r/Glasgow Tools

Title
Author	Scunnered20
Comment	> There simply isn't space available to have more cycle lanes as is clear to see in all the roads that have had them installed. Leith walk in Edinburgh being the latest example of a council's madness. There's loads of space, especially on main arterial roads connecting different communities, which is how much of the network is planned. Leith Walk is a mess not because of the lack of available space but because of how that space has been used. It's the widest urban road in Scotland and one of the widest urban boulevards in the UK. The main problem comes from the fact the design team inexplicably insisted on using 1.5+ metres of road space for pylons between the two tram pathways, rather than squeezing the tram-running spaces as closely together as possible, as is normal elsewhere. The trams are also the widest to have been built anywhere in the world, as far as I know. They are such an odd design for an urban space. Other issues such as excessive pavement clutter, insisting on squiggling the cycle paths around bin storage, not simply having buses use the tramway, and the relatively high prioritisation given to maintaining wide vehicle maneuvers at junctions, all mean the project delivery has been hugely compromised. But it didn't have to end up this way. These were all (poor, largely inexplicable) design choices. You certainly should be able to provide cycle lans and public transport lines along most urban boulevards, even in Glasgow or Edinburgh.
Reddit Link	https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/15i25h6/an_waiting_to_happen/juvirm7/
Created	Sat 5th Aug 2023 10:00am
Status	normal ()

> There simply isn't space available to have more cycle lanes as is clear to see in all the roads that have had them installed. Leith walk in Edinburgh being the latest example of a council's madness.

There's loads of space, especially on main arterial roads connecting different communities, which is how much of the network is planned.

Leith Walk is a mess not because of the lack of available space but because of how that space has been used.

It's the widest urban road in Scotland and one of the widest urban boulevards in the UK.

The main problem comes from the fact the design team inexplicably insisted on using 1.5+ metres of road space for pylons between the two tram pathways, rather than squeezing the tram-running spaces as closely together as possible, as is normal elsewhere.

The trams are also the widest to have been built anywhere in the world, as far as I know. They are such an odd design for an urban space.

Other issues such as excessive pavement clutter, insisting on squiggling the cycle paths around bin storage, not simply having buses use the tramway, and the relatively high prioritisation given to maintaining wide vehicle maneuvers at junctions, all mean the project delivery has been hugely compromised.

But it didn't have to end up this way. These were all (poor, largely inexplicable) design choices. You certainly should be able to provide cycle lans *and* public transport lines along most urban boulevards, even in Glasgow or Edinburgh.