Business group calls for more discussion on cycle paths plan
Paisley’s Business Improvement District ( BID) has called for further consultation is carried out on council plans to introduce temporary cycle paths across Renfrewshire.
Communities were invited to share their thoughts throughout last week until Sunday on proposals to install cycle lanes on nine main commuter routes after Renfrewshire Council received £540,000 in Scottish Government funding.
But there are claims many firms in Paisley were unaware of the plans or the consultation and had no chance to express their views.
Now Colette Cardosi, chair of the town’s BID Paisley First, has insisted council chiefs must ensure they discuss proposals in full with businesses before pressing ahead.
She said: “I have asked for further consultation on these plans.
“I felt they were very bitty.
“We were not consulted directly as Paisley First and we only had until Sunday to share our views, and that’s when I sent a message asking for further consultation before any final decision is made.
“I felt the consultation was very short. “I am positive about working with the council, and I am not objecting to these plans, but I have asked them to stop, reflect and consult, so we can put it to our members and represent them accordingly.”
The locations in Paisley where lanes are set to be formed include Causeyside Street, Wellmeadow and Broomlands Street, Barrhead Road, Inchinnan Road, High Street and Glasgow Road (west).
There are plans to create cycle paths in the Ferguslie and St Mirren areas along the A761, Ferguslie Park Avenue, Blackstoun Road and Barskiven Road.
Lanes along the Beith Road between Howwood and Paisley town centre, Kilbarchan Road in Johnstone, Main Road in Elderslie, Inchinnan Road in Renfrew, Greenock Road in Inchinnan, and a route linking Paisley and Renfrew complete the proposals.
The cash for the ambitious project has come from the Spaces for People Fund, which is aimed at boosting projects designed to help people physically distance during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The council said it was unable to carry out a longer consultation due to this funding being designed to introduce immediate safety measures.
Councillor Kenny MacLaren said all businesses he had spoken to in his ward of Paisley Northwest had no knowledge of the plans and called on the council to scrap some of the suggested locations, such as the A761.
The SNP man said in his consultation response: “I’ve had some communication with businesses in my ward and not one of them was aware of these proposals and not one of them supported these plans.
“Many businesses in Paisley have suffered under the lockdown.
“They need support to encourage more customers to come into their shops.
“These proposed cycleways do the exact opposite and will act as a deterrent to customers popping into these shops.
“I have concerns the cycleway on the A761 will have a negative impact on local businesses.
“If customers are not allowed to park outside these shops, then a lot of these premises could lose a significant amount of business.”
Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank councillor James MacLaren has also insisted the council should have carried out a much wider consultation, despite being supportive of the premise behind the plans.
He added: “While I welcome investment in active travel, it is extremely concerning to see Renfrewshire Council was only sending out correspondence with a week to go until the consultation closed.
“These new lanes cannot come with a reduction in parking provision.
“With the consultation now closed, the council needs to be fully transparent how this significant investment in active travel will work for everyone.”
A council spokesman said: “The funding is designed to introduce immediate measures to ensure safety, so we were not able to carry out the extensive consultation we normally would, but the survey was circulated widely and we have received numerous responses from businesses and members of the community.
“We are currently working through all responses and these will inform how we proceed and we will continue to engage with the community and local businesses as the project progresses.”
We were not consulted directly as Paisley First and only had until Sunday to share our views