Consultation Digest (Local) Issue 157, 18 April 2024

All around…

East Renfrewshire has the most consultations this time with its eight town centre surveys. East Dunbartonshire has a pair either side of Bishopbriggs, to the north and south (A803 Stage 2 closing soon). The latter affects North Glasgow as does Flourishing Molendinar. Also, there's parking on an NCN in South Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire features a few times and its a last call for town centre regeneration in South Lanarkshire.

Glasgow has a few new traffic orders but the focus today will be the pair of West End consultations for Yorkhill/Kelvingrove and Anderston.
Drop-in event: TODAY Thursday 18 April 2024 at 3.30–7pm in The Pyramid at Anderston, 759 Argyle Street, Glasgow G3 8DS.

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

1.1: A803 Stage 2 (Springburn Rd/Kirkintilloch Rd)

Council: East Dunbartonshire (and Glasgow CC/City Deal).
Subject: The A803 includes Springburn Rd and Kirkintilloch Rd between North Glasgow and Bishopbriggs. Consultation in 2022 (with Atkins) led to three route options (by Arcadia).
Option 1 – bus lanes (mostly southbound) with nothing for cycling.
Option 2 – some southbound bus lanes and a shared path for walking/cycling. Except near Bishopbriggs town centre it zigzags off into a ‘quietway’ cycle route. Then back to a shared path before it gives up at Hawthorn St.
Option 3 – some sections of 2-way cycleway in north Bishopbriggs then shared path/quietway again until Hawthorn St (where it “will tie into a proposed cycle route that Glasgow City Council is developing” – no timescale is given). Alternatives could include using grass verges/upgrading existing paths or actually taking road space from the A803 dual carriageway. However, EDC doesn’t offer those options.
A drop-in event has already taken place.
Website links: A803 Stage 2 storymap and A803 public consultation page (with downloads of plans for Option 1, Option 2 and Option 3).
Deadline: 21 April 2024.

1.2: Hamilton Town Centre Masterplan

Council: South Lanarkshire.
Subject: One of Scotland’s biggest towns gets a radical rethink to reduce retail and reintroduce residences. The same team who did East Kilbride’s plans are looking at potential demolition of both the New Cross and Regent shopping centres (and maybe the former Baird’s and M&S buildings). However, initial plans keep the 4/5-lane A723 around the south-eastern edge of the town centre, which severs it from neighbouring areas (Barncluith and Silvertonhill). The Masterplan material mentions active travel but very few images have cycle lanes. There are some inventive ideas but many cluttered shared spaces, which could do with some kind of segregation (like rows of trees, to take inspiration from the historic ‘Great Avenue’). The only current cycle route in the town centre (between Hamilton Central station and Strathclyde Park) is mostly paint, except a short stretch of shared path on Leechlee Rd protected by a hedge. The masterplan process is a golden opportunity to push for cycleways like recent ones in Glasgow or East Kilbride town centre.
Drop-in events have passed.
Website links: South Lanarkshire View article, Hamilton Masterplan website and Hamilton Masterplan survey.
Deadline: 28 Apr 2024.

1.3: Connecting Yorkhill and Kelvingrove

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: Former ‘Cycling Village’ bid by YoKeCoCo (big Sustrans funding winner back in 2019). Since the pandemic it’s been rebranded as a GCC ‘Connecting…’ project.
Phase 1 – Yorkhill North includes previous plans for Radnor St, Haugh Rd, Gilbert St and Sandyford St (between Kelvin Way and SWG3). Another 2-way cycleway up Yorkhill St would link to infrastructure on Old Dumbarton Rd (behind the Kelvin Hall).
Phase 2 – widen footways along Kelvinhaugh St and add 1-way cycleways at the wide Argyle St junction.
Phase 3 – add bidirectional cycleways on Derby St to link from Kelvinhaugh St, across Argyle St and Sauchiehall St, to Kelvingrove Park.
Phase 4 – look at Corunna Street and Minerva Street (near Exhibition Centre train station). Also, there will be changes to car parking provision to better match the number of spaces and permit holders (currently two of the latter on Kelvinhaugh St for 203 spaces!).
Drop-in event: TODAY Thursday 18 April 2024 at 3.30–7pm in The Pyramid at Anderston, 759 Argyle Street, Glasgow G3 8DS.
See below for related Liveable Neighbourhoods projects and Traffic Regulation Order.
Website links: Connecting Y&K storymap and Connecting Y&K survey.
Deadline: 28 Apr 2024.

1.4: Yorkhill to Anderston: Liveable Neighbourhoods

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: The above Connecting Yorkhill and Kelvingrove work means the Liveable Neighbourhoods projects focus on Anderston (and part of Sandyford). These include adding some cycleways to the West City Way and tweaks to other sections. So, there’s a new cycleway for the quieter bit of Argyle St between the Buttery and Pyramid, near St Patrick’s Primary School. Some raised tables removed and the Elderslie St/Argyle St corner is remodelled. New 1-way cycleways go north of St Vincent St with a revised crossing on Elderslie St. Also, Kent Rd would get a 1-way section and some greenery. However, there are no upgrades for Berkeley St – the bus boarder and junctions at Elderslie St and Claremont St (near the Gaelic School) are untouched. North Claremont St is still disrupted by building work but it’s hard to follow the logic of the rest. Hopefully, the joint consultation event will provide some answers (18 April, as above). Also, these works raise questions about the level of provision in other LN areas.
Website links: Yorkhill–Anderston LN storymap, Anderston LN survey and Yorkhill to Anderston consultation (on GCC’s LN webpage).
Deadline: 28 Apr 2024.

1.5: Prestwick parking consultation 2024

Organisation: Ayrshire Roads Alliance (on behalf of South Ayrshire Council).
Subject: Proposals to add further streets to an existing residents car parking permit scheme around Main Street, Prestwick. The new town centre streets added at the northern end of the area include Berelands Road, Mieklewood Avenue and Links Road. The latter is part of NCN7, along with Station Rd and Kirk St.
Website links: Prestwick parking consultation webpage.
Deadline: 03 May 2024.

1.6: East Renfrewshire Town Centres

Council: East Renfrewshire.
Subject: Further consultation about eight East Ren town centres: Clarkston, Eaglesham, Giffnock, Barrhead, Busby, Neilston, Newton Mearns and Thornliebank. The last phase collected suggestions about changes to each place. Some of the most popular options are now available to choose in ‘Final verification surveys’. Questions are grouped under headings: ‘Roads, transportation and active travel’, ‘Buildings, retail and meeting spaces’ and ‘Green space and path networks’.
Featured: Digest 121, 1.14 (and 112).
Website links: East Renfrewshire Town Centres Commonplace site.
Deadline: 05 May 2024.

1.7: Westerhill Regeneration Area – Draft Planning Guidance

Council: East Dunbartonshire.
Subject: Consultation on more detailed planning guidance for the masterplan of the Westerhill Regeneration Area, north of Bishopbriggs. EDC say: “The Masterplan is a long-term, overall framework for the development of "land parcels" and will be used for future planning applications.” It follows public consultation on initial masterplan in April/May 2023. There are some detailed documents which talk a lot about a new Westerhill Development Road (WDR) but also about active travel/cycling. Proposals include a 4m wide, 2-way segregated cycleway from the current Wester Way path, going north past Low Moss prison, to the Forth & Clyde canal. EDC want comments via email: citydeal@eastdunbarton.gov.uk.
Featured: Digest 134, 1.1.
Website links: Westerhill Regeneration Area Planning Guidance (9.9MB), this and the other documents are on WRA – Draft Planning Guidance Consultation webpage.
Deadline: 6 May 2024.

1.8: Flourishing Molendinar

Council: Glasgow City.
Subject: A project started by St Paul’s Youth Forum and their On Bikes team. Their original base is on Langdale St, Blackhill which had one of the first Spaces for People streets created during lockdown. More SfP streets followed on Royston Rd, Provanmill Rd and Cumbernauld Rd before the wider project was taken over by Glasgow City Council. These (very) detailed draft plans would make those protected lanes permanent and add a new public space in the middle of Langdale St (on a block with no houses facing onto it). Also, they’d add crucial connections to places like Smithycroft High School, taming junction 12 of the M8 motorway in the process.
Public Drop in Events: Wednesday 24 / Thursday 25 April 2024, 3pm – 7pm.
Molendinar Community Centre, 1210 Royston Road, Glasgow G33 1HE
Website links: FloMo poster, FloMo plans sheet 1, FloMo plans sheet 2 and FloMo plans sheet 3.
Deadline: 13 May 2024.

Section 2: Consultation Feedback

2.1: Glasgow Rd (A721) Craigneuk, Wishaw

Council: North Lanarkshire.
Subject: Ongoing roadworks to widen and create a shared pavement along this busy main road. One section seems complete from the retail park going west. A further section is under construction going towards John St (near Shieldmuir train station). GoBike wasn't aware of a consultation but it fits a pattern of similar pavement works by NLC. Some of these seem to be near train stations, including Alexander St, Wishaw and further along the A721 on Muir St, Motherwell.

Section 3: Proposed Traffic Regulation Orders

3.1: Glasgow City TROs and Traffic Calming

Subject: Traffic order for North Hanover St and Kyle St –
In advance of works for the Avenues project. TRO plans show 2-way lanes are due to go on the eastern side of N Hanover St then a diagonal crossing will take them to the northern side of Kyle St (to connect with the new Sighthill bridge). A GoBike response raised several issues, especially about junctions/future connections including George Sq, Cathedral St, Cowcaddens Rd and Dobbies Loan. The GCC response answered some of our points but seemed to misinterpret others. Unfortunately, as GoBike are still quite stretched, we didn’t manage to get back to them before the public TRO went out. Deadline: 19 April 2024.
Barras (North) TRO for Melbourne St, Calton –
At western wall of old abbatoir, off Duke St. The order is for speed tables and a 2-way cycleway, north-south between the old superintendent's house/gates and the future Duke St Avenues Plus lanes. This seems linked to the Meatmarket development's ‘linear park’ and a conversion project for the house and sheds, led by the new Meat Market Heritage Trust. GoBike asked GCC to consider contraflow cycleways on Hunter St/Barrack St, to allow eastbound cycling between Havannah St and Melbourne St, but we were turned down. Deadline: 10 May 2024.
Other ongoing TRO consultations include Yorkhill Area/Radnor St and Duke St/John Knox St. The page also lists recent ‘made’ orders for St George’s St/Clarendon Place and the North East Active Travel Routes (NEATR).
Website links: GCC Proposed Traffic Regulation Orders and GCC Proposed Traffic Calming Schemes.

3.2: North Lanarkshire TROs

Subject: Changes to restrictions in Airdrie at the pedestrianised part of Graham St and on Wellwynd (next to New Wellwynd Parish Church). Deadline: 19 April 2024.
Website links: Graham Street and Wellwynd, Airdrie – Traffic Regulation (Consolidation) Variation Order.