r/Glasgow Tools

Title
Author	Torran_Toi
Comment	> Where would you rather sit and have a coffee? The M8 or Royal Exchange Square? Ridiculous. Especially since one of those options you can't have a coffee on and the other you can't actually drive to. Outside of this Reddit bubble, you'll probably find most people will answer the above question with an area they can get to easiest. Plus, the majority of people in Glasgow probably don't just go out for nothing more than just a coffee; rather getting a coffee is a side activity to whatever their main reason for going out was. > despite several studies showing reduced cars on small streets increase the amount of people going shopping. Studies may show this when looking at national or global samples, but the evidence within the City of Glasgow tells you that those stats don't translate down locally. Our city centre is dying on its arse. Argyle Street has been pedestrianised for decades, yet the St Enoch Centre struggles. The pedestrianised section of Sauchiehall Street to the east is fucking fucked (a la BHS and surrounding). Meanwhile, the out of town places like the Fort and Silverburn with decent vehicle access and free parking are chock-a-block (pre-covid, of course). The big-retail people know this. This is why they just built another retail park at Dixon's Blazes with another one in the pipeline for Partick at the Riverside. I'm starting to think that retail and hospitality don't mix together well anymore. Basically, I think the only workable solution is to have a city centre full of bars, pubs and eateries with next to zero retail, which the majority of people will happily travel to and from without vehicle access, while having all retail out of town where vehicle access is okay.
Reddit Link	https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/if92w0/sustrans_scotland_gives_additional_funds_to/g2oa5mr/
Created	Mon 24th Aug 2020 9:52am
Status	normal ()

> Where would you rather sit and have a coffee? The M8 or Royal Exchange Square?

Ridiculous. Especially since one of those options you can't have a coffee on and the other you can't actually drive to.

Outside of this Reddit bubble, you'll probably find most people will answer the above question with an area they can get to easiest. Plus, the majority of people in Glasgow probably don't just go out for nothing more than just a coffee; rather getting a coffee is a side activity to whatever their main reason for going out was.

> despite several studies showing reduced cars on small streets increase the amount of people going shopping.

Studies may show this when looking at national or global samples, but the evidence within the City of Glasgow tells you that those stats don't translate down locally. Our city centre is dying on its arse. Argyle Street has been pedestrianised for decades, yet the St Enoch Centre struggles. The pedestrianised section of Sauchiehall Street to the east is fucking fucked (a la BHS and surrounding).

Meanwhile, the out of town places like the Fort and Silverburn with decent vehicle access and free parking are chock-a-block (pre-covid, of course).

The big-retail people know this. This is why they just built another retail park at Dixon's Blazes with another one in the pipeline for Partick at the Riverside.

I'm starting to think that retail and hospitality don't mix together well anymore. Basically, I think the only workable solution is to have a city centre full of bars, pubs and eateries with next to zero retail, which the majority of people will happily travel to and from without vehicle access, while having all retail out of town where vehicle access is okay.