Consultation Digest Issue 65, 21 July 2020: What's happened to Pavement Parking? Proposals approved but not enacted! Plus a request to contribute to the Streets for All Glasgow Commonplace Map, and more.

Cycling around the city reminds us that GoBike supported the proposed ban on pavement parking in Scotland and we supported the Deposit Return Scheme to, hopefully, get some of the glass off our streets. We've done a check and have updates for you, see Section 3, though the news could be better, plus updates from north, west and south of Glasgow and Motherwell. Do read on.

Contents:

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. Streets for All Glasgow Commonplace Map, a joint GoBike, Glasgow Eco Trust and On Bikes initiative, please add your views and concerns
2. ** NEW** Renfrewshire Council Spaces for People consultation, closes 26 July
3. East Renfrewshire Council, Spaces for People Commonplace Map, closes 31 July
4. Glasgow City Council, help shape the future of (Y)our City Centre Districts

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

1. GoBike is going to consult its members on the Consultation Digest!

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. Glasgow, Woodside Making Places, response to GoBike Submission
2. Glasgow, South City Way, Bus Gate prior to completion
3. Glasgow, Byres Road, Space for Distancing measures prior to cycle lane construction
4. Parking and the Transport (Scotland) Bill, when will it come into effect?
5. A Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland, 2 years to wait!
6. North Lanarkshire Council, work begins on Motherwell Station

Section 1: Current Consultations

1.1 Streets for All Glasgow Commonplace Map, a joint GoBike, Glasgow Eco Trust and On Bikes initiative, please add your views and concerns

Back in Digest 55, Item 1.1 in early March, we alerted you to the Streets for All Glasgow Commonplace Map, an initiative from GoBike in coordination with Glasgow EcoTrust and On Bikes. This was somewhat overshadowed by the Glasgow City Council and the East Renfrewshire Council Spaces for People Commonplace Maps, looking for concern areas where social distancing for active travellers was difficult or impossible to achieve. The Glasgow City Council map has now closed for comment and the East Renfrewshire Council map closes on 31 July, see Item 1.2 below.

The Streets for All Glasgow Commonplace Map is still open for your contributions. We have longer term aims than the Spaces for People maps, so please do get your fingers tapping and tell us not just where social distancing measures are needed but where dropped kerbs, better crossings, segregation from motor vehicles and all the measures that could improve your cycling experience are needed.

We will then be able to take these forward to the City Council in a measured way to make our city a better place to live and move.

1.2 **NEW** Renfrewshire Council, Spaces for People consultation, closes 26 July

News just in: Renfrewshire Council have a Spaces for People Fund consultation taking place, but it closes soon, midnight on Sunday 26 July. Here's some of the information from their website:

"As part of this, we plan to create nine cycleways for active travel, but we want your views on the proposed plans.

These are located at:

• Howwood to Paisley corridor (including Elderslie Gap)
• Glasgow Road (West), Paisley
• Barrhead Road, Paisley
• Causeyside Street, Paisley
• Central Paisley and West - including Ferguslie, St Mirren and Kilbarchan Rd
• Inchinnan Road, Paisley
• Greenock Rd, Inchinnan
• Inchinnan Road, Renfrew
• Paisley to Renfrew

View the proposals

You can see the

proposed outline plans on this PDF document [2MB]

Give us your feedback

Let us know what you think on the proposed cycleways by emailing us at ei@renfrewshire.gov.uk Your feedback can be submitted until midnight on Sunday 26 July 2020."

This is quite and impressive set of proposals, many on major roads, so please do have a look at the details and put your comments in. GoBike has submitted this letter today, which might give you a few pointers.

1.3 East Renfrewshire Council, Spaces for People Commonplace Map, closes 31 July

East Renfrewshire Council is consulting on Spaces for People until the end of this month, ie a week on Friday, 31 July. Here are details of their Transport Response to Covid 19 and here is a direct link to the ERC Spaces for People Commonplace map. Please do contribute if you know the area.

1.4 Glasgow City Council, help shape the future of (Y)our City Centre Districts

Just about everyone who lives in Glasgow or visits from surrounding areas goes to one or more of these areas, ie the Merchant City, Cowcaddens, Townhead or the Learning Quarter so must have views on how improvements could be made. Please do enter them on the Commonplace Map. No closing date given but don't delay.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

2.1 GoBike is going to consult its members on the Consultation Digest!

Yes, we are going to consult GoBike members who are on Slack about the Digests. The editor of the Digests will be standing down at the GoBike AGM in November and we want to know what you, if you are a GoBike member (and it's easy to join), think of these publications and even whether you might wish to get involved in their production. Watch out on the GoBike Slack Consultation channel for news of the survey.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

3.1 Woodside Making Places, response to GoBike Submission

In Digest 63, Item 1.8 we detailed this public realm consultation by Urban Realm and included the detailed response from GoBike, drawn up by GoBike member, Brenda, with contributions from GoBike member and local resident, Alasdair.

On 07 July, almost in time to be in our last Digest, we got this excellent email back from the Woodside Making Places team:

"Dear Tricia,

Thank you for taking the time to thoroughly look over the plans; we agree that it would be preferable to have a face-to-face assessment of the plans, however at the moment, this is not something we are going to achieve unless Scottish Government restrictions change.

Going through points in your letter:

• Some roads are excluded primarily for budgetary reasons - we are keen to spend on people-focussed improvements, rather than descend into a road resurfacing project.
• We will look at opportunities for continuous footways with reduced radii at points mentioned - we would agree that this could be a very useful addition.
• We will consider the width of the paths and aim to provide 4m where possible.
• The area is relatively permeable at the moment, and we have picked up on a few existing desire lines, the next stage will review comments from the resident consultees and also bear in mind your note about ensuring permeability.
• We are looking at a variety of cycle storage, from individual (or family sized) lockers capable of taking trailers / cargo bikes etc. to ad hoc visitor parking (Sheffield-type stands). The refurbishment of the tower block included some cycle storage. The location of these will be reassessed at the next stage of design based on the criteria you have provided. The Oakgrove shelter is a sketch at this stage and not intended as sole cycle storage for the school, we would expect this to be funded through the Cycle Friendly School initiative; the shelter would primarily serve parents / visitors / residents.

In response to specific details raised in your letter:

• The shared path along Braid Street is currently shown 4m wide.
• We will be reviewing parking along Raglan Street and Braid Street in line with your comments - this is great advice as a way to treat parking in this situation.
• There is a large level difference between Unity Place and the back of the flats at Braid Street, the path that zig-zags through the green space is designed to be an accessible gradient and is the primary route between the two; the steps are a quicker cut through.
• Karol Path has a multi-level set of issues; primarily the existing trees (much enjoyed by residents) are causing issue with the paving. The balance between retaining existing natural capital and access by people needs to be struck.
• We will investigate the viability between the west of Torridon Court and North Woodside Road, however this needs to work with the existing trees, and provide an accessible route. From a quick look, it would appear that this would be similar in length to the accessible route that we have shown going to the new plaza area at the junction of St. George’s Road and North Woodside Road.

We will be consulting on further phases and hope that there are clarifications and refinements which reflect your helpful advice and points of discussion above. Thank you again for your input.

Best regards,
The Woodside Making Places Team"

Yes, they had read and taken note of our letter and not simply assigned it to either the Support or Objection box. We look forward to further dialogue and to overall improvements in this area.

3.2 Glasgow, South City Way, Bus Gate prior to completion

In Digest 25, Item 1, issued on 10 January 2019 we gave details of the proposals for continuing the South City Way from the Brazen Head pub at Cumberland Street along Gorbals Street and over the Clyde at the Victoria Bridge to the junction at the Clutha pub.

You might have noticed that construction on this section has not yet started? GoBike's co-Convenors, Thomas and John, held an online meeting recently with Councillor Anna Richardson, who gave them this information:

• The appointed contractor is unable to start on site just yet.
• To improve cycling in the meantime the City Council has decided to install the bus gate, which was part of the consultation,  at Cumberland Street for the southern section of Gorbals Street, ie from the Brazen Head junction to Cleland Street, just south of the Citizens' Theatre. This will prevent private cars from travelling north on Gorbals Street between 7am and 7pm.
• Also, a cycle lane will be formed on Victoria Bridge.

While it's disappointing that the South City Way is delayed (again), these 2 moves will improve road conditions for cycling.

3.3 Glasgow, Byres Road, Space for Distancing measures prior to cycle lane construction

At the same meeting GoBike was told that the construction of cycle lanes on Byres Road is not yet to be started but, to allow for social distancing, the following 2 measures will be put in place:

• The footways at both sides will be widened to allow social distancing for pedestrians
• Parking will be banned.

While these measures are not what GoBike and Space for People Byres Road campaigned for, the removal of parking will make cycling significantly better and we will all be able to enjoy the wider pavements on Byres Road in the meantime.

3.4 Parking and the Transport (Scotland) Bill, when will it come into effect?

GoBike has been campaigning for a ban on pavement parking since at least September 2015 as this post on our website demonstrates. We have responded positively to consultation too.

Anyone who has been out and about during lockdown will have seen that pavement parking is endemic; car after car after car with either 2 or all 4 wheels on the pavement outside flats and houses. The photo above was taken in a residential area in Glasgow, the feature photo for this Digest shows pavement parking, not far from their place of work, by employees on a route into Renfrew. This really does cut down the space for walking and cycling, so just what is happening?

MSP Sheila White's Pavement Parking Bill was subsumed into the Transport (Scotland) Act, which the Scottish Parliament voted to pass on 10 October 2019.  The Bill received Royal Assent on 15 November 2019, ie over 9 months ago. No news of any progress on the Transport Scotland website and even Living Streets don't have any update on their website.

Something to follow up with your MSP? Please do.

3.5 A Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland, 2 years to wait!

The Scottish Government consulted on a Bottle Deposit  return scheme in 2018 as featured in Digest 15, Item 1.5. It may now be seen, on the Scottish Government website, that the scheme was approved in May this year and  will go live in July 2022. Details of The Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020 may be seen here.

What's this got to do with cycling, some might ask? Anyone who cycles around our towns and residential areas can't have failed to see broken glass, let alone litter, and it's the very fortunate person who hasn't had a puncture on broken glass. Surely we all hope that with the implementation of the scheme there will be enough people who see the financial benefit of returning their bottles, to at least save a few tyres?

3.6 North Lanarkshire Council, work begins on Motherwell Station

GoBike responded to a Planning Application for a cycle access path to Motherwell Station earlier this year, as featured in Digest 61, Item 1.1, which will be a wee bit better than the existing. We received this update from North Lanarkshire Council on 17 July:

"ScotRail have appointed Balfour Beatty to carry out the works to redevelop Motherwell Rail Station. The station plans are the first phase of a wider project to create a transport integration hub in Motherwell town centre. The second phase on Muir Street will be carried out by the council in 2021.

The station works are being led by ScotRail. Transport Scotland and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) are also providing funding for the £14.5m project. Work started on 29 June with the demolition of an old building at the bottom of Platform 1 to make way for a new staff car park and will continue at the station itself in early August.

The taxi rank at the front of the station will close later in July to make way for ScotRail staff portacabins. Taxi pick up and drop will remain available on Muir Street. Two disabled parking bays will also be provided close to the station entrance during the works.  

For further information about the project, please visit: www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/motherwellstation "

It looks as it it will be a wee while, though, before access to the station is upgraded, but do take care near the works if you use Motherwell Railway Station.

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We're moving out of lockdown and into the holiday season with only a few weeks before the schools go back.
Do enjoy the rest of the summer! More news early in August.