r/Glasgow Tools

If you need some case study showing how "give them infrastructure and they'll come" works, I present to you: my girlfriend.


For many years we lived in Glasgow. I cycled regularly - I grew up in 1990's Poland which was a cyclist hell so I am not so fuzzed about cycling in traffic. She is.


So on the very rare occasion she joined me for a cycling trip, we usually ended up either cycling around Pollock Park, when we lived in the South, or along the Clyde Walkway, when we lived in the east.


We moved to Helsinki now, and cycling infrastructure is just fantastic. The cycle paths are like cycling motorways, with no collisions with other traffic, with bridges, tunnels and everything. Very often they aren't even ALONG the main routes, so you can cycle behind some people's backyards or through the forest, barely hearing the traffic noise from the nearby motorway you cycle along. Even the city centre has many two-ways cycle paths, often completely separated both from cars and from pedestrians. In less busy areas, shared pedestrian-cycle paths are wide enough to ensure comfortable ride.
So this weekend we took our bikes to visit our friends on the opposite side of the town. This was her first time cycling here (I cycled a couple of times already). To put it into Glasgow context: imagine we lived somewhere around Bearsden, decided to cycle to Cambuslang via Govanhill and then come back via Springburn - this is about the same distance.


So for example, as we get out of our bicycle storage in our building (every building has one around here) we cross small residential street (that basically gives access to three car parks for a dozen cars each) and then we go over a wee bridge over the orbital, then through the forest park, then there is one cycle crossing on a busy junction (with traffic lights) then a bit along the main way, then onto the cycleway along the train tracks, then throush some woods again, then there is one small crossing across a very quiet road, then over a bridge over the train tracks, then along the train tracks again, then we arrive at a very busy shopping centres, so there are two crossing on the cycle-safe roundabouts with some limited traffics (and nearly all car drivers stop for you), then again, through a tunnel, through another tunnel, over the bridge, than a long stretch of cycle path along the main road and then we are in the city centre.


The route I just described for you is just under 8 km, and there were four points of crossing with cars (there aren't even any driveways or anything): one with traffic lights, one with very minor quiat road, and two on a dutch style designed safety roundabout.


The rest of the journey was very similar - either express cycleways, shared cycle-pedestrian paths far away from the traffic, separated cycle lanes along the roads, wide pavements with mixed cycle-pedestrian use allowed and some very quiet residential streets with 20 km/h speed limit.


Before we came back home, my girlfriend was already discussing with her friends how to join the cycle encouragement scheme at her work and get an e-bike for commuting.


All that after JUST ONE SUNDAY on the bike in a city with great cycling infrastructure.


I rest my case.


Anyway, I am glad to see that Glasgow is changing, as it can be a great cycling city too. Although the weather is the worst for cycling of any cities I ever lived. I used to cycle all year round in a proper european four seasons climate with 40C summers and snowy winters, but Glasgow has beaten me.


Cycling at -20? Been there, done that. Cycling in the snow? It can be even fun. Cycling in Glasgow with 60mph wind throwing freezing rain mixed with hail into your face? NOPE, I get my car going.


But still, most of the summer Glasgow can be great for cycling.