What action can Glasgow take to prioritise the safety of people using sustainable transport modes (such as walking, wheeling or cycling), over accommodating cars?
Suggest ways Glasgow can better prioritize sustainable transport users over car users.
Enforcement, enforcement, enforcement as far as cars are concerned. Have SPT use current legislation to bring buses back into public control, therefore prioritising users and services rather than profits for shareholders. Once that's in place efficient park and ride systems can be introduced. If a single travelcard for all modes of public transport could be issued to Cop 26 delegates in 2021, why are campaigners now again being told it's too complicated.? Stop prioritising drivers in all aspects of city planning (while acknowledging people drive and need somewhere to park).
Segregated cycle lanes on all radial routes into the city. Good and robust enforcement of motor traffic speeds, and of parking. Provide a good, publicly owned bus service.
My dream is that we take the same sort of drastic action that was taken for covid lockdowns (however managed better) and just start taking as many cars as possible out of the equation altogether. We've seen how huge changes can be made very quickly (yes, and all the negatives that would go along with that) for public health outcomes. This would fit. Everything after that could then be based on the question of how we do all this (including life in general) without having to accomodate cars! A man can dream ...
Less talk and less consultation, more doing. Redesign neighbourhoods with the sustainable travel hierarchy in mind. Look at traffic light settings on crossings (not even junctions) where pedestrians still have to wait up to 20 seconds until their green phase. Remove staggered crossings and allow crossing by pedestrians in 'one go' even if this means longer waiting times for cars. Clearly design out the option of illegal and inconsiderate parking, pavement parking. Consider 'traffic flow' for cyclists - where are dropped kerbs missing? Did I mention enforcement?
Be bold: remember 1) the trend is towards more car use and associated deaths and disablement through accident and air quality, and to reverse this requires infrastructure that replaces cars; 2) schemes that restrict cars in public space are often unpopular in proposal, but are overwhelmingly popular after implementation. Remove the M8 and M74. There is no place for motorways in city centres and surrounding areas. They cut off the city. Motorways have been replaced elsewhere, and they can be here. Remove the presumption of a universal right to on-street parking. Non-disabled car users - a largely richer minority in Glasgow - should not be entitled to free public space at the cost of everyone else. Take the buses into public control and expand massively. Look at bus use in London vs elsewhere after other cities were privatised. Bike lanes must be segregated. Level kerbs - my partner and I have often taken taxis where we'd rather walk because kerbs are untraversable by wheelchair.
In addition to the RSU Officer's response we are also developing the City Network of protected active travel routes, which is planed to pass within 400m of most schools, with additional interventions through the Liveable Neighbourhoods programme for those schools further away. This will help to support active journeys to school and, along with other measures, help normalise this activity for young people. Delivery of the City Network will progress in tandem with the Liveable Neighbourhoods tranches of work. More information on all this work is available via the Active Travel webpage: www.glasgow.gov.uk/activetravel
We need a fully integrated public transport system. With reduced rail services (Shawlands) connection times are prohibitive and it's too expensive to buy a bus and train ticket when driving is generally cheaper than either of those options on their own. If people could combine bus, train and subway journeys in a single priced ticket they would be much more likely to leave cars at home.
Changing the language is vital. Please stop talking about vulnerable road users. Pedestrians and cyclist are made vulnerable by reckless drivers in cars and lorries. Of course not every driver behaves recklessly, far from it, however, we as a society increasingly accept the notion that our public spaces can be dominated by cars and the needs of drivers, over that of other citizens. Our public spaces need to be shared and that means that a redistribution of space is needed. This is important on an environmental basis, but also socially and economically.
Hi Kirsten, many thanks for your comments. Issues with integrated ticketing are a particular challenge that we are aware of. Indeed Policy 39 of the Glasgow Transport Strategy (GTS) states the intention to: “Continue to lobby and support Transport Scotland, ScotRail, SPT and bus operators to enhance the availability of flexible, integrated and affordable smart ticketing and payments within Glasgow’s wider public transport system (rail, bus and Subway) and the modernisation of the Zonecard by SPT…”.
There have been a number of successes. SPT provide the Zone Card, this is a voluntary ticketing scheme which includes ScotRail, the SPT Subway and a number of bus operators. SPT have informed us that Zonecard is due to be relaunched in a smart format later this year. Additionally, the Glasgow Tripper ticket is a scheme between major bus operators which allows bus travel across Glasgow for £24.60 per week. See www.glasgowtripper.co.uk.
Enforcement, enforcement, enforcement as far as cars are concerned. Have SPT use current legislation to bring buses back into public control, therefore prioritising users and services rather than profits for shareholders. Once that's in place efficient park and ride systems can be introduced. If a single travelcard for all modes of public transport could be issued to Cop 26 delegates in 2021, why are campaigners now again being told it's too complicated.? Stop prioritising drivers in all aspects of city planning (while acknowledging people drive and need somewhere to park).
Segregated cycle lanes on all radial routes into the city. Good and robust enforcement of motor traffic speeds, and of parking. Provide a good, publicly owned bus service.
Many thanks for your contribution. Are there any particular changes you would like to see in the city to help promote cycling among young people?
My dream is that we take the same sort of drastic action that was taken for covid lockdowns (however managed better) and just start taking as many cars as possible out of the equation altogether. We've seen how huge changes can be made very quickly (yes, and all the negatives that would go along with that) for public health outcomes. This would fit. Everything after that could then be based on the question of how we do all this (including life in general) without having to accomodate cars! A man can dream ...
Less talk and less consultation, more doing. Redesign neighbourhoods with the sustainable travel hierarchy in mind. Look at traffic light settings on crossings (not even junctions) where pedestrians still have to wait up to 20 seconds until their green phase. Remove staggered crossings and allow crossing by pedestrians in 'one go' even if this means longer waiting times for cars. Clearly design out the option of illegal and inconsiderate parking, pavement parking. Consider 'traffic flow' for cyclists - where are dropped kerbs missing? Did I mention enforcement?
Be bold: remember 1) the trend is towards more car use and associated deaths and disablement through accident and air quality, and to reverse this requires infrastructure that replaces cars; 2) schemes that restrict cars in public space are often unpopular in proposal, but are overwhelmingly popular after implementation. Remove the M8 and M74. There is no place for motorways in city centres and surrounding areas. They cut off the city. Motorways have been replaced elsewhere, and they can be here. Remove the presumption of a universal right to on-street parking. Non-disabled car users - a largely richer minority in Glasgow - should not be entitled to free public space at the cost of everyone else. Take the buses into public control and expand massively. Look at bus use in London vs elsewhere after other cities were privatised. Bike lanes must be segregated. Level kerbs - my partner and I have often taken taxis where we'd rather walk because kerbs are untraversable by wheelchair.
In addition to the RSU Officer's response we are also developing the City Network of protected active travel routes, which is planed to pass within 400m of most schools, with additional interventions through the Liveable Neighbourhoods programme for those schools further away. This will help to support active journeys to school and, along with other measures, help normalise this activity for young people. Delivery of the City Network will progress in tandem with the Liveable Neighbourhoods tranches of work. More information on all this work is available via the Active Travel webpage: www.glasgow.gov.uk/activetravel
We need a fully integrated public transport system. With reduced rail services (Shawlands) connection times are prohibitive and it's too expensive to buy a bus and train ticket when driving is generally cheaper than either of those options on their own. If people could combine bus, train and subway journeys in a single priced ticket they would be much more likely to leave cars at home.
Changing the language is vital. Please stop talking about vulnerable road users. Pedestrians and cyclist are made vulnerable by reckless drivers in cars and lorries. Of course not every driver behaves recklessly, far from it, however, we as a society increasingly accept the notion that our public spaces can be dominated by cars and the needs of drivers, over that of other citizens. Our public spaces need to be shared and that means that a redistribution of space is needed. This is important on an environmental basis, but also socially and economically.
Hi Kirsten, many thanks for your comments. Issues with integrated ticketing are a particular challenge that we are aware of. Indeed Policy 39 of the Glasgow Transport Strategy (GTS) states the intention to: “Continue to lobby and support Transport Scotland, ScotRail, SPT and bus operators to enhance the availability of flexible, integrated and affordable smart ticketing and payments within Glasgow’s wider public transport system (rail, bus and Subway) and the modernisation of the Zonecard by SPT…”.
There have been a number of successes. SPT provide the Zone Card, this is a voluntary ticketing scheme which includes ScotRail, the SPT Subway and a number of bus operators. SPT have informed us that Zonecard is due to be relaunched in a smart format later this year. Additionally, the Glasgow Tripper ticket is a scheme between major bus operators which allows bus travel across Glasgow for £24.60 per week. See www.glasgowtripper.co.uk.