline: 7 August 2022.

1.2: Ayr to Prestwick Active Travel Route

Organisation: Ayrshire Roads Alliance (on behalf of South Ayrshire Council).
Subject: An upgraded “active travel route linking Ayr Esplanade to Prestwick Town Train Station will be proposed. It is envisaged that the proposed route will also connect to existing core paths in addition to future aspirational schemes such as Accessible Ayr, The Culzean Way and the Prestwick to Barassie Active Travel Route.” If it goes ahead, it would replace part of the current NCN7 along the coast, so has potential for cycle tourism as well as local journeys. There are photos of issues along the current route but no plans/visuals. So, it seems to be an early consultation to get comments (and maybe gauge demand?). If so, the more responses the better.
Website links: Ayr to Prestwick survey.
Deadline: 12 August 2022.

1.3: Connecting Battlefield

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: Battlefield Road, Grange Road, Langside Road and Queens Drive (between Queen’s Park and Mount Florida).
Subject: Relaunch of the former Battlefield Street Design project after a few years on hold during the pandemic. It features a uni-directional extension to the South City Way cycletrack running alongside Queen’s Park and down Battlefield Road. Also, there would be major changes to junctions at Queen’s Drive, Langside Rd and Battlefield Rest (removing a road between it and the old Victoria Hospital site). The consultation site mentions the Liveable Neighbourhood plans for Langside to Toryglen so hopefully these will dovetail with the Battlefield plans.
Featured: Consultation Extra, February 2020.
Website links: Connecting Battlefield ‘Storymap’ and Connecting Battlefield survey.
Deadline: 14 August 2022.

1.4: Kittochside Road Traffic Calming Scheme

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: Northern end of Kittochside Road, Carmunnock (between Glasgow and East Kilbride).
Subject: Installing 13 speed cushions (with bollards) on the wider sections of Kittochside Rd as it comes past housing into the village. On the narrow section south of the village (with hedgerows either side), motor vehicles may have to slow down to pass each other. However, despite having no pavements, the southern part of the road is also used by pedestrians and people cycling. It remains to be seen if this scheme will have any effect on traffic levels and road safety overall.
Website links: Kittochside Rd Traffic Calming area (PDF), Kittochside Rd section 1 (PDF) and Kittochside Rd section 2 (PDF).
Deadline: 19 August 2022.

1.5: Carmunnock Road Roundabout 20mph Speed Limit Zone

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: Not in Carmunnock – it’s the roundabout on the main road between King’s Park and Castlemilk (B766).
Subject: Extending the 20mph zone to the shops on the Carmunnock Rd/Brakemire Dr service roads next to the roundabout.
Website links: Carmunnock Rd 20mph TRO documents (combined PDF).
Deadline: 24 August 2022.

1.6: Barras North (Calton Village) TRO

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: North of Gallowgate, between Barrack St and Melbourne St in Calton.
Subject: Parking restrictions and traffic calming in area of new housing. The site, east of the Morrisons supermarket, had lain empty for decades. Wheatley Group is building new flats, called ‘Calton Village’ (for “mid-market rent”) and amending the road layout. Armour St will be filtered at its western end so traffic for Morrisons has to use Barrack St. Various parking bays and build-outs are planned (plus secure bike parking). However, Melbourne St is used as a rat run (to avoid traffic lights) so may be better with a diagonal filter to stop through traffic.
Website links: Barras North/Calton Village TRO documents (combined PDF) and housing development planning application.
Deadline: 25 August 2022.

1.7: Laggan Road filter TRO

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: Laggan Rd in Muirend between Langside Dr and Merrylee Rd/Clarkston Rd.
Subject: Proposals for a filter at the north end of Laggan Rd at Coylton Rd. Presumably to stop drivers taking a shortcut between Langside Dr and Clarkston Rd. The filter has bollards and an exemption for cycling so should be permeable.
Website links: Laggan Rd filter TRO documents (combined PDF).
Deadline: 26 August 2022.

1.8: Rugby Park, Kilmarnock – Parking Consultation

Council: East Ayrshire.
Subject: A Traffic Regulation Order to bring in matchday parking restrictions on 30+ roads around Rugby Park, home of Kilmarnock FC. They’re newly promoted back to the Scottish Premiership so bigger clubs, with more supporters, will be visiting. The club and stadium are one of the oldest in Scotland so they’re in the middle of a residential area. The proposed measures seem to be mainly painted lines and signage. More ambitious event day parking zone proposals for Ibrox Stadium and Celtic Park were dropped by GCC in May.
Website links: Rugby Park TRO page (Tell Me Scotland website) and TRO documents (combined PDF).
Deadline: 26 August 2022.

1.9: George Square & ‘Block C’ Avenues – ‘Our Place’

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: George Square and surrounding streets from ‘Block C’ of the Avenues project (including West George St, North Hanover St, Hanover St, Miller St, John St, George St and Cochrane St).
Subject: The next step in the consultation about the square and its surroundings (the last round was in Feb/Mar). New visualisations show the designers have got the message about more greenery. They’re an improvement on the current, quite barren, square but are not final. Which is just as well, since the shared spaces and road treatments at north and south look like they’d need more work. There are display panels at the western side of George Sq showing designs for the square and Avenues. Drop-in sessions will be held next to the panels on…
Saturday 6 August (1pm to 4pm) and
Thursday 18 August (4pm to 7pm).
There are two surveys – one for George Square and one for the proposed Avenues.
Featured: Digest 106, Item 1.5.
Website links: George Sq ‘Our Place’ engagement website.
Deadline: 2 September 2022.

1.10: Glasgow City Centre Transformation Plan

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: Another plan about the city centre, with familiar themes from Districts to Avenues, but also some surprises. A few more cycle/pedestrian bridges have appeared in the maps, including across the M8 and River Clyde. Cathedral St is apparently being made bus-only, which raises questions about cycling provision (and traffic on High St).
Also, “Workshops will be held on Microsoft Teams…
Accessibility: Walk/Cycle/Connections – Tuesday 16th August 2022 (at 10:30am).
Greener Glasgow/Streets/Place/Parking/Servicing – Tuesday 23rd August 2022 (morning).
Public Transport: Bus/Train/Subway/Metro/Taxi – Thursday 25th August 2022 (morning).
Open Forum/Aims/All-Topic Discussion – Wednesday 31st August 2022 (afternoon).”
Website links: City Centre Transformation Plan webpage and CCTP survey.
Deadline: 12 September 2022.

1.11: Greater Pollok Strategic Development Framework

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: South-western corner of Glasgow at edge of M77 and East Renfrewshire. Includes Leverndale, Nitshill, Priesthill and Darnley neighbourhoods.
Subject: The latest SDF follows others for North Glasgow, Inner East, etc. and looks at the economy, environment and transport over the next few decades. This part of Glasgow juts out between Barrhead and Thornliebank so connections with East Renfrewshire are important. It covers part of Dams to Darnley Country Park so has some things in common with the recent Barrhead consultation map. Also, Braidcraft Rd and Brockburn Rd have Spaces for People lanes (as does Corkerhill Rd to north). However, there are some hellish junctions around Silverburn Shopping Centre. Later in the year GCC should write a draft strategy for further consultation.
First featured: Digest 113, Item 1.6.
Website links: Greater Pollok Commonplace map.
Deadline: September 2022.

1.12: Greenock to Battery Park SfP lane

Council: Inverclyde.
Subject: A Spaces for People temporary route between Greenock town centre and a coastal park. A council vote was 9:2 in favour of keeping the lanes for another six months, with a further review in September. Photos in the consultation survey show a mixture of on-road ‘soft’ segregation and painted lanes on footways and across side roads. While some of the junction and bus stop treatments may not be ideal, there seem to be decent protected sections too.
First featured: Digest 108, Item 1.12.
Website links: Greenock Town Centre to Battery Park – Community Engagement and Inverclyde Now article on council vote.
Deadline: No obvious deadline.

Section 2: Consultation Feedback

2.1: A803 & St Helen’s PS, Bishopbriggs – Traffic Regulation Orders

Council: East Dunbartonshire.
Subject: Orders for parking restrictions in areas around Kirkintilloch Rd and Wester Cleddens Road. EDC say the TROs “have now been made and will become  effective on Monday, 5 September 2022.”
Featured: Digest 101, Item 1.5 / Digest 106, Item 1.7.

2.2: Garnethill Traffic Management and Parking Controls Order

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: GCC say: “your objection was reported and considered. However, the Council have decided under its scheme of delegated functions to proceed with the proposal as advertised. The Order was made on 15th July 2022.”
Featured: Digest 91, Item 1.3.

2.3: ‘Argyle St East’ Avenue webinar notes

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: East of the Hielenman’s Umbrella/Central Station bridge along Argyle St and Trongate to the junction at Tolbooth steeple.
Subject: Notes from a recent online meeting about the eastern end of Argyle St. The meeting was introduced as “more about information than consultation” as plans have been underway since 2018. The main change would be putting a one-way road through the current pedestrianised blocks of Arygle St, to help speed up bus routes (with protected contraflow cycle lane). Further east, there would be one-way cycletracks on either side of the road. There was quite a lot of support for the cycle lanes but many points in the meeting came from blind people objecting to bus stop bypasses and raised road tables.
Website links: Argyle St East Avenue webinar note.

This Digest covers most points of the compass in Glasgow and neighbouring areas to the west, south and east.

Quite a few local and national petitions have been launched recently so this Digest has an update on those (instead of infrastructure).

Petitions Update

• GoBike – Keep our paths open for COP26 (Glasgow residents only)
• Cycling UK – Help fix our failing road traffic laws
• Living Streets – petition to bring forward the ban on pavement parking (and there’s a launch event for a new Glasgow branch of Living Streets)
• Progress for GoBike member Patricia’s petition on public toilets
• A potential future petition about making cycling infrastructure fit for purpose by the broadcaster/author Ned Boulting

Contents
(new consultations in bold – link jumps to article)

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. Glasgow City Council – Auldhouse Area Traffic Management Order (ends 20 Aug)
2. North Lanarkshire Council – Bellshill Entrance/Velo Park Project (until end of Aug)
3. East Renfrewshire Council – Ayr Road (A77): Spaces for People, Phase 2
4. Glasgow City Council – Low Emission Zone consultation (ends 2 Sep)
5. Rosemount Development Trust – Royston Road Masterplan (ends 3 Sep)
6. Glasgow City Council – Inner East Strategic Development Framework (ends 3 Sep)
7. Renfrewshire Council – Improving Barshaw Park Junction, Paisley (ends 5 Sep)
8. East Dunbartonshire Council – Active Travel Discussion (ends 28 Sep)

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

None this time.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. Glasgow City Council – Active Travel Forum Network map
2. Urban Roots – Malls Mire partial opening (and newsletter July 2021)
3. Glasgow City Council – Maryhill Road/North Woodside Road/Hopehill Road
4. Glasgow City Council – TRNSMT Festival and Access to NCN75
5. Multiplex – Glasgow Uni campus contact changes (and newsletter August 2021)
6. Glasgow City Council – Garnethill Traffic Management and Parking Controls Order

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

1.1: Glasgow City Council – Auldhouse Area Traffic Management Order

The Auldhouse area order appeared in the last Digest 92, Item 1.8. It applies to a triangle of land in the Southside, just off Kilmarnock Rd and Nether Auldhouse Rd. The TRO deals with parking restrictions and making some lanes access only for motor vehicles. See our GoBike response to the Auldhouse Area order. See the Auldhouse plan PDF or the above link for the rest of the documents (ends 20 Aug).

1.2: North Lanarkshire Council – Bellshill Entrance/Velo Park Project

As seen in the last Digest 92, Item 1.9, the new velo park would be at the edge of Bellshill (next to Motherwell Rd/A721) with mountain bike trails down into Strathclyde Country Park. The project lead is due to meet local community groups in the next week or so. A GoBike member should be at one of the meetings so we’ll hopefully have feedback next time.

If you cycle in the park or the wider area, see the Bellshill Entrance & Velo Park info page. The page says the process should lead to a Sport Scotland application this month so email the council before the end of August.

1.3: East Renfrewshire Council – Ayr Road (A77): Spaces for People, Phase 2

As covered in Digest 91, Item 1.5, Ayr Rd through Newton Mearns has a phase 2 consultation. It’s about replacing the phase 1 cones with light segregation, removing some segregation and adding parking bays. For examples of the segregation, maps and more details, see the Ayr Road Phase 2 Commonplace page. No obvious deadline on this one.

1.4: Glasgow City Council – Low Emission Zone consultation

As in Digest 90, Item 1.3 this consultation is about phase 2 of the Low Emission Zone in Glasgow city centre (between the M8, river and High St). Phase 1 applied to local buses but phase 2 will include all vehicles entering the zone area (unless exempt). However, enforcement is only due to start in June 2023.

The short survey asks you about issues like the LEZ area and the grace periods. See the Glasgow LEZ consultation page and LEZ online survey. Closes on 2 September 2021.

1.5: Rosemount Development Trust – Royston Road Masterplan

Projects about Royston Rd seem to be like buses – none for ages then two at once. The last Digest 92, Item 1.2, featured the Flourishing Molendinar project about the area at the eastern (hilly) end of Royston Rd. The western (flat) end of Royston Rd is the focus of this project by Rosemount Development Trust.

This section is a crucial link from the city centre/Sighthill (to the west) up towards Blackhill (to the east). Current plans only mention cycling in passing, which is a concern. If cycleways don’t connect right along Royston Rd it risks cutting off not only Blackhill but also active travel routes from places in North Lanarkshire like Stepps and Cumbernauld.

If you know the area at all, please put a word in for cycling. See the Royston regeneration survey and information boards (ends 3 Sep).

1.6: Glasgow City Council – Inner East Strategic Development Framework

East of High St out to Carntyne and Tollcross is the ‘Inner East’ area, covered in the latest SDF (as in Digest 90, Item 1.4). The ‘Connected’ section 4C mentions cycling infrastructure projects but also public transport and roads, including the so-called East End Regeneration Route (EERR) dual carriageway.

See the Inner East consultation page for link to the SDF survey (ends 3 Sep).

1.7: Renfrewshire Council – Improving Barshaw Park Junction, Paisley

In 2017, Sustrans identified this crossroads as a dangerous junction. It’s at the entrance to Barshaw Park in Paisley where Arkleston Rd and Hawkhead Rd meet Glasgow Rd (A761, which becomes Paisley Rd West in Glasgow). Arkleston Rd runs south from the M8 and is used for car parking next to Barshaw Park. The park itself includes a BMX track and a mini street layout for children learning to cycle.

This month, Renfrewshire Council announced they had won Places for Everyone funding for the junction.

The consultation has three options:

1. Glasgow Rd protected lanes (none on Arkleston Rd or Hawkhead Rd) plus ‘early start’ cycle traffic lights (Option 1 PDF)
2. All roads have protected lanes with ‘early start’ cycle traffic lights (Option 2 PDF)
3. A protected junction with protected lanes on all roads and bikes get their own signal phase (Option 3 PDF)

Experience from Edinburgh with ‘early start’ bike traffic lights is that not everyone wants/can get to the front of a traffic queue to make use of them. The last option seems best but it creates a bus stop in-shot with shared path alongside it (where Glasgow Rd would be narrowed from two lanes to one). The plans mention relocating the bus stop as another option (but it is next to the main park entrance). Any further protected cycle lanes on roads would be added in a later phase.

Nearly every comment about the plans on Facebook seems to be hostile to all three options (on posts by Renfrewshire Live, The Mill magazine or Friends of Barshaw Park). The most common point (apart from rants about cycling) was the lack of a right-turn filter/light from Arkleston Rd onto Glasgow Rd. If you know the area at all, see the Barshaw Park junction community survey to rate the options (ends 5 September).

1.8: East Dunbartonshire Council – Active Travel Discussion

This has featured since Digest 86, Item 1.2, with its ‘Ideas Map‘ for the area. It’s an opportunity to focus on active travel (walking, cycling and wheeling). 

Online discussion events restart from 21 August (Bearsden & Milngavie). See a full list of events and background info on the Active Travel Discussion webpage. Closing date – 28 Sep 2021.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

None this time.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

3.1: Glasgow City Council – Active Travel Forum network map

We last heard from GCC’s Active Travel Forum when it restarted in March (the ATF has stopped and started a few times in its history). The most recent meeting, in June, included a new proposal for a city network, which has now been published online. We’ve seen vague outlines before, like the City Ways map in the last Cycling Strategy. The new map isn’t that easy to follow (compared to similar network maps for South Lanarkshire Council). However, this new Glasgow network map does seem to be more systematic than any previous ones.

The presentation about the network map talks about the method behind producing it, including an algorithm for key destinations and roads >10m wide. Slides also mention soft segregation and filters as part of the network. So, it wouldn’t necessarily all be segregated but might go in quicker. The recent announcement about the Liveable Neighbourhoods project (and its Toolkit) may play a part in that.

Slide 10 talks about the density of the network, sets a timescale and another disclaimer:

“CITY Network Map

• Proposed city network to be in place by 2030
• Represents the required density of routes for a functional City Network
• Not all of these streets identified here will form the City Network as delivered but form the start of the planning and prioritisation process
• Delivered City Network must be of equivalent density and coherence by 2030 to enable easy everyday active journeys “

So, the current routes on the map may not be the final ones (and there’s no key).

Main route corridors (striped lines, clockwise from north):

• Springburn Road (A803)
• Alexandra Parade/Cumbernauld Road/Edinburgh Road (A8)
• Cumbernauld Road (A80)
• London Road (A74)
• Eglinton Street/Pollokshaws Road/Kilmarnock Road (A77)
• Paisley Road West (A761)
• Victoria Park Drive South/Dumbarton Road (A814)
• Great Western Road (A82)
• Maryhill Road (A81)

All of the above are (at least) four lane A-roads but it’s not clear if these are intended as the main cycle routes. However, London Rd already has a section of permanent cycleway at either end with more phases planned. London Rd also has sections of soft segregation (with large gaps), as do parts of Cumbernauld Rd and Gt Western Rd. The empty area in the city centre would presumably connect to Avenues project routes. Most of the striped routes reach the city boundary, apart from London Rd and Edinburgh Rd.

The pink routes on the map include permanent infrastructure like the recently completed Garscube Rd cycleway and the very much ongoing South City Way.

The following slide shows ‘iterations’ and distance/coverage (and has a key!).

Iteration/Distance map

The map seems to show a fairly widespread first iteration/version of the network. It would be followed by additions to fill in gaps between these routes for later versions. The colours show pretty good coverage for most areas of the city compared to now (from ‘iteration 6’, presumably in 2030). Most of the pink areas (>800m distance) are not residential – they include the Seven Lochs and Pollok Park.

All of this has to be taken with a big pinch of salt (especially the bits outside the GCC boundary at Renfrew and Thornliebank!). It also remains to be seen how it fits in with other council plans and priorities. For example, cycle routes seem to avoid the High St, despite the fact it’s not an Avenue but has its own High St Area Strategy project (as well as being part of the ‘Learning Quarter’ district plan and Inner East SDF). Elsewhere, there are bus priority lanes in the works for Paisley Rd West – will they trump cycle lanes?

The presentation also mentions themes and objectives for the forthcoming Active Travel Strategy (slide 17 onwards). Slide 21 has more detail on ‘Proposed Theme 1: Infrastructure & Networks’. Only time will tell how both the strategy and network map are put into practice. However, the map seems like a step towards a more comprehensive network. The proposals should go to committee later in the year.

3.2: Urban Roots – Malls Mire

Malls Mire gets a bit higher up the running order this time as the west and central areas of the new community woodland are due to open in mid-August. These will add much needed greenspace and a network of traffic-free paths in the Toryglen/Polmadie area. When the eastern end of the woodland opens, it will provide extra east-west links between the Southside of Glasgow and Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire.

Woodland paths aren’t a complete solution to the connection issues in the city network map but they’re certainly welcome. In future, Malls Mire may link to enhanced routes in South Lanarkshire Council’s Cambuslang/Rutherglen active travel network, like NCN756 towards Shawfield and Glasgow Green.

See the Malls Mire July 2021 newsletter for more information about the latest developments. Well done to Gemma and the rest of the team for all the progress so far.

3.3: Glasgow City Council – Maryhill Road/North Woodside Road/Hopehill Road

First covered in Digest 86, Item 1.1, this novel junction layout caused a bit of head scratching due to its minimalist drawing. Options for the crossing had already been in a consultation for Connecting Woodside. However, there was another more detailed drawing for the new junction layout (PDF).

GoBike sent a letter of objection and received the following reply:

“In response to your comments regarding the desire line to travel north from Hopehill Road to Maryhill Road. I would advise that the design for the above junction does not prohibit cyclists wishing to travel, on the carriageway, from Hopehill Road northbound onto Maryhill Road. Cyclists wishing to travel on the carriageway are both encouraged and supported through the inclusion of Advanced Stop Lines (ASL) at all arms of the junction, to support their journey along either Maryhill Road or Hopehill Road.

Please note, whilst it is the objective of the proposed to improve the conditions for cycling on North Woodside Road and, encourage the uptake of cycling in the local area by introducing additional infrastructure that is suitable for use by all ages and abilities. It is not our objective to dissuade or restrict confident cyclists from using Maryhill Road to continue their journey and as such, we have incorporated dropped kerbs within the design of the junction to make this possible.

As you have stated, should cyclists ‘routinely ignore’ the TRO restricting their movements whilst on the proposed cycle crossing, this would be a matter for Police Scotland. As we advised previously, once approved, a TRO is a legal order and is enforceable by law. If you do however have concerns regarding the speed of vehicles travelling on Maryhill Road, or any of the surrounding roads, I would be happy to bring this to the attention of our Road Safety Team to investigate further.”

It remains to be seen how intuitive, or not, this new junction turns out to be. Also, whether Police Scotland take any more interest in anyone ignoring the rules than they do with cars parked in bike lanes. Further phases of Connecting Woodside or results of the city network plan may have a bearing on the junction in future.

3.4: Glasgow City Council – TRNSMT Festival and Access to NCN75

The busy NCN path in Glasgow Green was recently kept open during the Euro 2020 Fanzone in the park. GoBike member Bob wrote to GCC about keeping access to the path in Glasgow Green while it holds the TRNSMT music festival (pronounced ‘Transmit’, kids). The last edition of the festival, in 2019, had closed the route with very poor signage of the diversion. This led to a previous petition about keeping NCN75 open.

The council’s (edited) reply:

“…closure and diversion of the NCR 75 will only take place on the ‘Live Concert’ dates of this event. That will be Thursday 9 September – Sunday 12 September (4 days in total) and that all other dates during the build and break for the event, the NCR 75 will in the main be remain open.

…I would also like to advise that more permanent signage is in place around the diversion routes which when required can be opened to ensure users have a clearly marked route to follow in both directions. These signs will be supplemented with additional free standing signage at some locations. I believe those measures are fair and reasonable for the short term diversion of the route which are in line with other diversionary arrangements.

Lastly I note your objections to any closures but I should can advise that those proposed are governed under the delegated powers granted to the City and managed by Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability and are not by their duration subject to consultation.”

TRNSMT takes place from Friday 10 – Sunday 12 September 2021 but it sounds like NCN75 will close on Thursday 9 Sep, while they set up.

GoBike convenor Thomas posted a thread on Twitter with photos of the diversion route along Adelphi St to the St Andrews suspension bridge. It includes the Gorbals section of riverbank which collapsed in 2017 and remains fenced off. While passable, it’s not geared up for the level of pedestrian and cycle use NCN75 gets on an average weekend.

We’ll try to find out why NCN75 was open for the Fanzone but closed for TRNSMT.

3.5: Multiplex – Glasgow Uni campus newsletter

The latest update from the Glasgow Uni campus August 2021 newsletter. It sounds like people in the West End are due to see more activity during August as the foundations of the new Business School are laid.

The contact for the project has changed to Fergus Shaw. Best wishes to the previous contact Kieran Ronnie, who helped us with an issue with the temporary traffic lights on University Ave.

3.6: Glasgow City Council – Garnethill Traffic Management and Parking Controls Order

In Digest 91, Item 1.3, we covered the parking controls for Garnethill. GoBike member Tim sent an objection to the plans. He had a response from the council on some of the points raised:

“I can advise that to accommodate the number of resident permits that are purchased for the Garnethill area we could not reduce the number of parking bays in the Garnethill area.

Please note that the reduction in permit price is being proposed to bring the Garnethill zone in line with all other restricted/controlled parking zones out with the City Centre(excluding Hillhead).”

Garnethill is one block from Sauchiehall St so most people would probably think of it as part of the city centre. It is close to main bus routes, train and underground stations but didn’t get any Bikehangar secure cycle parking. It’s also close to a large motorway junction at Charing Cross, which may have a bearing on the number of cars in the area.

The response also repeated previous statements about Police Scotland ruling out contraflow cycling on one-way streets.

This Digest comes after Great Britain & Northern Ireland won a handful of cycling medals at Toyko 2020. One was for mountain biking while the rest were in BMX (where Sir Chris Hoy started). Both are covered by the Velo Park proposal from North Lanarkshire Council (but NLC have dropped the cycleway to Motherwell train station). There are also several consultations for East Dunbartonshire and Glasgow plus one for East Renfrewshire.

The ban on pavement parking was made law in the Scottish Parliament in 2019. Last year, GoBike wondered when it would come into force (Digest 65, Item 3.4) – it seems it’s due to be 2023. Living Streets want you to write to your MSPs about bringing it forward.

People of all abilities can cycle at facilities run by Freewheel North – who are trying to fundraise just now, in case you want to contribute.

Infrastructure Update

• Sighthill’s new pedestrian/cycle bridge has been installed over the M8 (but won’t be open for a while yet). GoBike convenor, Thomas, spoke about it on STV!
• At the canal, the Claypits nature reserve officially opened at the weekend, including the zigzag ramp from Garscube Rd.
• The Stockingfield Bridge at the canal is being assembled but won’t be up and running until next year.
• North Canal Bank St – work is getting there but it missed its July re-opening date.
• At Kelvin Hall, Argyle St/Bunhouse Rd has bike lights installed, but not yet operational.
• Thomas visited Corkerhill Rd’s soft segregated lanes.
• He also let us know South City Way’s new cycle counters are up-and-running.
• Outdoor seating in the sun was popular along Sauchiehall St’s permanent lanes and the pop-ups at Candleriggs/George Square and Cambridge St.
• In East Kilbride, University Hospital Hairmyres has a new path into south of site (from Strathtay Ave).

Contents
(new consultations in bold – link jumps to article)

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. Glasgow City Council – City Centre Traffic Management Order 2010: Variation No.29, GHA Parking Areas (ends 3 Aug – today!)
2. St. Paul’s Youth Forum – Flourishing Molendinar second consultation (ends 6 Aug)
3. Glasgow City Council – Garnethill Traffic Management and Parking Controls Order (ends 13 Aug)
4. East Dunbartonshire Council – Bishopbriggs Town Centre Regeneration (ends 15 Aug)
5. East Dunbartonshire Council – Schools waiting and loading orders (ends 16 Aug)
6. East Dunbartonshire Council – Lenzie Rd, Kirkintilloch waiting and loading order (ends 16 Aug)
7. East Dunbartonshire Council – Civic Way/Lenzie Rd, traffic management (ends 16 Aug)
8. Glasgow City Council – Auldhouse Area Traffic Management Order (ends 20 Aug)
9. North Lanarkshire Council – Bellshill Entrance/Velo Park Project (until end of Aug)
10. East Renfrewshire Council – Ayr Road (A77): Spaces for People, Phase 2
11. Glasgow City Council – Low Emission Zone consultation (ends 2 Sep)
12. Glasgow City Council – Inner East Strategic Development Framework (ends 3 Sep)
13. East Dunbartonshire Council – Active Travel Discussion (ends 28 Sep)
14. Glasgow Urban Sports – GUSM74 Urban Sports Sculpture Park

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

None this time.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. North Lanarkshire Council – Planning Application (20/00345/FUL) Access to Motherwell train station

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

1.1: Glasgow City Council – City Centre Traffic Management Order 2010: Variation No.29, GHA Parking Areas

Glasgow Housing Association’s parking areas are in Townhead, east of Buchanan Bus Station, behind the high flats. Resident’s parking spaces around Kennedy St and St Mungo Avenue have been used as free parking by shoppers/commuters. This order introduces parking restrictions (as covered in Digest 91, Item 1.1).

GoBike agreed with these measures in our Stage 1 GHA response and latest GHA response.

There are the usual documents for a TRO: plan of GHA parking areas, GHA areas draft report, GHA areas press notice and the usual statement of reasons. Respond by e-mail to lestraffic@glasgow.gov.uk  by 3 August 2021.

1.2: St. Paul’s Youth Forum – Flourishing Molendinar second consultation

The Flourishing Molendinar project covers an area around Blackhill in the north east of Glasgow. As seen in Digest 91, Item 1.2, the next stage of the Flourishing Molendinar project has produced new plans for consultation. Proposals include a pedestrianised section on Langdale St, segregated cycleways on Cumbernauld Rd and Royston Rd.

Permanent segregated lanes on Royston Rd would continue east of Provanmill Rd, where the current pop-up lanes peter out, past the Langdale St/Robroyston Rd junction. This wouldn’t just connect Blackhill towards the city centre, it’s also just across the M80 footbridge from Barmulloch. The junction is also a route to a school, St Philomena’s RC Primary School, where pupils have been doing their own plans in Minecraft software.

For more on the above, see the FloMo survey (ends 6 August).

1.3: Glasgow City Council – Garnethill Traffic Management and Parking Controls Order

Garnethill is perched above Sauchiehall St and Cambridge St, up some of the steepest streets in the city centre. As we said in Digest 91, Item 1.3, it’s due to get parking controls, which stem from a consultation event in 2018.

Garnethill also has a lot of existing one way streets, which don’t allow for contraflow cycling. In our Garnethill Stage 1 response, GoBike objected to this and other measures. Very little had changed since, apart from a few parking spaces, so we re-iterated our objections in our response to the published Garnethill order.

See the restrictions in the TRO documents: Garnethill plan, Garnethill draft report, Garnethill press notice and the standard Statement of Reasons. Email: garnethillparking@glasgow.gov.uk by 13 August.

1.4: East Dunbartonshire Council – Bishopbriggs Town Centre Regeneration

This consultation is about not just Bishopbriggs town centre, but also phase 5 of Bishopbriggs Relief Road (BRR5) and the A803 corridor. Cycling doesn’t get much of a mention, as we said in Digest 91, Item 1.4. That’s despite Bishopbriggs being so close to the Forth & Clyde canal and to Glasgow (where the A803 changes from Kirkintilloch Rd to Springburn Rd). If you want to put a word in for cycling, see the Bishopbriggs consultation webpage and Bishopbriggs Public Realm Plan survey by 15 August.

1.5: East Dunbartonshire Council – Schools waiting and loading orders

A series of orders from East Dunbartonshire bring in parking restrictions around the following nine primary schools:

• Clober Primary School, Milngavie
• Westerton Primary School, Bearsden
• Meadowburn Primary School, Bishopbriggs
• St Matthew’s Primary School, Bishopbriggs
• Wester Cleddens Primary School, Bishopbriggs
• Gartconner Primary School, Kirkintilloch
• Holy Family Primary School, Kirkintilloch
• Craighead Primary School, Milton of Campsie
• Torrance Primary School, Torrance

All include ‘no waiting’ restrictions between 8.30 – 9.30am and 2.30 – 4.30pm. The Clober, Westerton, Craighead and Torrance school plans have sections with no waiting at any time (mostly on corners/school entry roads).

See the plans and other PDF documents for details: Bearsden/Milngavie schools plans, Bearsden/Milngavie schools order, ‘west’ schools Schedules & Statement of reasons, Bearsden/Milngavie schools notice, Bishopbriggs/Kirkintilloch/Milton of Campsie/Torrance schools plans, ‘east’ schools order, ‘east’ schools Schedules & Statement of reasons, ‘east’ schools notice, Bishopbriggs consolidated order and Milton of Campsie consolidated order.

Send any comments to the Chief Solicitor & Monitoring Officer by post or email by 16 August.

1.6: East Dunbartonshire Council – Linnhe Ave/Thums Ave/Ochil Rd waiting and loading order

Immediately east of the above map are Linnhe Ave, Thums Ave and the Ochil Rd cul-de-sac (near Wester Cleddens Rd). Linnhe Ave is due to have no waiting or loading at any time, across from the shops on Woodhill Rd. Thums Ave and Ochil Rd are due to have restrictions only between 8.30 – 9.30am and 2.30 – 4.30pm. Presumably, the times relate to the nearby Thomas Muir Primary School and Bishopbriggs Academy, which have a gate on Ochil Rd.

See the PDF documents: Linnhe Ave/Thums Ave/Ochil Rd plan, Linnhe Ave/Thums Ave/Ochil Rd order and Linnhe Ave/Thums Ave/Ochil Rd notice. Send any comments to the Chief Solicitor & Monitoring Officer by post or email by 16 August.

1.7: East Dunbartonshire Council – Civic Way/Lenzie Rd, traffic management

Civic Way, Kirkintinlloch was the site of the former East Dunbartonshire Council headquarters (the building was demolished in 2015). New, affordable housing is being built on the site, south of Civic Way. On the road itself, EDC plan to add a speed bump with parking restrictions round the corner on Lenzie Rd.

See the PDF documents: Lenzie Rd plan, Lenzie Rd order, Lenzie Rd notice, Civic Way notice, Kirkintilloch consolidated order. Send any comments to the Chief Solicitor & Monitoring Officer by post or email by 16 August.

1.8: Glasgow City Council – Auldhouse Area Traffic Management Order

The Auldhouse area in this order is just south of Pollokshaws East train station and the White Cart Water. It’s a triangle bounded by Kilmarnock Rd, Auldhouse Rd and Nether Auldhouse Rd.

It’s mostly along similar lines to other parking controls elsewhere. However, there are a few back lanes between Riverford Rd and Ellisland Rd which will be signed as ‘access only’ for motor vehicles. If those are followed, they should allow bikes to have a slightly quieter north-south route. However, the road surfaces are either rough tarmac or cobbles so they might not be that quiet!

See the PDF documents: Auldhouse plan, Auldhouse report, Auldhouse notice and the catch-all Statement of Reasons.

1.9: North Lanarkshire Council – Bellshill Entrance/Velo Park Project

The ‘entrance’ is a bit confusing as most people don’t realise Strathclyde Country Park goes past Bothwellhaugh Rd and the railway, up to Bellshill Rd (A721). The area north of the loch includes the South Calder Water, Bothwellhaugh Cemetery, Bellshill Golf Club and the South Calder Walkway off-road path network. NLC propose to thread mountain bike trails around these, as shown in image, below.

NLC have a patchy record with similar projects like mountain bike trails in Forgewood and skate ramps in Motherwell and Wishaw. However, there is a successful skatepark in Airdrie and a BMX race track in Cumbernauld. The council have taken some input from Socialtrack, who created and run the excellent Wishawhill Wood pump track in Craigneuk. These plans include a pump track but it’s not designed yet (there’s just an example track photo).

The ‘Hub/Skills area’ of the new velo park would be at the edge of Bellshill (next to the roundabout on Motherwell Rd/A721). It could be a great facility for young people around the Bellshill area. The existing Greenlink path makes it more accessible from North Motherwell too (but it doesn’t link to Ravenscraig, as claimed).

The new route into Strathclyde Country Park should broaden active travel access from Bellshill and Motherwell. This project doesn’t include any paths near the Raith Interchange bridges (as suggested on Facebook). The new routes are indirect and sloping, so are less likely to help cycle commuters around Bellshill.

If you cycle in the area, see the Bellshill Entrance & Velo Park info page. You can email comments to GreenspaceProjects@northlan.gov.uk. The page says the process should lead to a Sport Scotland application this month so email before the end of August.

1.10: East Renfrewshire Council – Ayr Road (A77): Spaces for People, Phase 2

As covered in Digest 91, Item 1.5, Ayr Rd through Newton Mearns is a main active travel route into Glasgow. This phase 2 consultation is about replacing the phase 1 cones with light segregation, removing some segregation and adding parking bays (one with the bike lane outside it and trialing a parking-protected bike lane for the other).

Light segregation options include ‘flexible delineator posts’ or ‘wand orca’ units. For examples, maps and more details, see the Ayr Road Phase 2 Commonplace page. No obvious deadline on this one.

1.11: Glasgow City Council – Low Emission Zone consultation

As in Digest 90, Item 1.3 this consultation is about phase 2 of the Low Emission Zone in Glasgow city centre (between the M8, river and High St). Phase 1 only applied to local buses. Phase 2 will include all vehicles entering the zone area (unless exempt) but enforcement is only due to start in June 2023.

The short survey asks you about issues like the size of the LEZ area and the grace periods. See the Glasgow LEZ consultation page and LEZ online survey. Closes on 2 September 2021.

1.12: Glasgow City Council – Inner East Strategic Development Framework

The other side of High St out to Carntyne and Tollcross is the ‘Inner East’ area, covered in the latest SDF (as in Digest 90, Item 1.4). The ‘Connected’ section mentions quite a few cycling infrastructure projects but the focus is still on public transport and roads, including the so-called East End Regeneration Route (EERR) dual carriageway.

See the Inner East consultation page for link to the SDF survey – ends 3 September 2021.

1.13: East Dunbartonshire Council – Active Travel Discussion

This has been featured since Digest 86, Item 1.2, including its ‘Ideas Map‘ for the area. It’s an opportunity to focus on active travel (walking, cycling and wheeling). EDC were pioneers when they built phase 1 of the Bearsway cycletrack in Milngavie. However, since phase 2 was scrapped, they’ve fallen behind other local authorities; not even bidding for Spaces for People funding.

Further online discussion events are due later in August. See a full list of events and background info on the Active Travel Discussion webpage. Closing date – 28 Sep 2021.

1.14: Glasgow Urban Sports – GUSM74 Urban Sports Sculpture Park

Charlotte Worthington’s gold medal at Tokyo 2020 in the BMX Freestyle Park event seems like a good reminder about Glasgow Urban Sports‘ skate park project. GUS want to bring land under the M74 extension into productive use as a park for ‘urban sports’ – BMX, skateboarding, inline skating, parkour, etc. Their site is between the back of West St Subway station and Eglinton St. The sculptures would enhance the area even when they didn’t have skaters jumping off them!

See GUS’s survey to try and find out what skaters, or their families, want from the park. Or see the GUS Facebook or GUS Twitter accounts.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

None this time.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

3.1: North Lanarkshire Council – Planning Application (20/00345/FUL) Access to Motherwell train station

The planning application for this City Deal project first came up back in Digest 61, Item 1.1. It was to create a new access to the station from the roundabout at the junction of Hamilton Rd (A723), West Hamilton Rd (A721) and Merry St. Running along derelict land behind the row of shops on Muir St, it would join the current road at the station. It would include a bus lane, taxi rank, disabled parking and short cycleway.

However, the cycleway seems to have been dropped from the latest drawings (29 Jun 2021) –see planning application 20/00345/FUL. It would’ve been pretty short and isolated but would at least have helped cycle to the station from the south. Another example of NLC’s inconsistent approach – a few steps forward (like the RATL path) then a few steps back (like the RAI dual carriageway).

North Lanarkshire Council have now granted planning permission for this access road to go ahead. Redevelopment has already taken place at nearby Park & Ride car parks. Work is now underway on the station building (using the service road to get passengers down to the middle platforms while stairs are replaced). The Muir St works are expected to start late 2021 and finish summer 2022.

There’s plenty in this Digest despite it being holiday time, with weather to match for a change (in Glasgow Fair!).

This issue is mostly about the fringes – both inside and outside the city boundary; in more and less deprived areas. It’s also about city centre parking and emissions, which is often linked to people driving in from areas around the edge of Glasgow.

The Infrastructure Update has a bit more from north and east but also a project from the West End, just in case anyone’s getting withdrawal symptoms…

Infrastructure Update

• A thread about recent route developments in Glasgow, looking great in sunshine.
• Beith St has new access and drop kerbs added.
• London Rd has had soft segregation removed at Celtic Park (but chalk added).
• At the other end of London Rd, photos of Mount Vernon junction. It’s good this phase of the East City Way is complete but there are issues going eastbound, as GoBike warned previously.
• A bird’s eye view of the new Sighthill and a few close-ups of its new, but rusty, pedestrian/cycle bridge before it’s installed.

Contents
(new consultations in bold – link jumps to article)

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. Glasgow City Council – City Centre Traffic Management Order 2010: Variation No.29, GHA Parking Areas (ends 3 Aug)
2. St. Paul’s Youth Forum – Flourishing Molendinar second consultation (ends 6 Aug)
3. Glasgow City Council – Garnethill Traffic Management and Parking Controls Order (ends 13 Aug)
4. East Dunbartonshire Council – Bishopbriggs Town Centre Regeneration (ends 15 Aug)
5. East Renfrewshire Council – Ayr Road (A77): Spaces for People, Phase 2
6. Glasgow City Council – Low Emission Zone consultation (ends 2 Sep)
7. Glasgow City Council – Inner East Strategic Development Framework (ends 3 Sep)
8. East Dunbartonshire Council – Active Travel Discussion (ends 28 Sep)

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

None this time.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. Mount Florida Community Council – Letherby Triangle planning decision
2. St. Paul’s Youth Forum – Flourishing Molendinar first consultation feedback

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

1.1: Glasgow City Council – City Centre Traffic Management Order 2010: Variation No.29, GHA Parking Areas

‘GHA Parking Areas’ refers to land in Townhead owned by Glasgow Housing Association. The area is east of Buchanan Bus Station and Glasgow Caledonian University, behind the high flats. Resident’s parking spaces around Kennedy St and St Mungo Avenue have been used as free parking by shoppers/commuters. This order introduces parking restrictions which can be enforced.

There are the usual documents for a TRO: plan of GHA parking areas, GHA areas draft report, GHA areas press notice and the usual statement of reasons. Respond by e-mail to lestraffic@glasgow.gov.uk  by 3 August 2021.

1.2: St. Paul’s Youth Forum – Flourishing Molendinar second consultation

The last mention of the Flourishing Molendinar project was in Digest 82, Item 1.8 (when it changed to its current name). The main image on this Digest shows the area covered by the project in the north east of Glasgow.

The next stage of the Flourishing Molendinar project has produced some eye-catching plans. In particular, the pedestrianised area proposed for Langdale St, which could be an example for other so-called ‘liveable’ neighbourhoods.

However, there was also big news for anyone who cycles on Cumbernauld Rd (A80) across the M8 motorway. The bridge is a four/five lane dual carriageway, which many pupils have to cross to get to Smithycroft Secondary School. FloMo’s plan would reduce the (wide) lanes and add segregated cycleways. If it goes ahead, this would transform that stretch of road into a far more people-friendly place.

For more on the above (and Royston Rd) go to the FloMo survey (ends 6 August). We look forward to seeing what comes out of it.

For more about the phase 1 consultation, see Item 3.2.

1.3: Glasgow City Council – Garnethill Traffic Management and Parking Controls Order

Garnethill, north of Sauchiehall St, is known for (what’s left of) Glasgow School of Art. It’s also home to a few schools, places of worship, hotels and several thousand residents. The area has steep, tight streets and existing one-ways, as well as the usual parking issues.

GoBike posted about the consultation events for Garnethill back in March 2018. The plans involve a lot of yellow lines, parking restrictions on back lanes and the creation of car parking bays. One thing that isn’t included in the plan is the two-way section of Hill St, at St Aloysius College, created by TTRO in April (Digest 85, 3.1). However, the parking bays are still included, which reduce the road to one car width.

Any neighbourhood plan is of most interest to people who live in the area. However, issues in Garnethill could have a knock-on effect on Sauchiehall St and Cambridge St so it’s in our wider interest that it works.

Again, there are the usual TRO documents: Garnethill plan, Garnethill draft report, Garnethill press notice and the standard Statement of Reasons. Respond by email: garnethillparking@glasgow.gov.uk by 13 August 2021.

1.4: East Dunbartonshire Council – Bishopbriggs Town Centre Regeneration

This consultation covers Bishopbriggs town centre and two City Deal projects – phase 5 of Bishopbriggs Relief Road (BRR5) and the A803 corridor (Springburn Rd/Kirkintilloch Rd).

Bishopbriggs town centre is marooned between NCN754 (Forth & Clyde canal) and the ‘Wester Way’ shared path, without good active travel links to either. The Wester Way was built alongside the BRR on Westerhill Rd, where BRR phase 4 caused years of disruption. Both road and path peter out opposite the Aviva offices, north of the rail line to Lenzie. BRR5 doesn’t have a route decided yet but could affect some paths in the area.

The striking thing about the town centre ‘Future’ images is how little the infrastructure changes apart from slightly wider footways and planting more trees. There are a few cyclists in the images but no segregated cycle lanes. The town centre work is part of a City Deal project worth nearly £35m, so they’re not skint.

If you’ve ridden any routes in the area, it’s worth putting a word in for cycling. See the Bishopbriggs consultation webpage and Bishopbriggs Public Realm Plan survey. Consultation closes 15 August.

1.5: East Renfrewshire Council – Ayr Road (A77): Spaces for People, Phase 2

The Ayr Rd section of the A77 route at Newton Mearns is south of the Fenwick Rd Spaces for People lanes, which we covered back in January 2021 (Digest 78, 1.4). GoBike staged a local Pedal on Parliament event about parking on Ayr Rd’s bike lanes back in 2019.

The phase 2 consultation is partly about replacing the phase 1 cones with light segregation. However, it also removes the segregation in some sections (like at Mearns Cross). It includes adding parking bays with the bike lane outside it in one location but trialing a parking-protected bike lane at Ashtree Grove (as in image, below).

The mixed approach probably reflects that on-road, segregated cycleways are still very new in East Renfrewshire (or anywhere outside a city). Issues in other towns, like the Bearsway extension being scrapped and the removal of lanes on Holmston Rd, cast a long shadow. Newton Mearns is just as affluent and around 90% of people in East Ren have access to a car. However, it has younger demographics than either Milngavie or Ayr.

East Ren differ from Glasgow by only asking how to improve the scheme, not whether people want rid of it. If ERC wait to get feedback before making changes then that would be an improvement on London Rd too. A few comments in the Commonplace survey allude to Glasgow ripping out segregation so that seems to have had an effect beyond the city boundary.

Light segregation options include ‘flexible delineator posts’ or ‘wand orca’ units. For examples, maps and more details, see the Ayr Road Phase 2 consultation page. No obvious deadline on this one.

1.6: Glasgow City Council – Low Emission Zone consultation

Glasgow’s city centre Low Emission Zone (LEZ) has only applied to some buses so far. GCC are consulting before it changes to include cars and other motor vehicles. It covers most of the city centre – north of the river, conveniently inside the M8 and eastwards to High St/Saltmarket.

However, the LEZ won’t include cars any time soon as there are some ‘grace periods’ built into the plan at the moment. One year until it comes in, so summer 2022. Then another year until it becomes enforceable – 1 June 2023. There will be a further year’s grace for folk who live in the city centre (until 1 June 2024). Some exemptions apply to people with disabilities, emergency vehicles, etc.

One good thing about the short survey is it does ask you about the above. So, if you think the LEZ area is too small or the grace periods are too long, you can tick those boxes and add a comment too.

See the Glasgow LEZ consultation page and LEZ online survey. Closes on 2 September 2021.

1.7: Glasgow City Council – Inner East Strategic Development Framework

The ‘Inner East’ goes from High St out to Carntyne and Tollcross, between the River Clyde and the M8 (just short of FloMo’s patch). Like previous SDFs for other areas, it has themes about connections and sustainability but is mostly about identifying development opportunities. Some planned cycle routes and the Avenues Plus active travel scheme are included on a map with ‘missing links’. There are some issues with the map, like the red line between Barrowfield and Parkhead, counting the bus lane on one side as “off road/segregated”. Although it’s patchy, it puts more focus on active travel than previous strategies about the East End.

A few of the rail improvements in the document have been talked about for over ten years, such as the Parkhead rail halt. However, it’s the East End Regeneration Route (EERR phase 3) that seems to be back on the agenda due to new funding. It’s a dual carriageway that would run through Hogarth Park and under Edinburgh Rd and Cumbernauld Rd to the M8.

See the Inner East consultation page for link to the PDF document and SDF survey. Ends 3 September 2021.

1.8: East Dunbartonshire Council – Active Travel Discussion

This was first in Digest 86, Item 1.2, with its ‘Ideas Map‘ for the area. Recently, East Dunbartonshire Council has brought in new parking restrictions on Milngavie Rd, opposite the remodeled junction to Allanton Sports Centre. It’s small but possibly the first parking restriction since the Bearsway was built?

The Bearsway was due to extend to Kessington on the way to Glasgow. While researching this Digest, it emerged it has one of the oldest populations in Scotland. 52% of people of Kessington West are over 65 years old (page 19). Will the Bearsway ever get there?

There are no more consultation events until August/September. See a full list of events and background info on the Active Travel Discussion webpage. Closing date – 28 September 2021.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

None this time.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

3.1: Mount Florida Community Council – Letherby Triangle planning decision

This project was first in Digest 66, 1.3 when Mount Florida Community Council (MoFloCoCo) were consulting about it. It’s good to see it progressing towards being built.

The plan is to close the end of Carmunnock Road at Cathcart Rd to link a triangular traffic island to nearby shops. It will have a viewing platform added and be used for leisure and cultural events. There’s a handy overview of the proposal on the ReGlasgow website.

It’s planning application 20/03067/FUL if you want to look at it on GCC’s planning portal. Good luck to MoFloCoCo and their partners for the next stage.

3.2: St. Paul’s Youth Forum – Flourishing Molendinar first consultation feedback

In addition to the new plans in Item 1.2, above, Flourishing Molendinar published data from their earlier consultation (Jan–May 2021). There are plenty of interesting results on the website homepage and in their Summary Report (PDF).

In particular, the data shows strong support for keeping Spaces for People measures, as long as they can be adjusted/improved. Overall, 89% wanted to keep the SfP measures in some form while only 11% wanted them removed (out of 152 responses). While FloMo is focussed on one local area, it’s hopefully a good sign for the results of Glasgow City Council’s wider SfP consultation (whenever those are published).