Consultation Digest (Local) Issue 87, 25 May 2021
Your chance to ask for the city's pop-ups to become permanent.
Glasgow City Council has announced its consultation on all the city's Spaces for People projects. So, the post-election lull is probably over now.
East Renfrewshire also have a Spaces for People consultation. East Dumbartonshire have a few on the go and North Lanarkshire have a roundabout design that makes Canniesburn Toll look good.
Infrastructure Update
- Garscube Rd gets rain gardens on the way to Firhill St (as part of Connecting Woodside).
- George Square's benches and planters have been reinstated after being wrecked by rogue Rangers fans on the last weekend of the season.
- Wallacewell Avenue lanes have 'zebra' dividers but with some gaps.
- University Hospital Wishaw's cycle repair stand appeared on NHS Lanarkshire's website. There's a similar repair stand at UH Hairmyres – both installed in recent months.
Contents
(new consultations in bold – link jumps to article)
Section 1: Current Consultations
- North Lanarkshire Council – Planning application for Ravenscraig link road/roundabout (closes 31 May)
- East Dunbartonshire Council – Canniesburn Toll Signalisation Study (by end of May)
- Glasgow City Council – Spaces for People survey
- East Renfrewshire Council – Davieland Rd, Giffnock Spaces for People project
- Glasgow City Council – Maryhill Road/North Woodside Road/Hopehill Road (Traffic Regulation) Order, (ends 18 June)
- East Dunbartonshire Council – Active Travel Discussion (28 Sept)
Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations
None this time.
Section 3: Consultation Feedback
- Glasgow City Council – Byres Rd (20mph Speed Limit Zone) Order
- Active Travel Academy – Media guidelines for reporting road collisions
- East Dunbartonshire Council – LDP newsletter
Section 1: Current Consultations
(in date order for responses)
1.1: North Lanarkshire Council – Ravenscraig Infrastructure Access (South) planning application
Last covered in Digest 75, Item 1.2 (when it seemed to be RAI, now RIA). This planning application is part of a City Deal programme to link the M74 and M8 using a dual carriageway right through the middle of Motherwell. This southern section will widen Airbles Rd, add a massive signalised roundabout and an 'underbridge' to cross the railway into the Ravenscraig site. Despite most of the site being empty, no segregated cycleway is proposed there, just a shared footway.
The gigantic 100m footprint of the roundabout could easily have included a segregated cycleway but hasn't. The angle of staggered crossings on most arms of the roundabout show that pedestrians are expected to make long detours. It will create a black hole for active travel in this part of Motherwell for decades to come. The Canniesburn Toll plans (below) look enlightened by comparison.
GoBike will be objecting to the scale of the roundabout and the lack of segregated cycling provision throughout. If you ever cycle around North Lanarkshire please consider doing the same. See the planning application (look for 'Windmillhill street junction nmu provision' and plan documents). Closing date is Bank Holiday Monday 31 May.
1.2: East Dunbartonshire Council – Canniesburn Toll Signalisation Study
As covered last time in Digest 86, Item 1.3, this major junction overhaul near Bearsden does at least include options for a cycle path. However, one option has a serious 'left hook' risk and the other involves waiting at several staggered crossings.
Alternative options suggested by experts online, included Edmonton Green roundabout, Enfield, North London (via Ranty Highwayman on Twitter). Or letting pedestrians and cyclists cross into the middle of roundabout (Show Me A Sign, also on Twitter).
See EDC's overview and their options/survey. The blurb says they'll do detailed design "Spring/Summer 2021" so don't hang about.
1.3: Glasgow City Council – Spaces for People survey
In the last Digest we thought we might get a consultation about the temporary Spaces for People 'pop-up lanes' in Pollok. Instead, we got a consultation about every SfP project in the city.
There is a wide range of projects from 'soft segregated' lanes and widened footways to attempts at Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (now 'People Friendly Streets'). GCC has split these into headings like 'City Centre', 'Neighbourhoods', 'School Car Free Zones' and 'Pop-up Cycle Lanes'
It goes without saying we want as much of the temporary infrastructure to be made permanent as possible. So, it's important there's a good response to the survey. Each SfP measure has its own multiple choice question (and space to comment) so it's easier to fill in than many council consultations.
See GCC's overview and the GCC SfP survey. Blurb says an "independent review will take place in the summer" so we might not have that long to respond.
1.4: East Renfrewshire Council – Davieland Rd, Giffnock Spaces for People project
Another Spaces for People consultation but for Giffnock instead of Glasgow. This is focused on one place – Davieland Rd next to Rouken Glen Park. The project aims to deal with road safety and accessibility issues from bad parking to speeding.
The proposals would create an uphill cycle lane (with 'light segregation') and remove the centre line of the road. It would add bollards and a buffer strip for parking on the downhill side of the road. It means cycling downhill with traffic – easier than uphill but it may not appeal to less confident cyclists (who may prefer the park).
See ERC's Davieland Rd survey – no closing date is mentioned.
1.5: Glasgow City Council – Maryhill Road/North Woodside Road/Hopehill Road (Traffic Regulation) Order
As covered in the last Digest (86, 1.1) but not very well according to some comments. The council's drawing for the TRO caused a lot of confusion as it missed out the accompanying pedestrian crossings. These had already appeared in the Connecting Woodside consultation, which this junction was part of. It would have made sense to include them.
That was why the TRO wanted to ban cyclists turning from the crossing onto Maryhill Rd (as pedestrians could also be crossing at the same time). However, GoBike still doesn't agree with the ban. Similar layouts seem to be used on other Connecting Woodside junctions on Garscube Rd so the principle may apply there too. As for how it will work in practice, that very much remains to be seen.
The usual documents are at the link above. Deadline for responses is Friday, 18 June 2021.
1.6: East Dunbartonshire Council – Active Travel Discussion
This just made it into Digest 86, 1.2. Your editor rashly said we'd have more discussion about it but it doesn't look like it will be this time around. The consultation is on for months so there's plenty of time before it feeds into an Active Travel Strategy later in the year.
Upcoming events in the next few days cover Kirkintilloch, Lenzie, Bishopbriggs and Torrance. See a full list of events and background info on the Active Travel Discussion webpage. EDC have an online map to gather suggestions – deadline is 28 September.
Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations
None this time.
Section 3: Consultation Feedback
3.1: Glasgow City Council – Byres Road (20mph Speed Limit Zone) Order
This order was proposed way back in late 2019 (first mentioned in a Consultation Extra). GoBike expressed full support for it in early 2020. The council recently replied to acknowledge our support. GCC said: "This TRO will implement the correct signage as well as 20mph roundels marked on the carriageway at regular intervals, making the order fully enforceable."
They also gave a brief update about the other two TROs: "the Byres Road and Hillhead Traffic Regulation Orders, …are still under review and will be responded to in due course." Hillhead TRO is about parking controls and the Byres Rd TRO is about the segregated cycleways on Byres Rd (and Church St).
3.2: Active Travel Academy – Reporting collisions and road deaths guidelines
This item was first covered back in Digest 71, Item 1.3. The way collisions are reported often makes us feel let down by the media. A project set out to do something about that in October 2020. CUK have come back with an article about the results. Journalist Laura Laker and the Active Travel Academy/University of Westminster have produced Media guidelines for reporting road collisions (PDF). These are long overdue and to be welcomed.
3.3: East Dunbartonshire Council – Local Developnment Plan newsletter
The last word to EDC on their LDP. Their latest LDP newsletter is available from their website. Just because the consultation ended in January doesn't mean we stop hearing about it. It's going to committee on 27 May then might go to the Scottish Parliament. Feel free to skip the article on their Active Travel Discussion.
