Consultation Digest (Local) Issue 107, 3 March 2022

Coming unstuck?

After praising East Renfrewshire Council for sticking with their temporary bollards on the A77, they now have a consultation about removing them! It has a tight deadline before the official pre-election period starts.

There's even less time to respond about active travel hubs in North Lanarkshire. NHS Lanarkshire have published plans for the new Monklands Hospital in Airdrie, including active travel paths. Also, North Lanarkshire Council have a TRO about parking at schools.

In Glasgow, the George Square consultation ends soon. The next Liveable Neighbourhoods consultation starts for Yorkhill to Anderston. In contrast, construction for the South West City Way Extension hasn't started due to an issue between the council and contractors. There are also a few TROs for Glasgow and East Dunbartonshire.

Forthcoming Consultation

Back in November 2020, consultants Stantec told us about plans for active travel routes around Glasgow Caledonian Uni, City of Glasgow College and Strathclyde Uni (the 'Learning Quarter' District). In Digest 74, Item 2.1, we quoted their message that a public consultation website was due to launch “in the next few weeks”. Over a year later, Stantec have been back in touch to say the website will launch in March 2022! We'll keep our eyes peeled…

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

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. Motherwell and Ravenscraig Active Travel Hubs
2. George Square and ‘Block C’ Avenues
3. A77 segregation – Views on early removal
4. Bilsland Drive & Hawthorn Street TROs
5. St Helen’s Primary School, Bishopbriggs TRO
6. A81 Milngavie Road/Maryhill Road TRO
7. Electric Vehicle Charging Places – East Dunbartonshire TROs
8. New Hospital Plans – Airdrie (Monklands Replacement Project)
9. ‘Various Roads’ (North Lanarkshire schools) TRO
10. School Streets, Glasgow TRO (Merrylee/OLA)
11. Yorkhill to Anderston Liveable Neighbourhoods
12. Drumchapel Local Development Framework
13. Malls Mire survey

Section 2: Consultation Feedback

1. South West City Way Extension update
2. Burnfield Road 20mph Speed Limit TRO

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

1.1: Motherwell and Ravenscraig Active Travel Hubs

Council: North Lanarkshire.
Areas: Motherwell town centre and Ravenscraig.
Subject: As mentioned in Digest 94 Item 3.2, NLC are looking at an active travel hub in Motherwell. Similar hubs in Ayr and Stirling are next to train stations but Motherwell’s £14.5m station redevelopment hasn’t included one in the plans. The former Masonic Hall on Hope St came up as a potential location, but it’s separated by a busy roundabout and may not work for the whole community. Falkirk’s hub is a shop unit on a pedestrianised street so NLC may be better replicating that on Merry St (as cycling is banned on Brandon Parade South).
Ravenscraig is the mostly empty former steelworks site. It’s recently got a new playpark near the Regional Sports Facility so that would be an obvious place for a bike project. It's due to be connected east to Craigneuk via Ravenscraig Active Travel Links.
Website links: NLC Active Travel Hubs survey, NLC webpage and contact email: activetravelproject@atkinsglobal.com.
Deadline: 4 March 2022.

1.2: George Square and ‘Block C’ Avenues

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: George Square and surrounding streets from Block C of the Avenues project:
Phase 1 – Dundas St, Dundas Lane and John St (2021–26);
Phase 2 – St Vincent St, St Vincent Place, Hanover St, Miller St and George St (2023–28).
Subject: Yet another look at what to do with George Square. However, the starting point for this one has the Spaces for People measures (with two filtered streets). Also, a previous survey in favour of a traffic-free square was part of the ‘Conversation’ in 2019. A new website, ‘Our Place’, has launched and says a design phase has already started. The ‘Story so Far’ page shows how many different layouts the square has had since the 1800s. The surveys are under ‘How to Get Involved’ – the Avenues survey only has four questions. In contrast, the George Square survey has 36 questions! However, you don’t have to answer them all. The last few questions are about active travel.
First featured: most recently for the TRO in Digest 99, 1.6.
Website links: ‘Our Place – How to Get Involved’ surveys page and GCC article.
Deadline: 11 March 2022.

1.3: A77 segregation – Views on early removal

Council: East Renfrewshire.
Area: Ayr Rd/Fenwick Rd (A77), Newton Mearns/Giffnock.
Subject: ERC said last month they'd “not be removing the bollards at this time”. This month there's a consultation about removing them! Apparently it's due to issues with poorer quality bollards and maintenance. Spaces for People are due to stop paying for cleaning the lanes and replacing bollards (hit by motor vehicles?). The consultation website says: “Although a decision… was originally planned June 2022, early removal of current light segregation arrangement is emerging as a key recommendation and preferred option.” Some local councillors, up for election in a few months, are already claiming victory about the bollards being removed. If so, it would only leave painted lanes and a 30mph speed limit (also up for consultation). If you ride this route and want the current protection to stay, there isn't much time to respond. The consultation closes on the date the pre-election period (or ‘purdah’) starts.
First featured: Digest 104, Item 2.1.
Website links: Views on early removal of A77 light segregation (Commonplace).
Deadline: 14 March 2022.

1.4: Bilsland Drive & Hawthorn Street (B808) TROs

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: Bilsland Drive & Hawthorn Street through Ruchill, Possilpark and Springburn.
Subject: Traffic Order to help make Spaces for People bike lanes permanent. The two roads form the B808 west–east across most of north Glasgow. However, the protected lanes aren’t continuous – they have similar issues to other SfP lanes (stopping short at junctions/side roads, drainage at bus stops, etc.). Equally, there’s potential for a continuous route to be a huge boost to cycling across a large area. See our GoBike response for Bilsland Dr and GoBike response for Hawthorn St (written by Alasdair and acknowledged via email by GCC).
Website links: Bilsland Dr TRO (combined PDF) and Hawthorn St TRO (combined PDF).
Deadline: 14 March 2022.

1.5: St Helen’s Primary School, Bishopbriggs TRO

Council: East Dunbartonshire.
Area: Wester Cleddens Rd and Pentland Dr, Bishopbriggs.
Subject: Parking restrictions around St Helen’s Primary School. It's across Wester Cleddens Rd from Bishopbriggs Academy and Thomas Muir Primary School (near to the Wester Way).
Website links: St Helen’s PS TRO (combined PDF).
Deadline: 18 March 2022.

1.6: A81 Milngavie Road/Maryhill Road TRO

Council: East Dunbartonshire.
Area: Southern part of Bearsden between Kessington Public Hall and Garscube Estate.
Subject: Short sections of footway at the corner of MacFarlane St and Killermont St and along Maryhill Rd near Cluny Park. The current layout dates from 2016 during the fallout from the decision to halt the Bearsway. These bits of shared path are useful links to get to Garscube Campus and follow paths along the River Kelvin into Glasgow. It’s not clear why the TRO has come out now but, given the recent history, local members may want to contact EDC to support it.
Website links: A81 footway redetermination TRO (combined PDF).
Deadline: 18 March 2022.

1.7: Electric Vehicle Charging Places – East Dunbartonshire TROs

Council: East Dunbartonshire.
Subject: EDC are installing EV charging points across its area. In the east – Bishopbriggs, Kirkintilloch, Lennoxtown, Lenzie, Milton Of Campsie, Torrance and Twechar. Meanwhile, the west just seems to be Milngavie. The drawings don’t show if the chargers will be on the carriageway or footway.
Website links: West EV chargers (combined PDF) and East EV chargers (combined PDF).
Deadline: 21 March 2022.

1.8: New Hospital Plans – Airdrie (Monklands Replacement Project)

Organisation: NHS Lanarkshire.
Area: Eastern edge of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire.
Subject: The current University Hospital Monklands will be replaced by a new acute hospital. The architects, Keppie, are showing drawings and visuals for feedback ahead of a planning application. These include an active travel route west towards Drumgelloch train station. Also, a large staff bike parking store has recently appeared on the plans (across the road from a hospital entrance). So far there's still no route east, to bypass the bit of NCN75 on the fast A89 at Plains/Caldercruix (towards the Airdrie–Bathgate path). On the plus side,  parts of the A89 between Airdrie and Plains will have speed limits reduced. The East Airdrie Link Road (formerly Airdrie Bypass) is a proposed single carriageway road between the M8 and Cumbernauld.
First featured: Digest 76, Item 3.3.
Website links: Monklands Replacement Project website.
Deadline: 29 March 2022.

1.9: ‘Various Roads’ (North Lanarkshire schools) TRO

Council: North Lanarkshire.
Subject: Parking restrictions near schools across North Lanarkshire. These include yellow lines and ‘Keep Clear’ markings. The Statement of Reasons says the action comes after a recommendation by a Road Safety Working Group.
Website links: Various Roads TRO (combined PDF) – NLC Consultations page.
Deadline: 30 March 2022.

1.10: School Streets, Glasgow TRO (Merrylee/OLA)

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: ‘Take 2’ of this School Streets Traffic Order. This one only covers two schools – the neighbouring Merrylee Primary School and Our Lady of the Annunciation Primary School near Langside Drive/Merrylee Rd. The boundary has been extended since the previous version of the TRO went out. It now includes parts of Cherrybank Rd and Glasserton Rd.
First featured: Digest 105, Item 1.2.
Website links: School Streets TRO – revised (combined PDF).
Deadline: 31 March 2022.

1.11: Yorkhill to Anderston Liveable Neighbourhoods

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: From Yorkhill, Kelvinhaugh, Stobcross, Sandyford, Finnieston to Anderston.
Subject: The latest Liveable Neighbourhoods consultation covers the area between the River Clyde, River Kelvin, Kelvingrove Park and M8. There is well used active travel infrastructure in the area, including NCN7/75 and the West City Way. Also, the (almost finished?) lanes funded by City Deal on Bunhouse Rd and Old Dumbarton Rd. Further segregated cyclepaths are due for Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Cycling Village, including Minerva St and Haugh Rd (where Bike for Good will hopefully continue). However, there are still plenty of gaps, as shown when the riverbank was shut during COP26. A new bridge across the Clyde at the Riverside Museum is due to start construction. Meanwhile, the SEC's redevelopment may close off the red ‘smartie tube’ bridge at Exhibition Centre station. The M8 motorway remains a barrier to destinations like the Mitchell Library and Anderston station.
Website links: Yorkhill to Anderston LN (Commonplace).
Deadline: June 2022.

1.12: Drumchapel Local Development Framework

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: The latest framework consultation, following previous strategic ones for Glasgow North, ‘Inner East’, etc. Drumchapel is known as one of the ‘big four’ post-war council housing estates (along with Castlemilk, Easterhouse and Pollok). The Drumchapel Cycle Hub is based near the sports centre but there’s very little cycling infrastructure around the area. The map has made it past 25 comments.
First featured: Digest 102, Item 1.12.
Website links: Drumchapel Commonplace map, Drumchapel survey link and background.
Deadline: No obvious deadline.

1.13: Malls Mire survey

Organisation: Urban Roots.
Area: Woodland park between Toryglen Asda, Polmadie Recycling Centre in Glasgow and Rutherglen Glencairn Football Club in South Lanarkshire.
Subject: An evaluation about the newly created park and paths. The site wraps around a regenerated housing estate, linking former wasteground with the woodland and ponds. Trails, outdoor play equipment and a bike pump track have been installed. Also, there are 3m wide shared paths to create a lit, mostly traffic-free route. It links Prospecthill Circus west to Polmadie Rd and east to the corner of Toryglen Rd/Pinkerton Ave in Rutherglen.
First featured: Digest 74, Item 3.4.
Website links: Malls Mire survey.
Deadline: No obvious deadline.

Section 2: Consultation Feedback

2.1: South West City Way Extension update

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: St Andrews Drive from Shields Road to Pollok Country Park.
Subject: This project was supposed to be under construction, ahead of the Burrell Collection re-opening. GoBike member Tancred asked GCC and it's had a setback:
“The contractor appointed following the procurement exercise undertaken in 2021 subsequently declined the contract due to workload commitments. It was therefore necessary to re-advertise the South West City Way Extension project and undertake a further procurement assessment. Unfortunately, but unavoidably, this has resulted in a delay to the commencement of the construction works. A contactor has now been appointed and Council officers will meet with them at the earliest opportunity to progress the project. At this time we cannot provide a date of commencement for these works. However, we are confident construction will begin soon. It should be noted, however, that the delay in the cycle route construction has enabled other contractors including Scottish Water and City Fibre to undertake their works in advance of the Council’s and as such avoids disturbance of newly laid surfacing across the cycle lane, carriageway and footways.”
Last featured: Digest 81, Item 1.1.

2.2: Burnfield Road 20mph Speed Limit TRO

Council: Glasgow City.
Area: Near the Glasgow boundary with East Renfrewshire off Thornliebank Road.
Subject: New housing development (Storey Grove) on a former brownfield site. The order was out for consultation in June 2021 and was implemented on 24 February 2022.
First featured: Digest 89, Item 1.1.