Tea Brake! South City Way Thank You To Cycle Path Builders

GoBike campaigners, Friends of South City Way, and a group of local residents paid a visit to labourers working on a new cycle path on the south side of Glasgow today in a bid to thank them for making safe space for cycling. The peckish builders were treated to rolls and tattie scones lathered in brown sauce, with grateful volunteers bringing forth a selection of teas and coffees, as well as cakes and biscuits.

“We were looking for a way to pay tribute to the great work being done by contractors and thought ‘who doesn’t like a cuppa?’” said local group “Friends of South City Way” organiser Joel Cooney. “It’s meant to be a bit of fun but it highlights the vital need for separated cycle paths on busy shopping streets like Victoria Road away from motor traffic. We believe the South City Way will provide this protection, enabling more people to feel confident enough to cycle here.”

Scottish Green Party Co-convenor Patrick Harvie who attended the ride on his olive-green Pashley bike said “I was delighted to join up with other cycling campaigners to show our thanks to the people who are building new, high quality routes in Glasgow. This must be the way forward for Glasgow, if we want people to be safe enjoying the healthiest, cheapest, lowest carbon way of getting about.”

Iona Shepherd, co-convenor of GoBike, the Strathclyde Cycle Campaign said “We are fully supportive of the cycle tracks going in on Victoria Road and hope that the full South City way demonstrates an equally safe space for people on bikes. We wanted to come out today to thank the people putting the lanes into the ground for us, and really enjoyed sharing a cup of tea and a roll with them.”

Shepherd urged a word of warning to the city council: “We would like to see all schemes in Glasgow moving forward from here considering the safety of people cycling similarly. We have concerns that plans shortly to go public on Byres Road may not provide protection for people choosing to travel on bike, which would be a major step backwards in achieving a city-wide network that could allow people to consider choosing active travel.”

Consultations on the next phase of the South City Way are this Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th of May. More info here:  Spring 2018 Consultations – SCW A3 poster-1