Spaces for People Measures Take Steps Toward Permanence

Published: 21st of September, 2022

A raft of Spaces for People measures which are set to be retained to encourage walking, wheeling and cycling for everyday journeys have either now been made permanent or are expected to become so in the coming weeks - including cycle lanes that will now form part of a fully segregated route running from the city centre to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome ahead of next year's UCI World Cycling Championships in Glasgow.

Introduced at the start of COVID-19, Spaces for People delivered a significant number of temporary travel interventions across the city to ease physical distancing in public places, mainly through widened footways, road closures and segregated cycle lanes. As much of the infrastructure offered long-term active travel and sustainability benefits, it was agreed that most measures would be made permanent. This includes all segregated cycle lanes which offer around 40km of additional, dedicated cycling space.

Also to be retained are footway widening measures and urban greening around George Square and Merchant City as well as footway build-outs that provide extra pedestrian space around bus stops.

Whilst some Spaces for People interventions have simply been retained and now form part of the city's active travel infrastructure, most measures require a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to achieve permanence. Where this is the case and having completed the required process of consultation, Spaces for People measures are now permanent at:

• Kelvin Way (road closure, new cycle lanes and urban greening)
• George Square (road closures on the east/west side of the Square, footway widening and urban greening)
• Clarence Drive, Hawthorn Street, Braidcraft Road and Brockburn Road (soft segregated cycle lanes)

The Spaces for People cycle lanes on Gorbals Street will be incorporated into the , whilst those introduced on London Road will form a section of the emerging East City Way as part of a fully segregated route from the city centre to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in anticipation of Glasgow hosting the UCI World Cycling Championships next August.

Spaces for People measures expected to be retained on conclusion of the required TRO process, includes footway widening, new seating and urban greening at Merchant City, and well as the introduction of soft segregated cycle lanes on Bilsland Drive, Broomielaw/Clyde Street, Cumbernauld Road, Provanmill Road, Royston Road and Dumbreck Road. Measures to make permanent, people-friendly streets on Kenmure Street, Armadale Street and Meadowpark Street are also going through the required process.

Meantime, ahead of formalised permanence, temporary timber containers within Merchant City, Dennistoun and Pollokshields have been replaced with high quality stone planters and benches to enhance the public realm. Most of the planters on Kelvin Way have also been upgraded as part of ongoing work to improve the look and feel of this highly popular route, with more enhancements to follow.

In the city centre, footway extensions at bus stops have been upgraded to create high quality public realm. Council staff are also working collaboratively to ensure that Spaces for People projects complement future work on George Square through The Avenues programme to ensure that all temporary measures are brought up to the required standards.

Transport and Climate Convener, Cllr Angus Millar said: "I'm delighted with the progress to make permanent those Spaces for People measures that we know will encourage more people to walk, wheel and cycle and that can help us achieve our sustainability goals.

"We have already seen more attractive infrastructure such as high-quality stone planters replace temporary timber containers in the Merchant City and on Kelvin Way, and this type of work will continue in the coming months as the measures are adjusted and improved in line with their becoming permanent.

"Spaces for People were an important response to the pandemic, but we can achieve a lasting legacy in creating more attractive places, filling in our active travel network, and encouraging people to choose sustainable transport alternatives."

Once the relevant, statutory processes required to keep Spaces for People measures are complete, further work will follow to finalise all permanence works.

An update on Spaces for People was given to our Environment Committee on 4 October 2022. The full report which also provides an update on active travel delivery more generally across the city is available by clicking on this link.