Consultation Digest Issue 39, 23 July 2019: featuring a park, an airport, parking and avenues.

This issue contains disconcerting news about parking in 2 residential areas of Glasgow and promising news about Battlefield, City Centre avenues, City Deal works around Glasgow Airport and Pollok Park. Do read on:

Contents

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. Glasgow, Battlefield, Drop-in Event, TODAY, 23 July, 3pm – 7pm
2. GoBike member’s survey, Attitudes to Cycling in Glasgow, closes tomorrow, 24 July
3. Glasgow, Future Policy Development of Taxi and Private Hire Car Licensing, closes 29 July
4. **NEW** Glasgow, (Mount Florida) (Traffic Regulation) Order) Waiting and Loading Restrictions, closes 02 August
5. Glasgow (North Kelvin, North Woodside and Woodlands)(Mandatory 20mph Speed Limit Order, closes 02 August
6. Glasgow, South City Way Traffic Management Order, 2-way cycle lane on Bridgegate and King Street, closes 09 August
7. Glasgow St Enoch District Regeneration Framework Public Consultation, closes 06 September

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

1. Glasgow, Dennistoun & Royston – Traffic Management & Parking Controls Order 201 drop-in events 24, 25 and 27 July
2. Glasgow ‘Avenues’ preview events for Renfrew, Killermont & North Hanover Streets, Tuesday 06 August
3. Glasgow, Pollok Country Park – Project Update and Public Consultation Event, 22 August

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. East Dunbartonshire, Lenzie Station
2. Glasgow, Ladyloan Avenue
3. Glasgow Airport Investment Area (GAIA) Construction Update

Section 1: Current Consultations , in date order for responses

1.1 Glasgow, Battlefield Street Design, Showcase Event, TODAY, 23 June

Battlefield is no longer as shown here but there are moves to make it a calmer place, with less emphasis on the private car. Here’s the information from Sustrans about today’s event and the current on-line consultation:

“Hello,
I am emailing just as a reminder about the Battlefield Street Design Session 4 Showcase Event taking place next Tuesday 23^rd July. This is a public drop-in event at Langside Parish church and is open to everyone. I would be grateful if you could share this amongst anyone you think maybe interested? Further details are below and I’ve attached the event poster to this email.

Showcase event: Tuesday 23^rd July 2019

The designs for Battlefield area have been developed following nine months of engagement by Sustrans and Glasgow City Council that has reached almost 6,000 local people. During March, April and May, people took part in a range of activities to provide feedback which has helped to refine the concept that will be handed over to Glasgow City Council at the end of July for further development.  On Tuesday 23^rd July, at Langside Parish Church in Glasgow, the public are invited to have the opportunity to:

Drop-in anytime between 4pm and 7pm to view the updated concept design for the following areas; Battlefield Rest junction, Battlefield Road, Grange Road and Langside Road.

Find out about activities in the area from Urban Croft South Seeds, Battlefield Community Project, Give a Dog a Bone, Langside Heritage Group and many more;

Come and say hello to us outside Coffeescene between 3pm and 6pm where we’ll have a summary of the designs and some Sustrans freebies to give away!

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions at all.
Many thanks in advance,

Ellie Cady
Project Lead – Battlefield | Street Design | Sustrans Scotland
Ellie.Cady@sustrans.org.uk

A further email informed of an ongoing survey:

“We would love to hear the views from all of those involved to help us improve the Street Design process for future projects. From the 23^rd July we would like to invite you to complete a short online survey about the project and engagement process. This survey should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete and will be made available through our project website from next week. You will also receive a reminder by email with the link to the survey.”

So do have a look at that and, through GoBike’s involvement with the Focus Group for the redesign of Battlefield, we will be keeping you updated as things proceed.

1.2 Attitudes to Cycling in Glasgow, closes tomorrow, Wednesday 24 July

Active GoBike member, Eachann Gillies, who is our lead in the Battlefield Focus Group, is also studying for an MSc at Glasgow Caledonian University. As part of that he would like as many people as possible to fill in his survey on Attitudes to Cycling in Glasgow. It’s quite short, so do please help him. Here’s the link to the survey.

1.3 Glasgow, Future Policy Development of Taxi and Private Hire Car Licensing, closes 29 July

Taxis and private hire vehicles are something that most of us will use at some point so it is critical that we are objective about them and ensure that they provide a good service that meets the needs of the city, its residents and its visitors. Here is the GoBike response to the consultation. Here is the link to the consultation.

1.4 **NEW** Glasgow, (Mount Florida) (Traffic Regulation) Order) Waiting and Loading Restrictions, closes 02 August

On 12 July GoBike received the following email under the somewhat innocuous title of “Mount Florida Traffic Regulation Order”. It is only by looking at the attachments that one realises what is being done to set back the cause of active travel in the area.

“MESSAGE SENT ON BEHALF OF ANDY WADDELL, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS NEIGHBOURHOODS AND SUSTAINABILITY

Dear Sir or Madam,

THE GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL, (MOUNT FLORIDA) (TRAFFIC REGULATION) ORDER 201_
The Council propose to consider the introduction of the above named Traffic Regulation Order.
Please find enclosed a copy of the press notice of the proposed Order, relevant map, statement of reasons and 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 Andy Waddell, Director of Operations, Neighbourhoods and Sustainability, Exchange House, 231 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1RX or by e-mail to land@glasgow.gov.uk  by Friday 2 August 2019.
Yours faithfully” etc

Here are the documents that accompanied the email: Press Notice, Plan (1 of 2), Plan (2 of 2), Report and Statement of Reasons.

When one looks at the plans, particularly 1 of 2, it becomes clear that there are proposals to make Florida Street and Bolton Drive one-way westbound between Clincart Road and Florida Drive and to make Clincart Road one-way southbound to Bolton Drive and one-way northbound to Bolton Drive, with a buildout to the footway on Bolton Drive.
While this might rationalise car movements, it contradicts Transport Scotland’s and Glasgow City Council’s design guide, “Cycling by Design” where Clause 5.1.5 (page 52) states “The default position should be to permit two-way cycling on one-way streets.” The City Council conveniently ignores this every time a parking scheme is developed, thus severely limiting permeability of our residential areas for cycle traffic.

Here’s a promising report on contraflow cycling from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which we have quoted to Glasgow City Council.

In addition parking and parking/loading restrictions are proposed, particularly at junctions and this is despite Rule 243 of the Highway Code stating as one of its bullet points: ” DO NOT stop or park opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space” See: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/waiting-and-parking-238-to-252

We note that the City Council refers to the local Community Council, who are reflecting residents’ views that “they have nowhere to park” and many wish to park their private car directly outside the door to their close. However, this flies in the face of City Council policy to reduce car use, to promote active travel and rejuvenate our local neighbourhoods.
Event day parking restrictions are in place in this area and it would seem logical to extend restrictions by introducing a Residents’ Parking Zone.

If Glasgow City Council, and other local authorities, and/or Police Scotland were to employ more parking/traffic wardens rather than rely on the good will of drivers to observe paint lines at the edges of our streets then we might be able to use our streets for the purpose for which they were intended, ie to get from A to B.

GoBike’s response to this consultation reflects the above points.

1.5 Glasgow (North Kelvin, North Woodside and Woodlands)(Mandatory 20mph Speed Limit Order, closes 02 August

The details of this proposed addition to the 80 mandatory 20mph zones in the city were first given in Digest 37, Item 1.6. The GoBike letter of support for this proposal also includes our view that the City Council really does need to bite the bullet on this and impose a city-wide default 20mph limit.

1.6 Glasgow, South City Way Traffic Management Order, 2-way cycle lane on Bridgegate and King Street, closes 09 August

This proposal, bringing the South City Way into the Merchant City, was detailed in Digest 38, Item 1.5. GoBike is generally very supportive, but we are considering the detail and our response will be contained in our next Digest the big Four Zero, due out on 06 August.

1.7 Glasgow St Enoch District Regeneration Framework Public Consultation, closes 06 September

As reported before, we are working on our response, which will be submitted next month. This is an important city centre area, so do please have a look at the consultation information that is provided on the City Council’s Current Consultations page at: https://www.glasgowconsult.co.uk/KMS/dmart.aspx?strTab=PublicDMartCurrent&NoIP=1 and submit your own response, if you can.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

2.1 Glasgow, Dennistoun & Royston – Traffic Management & Parking Controls Order 201 drop-in events 24, 25 and 27 July

In Digest 38, Item 2.5, we published details of drop-in events for residents to learn about the proposed parking changes for Dennistoun and Royston:
Wednesday 24 July, Royston Library, 2 – 7 pm
Thursday 25 July, Dennistoun Library, 2 – 7 pm
Saturday 27 July, Dennistoun Library, 10 am – 1 pm

However, it looks as if this isn’t a universally popular move, if this article from the Evening Times on 19 July is anything to go by! See: https://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/17781308.parking-zone-plan-east-end-scrapped/?ref=ebln

If you don’t agree that our streets should be linear car parks and you live, or work in this area, or visit regularly, then get yourself along to one of these events to support the proposals.

2.2 Glasgow ‘Avenues’ preview events for Renfrew, Killermont & North Hanover Streets, Tuesday 06 August, with a closing date for on-line comments of 18 August

On 17 July GoBike received the following invitation from Civic Engineers, who are working for the City Council on the Avenues projects

“You are invited to the following event: Glasgow city centre ‘Avenues’: initial design ideas for Renfrew St, Killermont St and North Hanover St

Multiple events from: Tuesday, 6 August 2019 from 13:00 to 15:30 (BST) The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (City of Music Studio, 3rd floor)
2 Sauchiehall Street
G2 3NY Glasgow
United Kingdom
View Map

Yes No Maybe

You’re invited to a preview of initial design ideas for Renfrew Street, Killermont Street and North Hanover Street on Tuesday 6th August in Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.  There is a choice of two events, each an hour long, starting at 1pm and 2:30pm.  The City Council and Civic Engineers, who lead the Council’s design team for this phase of the Avenues project, will be presenting initial design principles at the events and seeking feedback. You’ll also be able to see and comment on the initial designs online at www.glasgow.gov.uk/avenues from Tuesday 22nd July (closing date for comment is Sunday 18th August). There’ll be similar events about initial design ideas for Cathedral Street on Tuesday 3rd September in Townhead Village Hall – keep an eye out for the invitation. The work is part of the transformational £115m ‘Avenues’ city centre public realm project funded by the Glasgow City Region City Deal, which will change the face of the city for the better for all those who live, work and visit. The Avenues project will see key Glasgow city-centre streets redesigned to protect and prioritise space for cyclists and pedestrians, improve connectivity, introduce sustainable green infrastructure through attractive streetscapes and enhancing biodiversity, and improve the way public transport is accommodated.  Places at the events are free but limited. Please book now to get your place! ”

Now that nice, wide cycleway on the photo above, taken from the original invitation, might not look to have much separating it from the roadway, but we think there’s a kerb there, and we’ll be sure to check that out on 06 August.

GoBike will be represented at this event, and at the 03 September event. Do note that these are not drop-in events so if you can’t spare the full hour, you will be able to view the information and respond on line.

2.3 Glasgow, Pollok Country Park – Project Update and Public Consultation Event, 22 August

Earlier this year, in February, 2 GoBike members attended a meeting with Glasgow Life to hear about initial proposals for Pollok Park. We have now, 19 July, received this message and invitation:

“I hope you’re both well. I’m writing to update you on the progress of the Transforming Pollok Country Park project.

The update is as follows:

Thank you for previously engaging with us on access proposals for Pollok Country Park. Details of the proposals and current progress can be found in the briefing note attached.

As mentioned, these proposals will form the subject of a planning application and we are now moving towards submitting a Proposal of Application Notice in the week commencing 22^nd July. A consultation event will take place at Pollokshaws Library on the 22^nd August from 12 noon – 8pm which you are welcome to attend and will allow the opportunity for comments.

I’ll note that the proposed new entrance at Haggs Road is primarily intended to bring cars and buses in through a more direct route, while cyclists would be encouraged to enter the park via the Pollokshaws Road entrance or St Andrews Drive entrance.

If you have any queries please get in touch.

Kind Regards,
Project Officer, Glasgow Life”

The briefing note attached to the email is here. Do get yourself along to Pollokshaws Library on 22 August if you can to see the exciting proposals.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

3.1 SPT and East Dunbartonshire, Lenzie Station Improvements

We heard about station improvements from one of our member’s Twitter feed, with this link to the SPT website: http://www.spt.co.uk/corporate/2019/07/lenzie-station-improvements-welcomed/
2 of the improvements listed refer to cycling:

• Upgraded traffic lights – including dedicated cycle phase
• Improved cycle facilities

So now that we can store our bikes at Lenzie Station and cycle in and out during the new cycle phase, perhaps we’ll get dedicated cycle lanes through the town?

The consultation phase for the project started in 2016, before GoBike was actively getting East Dunbartonshire proposals, but we are always keen to hear about consultations in the wider Glasgow area, so do keep us informed at consultations@gobike.org please.

3.2 Glasgow, Ladyloan Avenue Traffic Calming Scheme, GCC response to GoBike submission.

In Digest 37, Item 1.3, the details of this proposal were published and on 03 July we returned this response.
The City Council have now replied, with this email received on 19 July:

“MESSAGE SENT ON BEHALF OF MICHAEL BRADY, GROUP MANAGER (TRAFFIC AND ROAD SAFETY), NEIGHBOURHOODS & SUSTAINABILITY

Dear Ms Fort,
Thank you for your undernoted email and attached letter of 3 July 2019 regarding the proposed traffic calming for Ladyloan Avenue.

I am pleased to note that GoBike are in favour of the pilot School Car Free Zone project which the Council is introducing as an experimental traffic regulation order at 6 schools in Glasgow. Depending on the success of this pilot scheme, it is anticipated similar prohibitions of driving near other schools throughout the Council area will be introduced in the future.

While I acknowledge that some cyclists will seek to avoid the cushions, this will not always be the case, and the gradient on this section of Ladyloan Avenue renders it unlikely that roadside detritus will accumulate. 

Though no traffic census has been carried out at this location, I would expect current bicycle numbers on Ladyloan Avenue to be low tending to negligible. Therefore speed reduction measures such the proposed cushions can only have a beneficial impact on the number of cyclists.  Furthermore, reduced speeds are likely to make the journey to and from school more attractive to other active road users such as pedestrians and those using scooters and, in doing so, reduce the number of journeys made by car.

It can reasonably be considered that introduction of cycle lanes and reduction of the space available to motor vehicles at this location would lead to motor vehicles having to come to rest then accelerate again, leading to increased fuel usage with attendant polluting consequences.

I trust that the foregoing explains some of the reasons for introducing speed cushions on Ladyloan Avenue.”

So, now you know, some of us enjoy cycling over speed cushions and the installation of cycle lanes would increase pollution! However, on the brighter side, we are getting more responses from the City Council than we used to, and they contain more detail than we used to be given.

3.3 Glasgow Airport Investment Area (GAIA) Construction Update

Received just yesterday, a link to what’s going on around Glasgow Airport.


Here’s the main news from the link:

“Construction includes significant improved connections:

• Abbotsinch Road is being realigned, upgraded and extended, with accompanying pedestrian and cyclelanes to create a gateway route through Netherton Campus.
• A two-lane bridge for pedestrians, cyclists and commercial traffic across the White Cart from anapproach road off Arran Avenue to Wright Street. The bridge includes a connection into Wright Streetbusiness premises, with no through route along Wright Street for vehicles. This will reduce the impactof traffic on residential areas and the bridge will also connect with the proposed Paisley to Renfrewcycle route, currently under development.
• A pedestrian and cycle bridge over the Black Cart, connecting Abbotsinch Road to Greenock Road.
• New and improved junctions and connections to existing cycleways and pathways.

Construction works start in July 2019 and are scheduled for completion in early 2021. 

Some interesting news to peruse above and consultation events to go to, to brighten up your summer.
The Digest will be back in 2 weeks with whatever lands in the inbox before then.