Riverside Path Fun Runs
Glasgow City Council regularly get enquiries from conference companies looking to organise fun runs on the Clyde Walkway/NCN 7. This is often in relation to medical conferences taking place at the SEC. With runs between the SEC and the Riverside Museum the most poplar requested.
Running is covered by access rights. So companies are allowed to hold such events, provided they minimise any impacts on other users. On this basis and to keep you informed, the council have advised the organisers the following:
Council Advice To Organisers
The Clyde Walkway, which you are proposing to use for the fun run, is part of the National Cycle Network and one of the main commuter cycling and pedestrian routes in Glasgow, so the key thing is not to cause disruption for the public on this route. Organising exclusive use of the route would be very problematic. If you can manage to share the route with the public, this would be preferable.
In order to do this, there are a few ‘rules of thumb’ to stick to:
1. Time the event to be out with the main commuter times-so avoid 7.30am to 9.30am, and 4pm to 6.30pm on weekdays
2. Ensure you have enough stewards to guide the runners and the public and mitigate conflict;
3. Inform participants that the public (both pedestrians and cyclists) has a right to be on the route and therefore fun runners must behave with courtesy at all times-ideally guide them to stick to one side of the route;
4. If possible, find a way to ensure the pack has split up before it reaches the narrower parts of the route (for example have the first stage as a circuit around a car park, to break up the field). You can’t really have e.g. 80 runners starting together on the Walkway without holding up the pedestrian and cycle traffic
5. Notify the public in advance by posting notices on site the day before, warning that an event will be taking place the following day and there may be some disruption (I can provide wording- you would need to provide and erect the notices);
6. Consider doing a circuit utilising both sides of the River and the bridges. For example, you could start outside the BBC or Science Centre on the South bank of the river, opposite the SEC as it is a much less busy area;
7. Wherever you start you should liaise with the occupiers (SEC, Peel Ports Ltd, RiversideMuseum, BBC, Science Centre) to ensure you will not disrupt their activities, such as deliveries,etc.
Planned Dates
Planed dates so far this year are:
– Wednesday 22nd May – 6.30pm-8:30pm
– Wednesday 7th August 6:30pm-8:30pm
GoBike Response
GoBike are pleased to see such active travel, health promoting activities taking place. Glasgow does not make enough of our waterfront. This kind of use should further highlight the need for widening and improving the waterfront ‘promenade’.
We do however have some concerns, which we have expressed to Glasgow City Council. This section of NCN 7 is quite narrow for most of the way and includes a couple of pinch points. It is a fairly heavily used path by pedestrians and dog walkers, as well as cyclists. Such events would need to be sensitively managed, in order to not overly inconvenience current users.
