Pop- up lane leads to spike in cyclists
ANEW cycle lane has seen the number of cyclists triple on a city centre road. The number of cyclists on Clyde Street has increased by 199% in August this year compared to August 2019.
An additional lane was installed in May of this year to help ease physical distancing by the Clyde.
It was one of the first lanes to be installed as part of Glasgow City Council’s Spaces for People initiative, running for 1.5 miles between Saltmarket and the Clyde Arc.
A council spokeswoman said: “We installed the pop- up cycle lane at the height of lockdown as one of our first Spaces for People measures to make it easier to maintain physical distancing in this popular area when out walking, wheeling and cycling.
“We have received positive feedback about the new lane and it’s fantastic to see that this, along with other measures in place to encourage active travel, has seen the popularity of cycling increase exponentially in this area, and also across the city.
“We are very keen for cycling to be seen as a convenient, viable way to get around, particularly for those everyday journeys, and we’ll continue to build upon the progress made with projects and initiatives that encourage the practicality of this mode of travel.”
Campaign groups have called for the council to “keep pushing forward” with the lanes in the hope it will make cycling more attractive.
Thomas O’Cornwallis, co- convenor of Go Bike Glasgow, said: “The pop- up lanes have made it safer for people who want to get cycling. Everybody is getting on a NextBike around the city, some of these people would have done this last summer but now you are seeing a lot of people taking different routes because the temporary infrastructure is now there and the council just need to keep pushing it.
“It is not the weather, it is not the hills that stops people from cycling, it is the current atmosphere on the road.”
He added a lot should still be done to make the lanes safer, especially at junctions with Jamaica Street and by the Clyde Arc.
“The council is doing something that wasn’t expected so it is about ironing out there mistakes,” he added.
We’ll build on progress