City Centre to Gain More Spaces for People

Work starts tomorrow to install temporary travel infrastructure measures on several key streets in our city centre as part of the council's Spaces for People programme which is providing extra space for physical distancing to protect public health and suppress a resurgence of COVID-19.

These short-term measures which primarily involve footway widening, will make it easier for people to move around our city centre and more readily access shops, businesses, community facilities and public transport hubs.

Footway Widening

The following footways will be widened to create extra space:

• Union Street, west side (from the pedestrian crossing to Argyle Street)
• Hope Street, east side (from Renfield Lane to Bath Street)
• Hope Street, east side (from Sauchiehall Lane to Renfrew Street)
• Bath Street, north side (from Hope Street to Wellington Street)
• Bath Street, south side (from Hope Street and Wellington Street)

On-street parking will be suspended in the affected areas, with extra space for people made available by repurposing the immediate road space usually occupied by parked vehicles.

In general, Spaces for People will see no reduction in the number of disabled parking bays available, and where any are removed to facilitate footway widening, an equivalent number of bays or greater, will be re-positioned nearby.

Union St:

Temporary Bus Gate and Bus Lane

To create a sustainable transport corridor around the south side of George Square, a temporary Bus, Taxi and Cycle Gate will be introduced on the south side of George Square and along South Frederick Street (northbound). A temporary Bus, Taxi and Cycle lane will also be implemented on Cochrane Street. These will be in operation from 7am to 7pm.

Indicative Map:

George Square (South):

Cochrane St:

On-street parking will be suspended on the north side of Cochrane Street.

Additional temporary disabled parking spaces will be provided on the south side of Cochrane Street behind the existing car club bays.

Work to implement these temporary bus gates/lane begins on Sunday 5 July 2020.

Spaces for People

Supported by £3.5m funding from the Scottish Government and administered by Sustrans Scotland, Spaces for People will see temporary infrastructure measures introduced across Glasgow to provide extra space for people to walk, wheel or cycle as COVID-19 restrictions remain in place.

Short-term measures across our city centres and neighbourhoods will see footways widened at pinch points to ease pedestrian movement and make it easier to access businesses, community facilities and public transport hubs. Consideration will also be given to the positioning of temporary strategic cycling routes to highlight cycling as an attractive, viable and long term commuting choice.

Get Involved

If you have suggestions for public spaces in Glasgow where it is difficult to maintain physical distancing whilst out walking, cycling and wheeling, please share these on our Commonplace Mapping Tool. In collaboration with Sustrans Scotland, this interactive platform enables users to highlight areas across the city centre and neighbourhoods, where emergency temporary measures such as pavement widening and new cycle lanes could be introduced to help people maintain physical distancing and suppress a resurgence of the virus.

The mapping tool will be available until 10 July 2020.