Cycling in Glasgow - a major update, apologies for the hiccup yesterday

Yesterday, 14 May, GoBike was fortunate enough to get an update from  Councillor Anna Richardson, Chair of Sustainability and Carbon Reduction with Glasgow City Council on the action the Council is taking to manage social distancing and other issues arising from the Covid 19 pandemic. She confirmed that the new Clyde Street / Broomielaw cycle lane is one way, westbound, and gave other significant news.

Anna told us that the City Council are working on a Local Transport Strategy, a Neighbourhood Strategy and preparing a bid for part of the £10m Covid 19 fund currently available from the Scottish Government

They are focusing on 3 things:

• City Centre, creating social distancing space for businesses
• Arterial route cycle infrastructure, to allow people to cycle into the city
• Neighbourhoods work, including space on high streets for businesses.

The City Council will also be looking to extend the number of car-free zones around schools from the current 6.
Anna talked about filtered permeability for cycling, demand management and looking to the less affluent north and east of the city for improving cycle provision.

GoBike asked her 2 questions about the new cycle lane on Clyde Street and Broomielaw and she answered:
“Yes, the new cycle lane is just westbound – it could be done quickly and shows the Council’s determination to act. People travelling east may either use the road or stick to the riverside shared use path.
Yes, the cones will stay, "We will keep the cones there for as long as they are needed to keep people safe. ”

So that’s good news, a wee bit disappointing about there being no new cycle lane for eastbound cycle traffic on the Broomielaw and Clyde Street, but it does give us more space and cycling on the Fastlink bus lanes has been formalised.

GoBike has been calling for cycle lanes on arterial routes into the city and for cycling permeability in areas of one-way streets for a long time, with contraflow cycling and cycle filters, so delighted with that news.