Keeping Glasgow Moving: but in the right direction?
30 July 1998
With the deadline for representations on Glasgow's new transport strategy ending on Friday, TRANSform Scotland and Glasgow for People today outlined their concerns over Glasgow policy-makers' continued obsession with road-building. (1)(2)
TRANSform Scotland welcomed Glasgow City Council's 'Keep Glasgow Moving' consultation document, first launched in April, as an improvement from previous Strathclyde Regional Council documents but raised concerns about "a number of major flaws", the principal one being continued support for major new road-building in the shape of the proposed M74 Northern Extension. This proposal was seen to "fundamentally contradict the declared commitment to reduce private car use in the city." (3)
TRANSform Scotland's Chair, David Spaven, said:
"In the foreword to last week's Scottish Transport White Paper Donald Dewar clearly states that new road-building should only be considered 'after a thorough appraisal of the costs and benefits associated with any proposed scheme and any possible alternative modes which might serve the route.' This type of approach is noticeably absent in Glasgow's new transport strategy document, where the case for the M74 Northern Extension is not analysed, never mind substantiated. While the Council has moved forward in certain areas of its transport policies, there is certainly no acknowledgement of the massive traffic-generating impact such a new road would have."
Despite the M74 Northern Extension being the largest single project in Glasgow's draft transportation strategy, there is little reference to it in the document, a point which for TRANSform Scotland "raises serious concerns about the depth of the City Council's genuine commitment to public consultation over transport policy in general."
Ian Cowan of Glasgow for People, Glasgow's transport campaign, commented:
"New roads like the M74 Northern Extension are indefensible without first having looked at the economic and environmental costs and benefits of alternative transport options. Last week the Scottish Office showed that there is great potential to improve the attraction of public transport, but if Glasgow City Council is prepared to undermine its better transport policies by lobbying for a £170 million elevated 8-lane motorway, this transport strategy will fail just as its predecessors have."
"Keep Glasgow Moving" is a mixed bag. TRANSform Scotland is pleased to see a commitment to a "hierarchy of road users" giving priority to cyclists & pedestrians over cars & lorries on most roads, but is dismayed that this is apparently contradicted in the 'Mission Statement', which refers exclusively to a "sustainable road network" rather than a broader definition encompassing rail, cycling & walking. TRANSform Scotland is pleased to see a commitment to 'restrain the demand for travel by private cars', but sees little commitment to challenging planning consents for off-centre locations poorly served by public transport (e.g. the Odeon cinema complex off Paisley Road), or over-provision for car parking in city centre locations (e.g. a 2000 car parking spaces at the Buchanan Galleries).
David Spaven concluded:
"Although Glasgow City Council makes a valuable commitment to better traffic management, we would have hoped to have seen a commitment to working with the Scottish Office to end the current free-for-all on the M8. The congestion on the Kingston Bridge is primarily caused by single-occupancy cars which make very poor use of the available road space. Perhaps before we think about new roads, we should make sure that the existing ones can be managed more effectively than they have been up to now."(4)
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
(1) TRANSform Scotland brings together 50 organisations - including transport operators, local authorities, national environment campaigns & local transport groups - interested in transport, the environment and a sustainable Scotland. We can be contacted at 72 Newhaven Road, Edinburgh, EH6 5QG. Tel.: 0131-467-7714; Fax: 0131-554-8656.
(2) Glasgow for People, a TRANSform Scotland member organisation, have for years campaigned for positive transport solutions for Glasgow. Their office number is 0141-552-8776.
(3) A full copy (7 pages) of TRANSform Scotland's response to the the 'Keep Glasgow Moving' consultation can be sent on request from our office.
(4) TRANSform Scotland is surprised that the plans make no reference to supporting the creation of a priority HGV and bus lane on the M8 through Glasgow - for which there are precedents in Newcastle, London and the Continent. An advanced traffic management system which allocates specific road lanes to the more efficient users of road space could address this problem. This is reinforced by policy positions outlined in the UK (Para 3.132) and Scottish (Para 4.16.10) White Papers.
END OF NEWS RELEASE