Tuesday 22 February 2011

Improvements for cyclists and pedestrians

Some info on forthcoming improvements for cyclists and pedestrians in the Calton ward. 

Glasgow City Council will shortly be commencing cycling and pedestrian infrastructure enhancements on Morris Path, London Road, Claythorn Park, Stevenson Street, Crownpoint Road, Fielden Street and Camlachie Street.

The main works which have been approved following statutory consultation; are to construct a new footway shared cycle path, from Glasgow Green to Parkhead Forge utilising existing footway with improved pedestrian safety and lighting along the length of the route.

In addition the following works will also be undertaken:

Upgrades to the Pedestrian Crossings at Fielden Street / Alma Street and Crownpoint Road.

Installation of Pedestrian Crossing on London Road at Claythorn Park / Morris Path.

Lighting upgrades along the route with the installation of enhanced lighting columns.

Installation of Raised tables at Stevenson Street / Tobago Street.

Newlay Civil Engineering Ltd, 55 Glencraig Industrial Estate, Airdrie, Lanarkshire, ML6 9AS have been appointed to undertake these works and intend to start on site week commencing 21  February 2011, the duration of the whole of the works being approximately 8 weeks. 

Every effort will be made to maintain loading/ unloading facilities within the area affected, although some disruption will be inevitable and it may be necessary for local residents and businesses to liaise with the contractor regarding deliveries/ rubbish removal, etc, as work progresses.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It's a start, but ultimately shared cycle & foot ways are inconvenient for both cyclists and pedestrians:

- pedestrians end up feeling unsafe/uncomfortable because of cyclists going past at speed (just as cyclists are made to feel by close-passing cars on the road). Commuter cyclists can easily do 20 to 30km/h, and a lot more on downhill sections.

- often the cycle way part of the footpath, where there's a dividing mark, is too narrow for comfort. Cycle ways need to be at least 3m wide for two-way traffic, preferably >= 4m.

- pedestrians tend not to be very aware of the cycleway portion, or of cyclists. This both inconveniences the cyclists, while also increasing the risk of injuries to pedestrians and cyclists.

- the cycle way tends to have far more debris than roads do (broken bottles, etc). Daily cleaning by the council could fix this.

While some kind of cycle way is perhaps better than nothing, shared cycle/foot ways are quite flawed. Ultimately, should the council be serious about encouraging cycling, dedicated cycleways which are clearly segregated from both motor and pedestrian traffic need to be the preferred option. The ultimate goal being an encompassing network over an urban area, of such dedicated cycleways, with the cycleways having prioritised signal lights where they meet roads.

That's the "dutch model". The dutch started to have problems with increasing motor congestion in the 60s and 70s and took the decision to actively encourage cycling by building dedicated cycle lanes everywhere. It took them a decade or so, and it's been a great success.

Why can't we do the same here?