Last call for a few Liveable Neighbourhood consultations. There’s a bit longer for Castle Semple at Lochwinnoch. Also, a skatepark proposal re-emerges under the M74.

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

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. Liveable Neighbourhoods – Yoker to Whiteinch
2. Liveable Neighbourhoods – Royston to Hogganfield
3. Castle Semple Country Park Vision
4. Devon Street Urban Park

Section 2: Consultation Feedback

1. Local Development Plan Newsletter 71

Section 3: TROs

1. East Dunbartonshire TROs
2. Glasgow City TROs

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

1.1: Liveable Neighbourhoods – Yoker to Whiteinch

Council: Glasgow City.
Areas: Yoker, Scotstoun, Jordanhill and Whiteinch.
Subject: A Liveable Neighbourhoods area in the north-west of the city. These areas featured in a recent cycling video by John Munro of Birmingham University. Within it, he highlighted the gap in cycling provision between the end of the old railway path at South St and the busy Thornwood Roundabout on Dumbarton Rd. Meanwhile, the former Jordanhill Training College site is one of the bigger new housing developments in the wider area. The MyGLN website seems to have been set up for this Liveable Neighbourhood and Royston to Hogganfield. It’s run by the companies Mott MacDonald, Urban Movement and New Practice. The latter recently paid tribute to Emma Newman on Twitter.
Website links: Yoker to Whiteinch LN consultation page.
Deadline: 19 March 2023.

1.2: Liveable Neighbourhoods – Royston to Hogganfield

Council: Glasgow City.
Areas: Royston, Sighthill, Germiston, Blackhill and Hogganfield.
Subject: Neighbourhoods in the north-east of the city between the M8 and the railway. Furthest west is Sighthill, which is nearing completion after a total rebuild in the last few years. East of Springburn Road are Royston and Germiston and their main street, Royston Rd. It hasn’t got any cycling infrastructure on the flat but was the subject of a project by Rosemount Development Trust in 2021. Where Royston Rd climbs up to Blackhill there’s the Spaces for People cycle lanes. Another project, Flourishing Molendinar, have big plans for Blackhill, Cumbernauld Rd (by Hogganfield Park) and the bridge to Smithycroft/Riddrie. Hogganfield Loch is part of the Seven Lochs Wetland Park (PDF map). So, better links to the rest of Glasgow would have wider benefits for people going to/from North Lanarkshire.
Website links: Royston to Hogganfield LN consultation page.
Deadline: 19 March 2023.

1.3: Castle Semple Country Park Vision

Council: Renfrewshire.
Area: Castle Semple Country Park, Lochwinnoch.
Subject: “Local residents and businesses are being invited to share their views on the tourism potential of Castle Semple Country Park in Lochwinnoch.” Active travel and a possible cycle hub are included in the survey questions. NCN7 runs past the loch on a former railway line, linking to Kilburnie, Johnstone and Paisley. However, active travel access between the park and other places, like Howwood, can be a bit patchy. The ‘virtual consultation event’ is similar to a previous one for Make Your Way.
Website links: Castle Semple virtual consultation.
Deadline: 26 March 2023.

1.4: Devon Street Urban Park

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

2: Consultation Feedback

2.1: Local Development Plan Newsletter 71

Council: East Dunbartonshire.
Subject: Updates related to EDC’s LDP2 (which is already approved and adopted). Only two this time but both of interest for active travel – one is EDC’s take on National Planning Framework 4. The other is a webpage for EDC’s upcoming Active Travel Strategy with plenty of evidence from previous consultation.
Website links: LDP Newsletter 71.

3: Proposed Traffic Regulation Orders

3.1: East Dunbartonshire TROs

Areas: Bearsden, Bishopbriggs, Clachan of Campsie and Kirkintilloch.
Subject: Orders about parking restrictions, electric charging and speed limits.
Website links: East Dunbartonshire TROs.

3.2: Glasgow City Traffic Calming/TROs

Areas: City-wide.
Subject: TROs: Raeberry St stopping up order is out for consultation until 24 March 2023.
Traffic calming: Three current schemes for Greenfield Avenue/Inveresk St, Waulkglen Road and Boghall Road.
Website links: Glasgow City Proposed TROs, Glasgow City Proposed Traffic Calming Schemes.

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.

Around the north of the city, plans for Maryhill Road’s squinty crossing are dwarfed by proposals for Canniesburn Toll roundabout in East Dumbartonshire.

In the city centre, another Bank Holiday building fire means the road is fenced off on High St at the junction of George St/Duke St.

The Scottish Parliament election has passed but it’s still a bit quiet on the consultations front. However, there are plenty of temporary and permanent projects going on so we have another Infrastructure Update. Most of them are in the city but East Kilbride is also getting in on the Spaces for People action.

Infrastructure Update

• Benalder St, Glasgow is having a cycleway installed over the River Kelvin after works on nearby Bunhouse Rd and Old Dumbarton Rd (for Yorkhill & Kelvingrove Cycling Village).
• Cambridge St, Glasgow – Spaces for People cycle lanes are up and running (including bike traffic lights at Renfrew St).
• East City Way phase 1 at London Rd/Mount Vernon may be nearly there – see 3.1, below.
• East Kilbride has Spaces for People lanes installed between EK train station and shopping centre (via Brouster Hill) including double decker planters on Cornwall St.
• Garscube Rd segregated lanes, for the Connecting Woodside project, have almost reached new bike traffic lights at Firhill St (installed but not put into service yet).
• George Square gets planter boxes and outdoor seating (mostly for The Counting House).
• Royston Rd, Glasgow – work started on Spaces for People lanes.

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

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. Glasgow City Council – Maryhill Road/North Woodside Road/Hopehill Road (Traffic Regulation) Order 2021, (ends 18 June)
2. East Dunbartonshire Council – Active Travel Discussion
3. East Dunbartonshire Council – Canniesburn Toll Signalisation Study
4. North Lanarkshire Council – Town Hubs location surveys
5. Glasgow Urban Sports – GUSM74 Urban Sports Sculpture Park survey

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

Glasgow City Council – Pollok pop-up lanes consultation (Spaces for People)

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. Glasgow City Council – East City Way Phase 1 (London Dr to Daldowie Rd) Order 2021
2. Glasgow City Council – London Road and Hamilton Road (30mph Speed Limit) Order 2021
3. Multiplex – Glasgow Uni campus, May newsletter
4. Urban Roots – Malls Mire, April Newsletter

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

1.1: Glasgow City Council – Maryhill Road/North Woodside Road/Hopehill Road (Traffic Regulation) Order 2021

This traffic order has a long title for a short stretch of junction. It creates a diagonal cycle crossing on Maryhill Rd between the two filtered sections of N Woodside Rd. This is part of the wider Connecting Woodside project (which is installing other squinty crossings on Garscube Rd).

The accompanying report says it includes “the installation of a signalised pedestrian and cycle crossing at the junction of Maryhill Road, North Woodside Road and Hopehill Road”. It also restricts people cycling on the crossing from turning onto Maryhill Rd midway across. Presumably, in an effort to protect pedestrians who may be crossing alongside bikes.

The eastern side will have a 2-way cycle carriageway (according to the very small annotation, above). The order also prohibits motor vehicles from using the new cycle carriageway (the current road has been used for car parking).

There are the usual documents: TRO plan, TRO report, TRO press notice and (short) TRO statement of reasons. The deadline for responses is Friday, 18 June 2021.

1.2: East Dunbartonshire Council – Active Travel Discussion (11 May – 28 Sept)

This item came up just before publication and we’ll no doubt have more to say about it. However, for now, we’ll just highlight the online events starting on 18 May (for the Lennoxtown, Milton of Campsie, Haughhead and Clachan of Campsie areas). There are about a dozen online events in the next few months for different areas (using MS Teams). Paper forms are also available from local libraries.

See a full list of events and background info on the Active Travel Discussion webpage. EDC have set up an online map to gather suggestions, with links to highlight paths, etc. in the area. This consultation will feed into a new Active Travel Strategy later in the year.

1.3: East Dunbartonshire Council – Canniesburn Toll Signalisation Study

Canniesburn Toll is a main junction between Bearsden and Glasgow, which links Switchback Rd and Drymen Rd to the A81 (Maryhill Rd/Milgavie Rd). East Dunbartonshire Council is going to add traffic lights and pedestrian crossings around the roundabout itself. At the same time EDC are proposing to add a cycle lane (using space gained by removing pavement around the centre of roundabout).

There are two options being put forward for the bike lane – one on the carriageway and one on the footway. While it’s good that EDC is looking at cycling infrastructure again (after ignoring Spaces for People), there are some obvious issues with both options.

Option 1, on the carriageway, seems to give priority for people cycling round the edge of the roundabout. However, there’s an obvious risk of a ‘left hook’ collision, when cycling ahead from cars turning left across your path.

Option 2, on the footway, should be safer but slower with multiple waits at traffic lights to cross each arm of the roundabout.

It’s not clear if either option is trying to recreate a Dutch roundabout, which tend to be smaller, single-lane roundabouts with a cycle lane in a separate ring outside it (leaving a gap for cars to stop on each arm). There may not be enough space all the way around the roundabout to add bike lanes further out. However, there is a huge area in the middle of it.

The Canniesburn Toll consultation website has background info and a link to the survey, which takes general feedback and for each option. It’s apparently had a few technical issues which the consultants (Stantec) say are being resolved. If you have any issues with it you could try emailing canniesburntoll@stantec.com. There’s no obvious closing date for this one. However, a ‘Technical Note‘ by EDC for their councillors says detailed design will start in June 2021.

1.4: North Lanarkshire Council – Town Hubs location surveys

As covered in Digest 85, Item 1.2. The Hubs are about creating community facilities through school refurbishments (or other redevelopment). While not strictly about cycling, the new hubs should be accessible by bike/active travel. The areas involved are: Airdrie, Bellshill, Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth, Motherwell, ‘Northern Corridor’ (Chryston), Shotts and Wishaw.

Each area is covered in one of the videos on the consultation webpage. You can watch them on the page or by clicking the red link to open them in a new tab/window. There are also videos at the foot of the page explaining the thinking behind the project. Each area has a link to a survey to give your views. There’s no obvious closing date for this one.

1.5: GUS – GUSM74 Urban Sports Sculpture Park survey

First covered in Digest 81, Item 1.9, the GUSM74 skate park would transform an area under the motorway near West St underground station. The GUSM74 survey is still open for BMX riders, skaters, or their families, to have their say.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

2.1: Glasgow City Council – Pollok pop-up lanes consultation (Spaces for People)

The city council added pop-up cycle lanes in Pollok on Braidcraft Rd and Brockburn Rd (as mentioned in the Spaces for People Update in Digest 84). As in other areas, the new lanes used ‘soft segregation’ (black & white ‘zebras’). They generated a lot of discussion on social media, especially Facebook. A Facebook post by Cllr David McDonald talked about a future GCC consultation. It was apparently due to start on 7 May but there doesn’t seem to be any further information so far.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

3.1: Glasgow City Council – East City Way Phase 1 (London Dr to Daldowie Rd) Order 2021

This was covered in Digest 80, Item 1.5 with further responses in Digest 82, 3.1. GCC have emailed to confirm it’s going ahead as proposed. Hopefully, this and the image in the Infrastructure Update, mean the first phase is just about complete.

3.2: Glasgow City Council – London Road and Hamilton Road (30mph Speed Limit) Order 2021

This order has gone hand-in-hand with the above since Digest 80, Item 1.6. It’s also been approved. Both orders were made on 30th April 2021 with adverts in the Evening Times on 6th May 2021.

3.3: Multiplex – Glasgow Uni campus, May newsletter

Quick off the mark this month are Multiplex with their May newsletter about the Glasgow Uni campus redevelopment.

3.4: Urban Roots – Malls Mire, April Newsletter

First covered in Digest 74, Item 3.4, we’re a wee bit late with the April newsletter. Apparently some paths may be rerouted to allow work to take place. On the plus side, the bike pump track is looking good!

This is the third Digest during the quieter pre-election period. If you want to know what some of the candidates had to say about cycling, you can watch a video of GoBike’s Hustings event. You can also see Pedal on Parliament getting their message across.

This Digest has news about Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire. There’s also some feedback about developments in Glasgow.

Since COVID-19 restrictions are easing, the usual editor is away and the previous editor is filling in. So, there are no links to jump to the topics this time (knowledge update required!). However, things are still a bit quiet so it shouldn’t take long to scroll through.

Contents
(new consultations in bold)

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. East Dunbartonshire Council – Climate Conversation (until 2 May)
2. North Lanarkshire Council – Town Hubs location surveys
3. Glasgow Urban Sports – GUSM74 Urban Sports Sculpture Park survey

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

None this time.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. Glasgow City Council – Hill Street Temporary Traffic Regulation Order
2. Glasgow City Council – St. Andrews Drive Sustainable Transport Route
3. Community Action Lanarkshire – Make Your Way, Key Links consultation
4. Multiplex – Glasgow Uni newsletter April 2021

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

1.1: East Dunbartonshire Council – Climate Conversation

EDC’s ongoing Climate Conversation was first covered in Digest 82, Item 1.7. It is due to feed into a Climate Action Plan then, following on from that, an Active Travel Strategy. So, it should set the tone for any future active travel development in East Dunbartonshire (assuming there is any after EDC ignored Spaces for People and stopped the Bears Way).

The workshops have all finished now but the consultation is still open. This is your last chance to comment before it closes on 2 May.

1.2: North Lanarkshire Council – Town Hub Location Survey

The Town Hub consultation first featured in Digest 81, Item 1.2. Following the workshops in March, the next phase is gathering opinions about the site options. The Hubs are about using school refurbishments (or other redevelopment) to deliver wider community facilities. While not strictly about cycling, the new hubs should be made easy to access by bike/active travel. The areas involved are: Airdrie, Bellshill, Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth, Motherwell, ‘Northern Corridor’ (Chryston), Shotts and Wishaw.

It’s a bit unusual to see a council consultation like this during the ‘purdah’ pre-election period, especially as some of the potential hub locations are on land that isn’t owned by the council! For example, one option for the Airdrie hub is the site of the current University Hospital Monklands. The hospital isn’t due to move to its new site at Wester Moffat until the late 2020s. Most of the other locations are current schools, except for a few, such as Cumbernauld town centre, Wishaw Sports Centre and Ravenscraig (Motherwell). The latter will arguably have better active travel access from Craigneuk/Wishaw than from Motherwell itself.

Each area is covered in one of the videos on the consultation webpage (without subtitles, sadly). It may be easier to watch them by clicking the red link to open them in a new tab/window. There are also videos at the foot of the page explaining the thinking behind the project. Each area has a link to a survey to give your views. There’s no obvious closing date for this one, but do get your views in soon!

1.3: GUS – GUSM74 Urban Sports Sculpture Park survey

First covered in Digest 81, Item 1.9, the GUSM74 skate park would redevelop the area under a flyover near West St underground station. The GUSM74 survey is still open for BMX riders, skaters, or their families, to have their say.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

None this time.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

3.1: Glasgow City Council – Hill Street Temporary Traffic Regulation Order

This Temporary TRO seems to be new and we have no record of any consultation prior to implementation. It’s possibly to do with St Aloysius College, which is a private school at 45 Hill St on the block mentioned in the order, between Scott St and Dalhousie St (just north of Glasgow School of Art). It seems this single block will become two-way, while the rest of Hill St stays one-way.
The streets in Garnethill are narrow with parked motor vehicles adding to the lack of space for cycling, so do take care in the area.

Here are the details of the Order:

3.2: Glasgow City Council – St. Andrews Drive Sustainable Transport Route

This extension to the South West City Way was first announced in a Consultation Extra in November 2019. The official order for the route was in Digest 81, Item 1.1 and GoBike submitted this response:

We had already submitted a very detailed letter in response to an earlier consultation:

Our detailed comments do not, sadly, form part of the TRO Consultation and GoBike is rarely involved in cycleway design. Here is the response of 20 April to our reluctant acceptance of the limited TRO:

“MESSAGE SENT ON BEHALF OF CHRISTINE FRANCIS, HEAD OF TECHNICAL SERVICES.
NEIGHBOURHOODS REGENERATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

Dear Ms Fort
THE GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL, (St. ANDREWS DRIVE) (SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT ROUTE) ORDER 20__

Thank you for your correspondence regarding the above named Traffic Regulation Order.
We note your letter of “No Objection” this will be considered and included within the final report which will inform the decision. Once a decision has been taken in regards to these proposals I shall write to you again and advise of the outcome.
We further note your points raised in your letter as these are not under the TRO process these will be replied to under separate cover.

Yours sincerely, etc“

We look forward to the promised response under “separate cover”!

3.3: Community Action Lanarkshire – Make Your Way, Key Links consultation

This project first came up in Digest 75, Item 1.3. The Key Links projects is about creating new active travel routes in Abington, Douglas, Leadhills and Wanlockhead in rural South Lanarkshire. Make Your Way had won funding for a feasibility study in summer 2020.

An update on the CAL website has feedback about the consultation (and a ringing endorsement from one of the local candidates).

3.4: Multiplex – Glasgow Uni newsletter April 2021

Multiplex have released their latest update about the Glasgow Uni campus redevelopment – April 2021 newsletter. It doesn’t mention a change to the temporary traffic lights on University Avenue. GoBike member Iain had taken this up with the developers after several members found the green light phase wasn’t long enough. That meant they couldn’t cycle past the roadworks before oncoming traffic got a green light. The phase has now been lengthened – please let us know if you have any further issues with it.

The next Digest will be after the Scottish Parliament election, when normal service may be resumed.

This is the second Digest during the pre-election period so things are still a bit quiet. This Digest is mostly about Glasgow with a wee bit from North Ayrshire and East Dunbartonshire.

Again, this Digest features an update about recent infrastructure developments. This time focusing on Glasgow’s latest Spaces for People measures (following on from Howard St last time). A few new lanes are going in Pollok and some in the north east of the city. The city centre has some new planter boxes and should get another new lane (eventually).

Glasgow Spaces for People Update

• Braidcraft Rd plans.
• Brockburn Rd plans and GoBike’s response to ‘bikelash’ in Glasgow Times making front page news!
• Cambridge St plans which may not have started yet due to water main works (and the usual considerate parking).
• Planter boxes installed on Candleriggs, Merchant City (to make way for outdoor seating?). More on Bell Street, Wilson Street and Trongate.
• London Rd roadworks near Fielden St and more near Celtic Park (possibly to lay cable?). Missing zebras/armadillos have been replaced outside Celtic Park/Emirates and lane cleaned.
• Royston Rd plans.
• Wallacewell Rd plans.

Barriers Overload Update

Dawsholm Park barriers – three(!) sets added to new path.

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

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. Ardrossan Connections – Design Festival (workshops 14/21 April)
2. Glasgow City Council – (Y)our City Centre Districts, (Y)our Ideas & Proposals Workshops (22/26 April)
3. East Dunbartonshire Council – Climate Conversation (online event 22 April)
4. Maryhill North Transformational Regeneration Area – Masterplan consultation (ends 23 April)
5. Glasgow Urban Sports – GUSM74 Urban Sports Sculpture Park survey

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

None this time.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. Malls Mire newsletter – March 2021

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

1.1: Ardrossan Connections – Design Festival

First covered in Digest 78 (1.2), Ardrossan Connections is about improving links and public spaces in the Ayrshire coastal town. See the webpage about the project or information boards for more background or view comments on the Ardrossan Commonplace map.

The latest phase of the project is a ‘Design Festival’ from 7–27 April. In other words, some design workshops (announced just after the last Digest). GoBike members will probably be more interested in the ‘Connections’ design workshops on 14 and 21 April. There are also ‘Placemaking’ workshops on 20 and 26 April. Each workshop is shown on the Design Festival page – click the one you want to go to its sign-up link.

Alternatively, if you can’t make any of the workshops, you might be able to use the Ardrossan ‘padlet’ to add a design idea as a pin on the map (zoom in – a lot!).

1.2: Glasgow City Council – (Y)our City Centre Districts, (Y)our Ideas & Proposals Workshops

The city centre districts projects have been featured several times, including Digest 74, 1.2. These are about major regeneration, with an emphasis on transport and community. The four districts being consulted on in this phase are Cowcaddens, Townhead, Merchant City and ‘Learning Quarter’ (Cathedral St, etc.). The districts Commonplace map is still open but the focus will be on the outcome of the latest workshops.

Proposals Workshops are coming up for Merchant City on 22 April and ‘Learning Quarter’ on 26 April. Timetables for each online event are on the City Centre Strategy workshops page.

Cowcaddens and Townhead have already had their workshops. The same webpage showcases the themes which came out of those. ‘(Y)our Ideas’, are numbered – clicking each takes you to a PDF summary about it. Underneath the themes is a button to a survey – it asks which ideas you see as highest priority.

In due course, a similar setup will probably appear for Merchant City/’Learning Quarter’ after their workshops.

1.3: East Dunbartonshire Council – Climate Conversation 

This initiative was first covered in Digest 82, Item 1.7. East Dunbartonshire Council didn’t apply for Spaces for People funding but sustainable transport is part of their Climate Conversation webpage. Subsequently, this will feed into three future consultations on the environment, including a new Active Travel Strategy.

The last of their Climate Conversation events is on 22 April (online, using MS Teams). The overall Climate Conversation itself will run until 2 May 2021.

1.4: Maryhill North Transformational Regeneration Area – Masterplan consultation 

As mentioned in Digest 83, Item 1.4, this regeneration project is looking at housing and public spaces in Gilshochill, south of Summerston train station.

There are many visualisations on the Maryhill North consultation page, most of which look promising. However, there are some very sharp angles in the zigzag paths, which don’t look very bike-friendly (as seen in the feature photo at the top of this Digest). Also, some of the realigned streets appear to be ‘shared space’, without any pavements. The theory behind shared space is that drivers pay more attention if pavements and markings are removed. However, the reality is often pedestrians get startled by cars and have to dart out the way (or in this case, dive into a hedge!).

If you want to comment on the TRA plans, you have to register first on the above page. Consultation closes on 23 April.

1.5: Glasgow Urban Sports – GUSM74 Urban Sports Sculpture Park survey

A few comments in the city centre districts Commonplace map ask about more space for skaters. GUS’s M74 skatepark project would provide that under a flyover near West St subway station. First covered in Digest 81, Item 1.9, the GUSM74 survey is still open for BMX riders, skaters, or their families, to have their say about the park.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

None this time.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

3.1: Malls Mire newsletter – March 2021

The first issue of this newsletter featured in Digest 74, Item 3.4. The Malls Mire project is creating play areas and woodland paths between Toryglen and Rutherglen.

The March 2021 newsletter covers the latest construction news about the bike pump track, playgrounds, landscaping and more. See further background about the project on Clyde Gateway’s Malls Mire webpage.

As predicted in the last Digest, there aren’t so many consultations due to the pre-election period. This Digest is split between Glasgow and a few items each from East Dunbartonshire and Lanarkshire.

However, there are often more developments on the ground around the city in March, to complete works before the Public Sector’s end of Financial Year. Many of us might be restricted to our own council area right now. So, it can help to see that progress is happening somewhere, as it may not feel like it at times. That’s why this Digest features an Infrastructure Update to bring you up to speed.

Infrastructure Update

• Glasgow City Council have just installed Spaces for People segregation on the Howard St bike lane.
• South City Way now has electronic bike warning signs installed on side streets off Victoria Rd (to alert drivers – triggered by bikes going past).
• GCC have completed a section of segregated cycleway on Garscube Rd from M8 to Sawmillfield St. Work is well underway on combined crossings at junction with Possil Rd/St George’s Rd. The next section of route, going north on Garscube Rd, has also started.
• GCC is also working on phase 1 of East City Way on London Rd/Hamilton Rd near Mount Vernon station. Its new Nextbike station has already been installed.
• Nextbike Glasgow announced 10 new hire stations (and the end of the free 30 minutes scheme).
• North Lanarkshire Council are installing a wider shared path at the western end of Strathclyde Park Loch (but it peters out near the playpark). The new path is west of the closed section of the park’s ‘spine road’ – see map in Item 1.1, below.

Ahead of the election in May, see the Cycling for everyone election petition by Cycling UK in Scotland (extended until 1 April) and Pedal on Parliament’s ‘Light the Way’ campaign (24 April).

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

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. North Lanarkshire Council – Strathclyde Park road closure consultation (ends 31 March)
2. Kinning Park Complex – Sustaining Choices events (1, 3 or 6 April)
3. East Dunbartonshire Council – Climate Conversation (online event 22 April)
4. Maryhill North Transformational Regeneration Area – Masterplan consultation (ends 23 April)
5. Glasgow Urban Sports – GUSM74 Urban Sports Sculpture Park survey

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

1. Glasgow City Council – (Y)our ‘Learning Quarter’ and Merchant City Proposals Workshops

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. Iceni Projects (Glasgow Harbour) – Yorkhill Quay Phase 2 response
2. Glasgow City Council – Active Travel Forum follow-up
3. South Lanarkshire Council – South Lanarkshire Cycling Partnership meeting, 22 March
4. East Dunbartonshire Council – Local Development Plan Newsletter

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

1.1: North Lanarkshire Council – Strathclyde Park road closure

In summer 2020, North Lanarkshire Council used Spaces for People funding to install gates to close off a 2km section of Strathclyde Country Park’s ‘spine road’ to motor traffic. It goes from the roundabout at Bothwellhaugh Rd to the car park entrance near Haughview Rd, Motherwell. It includes part of the course for the 2014 Commonwealth Games triathlon.

NLC are now consulting about whether or not the closure should be made permanent. Most SfP measures in North Lanarkshire have ended (including other temporary road closures). So, the Strathclyde Park gates are potentially the area’s only active travel legacy from the pandemic.

The road was previously used as a rat run by cars/vans, especially to avoid congestion on the M74 between junctions 5 and 6. Speeding in the park led to wide rubber speed bumps being fitted (but it could still be an issue in between). The road has no pavement, except near M&D’s theme park. There are narrower paths around the loch and surrounding area but they often become crowded. A wider path is under construction at the western end of the loch (see Infrastructure Update, above).

Since the motor traffic has gone the road has become even more popular with pedestrians and people on bikes (bicycle tyre tracks are visible in the mud either side of the west gates). The park attracts people from surrounding towns in both North and South Lanarkshire. So, keeping the closure would be a boost to active travel in the wider area.

See the survey on the Strathclyde Park masterplan website but you need to be quick as it ends TODAY 31 March.

1.2: Kinning Park Complex – Sustaining Choices events

Kinning Park Complex ran many community events before the pandemic. The physical centre is closed just now but they’re still working with the community. These events target areas around the section of Paisley Road West north of the motorway (and a wee bit south of the M8 too).

KPC say they’re: “Bringing local people together to determine how walking, wheeling, and cycling can be made easier in Kinning Park, Plantation, Cessnock, and Ibrox.”

The events are part of a wider project called Because We Say So! looking at wider community issues (with a nicely designed website).

Events take place on 1, 3 and 6 April – see Sustaining Choices Eventbrite page to signup.

1.3: East Dunbartonshire Council – Climate Conversation

This initiative first got a mention in Digest 82, Item 1.7. After missing out on Spaces for People funding, East Dunbartonshire Council are getting ahead of the COP26 game with their Climate Conversation surveys and events.

Their Climate Conversation webpage says: “The Climate Conversation is the first stage in preparing an area-wide Climate Action Plan (CAP) for East Dunbartonshire… We are also commencing work during 2021 on new strategies that will support the objectives of the CAP: the Open Space Strategy; Circular Economy Strategy; and Active Travel Strategy.” The last one will obviously be of most interest to GoBike (but the other two are also welcome).

EDC have various surveys to fill in – one general, one for businesses and one for young people (all want an email address upfront). There’s also the last of their Climate Conversation events online on 22 April (using MS Teams). The overall Climate Conversation itself will run until 2 May 2021.

1.4: Maryhill North Transformational Regeneration Area – Masterplan Consultation

GoBike member Colin passed on a link to this consultation for the Maryhill North Transformational Regeneration Area. According to Glasgow City Council’s page on Maryhill TRA, the Maryhill North area is really Gilshochill. It’s north of Maryhill Rd between the canal locks and Summerston train station. This Glasgow Live article about the TRA has some more background about the consultation and the masterplan. The main point of the regeneration seems to be improving housing in the area but it includes public spaces and connectivity as well.

The masterplan has a few new paths. The longer one (marked ‘B’ in above visual) goes along the ridge north of the Fearnmore Rd tower blocks. Access seems to be from sets of steps and a zigzag path up the hill near Sandbank St. It’s not clear if it links to Cumlodden Drive (near St Mary’s Primary School).

Most of the visuals show existing pavements but there aren’t any in the image for Barrisdale Rd. It’s just a visualisation but looks like a ‘shared space’. These remove the kerbs that white stick users and guide dogs rely on. There’s also some sort of water feature next to the trees, which may be more attractive to midges than the locals.

See bigger versions of the above images and more on the Maryhill North consultation page. You have to register to leave comments – closes 23 April.

1.5: Glasgow Urban Sports – GUSM74 Urban Sports Sculpture Park survey

A different kind of active travel project, which includes improving derelict space. First covered in Digest 81, Item 1.9, it’s for a skate park under the M74 (near West St underground station). The GUSM74 survey is still open for skaters, or their families, to have their say about what they want to see in the park.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

2.1: Glasgow City Council – (Y)our Merchant City and ‘Learning Quarter’ Proposals Workshops

Workshops have been announced for the next few city centre districts – Merchant City (22 April) and ‘Learning Quarter’ (29 April). These follow on from the Townhead and Cowcaddens workshops in 24 March. See the Workshops page on the City Centre Strategy website for further details.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

3.1: Iceni Projects (Glasgow Harbour) – Yorkhill Quay Phase 2 response

This high rise development near the Riverside Museum featured most recently in Digest 82, Item 1.5. Tricia and other GoBike members put in email responses during its pre-application period. Points raised included building housing on a previously industrial site, lack of connectivity to Yorkhill/Finnieston and the height of the proposed buildings.

Iceni Projects (who represent Glasgow Harbour Ltd and other partners) sent out a short acknowledgement:

“Thank you to you and GoBike members for taking the time to review the consultation proposals for the Yorkhill Quay site and for your comments. These will be reviewed by the project design team as plans for the site are developed.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any additional queries.”

The next stage should be a full planning application to Glasgow City Council.

3.2: Glasgow City Council – Active Travel Forum follow-up

Tricia followed up some points about Spaces for People after the ATF’s first online meeting in March. An email from Neighbourhoods Regeneration and Sustainability said:

“The project team are currently fully committed to installing a 2nd batch of measures (George Square and Merchant City planters, etc). After this will be a period of monitoring to assess use and impact of the works, accompanied by recording all correspondence of support or objection.
The department has been instructed to take all permeance decisions to the City Administration Committee. Therefore the monitoring work will accompany the report to committee, at which a decision will be made as to what projects are removed/revisited/made permanent, etc.”

It also says there’s no timescale for the above just yet. However, the current SfP TROs will run out in December 2021. Any measures that are continuing would really want to have a new order ready by then.

3.3: South Lanarkshire Council – South Lanarkshire Cycling Partnership meeting, 22 March

Fewer consultations in this Digest mean there’s space for feedback from the last SLCP meeting. While Glasgow’s Active Travel Forum feeds into committees with published minutes and articles in local media, SLCP is a bit more under the radar. There is an SLCP website but it’s very generic and never really updated about what the partnership does.

Background

SLCP is made up of roughly half council personnel, including a few councillors plus officers for Roads & Transportation, Access, Air Quality, etc. The other half are from organisations including Sustrans, Cycling UK, Bike Town, NHS, SEPA, local cycling groups and development trusts. Various GoBike members have attended for a range of organisations. Jimmy Keenan has been GoBike’s official rep for many years. More recently your editor has represented GoBike (especially since the meetings went online in 2020).

Active Travel Studies

In recent years, SLC have had a transport consultancy do an active travel study for each town/area in turn. A public consultation leads to stakeholder workshops then a final network map. The consultation and network maps are used to plan where initial active travel routes will go. SLC bids for funds for design (by Sustrans) and then construction.

The three network maps published in February brings the total to five. Consultations took place in Jan/Feb 2021 for three more areas (see Digest 79, Item 1.2) with workshops to follow. An ongoing project for an improved active travel link from Bothwell to the Raith Interchange will be looked at in the Blantyre/Bothwell/Uddingston study.

East Kilbride’s AT study was in 2018, which led to the first phase of segregated cycleway on West Mains Rd in 2020. The next phase is under construction (before a combined crossing junction planned for later in the year). Designs for Whitemoss Ave are due to go to consultation in the next few months.

Spaces for People

A Spaces for People funded route is due to go from EK train station to Brouster Hill and Cornwall St in the town centre by May. SfP are also funding mandatory 20mph areas to be set up in the next few months at around 90 schools and some smaller town centres (Carluke, Lanark, Uddingston, Larkhall, Bothwell and Strathaven). Also, SfP money was spent on vegetation cutting on NCN75, which should be complete this month.

Make Your Way

Sarah from Rural Development Trust’s Community Action Lanarkshire programme presented to the meeting. She spoke about the Make Your Way: Key Links projects in Abington, Douglas and Leadhills/Wanlockhead (Digest 75 Item 1.3). These use Sustrans Places for Everyone funding (70%). Stage 2 concept designs are due soon with construction planned for 2022.

Tinto Hill Improvements

The list of capital projects included an eye-catching £140,000 of Cycling Walking Safer Streets funding on car park improvements near Tinto Hill. Officer said irresponsible parking had caused knock-on effects for Thankerton/Carmichael/A73 (including for passing pedestrians and cyclists). Also, it helped access to a popular hillwalking route and the work included some cycle parking.

Clyde Cycle Park

Clyde Cycle Park is a project to re-develop land as a national-standard road racing cycle circuit. The site is between Bogleshole Road and the River Clyde (near the Liberty steel plant). Planning is complete and ground investigation has started. Aiming to have track open by summer. SLC to look at connections to new facility as part of south bank route.

3.4: East Dunbartonshire Council – Local Development Plan Newsletter

Another appearance from East Dunbartonshire Council. The latest newsletter from their Land Planning Policy team includes an update on their proposed LDP2. The consultation finished in January with 2,000+ responses. Also, they cover their Historic Environment Review, Forestry & Woodland Strategy and Climate Action Plan. The countdown to their Active Travel Strategy presumably starts now…

In this Digest there’s a mix of consultations from Glasgow and from all directions outside the city. Most are over before late March, which will mark six weeks until the Scottish Parliament election. This is the Public Sector’s ‘purdah’ pre-election period when projects tend to avoid new announcements (which could get caught up in electioneering).

That may be why there’s been a flurry of news about the next lot of Glasgow’s Spaces for People projects – including Howard St, Cambridge St and Royston Rd. GoBike first heard about these at the revived Glasgow Active Travel Forum, which met for the first time online earlier this month (previous meeting was Sept 2019!).

Ahead of the election in May, see the Cycling for everyone election petition by Cycling UK in Scotland (closes 26 March) and Pedal on Parliament’s ‘Light the Way’ campaign on 24 April.

If you’re in the city, see Andy’s three infrastructure routes around Glasgow to take in Spaces for People infrastructure. Andy has also started to inform GoBike about closures and diversions; if you hear of any please do let us know.

This Digest includes links in the Contents page so you can jump straight to a topic if you want to.

Contents
(new consultations in bold)

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. Renfrewshire Council – Inchinnan cycling and walking route – closes 17 March
2. North Lanarkshire Council – Town hub community engagement events – events 16–18 March
3. Scottish Canals – Stockingfield Junction art survey & public meeting – 18 March
4. Glasgow City Council – (Y)our Townhead Proposals Workshops – 18 March
5. Glasgow Harbour Ltd – Yorkhill Quay Phase 2 – closes Friday 19 March
6. North Lanarkshire Council – Consultations on traffic issues in Calderbank and Chapelhall – closes Sunday 21 March
7. East Dunbartonshire Council – Climate Conversation – online events 22 & 30 March/22 April
8. Flourishing Molendinar (North East Glasgow) – Public workshops 23–25 March
9. Glasgow Urban Sports – GUSM74 Urban Sports Sculpture Park survey

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

1. Glasgow City Council – (Y)our Cowcaddens, ‘Learning Quarter’ and Merchant City Proposals Workshops

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. Glasgow City Council – East City Way Phase 1 (London Drive to Daldowie Road) Order
2. Glasgow City Council – London Road/Hamilton Road (30mph Speed Limit) Order
3. Multiplex – Glasgow University Newsletter March 2021

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

1.1: Renfrewshire Council – Inchinnan cycling and walking route

Greenock Rd (A8) runs between Inchinnan Business Park and Renfrew. This proposed route will be on the north side of the road, apparently starting as a shared path before becoming a segregated cycleway. It will pass McGills bus depot and a few scraps of current infrastructure before going south to Glasgow Airport. It will lead to the new pedestrian/cycle bridge over the Black Cart Water, one of the projects in Glasgow Airport Investment Area (GAIA), as mentioned in Digest 39, Item 3.3.

The new bridge sits on the southern side of the road (after enhancing its active travel credentials when it fell off a loader and crushed a white van!). Renfrewshire Council’s Inchinnan webpage says a toucan crossing will be installed near the bridge. However, it doesn’t say why the route has now switched to the northern side, especially as the Business Park is also south of the road. Perhaps to avoid the airport’s approach lights (or someone else’s land)? Or for future connections into Inchinnan itself? If you want to comment you’ll need to be quick – the Greenock Rd survey closes on Wednesday 17 March.

1.2: North Lanarkshire Council – Town hub community engagement events

These events first featured in Digest 81, 1.2. North Lanarkshire Council have “ambition to replace every school not replaced or remodelled since 1996, our vision is to make these places for the whole community rather than only the school community.“ So, that should include active travel.

Most of the events have already passed but it you get your skates on you can catch the last two for Wishaw and Shotts. The link for each town goes to an Eventbrite sign-up page to register for the event:

• Wishaw – Wednesday 17th March – 6:30pm
• Shotts – Thursday 18th March – 6:30pm

1.3: Scottish Canals – Stockingfield Junction art survey & public meeting

Details about the Stockingfield Junction public meeting on 18 March were in Digest 81, Item 1.5. Since then a survey about Stockingfield has opened asking what kind of artwork people want around the new bridge. There are different views about what form the bridge should have taken so there are sure to be plenty about what (if any) artworks should surround it. Many of us will probably pass through the area once it’s finished so we might as well chip in our 2p’s worth.

Scottish Canals want to hear what represents the local communities of Gilshochill, Maryhill and Ruchill (be kind!). Just don’t say The Big Man!

1.4: Glasgow City Council – (Y)our Townhead Proposals Workshops

Also on Thursday is the next lot of meetings about the District regeneration projects. GoBike received an email about Townhead:

“An Action Plan and Framework for the regeneration of Townhead is currently being prepared by a consultant team appointed by Glasgow City Council. We want your input to help shape and influence the priority projects to improve Townhead.”

There is a series of workshops throughout a ‘Co-Design Day’ on Thursday 18 March:

• Co-Design Day Launch (1000 – 1030)
• Getting Around – Workshops (1030 – 1230)
• City Centre Communities – Workshops (1300 – 1500)
• Reimagining (Y)our Townhead (1530 – 1730)

These suggest a much more collaborative approach than many of these events. Obviously, the most interesting one for us is the morning ‘Getting Around’ workshop:

“A participatory workshop considering how to make Townhead more accessible and better connected. Potential projects include:

• Connecting to ‘Townhead Island’
• Active Travel : walking, wheeling, cycling
• Junction 15 on M8
• Cathedral Street
• Stirling Road Triangle
• Canal to Cathedral : Dobbies Loan to St James Road
• …?”

Plenty to get our teeth into there. Alternatively, the Districts Commonplace map is still available if you want to see what suggestions have been made so far or add your own.

1.5: Glasgow Harbour Ltd – Yorkhill Quay Phase 2

This development first sprung up in Digest 73, Item 1.1. It’s now nearing the end of a pre-application period before actual plans are submitted to the council.

The Next Steps and Feedback page has a webform you can use to send comments. Or you can email: yorkhillquay@iceniprojects.com by Friday 19 March.

1.6: North Lanarkshire Council – Consultations on traffic issues in Calderbank and Chapelhall

North Lanarkshire Council is consulting about traffic in the villages of Calderbank and Chapelhall, between Airdrie and the M8 (as covered in Digest 81, Item 1.7). See the Chapelhall Traffic Study and Calderbank Traffic Study for a survey link at the end of each. If you know the areas you have until Sunday 21 March to respond.

1.7: East Dunbartonshire Council – Climate Conversation

As many of us know, East Dunbartonshire Council was the only mainland Scottish council not to bid for Spaces for People funding. However, they do seem to be trying to engage their residents about climate change. It almost seems timed as a response to a nearby city having some sort of globally important climate event (which isn’t mentioned).

Their Climate Conversation webpage says: “The Climate Conversation is the first stage in preparing an area-wide Climate Action Plan (CAP) for East Dunbartonshire… We are also commencing work during 2021 on new strategies that will support the objectives of the CAP: the Open Space Strategy; Circular Economy Strategy; and Active Travel Strategy.” The last one will obviously be of most interest to GoBike (but the other two are also welcome).

EDC have various surveys to fill in – one general, one for businesses and one for young people (all want an email address upfront). There are also Climate Conversation events, on 22 March, 30 March and 22 April. The events are all online (on MS Teams) so it’s likely to be more civil than previous public meetings where the police were called. Perhaps EDC will have their own version of Jackie Weaver to guide proceedings?

1.8: Flourishing Molendinar (formerly North East City Ways) – Public workshops

This initiative, started by On Bikes and St Paul’s Youth Forum, was first mentioned in a GoBike blog. Their original name, North East City Ways, may have been inspired by a certain city council. The new name, Flourishing Molendinar, comes from the stream that runs from Hogganfield Loch past Blackhill (mostly in a culvert) towards the city centre.

Along with the new name comes a change in focus from the wider area to Provanmill Rd and Langdale St. Both these streets had Spaces for People projects installed over the summer and showed potential for active travel routes. FloMo (it’s easier to spell!) are looking to build on that with public workshops on 22, 23 and 24 March. They still have their survey about getting around the North East of the city. Also, there’s the Streets for All Commonplace map (which On Bikes share with GoBike and Glasgow Eco Trust).

1.9: Glasgow Urban Sports – GUSM74 Urban Sports Sculpture Park survey

A different kind of active travel project but also driven by young (and not so young) people. First covered in Digest 81, Item 1.9, it’s for a skate park under the M74 extension near West St underground station. The GUSM74 survey is still open for skaters, or their families, to have their say about what they want to see in the park.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

2.1: Glasgow City Council – (Y)our Cowcaddens, ‘Learning Quarter’ and Merchant City Proposals Workshops

The email for item 1.4 also said: “Townhead, alongside Cowcaddens, the Learning Quarter and the Merchant City, is the focus of the current phase of (Y)our City Centre District Regeneration Frameworks.” So, workshops for the other three will no doubt follow sometime soon.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

3.1: Glasgow City Council – East City Way Phase 1 (London Drive to Daldowie Road) Order

Some swift feedback from the city council about Tricia’s points in the GoBike response to the ECW order. Let’s skip the ‘thank you’ and ‘COVID-19 happened’ bit and go to the following paragraph:

“The left turn from London Road to Hamilton Road has been banned for all traffic to allow the slip road to be closed and provide a large and safe pedestrian area for crossing. A segregate cycle route will be provided on the south side of London Road and Hamilton Road and will have signal controlled crossing facilities for pedestrians and cycles at Mount Vernon Junction which will link to all potential movements. This junction had no cycle or pedestrian facilities prior to these works. Cycle counts undertaken July 2017 recorded that 4 cycles per day made the left turn from London Road to Hamilton Road which included cyclists on the footway. A classified traffic count, counting all traffic categories, undertaken in October 2017 supported this.”

It’s not clear if the first part really is talking about the turn from London Rd eastbound to Hamilton Rd westbound, as Tricia asked. However, the count gives us an idea of how many people it might have affected in 2017. Will last summer’s surge in cycling numbers make a difference to that? And will the new junction attract all eastbound cyclists across the road to the 2-way lane? I guess we’ll find out in the near future.

3.2: Glasgow City Council – London Road/Hamilton Road (30mph Speed Limit) Order

GoBike also received a shorter response from GCC about Tricia’s GoBike response to the 30mph order. Not a lot of detail in this one – it thanks us for our support then basically says East City Way will be done in stages and the police enforce speed limits. It’s just as well we’ve got GCC officers to keep us right on these things.

3.3: Multiplex – Glasgow University campus newsletter

Having just missed our publication time for the last Digest I’m sure everyone will be delighted to see the latest Glasgow Uni campus newsletter this time. There are some nice pictures of large steel frames. However, it doesn’t include that University Place has closed to pedestrians and cycling for three months. Nor does it mention a change to the road layout on University Ave:

In this Digest there are consultations for a few parts of the Southside and traffic orders for a few City Ways. Also, surveys and events on traffic and town hubs in North Lanarkshire.

If you’re in the city, see Andy’s three infrastructure routes around Glasgow to take in Spaces for People infrastructure. Part of the Southern route includes the SfP ‘pop-up’ bike lane on Dumbreck Road, which was recently removed “by mistake” but then reinstated.

Andy has also started to inform GoBike about closures and diversions; if you hear of any please do let us know.

Looking further ahead towards spring, and an election, Pedal on Parliament have news about their events in April.

This Digest includes links in the Contents page so you can jump straight to a topic if you want to.

Contents
(new consultations in bold)

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. Glasgow City Council – St Andrews Drive (Sustainable Transport Route) Order – closes Sunday 7 March
2. North Lanarkshire Council – Town hub community engagement events – events from 8–18 March
3. Glasgow City Council – East City Way Phase 1 (London Drive to Daldowie Road) Order – closes Friday 12 March
4. Glasgow City Council – London Road/Hamilton Road (30mph Speed Limit) Order – closes Friday 12 March
5. Scottish Canals – Stockingfield public meeting – Thursday 18 March
6. Glasgow Harbour Ltd – Yorkhill Quay Phase 2 – closes Friday 19 March
7. North Lanarkshire Council – Consultations on traffic issues in Calderbank and Chapelhall – closes Sunday 21 March
8. Waverley Park Collective – Liveable Streets Waverley Park
9. Glasgow Urban Sports – GUSM74 Urban Sports Sculpture Park survey

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

None this time

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. Urban Roots – Malls Mire Newsletter February 2021
2. Sustrans – Glasgow Cycle Counters (revisited)

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

1.1: Glasgow City Council – St Andrews Drive (Sustainable Transport Route) Order –Sunday 7 March

Digest 80 covered the St Andrews Drive TRO to extend the South West City Way. The order deals mainly with parking to clear the way for the route.

Further details about the route are still available on the original consultation website (from 2019/2020) including a ‘Storymap’ and links to PDFs of technical plans. The existing SWCW is 2-way (bi-directional), with both lanes on one side of the road. The extension will be too but using ‘cycle lane separators’ (a.k.a. zebras/orcas/armadillos) instead of kerbs.

A GoBike response to the SWCW extension plans was sent to Glasgow City Council in late January 2020. An updated GoBike response supports the order but notes that the other design issues haven’t been addressed.

There’s a consultation period for the TRO with a deadline of 7 March. Since it involves car parking, there are likely to be objections. Supportive emails may help to counter those. See the GCC website at www.glasgow.gov.uk/proposedtro.

1.2: North Lanarkshire Council – Town hub community engagement events

More from North Lanarkshire Council for the second Digest in a row. This consultation isn’t strictly cycling-related but is relevant to the eight places in NLC’s Town Visions plans (Digest 80).

NLC have “ambition to replace every school not replaced or remodelled since 1996, our vision is to make these places for the whole community rather than only the school community. To do this, hubs will be places where education is delivered alongside other council and community services. Hubs will have a form and facilities based on the needs of the local community.”

Those needs should include access by active travel. Schools are also where Bikeability training (formerly Cycling Proficiency) takes place and some already have fleets of bicycles. NLC’s website has further background information on the town hubs.

An email from NLC said: “We are carrying out online engagement with our communities throughout March about potential locations for new town hubs in North Lanarkshire.”

• Kilsyth – Monday 8th March – 6:30pm
• Cumbernauld – Tuesday 9th March – 6:30pm
• Airdrie – Wednesday 10th March – 6:30pm
• Coatbridge – Thursday 11th March – 6:30pm
• Bellshill – Monday 15th March – 6:30pm
• Motherwell – Tuesday 16th March – 6:30pm
• Wishaw – Wednesday 17th March – 6:30pm
• Shotts – Thursday 18th March – 6:30pm

The link for each town goes to an Eventbrite sign-up page to register for the event.

1.3: Glasgow City Council – East City Way Phase 1 (London Drive to Daldowie Road) Order – Friday 12 March

The East City Way traffic order was covered in Digest 80. Phase 1 is currently under construction on London Rd and Hamilton Rd around Mount Vernon train station. The order prepares the ground for it hopefully being finished soon. A new GoBike response about ECW went to Glasgow City Council, referencing our points from our response at the draft stage. Mostly about the switch between 1-way and 2-way cycle lanes and the banned turn. The order will be on GCC’s Proposed TRO webpage for comment until Friday 12 March.

1.4: Glasgow City Council – London Road/Hamilton Road (30mph Speed Limit) Order – Friday 12 March

The London Road/Hamilton Road 30mph Speed Limit was also in Digest 80. It lowers the speed limit all the way along London Rd and Hamilton Rd between Dewar’s distillery and the Dog’s Trust. Again, we sent a new GoBike response supporting the change of speed limit and the order is up for comment until Friday 12 March.

1.5: Scottish Canals – Stockingfield public meeting – Thursday 18 March

Scottish Canals maintain and develop canals, towpaths and bridges, including the major works at the Stockingfield junction on the Forth & Clyde canal. This is the canal t-junction without a bridge, where you had to cross by going down through a narrow road tunnel on Lochburn Rd with no pavements or bike path. The plans for a large 3-span canal bridge were approved in March 2020 and works started in autumn. Parts of the towpath will be closed and won’t re-open until later in 2022. Further information about the project is on the Stockingfield page on the Scottish Canals website. If you have questions about issues, like diversions or the new bike-only signals on Lochburn Rd, Scottish Canals are having an online meeting about the project on Thursday 18 March.

1.6: Glasgow Harbour Ltd – Yorkhill Quay Phase 2 – closes Friday 19 March

This development first appeared on our radar in Digest 73, Item 1.1. It had a brief consultation which swiftly disappeared from the company’s website (as we noted in Digest 74, Item 1.3). That was to do with a pre-application about the masterplan for the site. Apparently, “a Proposal of Application Notice (PoAN) associated with the development was submitted to Glasgow City Council on 20th November 2020”. So, this consultation about the eastern side of the site is part of the 12-week pre-application period before plans go in.

The developer’s Yorkhill Quay website has new visualisations (which look very plastic) and reworked PDF plans. It’s not clear from the plans what will happen to the current path behind the site, between the Riverside Museum and the distillery. Nor how wide the new riverfront path will be (but it seems to have street furniture and trees splitting it up).

The Next Steps and Feedback page has a webform you can use to send comments. Or you can email: yorkhillquay@iceniprojects.com by Friday 19 March.

1.7: North Lanarkshire Council – Consultations on traffic issues in Calderbank and Chapelhall – Sunday 21 March

Back in North Lanarkshire, the council is consulting about traffic in the villages of Calderbank and Chapelhall, between Airdrie and the M8. Their email says:

“In response to road safety concerns raised by local residents, the council undertook a series of detailed surveys to assess traffic conditions through both villages. Information from these surveys will be included in the reports.

The public consultation, which will run until 21 March, will give both communities the opportunity to provide feedback on a range of potential road safety improvements.

The reports and online consultation are available from 24 February on our website at www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/traffic-studies.”

The Chapelhall Traffic Study, in the ‘Potential Improvements’ section, suggests speed tables and mini-roundabouts. The Calderbank Traffic Study proposes mini-roundabouts too but also includes a new crossing on Main St. Each study has a survey link at the end. If you know the areas you have until Sunday 21 March to respond.

1.8: Waverley Park Collective – Liveable Streets Waverley Park

Waverley Park is an area of Shawlands in the Southside of Glasgow (where the streets are named after characters in Walter Scott novels). The Waverley Park Collective are a grassroots group of residents who’ve previously organised community events for children as well as things like cycling training. They’ve recently won funding to plan changes to local streets and set up the Liveable Streets Waverley Park consultation. If you know the area, you can add a pin to the map. No obvious closing date for this one (seems to be open-ended).

1.9: Glasgow Urban Sports – GUSM74 Urban Sports Sculpture Park

This item is about a different kind of cycling to your average GoBike ride! The Glasgow Urban Sports group want to bring land under the M74 extension into productive use as a park for ‘urban sports’ – BMX, skateboarding, inline skating, parkour, etc. The area is between the back of West St Subway station and Eglinton St (a few blocks from Batley’s cash & carry warehouse). The idea for the project originally came up around 2014 (as a legacy of the Commonwealth Games).

Recently, GUS have come up with a new survey to try and demonstrate support for the project. It’s mainly aimed at skaters, or their families, to find out how often they/their relatives might use the park, etc. If you’re not likely to be down there yourself grinding any rails then feel free to share it with friends or family who might. No obvious closing date.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

None this time.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

3.1: Urban Roots – Malls Mire Newsletter February 2021

Malls Mire was first covered (under its current name) in Digest 74, Item 3.4. The latest February issue of the Malls Mire newsletter reached us this week. It has a few updates about progress and related projects like Polmadie Plots Community Garden.

3.2: Sustrans – Glasgow Cycle Counters (revisited)

In Digest 79, Item 3.3 we bade farewell to the public cycle counter near Saltmarket in Glasgow Green as it was switched off. We were assured that “two replacement cycle counters were installed in the following locations: NCN75 at St. Andrew’s Suspension Bridge and NCN75 at Cuningar Loop Footbridge”. Turns out the new counters aren’t like-for-like replacements…

The new counter feeds back figures to Sustrans/the council only. While that is fair enough for collecting data, it’s not so good for campaigning. The public counter used to prove how many people cycled past, which could be useful to point out to doubters of cycling/active travel. It would be a shame if Sustrans had moved away from public counters altogether. When will we see the Saltmarket counter’s LED like again…?