Work to Create Spaces for People around George Square Starting Soon
Published: 25 June 2020
Work starts tomorrow to install temporary travel infrastructure on key streets around George Square, as part of the council's Spaces for People programme which is providing extra space for physical distancing to protect public health and suppress a resurgence of COVID-19.
These short-term measures which will include closing some roads to traffic, and the widening of footways; will make it easier for people to move around our city centre and more readily access shops, businesses, community facilities and public transport hubs including Queen Street Station.
Road Closures
The following roads will be closed to all traffic, except cycles:
- George Square (East)
- George Square (West)
- Hanover Street (local access via Ingram St)
- North Hanover Street (northbound bus gate) - this is to assist with pedestrian movement around Queen Street Station. The southbound lane will remain open.
Footway Widening
The following footways will be widened in the area immediate to George Square:
- George Square (the taxi rank and disabled parking bays remain on the north side)
- Hanover Street
- North Hanover Street (northbound)
- George Street
- Queen Street
- St Vincent Place
- Cochrane Street
On-street parking will be suspended in the affected areas, with extra space for people made available by repurposing the immediate road space usually occupied by parked vehicles.
Visualisations by Stantec
Disabled Parking Bays and Taxi Ranks
To mitigate any loss of disabled parking bays and taxi ranks as a result of these temporary measures, alternative provision has been made on adjacent streets. There are taxi ranks already in place at West George Street and Nelson Mandela Place. Disabled bays which number more than those temporarily taken out of use, have been made available in Albion Street, Hanover Street, Hutcheson Street, Martha Street, Miller Street and South Frederick Street.
Bus Stops
There will be some limited local changes but when the works are complete the bus stops will remain at their existing locations or adjacent to them.
Spaces for People
Supported by £3.5m funding from the Scottish Government and administered by Sustrans Scotland, Spaces for People will see temporary infrastructure measures introduced across Glasgow to provide extra space for people to walk, wheel or cycle as COVID-19 restrictions remain in place.
Short-term measures across our city centres and neighbourhoods will see footways widened at pinch points to ease pedestrian movement and make it easier to access businesses, community facilities and public transport hubs. Consideration will also be given to the positioning of temporary strategic cycling routes to highlight cycling as an attractive, viable and long term commuting choice.
Get Involved
If you have suggestions for public spaces in Glasgow where it is difficult to maintain physical distancing whilst out walking, cycling and wheeling, please share these on our Commonplace Mapping Tool. In collaboration with Sustrans Scotland, this interactive platform enables users to highlight areas across the city centre and neighbourhoods, where emergency temporary measures such as pavement widening and new cycle lanes could be introduced to help people maintain physical distancing and suppress a resurgence of the virus.
The online tool is available until 10 July 2020.
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