Glasgow bike campaigns present jumbo “Thank You” card to bike lane consultation staff
Parents and children from Shawlands Bike Bus and campaigners from GoBike have presented a jumbo “Thank You” card to staff at a bike lane consultation in Pollokshaws Burgh Hall.
Glasgow City Council is consulting on an ambitious plan to build 57km of new bike lanes in the Inner North and South of the city. This is the first phase of the planned 270km City Network of safe active travel routes.
“We started our bike bus because our children can’t safely cycle to school without it. Some people have described a bike bus as a human bike lane and it works well, but it is dependent on the voluntary efforts of many people and can also be difficult for some to access. What we need is a proper network of cycle lanes that are accessible to everyone, including school children, at all times. From the plans we’ve seen to date the city network looks really promising so we wanted to come and pay our appreciation to the design team.”
Parent, Shawlands Bike Bus
“We’re extremely excited about the ambition of the council’s plans. Cities like London and Paris are showing that when cycling is safe, it becomes one of the most popular forms of transport. A city-wide cycle network will give the people of Glasgow access to a cheap, healthy form of transport. It will help the city get to net zero. And because bikes are so space-efficient, it will even improve congestion.”
Spokesperson, GoBike
Cycling has been growing rapidly in Glasgow as new cycle lanes have been built. Crowds of cyclists are now a common site on the South City Way at rush hour, and a survey found that more than 1 in 4 vehicles on Victoria Road are now bicycles.
Glasgow City Council describes the City Network as providing “an accessible, safe, coherent and direct active travel network across Glasgow. To be delivered by 2031, the City Network will connect key amenities and drivers of travel such as education, business, retail and culture.”
Our ask to you
The consultation is open till October 20. Please check out the plans for the Inner North and South networks and complete the short consultation.
About the organisations:
Shawlands Bike Bus is a group of parents and children who cycle together to Shawlands Primary School. It is a part of the rapidly-growing global bike bus movement. It is equipped with an “Ultra Smart Cycle System” that allows the bike bus leader to temporarily control the traffic lights at Shawlands Cross – this won ‘Exemplary Approach to Active Travel and Public Space’ at the National Transport Awards in 2023.
GoBike is a campaign for safe cycling infrastructure across Strathclyde. Originally founded in the 1980s, the all-volunteer group has recently had success securing cycle lanes on Glasgow’s Byres Road.