Changes to city streets in response to pandemic
ON-STREET parking will be removed and 25km of extra space allocated to cyclists and walkers under plans to combat the spread of Covid-19 in Glasgow city centre.
The proposed pedestrianisation of George Square is also set to be brought forward as part of Glasgow City Council’s Spaces for People programme.
Councillors backed the rollout of a number of measures, designed to create a safe environment for businesses and their customers and active travel, at a yesterday.
The scheme, supported by £3.5million from Sustrans Scotland, will see footways widened to make it easier to move around the city. Glasgow’s Green councillors want the changes to be made permanent.
Major city centre streets such as St Vincent Street, Argyle Street, Queen Street, Hope Street, Renfield Street and Bath Street will be impacted.
There will be a short-term suspension of one-third of the promote meeting city centre’s 2000 parking spaces.
The council believes there should still be sufficient space to park as car parks and multi-storeys, which provide 12,000 spaces, are rarely more than 50 per cent full. Disabled parking bays in the city centre will not be reduced.
Plans are also being drawn up for ‘park and stride’ and ‘park and cycle’ facilities at car parks across the city.
Council leader Susan Aitken said: “The easing of the pandemic lockdown means that on-street repurposing our streets is not just an ambition but a matter of urgency.
“People need the safe space and confidence to observe physical distancing, get on with their lives and accelerate our recovery. We must respond to that need now.”
Other measures being considered include increasing the time the green man is displayed at junctions or reducing the traffic light cycle times help pedestrians.
More on-street cycle parking will be installed and the possibility of an e-scooter trial is being explored. The council intends to bid for more Sustrans funding after it was revealed an initial £10m funding pot has been increased to £30m.
A Green Party amendment, which called for all temporary measures to be evaluated, with a view to making them permanent, was backed by the council’s City Administration Committee. to