GoBike Councillor Tour - Southside Central Ward
On Wednesday 27th June 2018, GoBike committee member Calum Cook met Soryia Siddique, one of the Labour councillors for Southside Central ward to take her a tour of the cycling infrastructure in her local area.
Our route began at Eglinton Toll and down Victoria Road, where we discussed the segregated cycleways currently under construction as part of the South City Way. Of particular interest were the branches off the main route that will serve Cuthbertson Primary School and Hutchesons’ Grammar School – vital for enabling children to start cycling in safety.
We continued along Dixon Avenue and Garturk Street, where we discussed the need for road closures to be permeable for cycling.
We concluded our tour at Aikenhead Road, where our conversation focused on the discontinuous nature of the cycle facilities, such as the difficult transfers between shared paths and on-road cycle lanes. We also discussed the council’s trial of light segregation features like armadillos and bollards (some of which have been damaged) and whether these should be deployed more widely.
Most of our tour was conducted on foot, but Bike for Good (had kindly lent Cllr Siddique a bike to try – she hopes to take cycling lessons soon!
