What’s wrong with this picture?(We’ll get back to that subliminal message later.) Take a close look at the junction.

Look at those geometric, perfectly sharp, 90 degree square corners. This is the epitome of a side road turning with tight radii. It gives pedestrians a short direct crossing. It requires drivers to slow right down to enter or leave the side turning, giving them time to look for people cycling past the junction, and making them less likely to left hook someone cycling on their nearside.

This is a cartoon version of a side road junction without traffic lights, but it’s not quite a fantasy. It’s the style of junction recommended by guidance such as Designing Streets (1), Scottish policy since 2010 (see pages 16 and 18), and by a 2020 Briefing Sheet (2) for professionals on street design standards badged by the Institution of Civil Engineers among others. Even Glasgow’s own Public Realm Design and Maintenance Guide (3) says this (p 42), “Junctions should be designed in order to both make people feel safe and actually be safe. …. Designers should therefore start with the tightest radii that they feel can be accommodated and not the most forgiving [for] motor traffic …”

This guidance is for streets generally (no special infrastructure for cycling) and it’s important for two reasons. The first is that there can never be protected cycle infrastructure on every street, so the design of ordinary streets and junctions must focus on safety for people cycling (and walking and wheeling). The second reason is that on streets where there is protected cycle infrastructure, junction design that requires low motor vehicle turning speeds supports the case for the cycleway to be continuous across side streets.

So what can we deduce from the choice of this ideal junction design to illustrate a council campaign? Is Glasgow committed to following the guidance, designing junctions for the safety of people cycling (and walking) and now moving on to reinforcing the message implicit in junction design with ads? Well – no.

Here’s a junction created in the last couple of years for new student accommodation on the Scotway House site between the Kelvin and Glasgow Harbour.

The road is Castlebank Street, right next to the Clydeside Expressway. There is nothing about it to encourage drivers to pay attention to their speed. The flaring trumpet mouth of the new service road invites drivers to swoop into or out of the turning, scattering people walking and cycling to and from the Riverside Museum. (As an aside, the green fingerposts along the footway give cycling times to various places, inviting cycling on the pavement, although there’s no indication that this is officially a shared surface, but that’s another story.)

Here’s another example. This is on Polmadie Road, it’s the entrance to a site repurposed with a brand new Starbucks.

This time the pavement has the appropriate signs for a shared cycling and walking surface, but look at the flared junction again. Drivers on their way to or from the M74 can just twitch a finger to turn in or out for their caffeine hit, barely moderating their speed or looking out for active travellers. Sadly, the next step here is quite likely to be the installation of railings to give people walking and cycling further to travel and still require them to cross the path of vehicles travelling too fast. When junctions are designed to be intrinsically safe, add-on ‘protective’ measures are not needed.

What’s going on? The council has plenty of great sounding policies about encouraging active travel. There’s no shortage of what looks like useful guidance on how to design streets that invite people to cycle or walk, and which feel safer for walking and cycling. Yet the same old dysfunctional, dangerous designs keep on being wheeled out. There’s no opportunity for public input when turnings like the Castlebank Street and Polmadie Road are created but campaigners have argued extensively for the design of safe side road junctions for cycle infrastructure on (for example) Sauchiehall Street, South City Way, St Andrew’s Drive and Byres Road. Responses from officials have included:

• The guidance applies only to new developments
• Refuse trucks have to be able to get round the corners
• Police advice is that what you want isn’t safe
• We could be sued if we do anything different from what’s established.

So here are suggestions – for officials (if you happen to read this) and for campaigners:

• Make it council policy that the guidance for new developments must be applied to every modification of existing streets
• Buy refuse trucks with rear-axle steering (or just be practical and accept that having to use part of the opposite carriageway is not a deal-breaker).
• Come clean about the precise source of this nebulous ‘police advice’ and, since it’s contradicting all the expert guidance, what the evidence is for it.
• Read the section at the back of Designing Streets about the risk of being sued (very slight).

And an extra one:

• Make road engineers accountable for prioritising the safety of foot and cycle traffic over the flow of motor vehicles.

It’s not as though there are no junctions in Glasgow with square corners. The older areas are full of them. Here’s one (in Hillhead) that has a good idea for stopping drivers cutting the corners.

Streets in urban areas aren’t motorways – drivers need to slow down before turning off the main road, not afterwards. The people with their hands on the wheel and their feet on the pedals need to have their brains fully applied to communicating their intentions to other road users through the way they signal, decelerate, brake and position their vehicles.

Going back to that bus ad, we might charitably see it as a sincere effort to alert drivers to the danger they pose at junctions to people cycling. Perhaps the intention is to create a safer environment for cycling so that more people will give it a go. It’s pretty much a disaster then that what most people’s brains will get from a passing glance is “Cyclists, injuries, 70%”. Clearly, a message on the side of a bus has to be in shorthand, but this one invites the inference that if you try cycling there’s a 70% chance you’ll be injured.

What about the usefulness of advertising as a way to change driver behaviour? Here’s what the Briefing Note (2) on street design standards has to say: “ Drivers drive according to the environment, including the width, and curvature of the road. Greater width, gentler curves, greater visibility lead to higher speeds, high-energy collisions and increased injury risk.” Driver behaviour at junctions is determined by the design of the junction, not by an ad on the side of a bus (if there’s evidence otherwise, let’s see it). The money spent on the bus campaign should have been directed at getting junction design that’s safer for people walking and cycling. And if the response to that is going to be that the funding for the ad campaign came out of a pot designated for “behaviour change”, getting designers to design good junctions is behaviour change too.

References

1. https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/corporate-report/2010/03/designing-streets-policy-statement-scotland/documents/0096540-pdf/0096540-pdf/govscot%3Adocument/0096540.pdf?forceDownload=true

2. https://www.udg.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/files/Briefing-Sheet-Street%20Design%20Standards%20-%20Published%202020-08.pdf

3. Glasgow Public Realm Design + Maintenance Guide Version 4.0 October 2020

https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=50702

Contents:

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. **NEW ** Cycling in Glasgow, on-line Survey by Aberdeen University Student, closes ??
2. **NEW** East Dunbartonshire, Main Issues Report, Local Development Plan 2, closes TODAY at 5pm
3. East Renfrewshire, Local Development Plan, closes 13 December
4. Glasgow, Dalmarnock West TRO parking restrictions, closes 13 December
5. Glasgow, Robroyston Station, parking restrictions, closes 13 December
6. East Dunbartonshire, proposed TRO Maxwell Avenue, traffic calming, closes 16 December
7. South Lanarkshire, Stewartfield Way proposed upgrade, closes 20 December
8. Glasgow Roads “APSE” on-line survey, closes 24 December
9. **NEW** Glasgow, Sighthill, Mandatory 20mph Limit Speed Zone, closes 27 December
10. Glasgow, Finnieston Bridge, taxis and authorised vehicles to use bus and cycle lanes TRO, closes 03 January 2020
11. **NEW** Transport Scotland, Second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) closes 10 January 2020
12. Law Commission, Highly Automated Road Passenger Services, HARPS, public consultation, closes 17 January 2020
13. **NEW** Glasgow, South West City Way, St Andrews Drive extension on-line consultation, closes 03 February 2020
14. Glasgow, Central District Regeneration Framework, (previously City Centre Strategic Development Framework), closing date extended from 17 January to 14 February 2020

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

1. GoBike meets Glasgow City Council, 13 December
2. Glasgow, South West City Way, St Andrews Drive extension, consultation event 22 January 2020

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. Glasgow, Queen Margaret Drive, City Council response to GoBike letter

Section 1: Current Consultations, in date order for responses

Note: 5 of the consultations in this section were new in the last Digest, Digest 48, so, if you can, you might wish to open that issue in a separate tab for reference – saves it all being repeated in this issue.

1.1 **NEW ** Cycling in Glasgow, on-line Survey by Aberdeen University Student, closes ??

Here’s a short on-line survey for you, with some questions you probably haven’t been asked before! These are the details that Mohammad Alattar, a PhD student at Aberdeen University sent to GoBike on 04 December:

“Given that active travel (AT), which refers to any transport that includes physical activity (such as walking, cycling, using mobility aid) for all or part of a journey, improves individuals’ life quality as well as the community as a whole, this questionnaire forms a part of a PhD thesis on entitled “Towards Active Travel-Oriented Cities: Urban Spatial and Soundscape Analysis”. The aim of this project is to investigate various aspects of active travel such as the determinants of AT, reasons to AT, auditory information while ATing, built environment elements that influence AT and AT trips. Although this survey collects data about AT in the City of Glasgow, it is believed that data collected from this survey will help to better understand AT a wider scale.”

https://app.maptionnaire.com/en/6112/

Do please follow the link above and help Mohammad with his studies. We have no closing date, so perhaps do it before you forget?

1.2 **NEW** East Dunbartonshire, Main Issues Report, Local Development Plan 2, closes TODAY at 5pm

This is a new slant on the consultation that we last reported on at Item 1.1 of Digest 47 and we were reminded of it (perhaps we just hadn’t delved far enough?) on 04 December with this email:

“Good afternoon,
There is still time to have a say on the new Main Issues Report (MIR), a key step on the path towards an updated Local Development Plan. The MIR sets out key priorities and preferred options for future development throughout East Dunbartonshire. Consultation ends on Tuesday 10 December 2019 (5pm).
Visit the following webpage for full details: https://www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/council/consultations/main-issues-report-consultation
Reference copies of the MIR and paper questionnaires are also available to view at Community Hubs and libraries.
Regards,
Land Planning Policy Team“

Here’s the GoBike response. Do please follow the link and complete the survey (at least this one, for the main issues, this afternoon – if you can.

1.3 East Renfrewshire, Local Development Plan, closes 13 December

The above is a proposal, done by GoBike member, Iain, for Spiersbridge Roundabout, when East Renfrewshire were looking at improving their roundabouts, see Digest 9, Item 1.1 and Digest 10, Item 1.2 (where the GoBike proposals for this and Eastwood Toll were shown). This was all back in May 2018 and we have heard nothing since.

East Renfrewshire are now consulting on their Local Development Plan 2 (LDP2), as detailed first in Digest 47, Item 1.5 and several GoBike members have been to local events to see the plans. They are, as many of these LDPs are, very general and don’t make mention of specifics such as improving hazardous roundabouts. You may see the proposals here. GoBike member Emily, with support from Thomas, has developed this letter of response that was submitted on 08 December. The letter comments on the generality of the documents but does go on to mention some specifics that need to be done if the active travel aims are to be realised.

Do write in to East Renfrewshire if you live, work or cycle in the area, to voice your concerns.

1.4 Glasgow, Dalmarnock West TRO parking restrictions, closes 13 December

The proposals to bring some order into the chaotic parking from Dalmarnock Station west to the new Police Scotland offices formed a new item in Digest 48, Item 1.5. We had responded to the Stage One proposals (and published them) in early autumn and we are fully supportive of these proposals. Our letter of support, mentioning the requirements for:

1. Good connections from the area to the riverside cycle and foot path (NCN 7) and
2. Liaison with South Lanarkshire Council to prevent parking on the cycle lanes on Shawfield Road/Glasgow Road just across the river from the police offices.

will be submitted before the end of the week.

This is an important one to support – the car-commuters will be out in strength to oppose these proposals.

1.5 Glasgow, Robroyston Station, parking restrictions, closes 13 December

Item 6 in Digest 48 gave the details for the proposed parking restrictions on the new road between the new Robroyston Station north-west to meet the roundabout at Junction 2 on the M80. GoBike will submit a letter of support for the proposals but we will point out the need for good cycle infrastructure from Robroyston itself along this new road to the station – why aren’t such things included from the outset?

1.6 East Dunbartonshire, proposed TRO Maxwell Avenue, traffic calming, closes 16 December

This was a new proposal in Digest 47, Item 1.6, although we had responded to the preliminary consultation on this back in Digest 27, Item 3.4 at the beginning of 2019. We are very concerned about the need to slow down motor traffic in this area near a railway station, a care home and a primary school and there is no doubt that more people would cycle here if there were good cycle facilities. GoBike will submit a letter of support, although we will express the concern that the speed tables, with just a 0.75m gap from the table to the kerb, are pushing bikes into the gutter.

1.7 South Lanarkshire, Stewartfield Way proposed upgrade, closes 20 December

This scheme was a new proposal in Digest 48, Item 1.8, to upgrade this major artery in East Kilbride and realise the economic potential of the area etc etc, and the details are here. There is a very short survey – please do complete it. It doesn’t take long to realise that the proposals are aimed to help the private motor user, so no surprise there, even though all the right words are used about the environment etc. GoBike has written in this letter of concern and objection.

Do please follow the link to the details of this scheme and the survey; there are no apparent active travel upgrades to the roundabouts and so how are we expected to negotiate them?

1.8 Glasgow, Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) Roads Satisfaction Survey on-line survey, closes 24 December

Further to Item 1.1 in Digest 48, we now have confirmation that this survey is open for 2 more weeks, so do please complete it, if you haven’t already. We also know what “APSE” stands for! Here’s a reminder email that we received on 06 December from the City Council:

“The Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) is undertaking a satisfaction survey of residents, visitors and workers of Glasgow in regards to Roads. You can provide your views by following the link below.

If you would also be able to distribute the survey to members/clients of your group it would be very helpful so that we can get a wide range of responses.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/glasgow-city-2 “

It’s an easy and quick survey to do so please get your views in – and remember, if we had good roads (and good cycle facilities) then lots more people would be cycling on them!

1.9 **NEW** Glasgow, Sighthill, Mandatory 20mph Limit Speed Zone, closes 27 December

Sighthill, just to the north of the M8 and the city centre, is being redeveloped and now as the area is becoming quite well established, here’s a proposal to introduce a 20mph speed limit across the area. Just a few weeks ago, in Digest 46, Item 1.5 we published, in error as we now know, the Stage One proposals and we supported the move, with this letter.

The email we received from the City Council on 29 November is:

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

Dear Sir or Madam,

THE GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL, (SIGHTHILL), (MANDATORY 20mph SPEED LIMIT ZONE) ORDER 201_

Further to my consultation email of 21^st October 2019 regarding the above named Traffic Regulation Order, and in accordance with statutory procedures, I now enclose a copy of the press notice of the proposed Order, relevant map, statement of reasons, detailed report.

Details of the proposals will also be available on the Glasgow City Council website at www.glasgow.gov.uk/proposedtro

As stated in the attached documentation, any person wishing to object to the proposed Order should send details of the grounds for objection in writing to Christine Francis, Head of Technical Services, Neighbourhoods and Sustainability, Exchange House, 231 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1RX or by e-mail to land@glasgow.gov.uk by 27^th December 2019.

Yours faithfully” etc

The documents referred to in the email are: Press Notice, Relevant Map, Statement of Reasons, Detailed Report and one we haven’t seen before, the Proposed Order.

We’ll be supporting this move and hoping that is it properly enforced and also that Sighthill looks as idyllic as the publicity photo above!

1.10 Glasgow, Finnieston Bridge, taxis and authorised vehicles to use bus and cycle lanes TRO, closes 03 January 2020

This proposal was Item 1.9 in Digest 48 and we are less than happy with it. The experimental TRO, issued in June 2018, had this as its objective: “The purpose of the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order is to determine the effect of permitting taxis to access the segregated section of the Finnieston Bridge and to determine the effect on the journey time of buses currently using the Fastlink infrastructure.“

Apparently there has been no detrimental effect on the journey time of buses, but this isn’t where the holdups are. The main holdup is on Lancefield Quay where there is no bus segregation and the secondary one is the traffic lights on the bridge itself, which don’t appear to give the buses any priority at all.

However, the influential taxi lobby is no doubt very pleased with this turn of events, whereas those of us who cycle continue to lose out on Fastlink. The whole scheme is a mish-mash of bits we are allowed on and bits we aren’t and, while the photo above shows someone cycling in the bus (and now taxi) lane over the bridge, there is no evidence that the traffic lights will give any priority to this active traveller.

We claimed before that the whole scheme needs reassessment and we’ll put this view forward again.

1.11 **NEW** Transport Scotland, Second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) closes 10 January 2020

Jim, from Cycling Scotland UK – Scotland, told us about this last time, Digest 48, Item 2.1 and here it is. This is the email that GoBike received on 03 December:

“Subject: STPR2 – Online Survey

Hi,

Transport Scotland is conducting an online survey for the Second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), a Scotland-wide review of the strategic transport network across all transport modes.

We are writing to all stakeholders that have attended or been invited to STPR2 events and other appropriate organisations to make them aware that this survey is now live.

STPR2 will inform transport investment in Scotland for the next twenty years and you and/or your organisation’s input will help Transport Scotland to deliver the vision, priorities and outcomes for transport set out in the draft National Transport Strategy (NTS2).

Further information and a link to the survey can be found at www.transport.gov.scot/stpr2

If you are aware of any other individuals and/or organisations that would wish to complete the survey, please do forward this email to them.

We will also be promoting the survey on Transport Scotland social media feeds and it would be appreciated if you could help spread the word by sharing this content on your own channels if it is appropriate to do so.  Our main accounts can be accessed below.

The survey, which is being undertaken on behalf of Transport Scotland by the STPR2 project teams at Jacobs and AECOM, will close at 5pm on Friday 10th January 2020.

For any further queries concerning STPR2, please contact   info@stpr2surveys.co.uk“

This is a good survey to do with room at the end for your personal views – and you only need to read these Digests to see that there is a lack of compliance with the Sustainable Transport Heirarchy: motor priority on side streets on cycle schemes, taxi priority on the Squinty Bridge, two-way cycling denied to provide more on-street car storage and on and on it goes!

1.12 Law Commission, Highly Automated Road Passenger Services, HARPS, public consultation, closes 17 January 2020

This topic chills the bones! It was first mentioned in Digest 46, Item 1.9 and the link to the consultation is here and we will hopefully have the GoBike response done soon.

1.13 **NEW** Glasgow, South West City Way, St Andrews Drive extension on-line consultation, closes 03 February 2020

In our Consultation Extra on 29 November, we told you about the consultation event on 22 January, see Item 2.2 below. This is an important addition to the City’s currently sparse network of cycling routes so do please have a look and complete the survey; here’s the link to the City Council website

Here’s the email that we received from the City Council on 29 November:

“MESSAGE SENT ON BEHALF, NEIGHBOURHOODS AND SUSTAINABILITY, SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

Dear Go-Bike,

Neighbourhoods and Sustainability are seeking to gain the views and comments of the local community and wider public with regards proposals to extend the South-West City Way active travel route.  The proposals will link the existing route at Shields Road, along St Andrews Drive to Pollok Country Park.  Current proposals include a segregated cycle route, footway improvements, upgraded pedestrian crossings, improved Bus / Public Transport access as well as major junction works to improve active travel  journeys.

As part of this work an information gathering event is proposed at St Alberts Primary School,  36 Maxwell Drive, on Wednesday the 22nd of January 2020 between 3.30pm and 7pm, where the public will be able to view proposed designs for infrastructure upgrades and make comments on the proposals.

In addition to the event a webpage will be available from the 2nd of December 2019 for a period of 2 months. Visitors to this website can view drawings of the proposed design and provide comments through an online feedback process. The address for the Webpage is www.glasgow.gov.uk/swcw. This website will go live on the 2^nd of December 2019.  

I trust this information is of assistance.

Kind Regards.”

St Andrews Drive is a good, wide road with plenty of room for cycle lanes. GoBike is already compiling a response, but do please have a look at the information on-line, attend on the 22nd of next month if you can and do complete the survey

1.14 Glasgow, Central District Regeneration Framework, (previously City Centre Strategic Development Framework), closing date extended from 17 January to 14 February 2020

This was first mentioned in Digest 48, Item 1.11, the link to the document is here and we are working on the GoBike response. Note the change of date for responses.

The name has changed and so has the lead picture since 2 weeks ago. The link still works so do please have a look at what is proposed for the centre of Scotland’s largest city.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

2.1 GoBike meets Glasgow City Council, 13 December

Yes, on Friday, Ali, Tricia and Brenda from GoBike are setting off to meet some of the people working on parking (motors not bikes) and traffic calming schemes at their new offices on London Road. We are hoping to discuss some of the issues of concern such as permeability for cycling and good street design. We’ll let you know how we get on.

2.2 Glasgow, South West City Way, St Andrews Drive extension, consultation event 22 January 2020

As per Item 1.13 above, there’s an information and consultation event on 22 January, and here’s the relevant extract from the City Council’s email of 29 November:

“As part of this work an information gathering event is proposed at St Alberts Primary School,  36 Maxwell Drive, on Wednesday the 22nd of January 2020 between 3.30pm and 7pm, where the public will be able to view proposed designs for infrastructure upgrades and make comments on the proposals.“

Do try and get along there if you can.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

Note: this section has been reduced because of time constraints in producing this Digest but there will be more information in the next Digest – look for it on 24 December – just in time to put in your stocking for a good read on Christmas Day!

3.1 Glasgow, Queen Margaret Drive, City Council response to GoBike letter

GoBike submitted this response to the City Council’s consultation and details were in Digest 46, Item 1.7

On 04 December we received this email reply from the City Council:

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

Dear Ms Fort

THE GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL, (QUEEN MARGARET DRIVE) (TRAFFIC, REGULATION) ORDER 201__

Thank you for your undernoted e-mail of 28^th October 2019 enclosing comment regarding the above Traffic Regulation Order (TRO).

Your support will be considered and included within the final report which will inform the decision. Once a decision has been taken with regard to these proposals I shall write to you again and advise of the outcome.

I have responded to your comments below. These have been noted as observations on the merits of the project design but cannot be considered as objections to the TRO as they do not relate to the proposed revisions to waiting and loading regulations, which are the basis of the TRO procedure.

1. Priority Junctions: The side road junction layout is intended to slow vehicular traffic as it makes the turning manoeuvre. The cycle lane will be marked across the side street junction at footway / cycle lane level, with the side road accessed from Queen Margaret Drive via a ramped kerb unit wherever practicable. The material crossing the side street will be contrasting to that on the main cycle lane, as it will also be for the pedestrians. It is intended to use cautionary signage informing Queen Margaret Drive traffic of the presence of the bi-directional cycle lane. However, cyclists do not have priority crossing side road junctions where the cycle lane is at footway level. This is based on guidance from Police Scotland at this time and is consistent with the Highway Code. It is noted that updated national design guidelines are under development and that this guidance may change at some point in the future. On Queen Margaret Drive, the Give Way marking on “exit only” streets will be placed behind the cycle lane to reduce the likelihood of vehicles blocking the cycle lane whilst waiting but the cycle lane will be marked with “Slow” markings advising the cyclist to exercise caution. On “entry only” streets the vehicle leaving the main carriageway has priority and the same “slow” markings will be applied. It is also considered that for the most part cyclists will be able to proceed across the side street unimpeded due to the low volumes of traffic.
2. Why is the Route Bi-directional? A bi-directional route was selected following the assessment of comments received at public consultation events. Constructing a bi-directional route on the west side of Queen Margaret Drive was also considered to be the most practicable solution whilst upgrading the pedestrian space and retaining parking and loading outside the shops on the east side in line with stakeholder requests.
3. Southbound Access to the Cycle Route Please note the drawing is a TRO drawing and as such does not show many design details. Northbound cycles will traverse the tactile paving at the school Toucan crossing and re-join the Queen Margaret Drive bus lane via a drop kerb. Southbound cycles can leave the road at a drop kerb at the end of the bus bay, immediately before the Toucan crossing, prior to then crossing the road at the school via the formal crossing point and then continuing on the cycle route.
4. Extension to Byres Road and Maryhill Road The current termination at Hamilton Road roundabout is temporary. In the short term, cyclists will re-join the road at the roundabout for onward travel. However, it is planned to extend the bi-directional route to Great Western Road where it will connect with proposals for Byres Road and the bus lanes on Great Western Road. Whilst these proposals are not included in the Queen Margaret Drive scheme it is hoped to develop them in parallel with the Byres Road project. At the north end the main cycle route will turn right along Kelvinside Avenue where cycles will be able to connect to Maryhill Road and the canal path. Cyclists will also have the option of re-joining the Queen Margaret Drive carriageway at the school crossing point and continuing on-road to the Maryhill Road / Bilsland Drive junction. There are no proposals to incorporate cycle facilities at this junction at this time.
5. Cycle Lane Width? The bi-directional cycle lane is as wide as is practicable within the confines of the existing road and other stakeholder requirements and will vary between 2.5m and 3.0m excluding the buffer strip and delineation kerb. At bus stops the cycle lane will be narrowed to a single lane to facilitate the safe boarding / alighting of buses. This arrangement is preferred on safety grounds to a non-descript multi-user space at these points – resulting in cyclists having to give way to oncoming cyclists. However as it is anticipated that demand will be largely tidal, it is not expected that this arrangement will have any real detrimental impact on cycle journey times.

I trust this of assistance.
Yours sincerely,” etc

Quite a bit of information is given in that reply but not much of it is reassuring. The concern continues about priority at side roads and why would the cycle lanes continue to give access to the canal path, but not the major artery of Maryhill Road?

_____________________________________________________________________________

Lots to think about in that reply in that last item but quite a few surveys for you to get your fingers tapping to. Particularly if the weather continues as it is today!
Digest 50 will be out on 24 December, for you to read after your Desperate Dan Annual!

Contents

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. Glasgow, Mossvale Road school parking petition, closes ASAP!
2. Glasgow, Pollok Park Transformation, closes 26 September
3. UK Government, Department for Transport, Carbon Offsetting in Transport, closes 26 September
4. Glasgow, Polnoon Avenue, Traffic Calming, closes 30 September
5. East Dunbartonshire, Proposed Traffic Regulation Order – Schools and Bearsden Town Centre, closes 07 October
6. **NEW** Glasgow (Belmont) (Traffic Management) Order 2005 (Variation No.2) Order 201_ – Consultation, Parking, closes 15 October
7. East Dunbartonshire, Proposed Traffic Regulation Order – Killermont Avenue, Rannoch Drive and Woodvale Avenue, parking/loading restrictions, closes 21 October
8. Consultation on Scotland’s National Transport Strategy, closes 23 October

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

1. Glasgow, Byres Road revised TROs- will they be issued soon?

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. Glasgow, Mount Florida, GoBike response to the City Council reply to our objection to the removal of two-way cycling to allow for increased storage of stationary cars.

Section 1: Current Consultations, in date order for response

1.1 Glasgow, Mossvale Road school parking petition, closes ASAP!

Featured in the Evening Times, yesterday, 23 September, is this petition from a concerned parent in Hogganfield worried about all the footway-parking large cars that people use to take their children in to the two schools on Mossvale Road. The Glasgow pilot, which was covered in Digests 34 and 35, only covers 6 schools with none being in the north or east of the city. We saw last week, in Digest 43, Item 1.6 and in Item 1.5 below, that East Dunbartonshire now has more ambitious plans than Glasgow.

Do please read the petition, from Change.org and help increase the numbers asking for this policy of banning cars from school gates to be extended far and wide.

1.2 Glasgow, Pollok Park Transformation, closes 26 September

The Burrell Collection is closed for renovation and upgrade and the City Council is expecting a big flurry of visitors when it reopens next year. Work is ongoing to cater for these visitors, not only those who arrive by private car, but all those people who arrive by public transport or who walk and cycle, but not forgetting everyone who visits Pollok Park for the enjoyment of being in the park.
Comments on the proposals, which may be found here are invited by email until Thursday. There is further information and a video here and you are asked to submit your comments by email to: PollokCountryParkTransformation@glasgowlife.org.uk

Quite a few GoBike members went along to the public consultation event on 10 September and, while we are generally very supportive of the proposals, there are significant improvements we think could be made to ensure that the balance between active and private motor travel reflects current stated policy both by the City Council and the Scottish Government. Comments submitted now will be considered before the planning application and traffic regulation order to allow the work to be done are issued.
The GoBike letter of response, submitted last Thursday, 19 September, is here.

1.3 UK Government, Department for Transport, Carbon Offsetting in Transport, closes 26 September

This consultation has been mentioned in our last two Digests and the link to the relatively short consultation paper is here. One of our members has described carbon offsetting as simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. We have tried to reflect the view that while carbon offsetting might be one tool in the box to address our current issues of congestion, pollution and global warming, there are far more pertinent issues that need to be addressed. Here’s the letter that we submitted last Friday, 20 September.
There’s still time to add your voice – the closing time is 11:45pm on Friday.

1.4 Glasgow, Polnoon Avenue, Traffic Calming, closes 30 September

This is the most curious traffic calming scheme we have seen and it flies in the face of all the guidance about creating streets for people. All the details issued by the City Council were given in Digest 43, Item 1.5. Here’s a detail from the plans that were issued:

You will notice that no overall dimensions are given for the roadway and thus there is no precise figure for the roadway width in which to avoid the speed cushion. Those of us who cycle where there are traffic islands will be aware that these pinch points are the sites of accidents waiting to happen. Islands do help people to cross the road, but so do zebra crossings and given that drivers are known to use the wrong side of the road if there is someone cycling legally past a traffic island, where would that leave the poor pedestrians? We have made what we consider to be robust alternative suggestions, quoting available guidance, in this letter that we submitted on Thursday 19 September.
Please do add your voice to our concerns about such a move.

1.5 East Dunbartonshire, Proposed Traffic Regulation Order – Schools and Bearsden Town Centre, closes 07 October

The details of these two proposals were given in Digest 43, Item 1.6 and address two issues. The first is the unfortunate fact that the stipulations of parking at junctions given in the Highway Code may only be enforced if there is a Traffic Regulation Order and the second is the exciting news that East Dunbartonshire propose to ban loading and unloading outside 10 primary schools. This could actually mean that children will have to walk part of the way to school!
Here is our letter of support to these moves, which we submitted on Thursday 19 September.
Please do add your support if you live, work or travel past junctions or primary schools in East Dunbartonshire.

1.6 **NEW** Glasgow (Belmont) (Traffic Management) Order 2005 (Variation No.2) Order 201_ – Consultation, Parking, closes 15 October

Hamilton Gardens is on the site of the old BBC buildings on Hamilton Drive just off Queen Margaret Drive and it seems that commuters by car will seek out any wee space they can to leave their vehicle while they go off to work.

Here’s the email that we received last week from the City Council and it explains the concern:

” Date: 17 September 2019 at 15:20
Subject: FW: THE GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL (BELMONT) (TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT) ORDER 2005 (VARIATION NO.2) ORDER 201_ – Consultation

MESSAGE SENT ON BEHALF OF KEVIN HAMILTON, HEAD OF ROADS, NEIGHBOURHOODS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Dear Sir / Madam
THE GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL, (BELMONT) (TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT) ORDER 2005 (VARIATION NO.2) ORDER 201_

The Council propose to consider the introduction of the above named Traffic Regulation Order and I wish to establish the preliminary views of your organisation prior to the publication of these proposals.

Background to the proposed Order
Glasgow City Council’s policy is to dissuade commuter parking and encourage more sustainable methods of transport. The Belmont area was identified as being negatively affected by commuter parking and general adverse parking practices including indiscriminate and obstructive parking. Following this, parking controls were put in place. 
Since these controls have been implemented, a new development has been completed in Hamilton Gardens.  This is now an area that we are looking to include within the existing Belmont parking controls.  In view of this the statutory process for proposing parking controls throughout this area has now commenced.

These proposals will improve road safety and pedestrian safety by prohibiting unsafe and obstructive parking.  This would also minimise access problems for any emergency service vehicles such as fire appliances and other services such as cleansing vehicles, etc. for refuse collection.

Area affected by the proposed Order, The roads affected by these proposals are:-
Hamilton Gardens

Details of the proposed Order, The proposed Order (as depicted on the attached plan) will comprise of:-
No Waiting at any time
These restrictions are proposed where waiting is deemed unsafe or undesirable.

Please provide any comments you wish to make on these proposals within 28 days (reply by 15th October 2019).
In the meantime, should you require any further information or clarification on any points arising from the proposals, do not hesitate to contact my assistant (name and phone number removed by GoBike).
Should the Council proceed with these proposals; a copy of the Notice of the proposed Order will be forwarded to you intimating an opportunity to lodge any objections to the proposals.
Yours faithfully“, etc

GoBike will be getting our support in for this as soon as we can – our streets are for moving, not stationary, traffic and Hamilton Drive provides a handy, cycling cut-through, avoiding a busy section of Great Western Road. The fewer cars there the better for us.

1.7 East Dunbartonshire, Proposed Traffic Regulation Order – Killermont Avenue, Rannoch Drive and Woodvale Avenue, parking/loading restrictions, closes 21 October

All the details for this proposal to restrict parking/loading just off Maryhill Road near the car dealership and the golf club were given in Digest 43, Item 1.7.

This is a residential area and parking near the exit to Maryhill Road is a barrier to people who wish to cycle through here. GoBike will be supporting this move.

1.8 Consultation on Scotland’s National Transport Strategy, closes 23 October

This is now the fifth appearance of this consultation in our Digests and our response will be submitted before the deadline. Responses will help set government strategy for the next 20 years so it’s important that views of the active travel community are heard.
Here’s the link to the government website and consultation details.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

2.1 Glasgow, Byres Road revised TROs- will they be issued soon?

On 30 August we were emailed with the news that Glasgow City Council are working to issue consultation documents for the revised layout of Byres Road in September. Nothing has been heard yet but as soon as we get the information we will get it out to you.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

3.1 Glasgow, Mount Florida, GoBike response to the City Council reply to our objection to the removal of two-way cycling to allow for increased storage of stationary cars.

Back in Digest 39, Item 1.4 we published all the details we had received about proposals on waiting and loading restrictions in Mount Florida. We were told that the community want more parking spaces and thus streets are proposed to be made one-way and echelon, or angled parking is to be extended in the area.

GoBike submitted this letter objecting to the removal of two-way cycling, among other concerns, on 22 July.

On 27 August Glasgow City Council replied to us with this email.

We have made further investigations, both of echelon parking and the supposed hazards of contraflow cycling and we commend these links to you:

• Contraflow Cycling, a briefing from the European Transport Safety Council, which reports on studies showing that cycling against the flow of traffic is less hazardous than either cycling with the flow or making large detours on busy streets to avoid one-way sections.
• Echelon parking, a document from the USA, which strongly recommends that drivers reverse into angled parking places, listing the advantages of such a practice. The main positives are that the driver is able to see oncoming traffic and passengers, particularly children, exit the car towards the footway and not into the roadway.

We have sent this reply to Glasgow City Council today, 24 September, in which we also mention a Scottish Government document, Designing Streets and refer to Nairn Street in Yorkhill, see below, where contraflow cycling has been authorised.

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That’s it for now. Hope you enjoy the September weekend, whatever you are doing. The next Digest is planned for 15 October – but, if we hear news of proposals for Byres Road, we’ll be in touch.