Shop bosses celebrate as council scraps west end cycle lanes plan
Shop owners who feared controversial cycle lanes in Paisley’s west end would “decimate”their businesses are celebrating the council’s decision to scrap the current plans.
Business owners in Wellmeadow Street feared the proposed cycle lanes - which are set to be installed in various areas of the town - would signal the end of their businesses.
The £540,000 plans are part of the Spaces for People Fund and will help people physically distance during the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, dozens of business owners were left raging by the proposals, claiming they knew nothing about them.
However, following an outcry from shop owners who reached out to the Express, Renfrewshire Council have said they have gone back to the drawing board and are working to remove Wellmeadow Street from the proposals.
Neil Madan, who has owned Ironed Out Dry Cleaners for ten years, said the news made him and his fellow shop owners feel like a “weight had been lifted”.
He told the Express: “We can’t believe it. We are all so relieved to hear that the lanes will now not include Wellmeadow Street.
“It would have had such a devastating impact on us so all of us are delighted that the council have seen sense.
“We can’t thank the Paisley Express enough for highlighting this issue for us and helping us speak out about it.”
The ambitious project - funded by the Spaces for People Fund - will see cycle lanes on nine main commuter routes throughout the area.
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).
Communities were invited to share their thoughts earlier this month, but the council said it was unable to carry out a longer consultation due to the funding being designed to introduce immediate safety measures.
Renfrewshire Council is now reviewing the consultation feedback in regards to the cycle ways, resulting in those behind the project rethinking the plans for Wellmeadow Street.
A council spokesman said: “As with all consultations we carry out, we use the views of local people to help shape the decisions we take.
“Spaces for People funding aims to make improvements to the local area to ensure people feel safe using our streets, either by foot or active travel, and we have already widened a number of footways to help pedestrians physically distance appropriately.
“Following the consultation feedback, we are reviewing each of the proposed cycleways and this includes changing the route of one to avoid Wellmeadow Street.
“We will always listen to feedback from our communities and we hope that this will help ease any concerns, while still allowing the benefits of these active travel improvements to be felt within Renfrewshire.”