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eenbiertje

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  • They split their single fares into two prices: A "Short Hop" ticket, for 5 stops max, at £1.65 (or whatever price they've increased it to in the last few weeks). And a standard single fare, of £2.40 or some similar nonsense. Frankly, Glasgow being Glasgow, and incomprehensibly having bus stops every ~150 metres or so along all routes, I've never ever gotten any use out of a "Short Hop" fare. It barely gets me out of my neighbourhood. I'd be surprised if it's used by that many people. It's just a way of First being able to say "Fares start from as low as £x!"... despite this cheap ticket being no use to anyone. by eenbiertje (Thu 24th Jan 2019 12:11am)
  • Since the Herald website is a heap of trash: A PROFESSOR at Glasgow School of Art is to be unveiled today as the city's first official Urbanist - a senior advisory position in which he will hope to improve the city's strategic urban planning. Professor Brian Evans, an expert in urbanism and landscape at the GSA as well as an advisor to the United Nations, is to work with councillors, council officers, designers, and other institutions and agencies involved in the city's urban planning. Professor Evans said he would not be intervening in every planning decision or architectural controversy in the city, but will be taking a overview of how the city moves as a whole from being a "post industrial" city to a "knowledge city." Major issues in the city, including the quality of, and use of, green space, the use and development of the river Clyde, and the impact of having a major motorway cutting through its heart, will be assessed by the Professor as part of his role. He also hopes to establish a city Place Commission, a forum where the future of the city's landscape, buildings, businesses and infrastructure can be discussed. Climate change, demographic and technological change will all have huge impacts on how Glasgow develops in the next 50 years, he said, and have to be factored into city strategies. He said: "Glasgow, I think, is very well aware of this transition it is going through, and it is seeking to move that transition to the next stage. "If we look back, you can see this clearly in Glasgow that it changed in groups of two decades: in the 1960s and 70s where sometimes not-always-wise, in retrospect, decisions were made from a planning point of view - one of the inherited things is 'let's put a motorway through the centre of the city.' "The next set of decades was a change of direction in the 1980s and 90s, where the city started to find a way to face up to these issues. "That led on to the establishment of the international financial services district in the city, and you have had branding campaigns with Glasgow's Miles Better, latterly People Make Glasgow, which have resonated. "And now, my proposition is that Glasgow has been the post-industrial city, and now it is a proto-knowledge city' "There are still inherited things, though, to deal with." Professor Evans' work will affect how the city looks at housing, business, environment, transport and "place making". Professor Evans is a graduate of both of Glasgow’s architecture schools, at Glasgow School of Art and the University of Strathclyde. He added, as well as its physical attributes, Glasgow has its people: "ebullient, chatty, funny, quick, keen: that's a huge asset, and the canvass we are working with. "The transition to go where Glasgow was in the 1960s, to the 2060s, it takes about that time [100 years]. "But with a following wind, without too many external factors, there's just a chance in the next 20 years we can get over the tipping point. "We know there's a legacy: we know there is vacant and derelict land, we known there are health inequalities....it is about dealing with the legacy issues, but not been driven by them." His career has included working for Gillespies, an international landscape architecture and urban design practice, and played a leading role in the Glasgow Garden Festival (1988), the Glasgow Public Realm Strategy, 1995 and the Buchanan Street Project in 2001. He led the team that worked in Grainger Town in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and St Andrew Square in Edinburgh. He also has experience working on city strategies for Moscow, the River Moscow and Suzhou in China, and he is an advisor to the United Nations. Professor Evans was founding Deputy Chair of Architecture and Design Scotland and a founder and director of the Academy of Urbanism, London. Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: "I am very pleased that Professor Brian Evans has agreed to take on the challenge of the new role of City Urbanist. "He will make a great addition to the team as we take forward the next stage in the history of this great city. “Brian brings into the council a great understanding of our city formed over years in the private sector and a distinguished career in the academic sector and in promoting best practice in urban development and place making for the Scottish and UK Governments and internationally. “There are great designers and planners working in Glasgow across the public and private sectors. "The City Government is committed to working with them to make Glasgow the best place it can be. We see this being delivered through a consistent and long-term commitment to place-making and best use of the city’s assets." Professor Evans added: “It is characteristic of Glasgow to look forward and think creatively about the ways the city works for people. "We should think about the design of Glasgow as an international city, a metropolitan city and, most importantly, as the everyday city of residents, businesses and visitors and I’m honoured to be asked to play a role and to take a strategic view on place, design and the city." by eenbiertje (Thu 24th Jan 2019 12:51pm)
  • As critical as I am of FirstBus and the general transport setup in the city, I'd recommend getting a monthly FirstBus pass. Monthly mobile tickets are £52, and would be your best bet if you're looking for maximum flexibility. There's a bunch of his lines that pass through (and just a walking distance) from Patrick. You'd them also have an easy means of getting to other parts of the city from the centre. You can see the network map here: https://www.firstgroup.com/greater-glasgow/routes-and-maps/network-maps by eenbiertje (Sat 23rd Feb 2019 9:49am)
  • Dank je wel! by eenbiertje (Tue 26th Feb 2019 11:38am)
  • Thought I'd throw this in for anyone who watched the Central doc tonight and was curious about "Grahamston". Here's a close up of the area on a 1790 map of Glasgow: https://imgur.com/a/3RBV0DN by eenbiertje (Mon 4th Mar 2019 12:58am)
  • https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/heres-how-you-can-object-15887095 by eenbiertje (Fri 8th Mar 2019 3:39pm)
  • As someone else has said, visit Otago Lane near the university in the West End, particularly Tchai Ovna (bohemian vegan teashop/cafe) and Voltaire and Rousseau ([wall to wall second hand books](https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186534-d9599226-Reviews-Voltaire_Rousseau-Glasgow_Scotland.html)) by eenbiertje (Thu 14th Mar 2019 1:02am)
  • Hotter average ocean overall temperatures -> weaker temperature divide between cold north and warm tropics -> weaker/slower moving polar vortex (which exists because of temp divides) -> highly erratic polar vortex, sweeping up and down the latitudes like nobody's business, getting itself tied in knots -> hitting us right in the gub. by eenbiertje (Fri 15th Mar 2019 1:00am)
  • Came here to say Sighthill as someone else suggested - it's probably the single biggest new urban (re)development of a city neighbourhood. Used to be filled with 20+ large ugly high rises, and had a lot of deprivation / poor links to rest of city. They flattened everything and are currently building a brand new neighbourhood from scratch. It's one of 8 "TRAs" in the city (Transformational Regeneration Areas) in the city just now, but think it's the biggest and most ambitious. Loads of info about it here: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/sighthill You might also find this as a useful reference: The city's latest City Development Plan from 2017 ([pdf](http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=35882&p=0)). Has a broad summary of the main goals and challenges of the city currently. Best of luck! by eenbiertje (Sat 16th Mar 2019 2:28pm)
  • Voltaire and Rousseau, Otago Lane in the west end near Kelvinbridge. Wall to wall with shoulder high piles of books. Some real quality stuff in there. Everything in the first wee room/entrance hall is £1, and I've found some absolute gems in there. by eenbiertje (Tue 26th Mar 2019 9:46am)
  • Fault of the 1980s Transport Acts under Thatcher. Local authorities have since been prevented from administering their own public transport networks with particularly stringent rules on buses. London got an exemption. Nothing can change at city level until the Scottish Govt repeals those laws, which are now in its power to do. by eenbiertje (Mon 1st Apr 2019 3:38am)
  • Grew up here, moved abroad for a few years (study, work) and settled back. There's aspects I really dislike about parts of the city: The general gritiness/dirtiness of much (though not all) of the city; transport isn't all joined up under one system so can become expensive/ isn't as intuitive as it could be; there's a sort of pervasive downbeat/gloominess bordering on fatalism from many older folks; the weather, which might partly explain the last point... Besides that though, I do feel fairly lucky to have grown up in this city. It's a legit big city, whether in UK or European terms. Not on par with Paris, London, Berlin etc, but definitely competes with most other major metropolises in terms of what it offers. Culture/arts/events-wise, Glasgow punches well above its weight and size. As the biggest city in Scotland, nearly all major international touring acts stop here, big and small. We have an absolutely fantastic local music scene, possibly best in the UK. Pubs, bars and affordable good quality restaurants galore. We've got two massive football clubs, and loads of smaller ones. City run sports and gym venues are all around. Fantastic range of (free) museums. Huge student population (4 unis and several colleges in and around Glasgow). It's really a very lively, fun cosmopolitan city, with a lot going on. Also just a short journey (1hr by train/car) to Loch Lomond and the start of the Highlands. Less than an hour away from Edinburgh too. Great selection of parks and nature walks/trips just outside the city too. If the hustle and bustle and general hard edgeness of the city centre gets too much, the West End (Where Glasgow Uni is) is almost like an entirely different city within a city. So yeah, on balance I do feel quite fortunate to live here, the main positives being the vibrancy and variety of the city as a whole. by eenbiertje (Wed 3rd Apr 2019 12:36am)
  • Catholic Action, Martha Ffion by eenbiertje (Wed 17th Apr 2019 3:38am)
  • Nah, they're supporting We Were Promised Jet Packs on their US tour just now. Fairly sure they played in Glasgow a few weeks back too. by eenbiertje (Wed 17th Apr 2019 8:53pm)
  • What a dumb headline. These projects always take something in this order of time. It's very welcome too. by eenbiertje (Tue 23rd Apr 2019 1:36pm)
  • Great stuff. Not quite easy walking distance to/from the subway, but maybe this and other nearby developments could help reinvigorate the idea of a Airport-Renfrew-Govan-Glasgow team again. by eenbiertje (Sat 27th Apr 2019 5:39pm)
  • SPT only have like 13-15 trains, and something like 12 are operating at peak times. They currently need night hours for maintenance. Sure, you can always say so why so few trains - reason is our subway is a completely unique gauge/width of track across the world, and any new trains need to be custom made. They can't just be bought 'off the shelf' so to speak, so this vastly increases the cost of fleet expansion. The fault of this basically lies with the original design of our subway. The cost is baked in to the system now, and it's never been worthwhile adding a few new trains here or there. The new automated train fleet will come in 2020 though. They dont need drivers, and so there might be a possibility of longer operating hours. by eenbiertje (Mon 29th Apr 2019 9:21am)
  • So much pessimism in this thread already. This is excellent. Sure we all know the things that need to be done, and the average person can name the problems off the top of their head. But this is all of the problems/solutions condensed into a concrete document for the specific purpose of guiding policy makers. So glad they're leading with the Paisley-Renfrew-Govan tram idea. With the airport link still up in the air, there's a good chance of consensus gathering around this idea. by eenbiertje (Mon 29th Apr 2019 9:27am)
  • Follow Get Glasgow Moving on Twitter/FB. They have frequent ongoing campaigns supporting these types of plans, and I'm guessing may also be commenting on the launch of this report today. Aside from that, write to your ward councillors voicing your support for this, asking them to also pledge their support. by eenbiertje (Mon 29th Apr 2019 10:54am)
  • Same reason as why we only have a limited number of subway trains. Our subway circle is the only one of its kind in the world that uses a 4ft track gauge (width). This is mostly cause it was built before a standard track style was settled on across the world. Because of this, we cant just go out to train manufacturers and buy train fleets ready made. They have to be specially designed for our specifications. Same for tracks/tunnel infrastructure. Everything has to be tailor-designed, vastly increasing the costs beyond that faced by other cities. Doesn't mean it's impossible to expand. Just means you have a (very) costly decision to make: 1. Spend higher than normal costs on new infrastructure and fleets, so committing to huge long term costs for any future expansions and ongoing maintenance. 2. Scrap everything and rebuild the old circle using standard gauge tracks, making it possible to buy off the shelf in future, and opening up possibilities for more affordable route expansions. This obv has humongous costs up front. Also puts the subway out of commission for years during a refit. 3. Do a mix of old and new subway systems. This is massively costly cause you're essentially running two parallel metro systems in one city. For this reason, a tram is realistically way more cost effective no matter what subway solution you settled on in the end. by eenbiertje (Mon 29th Apr 2019 11:10am)
  • Original tough plan was to turn High Street station into a HS(3?) terminal. Don't think that can happen now with the flats developments around there. Options now seem to be a little east of High Street, or special platform at Central. Latter probably makes most sense. by eenbiertje (Mon 29th Apr 2019 11:19am)
  • Get your point about 4 tracking being necessary once the tunnel joins the lines coming out of Queen St. Cost of this entire tunnel project would be so large though that the extra tracking would be factored in and seem kinda small change by comparison. But you wouldn't need extra tracks beyond the big junction at Cowlairs. The track splits West, North and East there, with the different services going their own way. Also, the point is to absorb much of the rest of Scotland traffic that currently goes along those lines to Queen Street anyway. It'd just be sliding onto this tunnel track instead of going to Queen St. So you wouldnt necessarily have increased traffic on the section towards Croy than there already is. by eenbiertje (Mon 29th Apr 2019 12:50pm)
  • Aye, that's the old line to Bridgeton Central station. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/spy/#zoom=16&lat=55.8509&lon=-4.2261&layers=168&b=1&r=30 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgeton_Central_railway_station There's possibly a more useful old spur a little to the south east, that goes from the current Bridgeton station, east under London Rd. Pops out next to Celtic Park at Whitby Street where there used to be a station. It's pretty much built on past that point, but it could be used in future since the London Rd tunnels still exist. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/spy/#zoom=15.615884580460339&lat=55.8487&lon=-4.2004&layers=193&b=1&r=30 by eenbiertje (Mon 29th Apr 2019 10:14pm)
  • That's what i meant by option 3. Problem then is you're running and maintaining two distinct metro networks at once. by eenbiertje (Tue 30th Apr 2019 4:17pm)
  • From what I heard of their statements on the report, they set out to select the most achievable projects - the ones that are most affordable and likely to gain political support. We have to start somewhere, and honestly I'd be grateful if the majority of these suggestions were to come to pass. It doesn't need to be about starting with a massive new costly subway system. We have lower level issues (bus service fragmentation, lack of rail-type services in large areas of the city despite an increasing dependence on rail, bottlenecks at the main stations which are at capacity...). The report has answers for these issues, and I'm thankful for that. There's problems with the idea of expanding the subway system anyway. Our subway circle is the only one of its kind in the world that uses a 4ft track gauge (width). This is mostly cause it was built before a standard track style was settled on across the world. Because of this, we cant just go out to train manufacturers and buy train fleets ready made. They have to be specially designed for our specifications. Same for tracks/tunnel infrastructure. Everything has to be tailor-designed, vastly increasing the costs beyond that faced by other cities. Doesn't mean it's impossible to expand. Just means you have a (very) costly decision to make: 1. Spend higher than normal costs on new infrastructure and fleets, so committing to huge long term costs for any future expansions and ongoing maintenance. 2. Scrap everything and rebuild the old circle using standard gauge tracks, making it possible to buy off the shelf in future, and opening up possibilities for more affordable route expansions. This obv has humongous costs up front. Also puts the subway out of commission for years during a refit. 3. Do a mix of old and new subway systems. This is massively costly cause you're essentially running two parallel metro systems in one city. For this reason, a tram is realistically way more cost effective no matter what subway solution you settled on in the end. by eenbiertje (Thu 2nd May 2019 5:39pm)
  • Yep, except with a subway you've got the tunnel boring costs, alongwith everything else that goes along with it (land surveying, potential land acquisition, any difficulties with the tunnel boring can escalate the cost way higher than with a tram line). Not knowledgeable about maintenance costs in the long term though. It's only my guess that subway maintenance could incur much higher costs, purely cause of the environment (water/flooding/corrosion issues mostly). by eenbiertje (Thu 2nd May 2019 5:35pm)
  • 2020 sometime by eenbiertje (Fri 3rd May 2019 11:08am)
  • Yass by eenbiertje (Fri 3rd May 2019 11:06am)
  • They're approaching capacity though. Train travel in Glasgow has been rising year on year for about 15 years now. Quite dramatically so in the last 5ish years. Central station can't handle any more lines or trains. Queen St I think is or will be very close to maximum capacity when it opens fully again. The key rail lines in and out of the city are also operating at capacity in terms of services per hour (this might not be true of the Cathcart Circle, but definitely is in terms of the east west lines through the centre). There's just no room for more use of rail with infrastructure as it is. Expanding new light rail networks would be cheaper, easier and more cost effective than new rail lines, or even possibly dualling existing ones or building new major stations. by eenbiertje (Sat 4th May 2019 1:45am)
  • Know quite a few Irish folk that have come over from Dublin (also to escape the high rents). Anything you want to know more about? In answer to Glasgow vs Edinburgh, Edinburgh has a rent hike issue of its own going on just now (seems largely down to AirBnb and similar making it increasingly unaffordable for residents). It's not on the scale of Dublin, but it's increasingly in the news over here. Aside from a very few specific areas, Glasgow's avoided that and is pretty affordable for a city of its size. Think with your interests in music and art, that you'd quite like it here. Anything you're wanting to know about living here, just fire away. by eenbiertje (Sun 5th May 2019 8:22pm)
  • Bloody people trying to improve active travel infrastructure and the overall urban realm of the city. The nerve! by eenbiertje (Wed 8th May 2019 7:12pm)
  • Just a heads up - the Nextbike scheme is currently £5 for a month's subscription if you join by the end of May. Normally a tenner. by eenbiertje (Mon 20th May 2019 11:19am)
  • Hey. This question comes up on this sub ever now and then. It's not a lack of funding, it's a matter of law. Put simply, this is a consequence of the 1980s Transport Acts brought in by the Thatcher government. Prior to this, it was normal for cities in the UK (as in the rest of Europe) to have municipal transport companies. These acts broke these city-wide organisations up. The most important single act is arguably the 1985 Transport Act, which effectively banned city ran/owned bus networks. Everything was privatised, with cities no longer having the authority to step in. London got an exemption. This enabled the Greater London Authority to set up TfL in the early 90s. Pretty much no other city in the UK has anything comparable to this (although it is routine on the continent). At this point, we do thankfully now have the power to repeal these laws in Scotland. Transportation powers have also been devolved to areas of England such as Manchester, which is now taking steps to overturn these acts and has plans to introduce a proper Oyster-style system across its transport network. Thing is though, we need the Scottish Govt to actually table new laws, which supersede and nullify the 1980s Westminster laws before Glasgow can do anything. The Scottish Govt has been dragging its feet on a Transport Bill for years, and tbh, the one it finally proposed a year ago (still to be debated in Parliament, nevermind enacted) is mince. It barely scratches the surface of the problems, only allowing for cities to dish out franchises to bus companies at their leisure (it says nothing about giving cities the powers to set up their own bus/transport companies a la TfL). The thing most people don't seem aware of, is that until the Scottish Govt brings in the much needed law changes, GCC, SPT, or whoever are pretty much powerless to make the sweeping changes we need. They can make some cosmetic changes here and there, such as having a soft 'opt in' system for private bus/train companies to offer shared fares. But they cannot compel companies to do things that are necessary, or force an integrated system. TL;DR Scottish Government needs to repeal UK Law set up in the 80s that prohibits things like TfL in areas outside London. by eenbiertje (Tue 21st May 2019 2:43am)
  • The city's prevented by UK law from making these changes. I wrote the OP a reply on this further up in the thread. There's more info there. by eenbiertje (Tue 21st May 2019 2:47am)
  • Every single person I can think that's come to visit my or my family from overseas (friends, acquiaintances, family etc.), have said they enjoyed the city, but all to a man make a comment on how messy it is. It's the first thing many visitors notice. It's embarrassing tbh. by eenbiertje (Wed 22nd May 2019 1:10pm)
  • I disagree with this pov. Just my view, but the Scottish Govt has done quite a lot to structurally change the country for the better. It's lazy to say they talk about indyref2 and nothing else. But besides that, the more important point I want to make is that it's up to the people of Glasgow (and other cities in Scotland) to make it clear how much this matters to them, and to be *very specific* in arguing for this necessary change in the law to then allow GCC to make a true Transport for Glasgow type system. Currently, hardly anyone seems to know this is necessary, and so hardly anyone is campaigning for it. The more people campaign, and join (or even just follow and share the work of) groups like Get Glasgow Moving (https://twitter.com/getglesgamoving), the more likely the Scottish Govt is likely to take notice of this as something voters are taking seriously, and the more likely a future Transport Bill will include the necessary changes to law. by eenbiertje (Wed 22nd May 2019 1:15pm)
  • They should be a different colour, even just a slight pink shading or something, as is normal in the Netherlands or elsewhere, to signal that it's different from the footpath and regular roadway. You see this issue happening all the time in the cycle lanes here. The one in Tradeston is particularly bad for it. by eenbiertje (Wed 22nd May 2019 1:25pm)
  • Work on that section's been delayed by the Art School fire. by eenbiertje (Wed 22nd May 2019 2:58pm)
  • Next to no experience with hill walking, and of pretty rank average fitness, but it took me about 4hrs up, 2 and a half hrs down when I did it last summer. That's counting from the beginning of the path at Succoth, up to the summit. We did stop for about 30 mins for something to eat halfway up, so maybe call it 3 and a half hours up? Btw, you can get a train from Queen Street up to Arrochar/Tarbet station. It's maybe a 45 minute walk from the train station to the beginning of the Cobbler trail at Succoth. by eenbiertje (Thu 23rd May 2019 3:16am)
  • No problem. Another tip, get the SPT Daytripper ticket if you're getting the train with someone else. £22.50 for two works out a fair bit cheaper than two returns. http://www.spt.co.uk/travelcards/day-tickets/ by eenbiertje (Thu 23rd May 2019 11:41am)
  • Not sure why this has been downvoted. Southside (Battlefield, Shawlands etc.) is a nice part of town. I guess you're asking more specifically about GSoA student houses in the city centre though. Average person on the sub won't know too much about these student houses, but we can give general advice about the city if you want. Anything you're specifically wanting to know? by eenbiertje (Fri 24th May 2019 11:36am)
  • There's been a wave of recent studies showing that localised air pollution has a much more significant effect on our bodies than we previously believed. Not just in the sense that we're breathing poorer quality air, but that the particulate matter is actually seriously damaging to all sorts of parts of our bodies, especially those that are still developing. It's increasingly being linked to chronic health conditions too. As you'd expect the density of that particulate matter is highest where there's congestion and cars sitting at a standstill for long periods - studies have also been showing that school drop of points can actually be amongst the densest zones for this pollution in cities (because of parents queuing to drop their kids off). https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/05/toxic-air-pollution-particles-found-in-human-brains-links-alzheimers https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2019/may/17/air-pollution-may-be-damaging-every-organ-and-cell-in-the-body-finds-global-review Lots of cities across the world are taking similar steps to push car traffic away from schools because of this. by eenbiertje (Fri 24th May 2019 11:47am)
  • What do you mean by original measure? by eenbiertje (Fri 24th May 2019 11:53am)
  • I don't really know what you're meaning. If you're asking why is it just for drop off and pick up time... that's when the density of particulate matter peaks. by eenbiertje (Fri 24th May 2019 12:05pm)
  • What road? by eenbiertje (Fri 24th May 2019 12:11pm)
  • mmmm, I wouldn't judge how busy the city is by streetview. Might be the photos were taken early in the morning, or on a weekend. GSA is up on a mostly residential sidestreet at the top of a hill, so it's fairly quiet outside of class times. The centre is very busy though, and it's just a stone's throw from Sauchiehall Street which is the city's main nightlife street. by eenbiertje (Fri 24th May 2019 12:21pm)
  • or... just add them to main roads like is normal elsewhere https://www.google.com/search?q=netherlands+cycling+lanes&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjV3NqQlLTiAhXkuXEKHcHwDMQQ_AUIDigB&biw=1366&bih=625 https://www.google.com/search?q=denmark+cycling+lanes&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJ-PuTlLTiAhWOURUIHVUPAhsQ_AUIDigB&biw=1366&bih=625 https://www.google.com/search?biw=1366&bih=625&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=tOLnXKLcO4-rgwekiY6oBA&q=segregated+bike+lanes&oq=segr&gs_l=img.1.1.0j0i67j0l8.11430.12561..14454...1.0..1.331.1198.0j2j2j1......0....1..gws-wiz-img.lZTciXg3Gcc by eenbiertje (Fri 24th May 2019 1:26pm)
  • Glasgow had the lowest car percentage ownership of any major western European city. (Sounds counter intuitive I know - many of the car users in Glasgow love outside the city limits). Many many people here don't have access to a car, public transport is an expensive mess - cycling is legitimate method of getting from a to b here as it is anywhere else. Cycling is a valid transport method, and commonplace in cities all round the world. Not just for a wee jolly down the park on a sunny day. We need to transform this city to make it safer and viable for the average person to get on a bike to make their way to where they're going. by eenbiertje (Tue 28th May 2019 10:01am)
  • After a bit of google-fu to get more info, I think this is what this story is drawn from, in case anyone's interested: http://investglasgow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/5165_IG_invesment-2019-full-brochure-210x297_9.pdf Mostly just a marketing brochure to promote the city to investors and folk thinking of setting us business here. It's got a nice enough summary of the key investment zones being developed across the city at the moment. Think the "Custom House Quay" plan was maybe made public today to coincide with this, as the other plans in here have been public for a while. by eenbiertje (Thu 30th May 2019 5:02pm)
  • Council don't have the power to buy the franchise (it's also not about money). UK law prevents councils (other than London) from running their own bus networks. The law was changed by the Thatcher government in 1985 and hasn't yet been revoked/replaced by a Scottish Government Transport Bill. Scottish Govt needs to pass Holyrood laws superseding old UK laws before any council can step in like this. by eenbiertje (Fri 31st May 2019 6:18pm)
  • I'd recommend following https://twitter.com/getglesgamoving, and keeping tabs on campaigns and other ones they're associated with. by eenbiertje (Sat 1st Jun 2019 10:04pm)
  • London got a lucky exemption from the 1980s transport bills that broke up metropolitan transport networks in uk cities. This is the norm to be honest in non-London uk cities since then. An absolute mess. by eenbiertje (Sun 2nd Jun 2019 2:14pm)
  • This. by eenbiertje (Tue 4th Jun 2019 6:27pm)
  • Yep fair point, I thought someone might mention this. I skirted over the Tripper card (£5 all day ticket across all buses in Glasgow). It's a decent patch, or it would be if it were better publicised. But it's only a very very small patch. There's no equivalent to a proper multi-modal (bus/train/subway) all day or single ticket as is common in most continental European cities, especially in cities of a comparable size to Glasgow. The underlying issue is that the system we have offers extremely limited flexibility and value for travellers. A Tripper card, or something like this, is useful for people who plan well ahead, and maybe know they'll make use of it. It is only buses though. The city's transport network needs to be there for people to use almost on a whim. Be it for tourism, or getting to a job interview on the opposite side of the city, you shouldn't have to apply 3 weeks in advance for a card, which you then have to top up, and remember along with your Subway and Scotrail cards. We need an affordable and importantly accessible system that is effectively tun up and go. Relying on the goodwill of private operators participating on a voluntary basis won't get us there alone. GCC and SPT need more powers to create a proper integrated system, across all modes, and for all journey types. by eenbiertje (Tue 4th Jun 2019 7:40pm)
  • Box is a slightly less fashionable place than Sleazies and Broadcast, but it's also good for just wandering in and seeing a local live band for free if the mood strikes you (there's a stage right next to the front door behind the main window when you walk in). It's right next door to Nice and Sleazys and Broadcast. I like how the three are right next to each other, and all offering live music most nights of the week. Each one has a pretty distinct vibe too. by eenbiertje (Sun 9th Jun 2019 5:32pm)
  • Cheers for sharing that thread again. Would recommend anyone who didn't catch this recently and who cares about this issue to read the above link ^^^ **TL;DR** **GCC is not entirely to blame for shitty fragmented transport system in Glasgow. No UK city outside London has had the legal authority to control its transport system (mostly its bus networks) in any meaningful way since the Thatcher era.** We need the Scottish Govt and Parliament to legislate for new laws before anything can be done to fix this. Start campaigning for this change to happen at that level. by eenbiertje (Tue 11th Jun 2019 2:13am)
  • Not the council's job to get this sorted. In fact they're mostly powerless (much like all other UK cities) to do anything at the moment. Need the Scottish Parliament and Govt to get their finger out first. I wrote up a post about this just last week. https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/bwqwtf/better_glasgow_transport_get_glasgow_moving/ by eenbiertje (Tue 11th Jun 2019 2:17am)
  • I wouldn't say so, and neither would people like the Get Glasgow Moving campaign, or the folks that wrote the recent Connectivity Commission Report on behalf of Glasgow City Council. It's a fairly non-controversial opinion that public transport in Glasgow is a mess. Granted, the services and level of coverage is there - we have a subway, a big bus network, a rail network other cities would kill for. But it's fragmented, both with planning and ticketing. Prices increase steeply if you need to use multiple transport modes, or even multiple bus companies to get from A to B. It's limiting to the city's economy (business and tourism revenues which are lost from this), and limiting to the general life opportunities of the people who live here. There's a wide body of evidence showing poor access to public transport correlating strongly with deprivation levels. Until these UK laws are repealed, GCC can't do anything to bring the city's transport offerings under one roof (so then being able to provide genuinely good value tickets and route planning). Repealing these awful UK laws is exactly what the Scottish Parliament ought to exist to do. We need to push for it to be done. by eenbiertje (Tue 11th Jun 2019 2:37am)
  • My feeling is cause it's been relatively taboo until recently to broach the idea of bringing things back into public ownership. For the SNP and even Labour until the last few years, it would have been politically toxic to have touched it. The SNP in particular have had a pretty 'play it safe' approach to big policy questions, not wanting to alienate potential supporters. The idea of changing these laws and giving councils this power back has never been a hot button issue that's demanded their attention. Why would they risk volunteering to get behind it when they'd only get flak, I guess has been their thinking. It's been easy to ignore. Think this taboo has lifted in about the last 3 years or so. In any case, it's up to the public to keep pressing for it. It might reach a tipping point soon (appears to already have for Labour), where they recognise that it's a potential vote winning issue for them. If people keep it in the public debate long enough, the SNP might swing behind it too, for purely tactical electoral reasons (their current draft Transport Bill is really very weak on giving councils powers, and ignores much of the needed law change). by eenbiertje (Tue 11th Jun 2019 2:55am)
  • No worries, and cheers. It's become a bit of a nerdy passion of mine. I've been lucky to see how other cities get their transport systems right, and always wondered why we're so different to comparable continental cities in this. I'm convinced a lot of our endemic problems stem from the failures of our transport network (and that's the case for most other UK cities, not just Glasgow). I really want to see this changed soon. by eenbiertje (Tue 11th Jun 2019 3:06am)
  • They're outside the city border proper. Time is ripe for a compulsory annexation I think. by eenbiertje (Wed 12th Jun 2019 11:22am)
  • One of the ideas proposed in the big 2008(ish?) Scottish Transport Projects Review, was the idea of rebuilding a terminal station at St Enoch (on the site of the car park at Stockwell Street). Idea is that this would take over local services to the South and South West, leaving Central to handle medium/long distance routes to Ayrshire, Dumfries etc. and on down to England. The St Enoch station would use the mostly disused Union Line (the one that crosses the Clyde near the Gorbals) to connect to the southern/south western lines at Laurieston in a gap that was retained underneath the M74. Think there's a big chance this will happen in the medium term, given the capacity issues at Central, which aren't going away. by eenbiertje (Thu 13th Jun 2019 9:51pm)
  • Think they got this the wrong way about. You'll need to walk along to Hope Street and get the 4 across from the Pot Still. It'll take you straight to the uni. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th Jun 2019 11:30am)
  • There's loads of house building going on in the city at the moment, or at least planned for the next 2-5 years. Whole area around Calton is earmarked for the same work that's being done to Laurieston/Gorbals and Finnieston lately. There's an ambitious plan for all the disused space around the Broomielaw at the Kingston Bridge too. https://www.glasgowcitycentrestrategy.com/ by eenbiertje (Sun 16th Jun 2019 2:28am)
  • Miss the reggae guy who played his strat on Buchanan Street nearly every day. Wonder what happened to him. by eenbiertje (Wed 19th Jun 2019 11:27am)
  • Get this signed and shared folks. It's very good timing for Glasgow that First are looking to sell up, just as the Transport Bill's going through the Scottish Parliament. The Transport Committee voted just last week to amend the bill to give councils the power to either franchise out their entire bus networks, or to run their own TfL style network if they should want. Should this bill get through the third stage vote amongst MSPs (possibly in autumn), the city will finally have the power to get the bus and wider transport system under control, in a way that's normal in nearly every other EU country, but has been against UK law since the 80s. If the city could also get a hold of the bus infrastructure too, we'd have everything needed for a city run bus company. by eenbiertje (Fri 21st Jun 2019 4:27pm)
  • Yep, there were 2 amendments. One let's them franchise it out like TfL, other let's GCC set up its own bus company if it wants to. by eenbiertje (Fri 21st Jun 2019 5:21pm)
  • It's alright if you're doing a day trip somewhere mega far. The cost (£22.50 for 2 adults and 4 kids) seems ok value for that. But there's no flexible single ticket that you can use across all modes in the city, say for 90 mins to get you to where you're going like in most other comparable cities in Europe. Full cross modal integration (through use of a city transport smartcard, app or even paper tickets from machines) is needed and needed soon. So much economic activity is locked up for the fact our fragmented bus train and subway network is too cumulatively expensive and inflexible. by eenbiertje (Fri 28th Jun 2019 4:55pm)
  • The Plasterer saga by eenbiertje (Wed 3rd Jul 2019 11:42pm)
  • Transport Bill hasn't gone through the 3rd reading at Holyrood yet. Should do later this year hopefully, then it'll be law (if it passes as is). by eenbiertje (Thu 4th Jul 2019 12:11am)
  • Came to recommend this too by eenbiertje (Thu 11th Jul 2019 3:48pm)
  • This. Gentrification might be a specific issue in certain neighborhoods (Strathbungo, Dennieston, Finnieston) all to varying degrees. The extent to this being a problem for these areas, and whether it's a problem, is maybe a different debate. Large swathes of the city are noticeably underdeveloped with massive gap sites sticking out all around the periphery of the centre. Where there is development, it's of the temporary sort - converted warehouse buildings housing furniture showroom, gap sites acting as car parks (see Tradeston, parts of western Broomielaw, Trongate and eastwards). In part this is a consequence of the planning for the inner ring road that was never completed, leading to ambiguity over the permanence of these areas. I strongly welcome any development in these areas tbh. by eenbiertje (Thu 11th Jul 2019 4:07pm)
  • Fao u/rusticarchon too Look up The Great British Housing Disaster by Adam Curtis. One of the first documentary films he made I think, sometime in the 80s. Should find the full video somewhere (think it was on YouTube for a bit). Its on the absolutely astonishing quality to be frank of most post war tower builds in the uk. Basically flung together in a matter of months, flat pack style, none of which was tested to last more than a few decades at best. Many of these towers we're only pulled down in the 2000s, and many still remain in other British cities. by eenbiertje (Fri 12th Jul 2019 9:11am)
  • He's pish. by eenbiertje (Sat 13th Jul 2019 1:05pm)
  • Get on Amazon, find yourself a second hand copy of The Second City by Charles Allen Oakley. I picked up a copy for £1 in Voltaire and Rousseau in the west end (100% worth visiting anyway, but you can usually find decent Glasgow/Scottish interest books there on the cheap). Anyway The Second City is everything you'd be looking for. A pretty thorough, readable chronology of the city's whole history, with illustrations, newspaper cuttings, photos, maps etc throughout. Runs through everything major from the establishment of the town of Glasgow, through to the post war era and 1950s-60s when it was published. There's a big emphasis on the Victorian Era in the mid to late 19th century, cause that's when the city went through the most development. Cracking book. by eenbiertje (Thu 18th Jul 2019 2:30am)
  • This might be handy for you. SPT do an all-day 'Daytripper' ticket, £12.30 for one adult and two kids, or £21.80 for two adults and four kids. Lets you use all trains and most buses in Strathclyde, and the subway in Glasgow. It's not very widely publicised unfortunately and you need to pick one up at either the Glasgow Central or Queen Street Station ticket offices. If there's 2 or more of you, getting a few of these would probably be much better value than booking a regular train return ticket each. http://www.spt.co.uk/travelcards/day-tickets/ The area you can use it is pretty big as well: http://www.spt.co.uk/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/daytripper_map_web2.pdf This'd let you take a trip to Arrochar/Tarbet, where you could hike up the Arrochar Alps. Can see other in this thread have already suggested heading for The Cobbler. Would totally recommend this myself too. Also, best check out walkhighlands.com for more detailed walk info. The Daytripper would also let you go a little further along the west side of Loch Lomond, to Ardlui. I think you can get up Ben Vorlich from there, but not totally sure. by eenbiertje (Fri 19th Jul 2019 2:53am)
  • This might help you out. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/spy/ Lets you overlay old maps of Scotland over modern day ones. Has a decent catalogue of old maps from the National Library of Scotland that you can overlay. Might help you figure out more stuff about this :) by eenbiertje (Mon 22nd Jul 2019 4:32am)
  • It's right across from central station, and it's a proper historic and architecturally significant building. Hotel would be a fine thing for it to be used for. by eenbiertje (Mon 22nd Jul 2019 9:54pm)
  • A fair few more trees there now (and a bit less smog) https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.8321994,-4.2696768,26a,35y,349.72h,78.98t/data=!3m1!1e3 by eenbiertje (Wed 24th Jul 2019 6:40pm)
  • Don't have specific answers to why that area's in the nick it is now. There's changes coming though. That massive vacant lot next to Candleriggs is being cleared just now for a huge mixed housing development. And Argyle Street (from Central Station eastwards out to Trongate) is next up in the planning schedule for an Avenue makeover (like Sauchiehall St is getting now). These should make a fair difference to the entire area around Trongate I think. by eenbiertje (Fri 26th Jul 2019 2:20am)
  • As far as I know the longer Edinburgh trains (part of the electrification and improvement of the glasgow-edinburgh lines) needed much longer platforms at Queen Street. This was done, but meant less main concourse space. So in a way this clearing/expansion of the concourse area is related to improvements already made. Not meaning to be a Network Rail cheerleader, but I think that's the general reason for this happening. by eenbiertje (Tue 30th Jul 2019 4:32pm)
  • Witamy! by eenbiertje (Fri 2nd Aug 2019 4:02pm)
  • GCC Connectivity Commission recently recommended the opening of new tram lines across the city, some making use of old disused rail lines. Full thing here: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/connectivitycommission BBC story with some snazzy pics from the report (including a map of the proposed network) here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48070593 by eenbiertje (Fri 2nd Aug 2019 5:50pm)
  • I agree in part. Buses defo are slow and not at all suitable for moving people from the edge of Glasgow to the centre quickly - especially if they stop every 500m. But then a transport mode stopping this frequently does serve a purpose the more dense the key destinations become, especially the closer to the centre you're talking. Like I said though, these tram lines would be great because they mean a segregated (and therefore quicker/more reliable) transport mode from the edge to the centre. Buses are ideal for more central district to district transit. Other countries (Netherlands in particular) are going leaps and bounds ahead with entirely electric/battery powered buses, so they can conceivably be environmentally friendly too. Subway extension just isn't gonna happen though. It's outrageously expensive (especially with our unique gauge of subway), and I don't see it ever happening. Bring on these tram lines. With more regulation/organisation of Glasgow buses (and integration with the suburban rail system), this would probably be all we need to have a proper world class transport system in the city. by eenbiertje (Fri 2nd Aug 2019 11:50pm)
  • They weren't pretending otherwise. Most news reports spun it as some brand new grand masterplan for clicks, but yeah they're the pick of realistic doable-now ideas. Nothing wrong with drawing attention to them. by eenbiertje (Sat 3rd Aug 2019 7:45pm)
  • Yeah as others have said I think we'd normally call it someone doing their "telephone voice". Purposely affecting a cleaner accent to be understood. I'd really recommend watching this video by LangFocus on Scots and Scottish English. https://youtu.be/8X5zX3yVoiQ He explains it pretty well. In Scotland we speak on a bit of a spectrum, ranging from Scots at one end and Scottish English at the other. Next to no one at all speaks in total Scots (it's mostly dead as a full language), but most people sit somewhere in the middle of the spectrum and are capable of sliding a little up or down depending on the situation and company they're in. by eenbiertje (Mon 5th Aug 2019 10:54am)
  • Yeah we'd tend to call it doing your "telephone voice". Affecting a clearer accent (and changing your word choice) to be understood. LangFocus has a great video on Scots and Scottish English that's worth worth watching. https://youtu.be/8X5zX3yVoiQ He explains it pretty well. Most people in Scotland sit on a sort of language spectrum, with Scots at one end and Scottish English at the other end (our variant of Modern English, like you get Canadian/Australian/American English). While almost no one speaks in full blown Scots anymore (it's a mostly dead language, spoken in bits and pieces and absorbed into Scottish English), everyone tends to sit somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. We can usually slide up or down this spectrum depending on the situation and company we're in. by eenbiertje (Mon 5th Aug 2019 11:00am)
  • If you're looking for something super simple and dirt cheap just to have something to play on, Aldi usually have a mix of acoustic guitars for about £30-35. https://www.aldi.co.uk/freedom-36%22-student-guitar/p/084382230664102 I got a brilliant 2nd hand Yamaha in Biggars pawnshop on Argyle Street (west side of Central station) a few years back. Was dirt cheap and I remember them having loads of guitars. by eenbiertje (Mon 5th Aug 2019 11:24am)
  • In my experience Dutchies know nothing about it. They're completely perplexed anytime I've spoken to them about it. Also the King William they idolise (might be a strong word) is another one, the great grandfather of the King Billy of fame here. The one who liberated the Netherlands from Spain. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Silent He's probably the one you saw in Madame Tussaud's. If he's celebrated its through the lens of liberation from the ruling Spanish empire, not necessarily through any lingering protestant-catholic hostility. by eenbiertje (Thu 8th Aug 2019 11:05am)
  • Go up the lighthouse tower on Mitchell Street. It's in the old Rennie Mackintosh designed Glasgow Herald newspaper building. Now a design/arts museum / gallery space. Make sure you go right up the top mind, not just to the viewing window in the main building. There's spiral stairs on the top floor that'll take up right up the top of the tower. 360 degree of the city centre. by eenbiertje (Thu 8th Aug 2019 1:49pm)
  • I like it. by eenbiertje (Sat 10th Aug 2019 11:25am)
  • Go to the Drygate bar at the Tennent's brewery (Duke Street, east end of the city centre). Big array of beers made on site (and loads of others). There's a glass wall at one end of the bar where you get to watch them stirring the beer in the big vats and whatnot too. by eenbiertje (Tue 13th Aug 2019 11:35pm)
  • This. Union & Hope St are effectively the main bus gateway/terminal for the city centre area close to offices near Central, but in the afternoon onwards it can be close to gridlock due to the overall number of vehicles going though there. Can't really expect it to serve the purpose it does while the buses are competing with cars for road space, and here's also the general issue of buses that've picked up their passengers then being unable to clear the bus stop for other buses due to the traffic. It just ends up piling up til the road is jammed with buses unable to get to the bus stops. I'm all for this. by eenbiertje (Thu 15th Aug 2019 4:53pm)
  • Yep this is a big thing in Dutch city centres. Groningen and Delft (I think) pioneered it a couple of decades back. Basically you can enter from one side of the city centre box, and can maybe exit via a corner at an adjacent side. But it's impossible due to the road layouts, bus gates and pedestrianised streets to directly cross the city centres in a car. Instead you use the ring roads to go round the outside to the closest point to your eventual destination in the centre (or better yet cycle in!). by eenbiertje (Thu 15th Aug 2019 4:57pm)
  • They lost something like 70-85% of their city centre towards the end of the war but. Completely erased. They had to rebuild, and did so along the ultra modernist Soviet style lines of the time. They had dense tenement style blocks before that though. Come to think of it, it wasn't that drastically different from early 20th century Glasgow... Whereas their city was flattened out of spite for the failed uprising in 1944 by the Germans, we voluntarily blootered a motorway through the middle of ours. by eenbiertje (Thu 15th Aug 2019 8:56pm)
  • Some pedestrian button boxes have a twizzly twisty thing underneath, on the right hand side, that stops the traffic within seconds if you spin it round. I think this is a tactile twisty thing for visually impaired ppl to touch and know when the lights are green. But I'm convinced turning it does change the lights at some spots. by eenbiertje (Sat 17th Aug 2019 1:14am)
  • The short story: Thatcher gave people the right to buy their council houses in the 80s. Successive governments never built anywhere remotely close to enough to replace them. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_Buy by eenbiertje (Sat 17th Aug 2019 1:23am)
  • "The pavement layout for pedestrians makes you barely realise you’re crossing a road." That's sorta the point. It's meant to be a continuous footway. It's very common in the Netherlands and other European countries. It's only here that pedestrians have to stop for cars' right of way in nearly all situations, and not vice versa. Cars approaching from side streets don't have the right of way. Pedestrians going up/down/straight along the main street do. These are meant to reflect that. The onus is on the car driver entering from a side street to give way until it's clear. by eenbiertje (Sat 17th Aug 2019 10:58am)
  • They don't have he ability to yet. Need the Scottish Parliament to pass the Scottish govt's new transport bill. It contains necessary changes to Scottish law to allow councils to takeover/part run bus services should they wish to. Currently against UK law for cities apart from London to do this. Scot parl needs to pass this bill to give GCC the power. The city buying the buses is another question, but it comes after they get the powers. Check out the Get Glasgow Moving campaign for more information. Join our people-led campaign for a world-class, fully-integrated & accessible, publicly-owned, public transport network for everyone in our city https://twitter.com/GetGlesgaMoving?s=17 by eenbiertje (Tue 20th Aug 2019 1:22am)
  • I'm not assuming anything. I'm just letting the poster know the council doesn't have the power even if they wanted to buy (and First wanted to sell). by eenbiertje (Tue 20th Aug 2019 1:44am)
  • We're not in for decent summers. We're in for something similar to India's or south east Asia's erratic wet season. The projection is that the higher ocean temperatures will lead to a much more erratic (wavy) jet stream. Why does this matter to us? When the jet stream is north of us we have warm mid Atlantic winds and moisture coming our way. When it's south of us we have an arctic chill. The winds from the south west will be much wetter and warmer = much more rain and muggy weather when they pass over us. The jet stream being more erratic (sliding up and down the latitudes in a short period) means the weather will switch between this muggy wetness and arctic chill much more frequently. The erratic flow of the jet stream will also lead to more storms coming our way. This is just what's in store for us (since the jet stream is almost always right above us, and has such an immediate effect on our local climate). Other parts of the world will experience different changes. by eenbiertje (Tue 20th Aug 2019 10:28am)
  • Yep, agree with everything here. A new "main city rail station" was one of the ideas shortlisted in the last Scottish Transport Projects Review (STPR) back in 2007/8. Wasn't chosen bit it's very likely to be included again in the upcoming STPR 2 to be published soon this year. Like you say, the costed plan was/is for a new main terminal station to be built off the union line, where the King Street car park is now. Idea being it takes on some of the services coming from Ayrshire, leaving capacity at central for more local services (and possibly a HS4 platform and Glasgow Airport platform). Those Ayrshire services could then use the Union Line to continue on to the rest of Scotland (meaning travellers don't need to switch between Central and Queen Street). by eenbiertje (Sun 25th Aug 2019 2:34am)
  • Excuse the spam, but threads like these are exactly why we need to support: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/time-to-take-back-our-buses by eenbiertje (Sun 25th Aug 2019 12:58pm)
  • Anything you want to know? I'm pretty nerdy about the old rail tunnels and infrastructure, might be able to answer any questions you've got. The suggestions for sources in this thread are good places to start: the NLS map viewer, Hidden Glasgow, the Glasgow Metro page on Skyscrapercity.com (https://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2599#/forums/2599?page=1) has tonnes of threads and discussions about old tunnels (mostly people discussing how they might be brought back into use). by eenbiertje (Wed 11th Sep 2019 7:19pm)
  • Get really bored of this response to everything the council does. by eenbiertje (Fri 13th Sep 2019 12:16pm)
  • You'll be unlikely to meet the right people through this sub - best bet is post on gumtree, or also look if there's other people looking for bandmates there. Also, many guitar shops and rehearsal studios around town have a bulletin board with requests like this. And gave a look on Facebook for various Glasgow musician / band groups. Don't know any specific ones off the top of my head but I know there's loads. You're bound to find some people through that. Best of luck! by eenbiertje (Sat 14th Sep 2019 1:21pm)
  • Wtf are people talking about when they say this. Sauchiehall street's heaving any time I see it. by eenbiertje (Sat 21st Sep 2019 10:23am)
  • https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-49760473 I think it mighta been misreported a week back. Council asked them to voluntarily cancel. And 4 of them running today refused. by eenbiertje (Sat 21st Sep 2019 10:21am)
  • This'll be what you want. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-City-Charles-Allen-Oakley/dp/0216929946 Thorough history of the city from medieval times up to the 1950/60s. Tonnes of photos, sketches, newspaper cuttings etc. Really has a lot to say especially about the development of the city from around 1800 on. You can pick up second hand copies on Amazon for about £3, but I got one in Voltaire and Rousseau in the west end for a quid one day. I'd recommend popping in there as they usually have a lot of similar themed second hand books lying around. In terms of more recent books, I'd strongly recommend Glasgow: Mapping The City. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Glasgow-Mapping-City-Cities/dp/1780273193 Big coffee table book basically running through 400+ years of the city in maps. Fantastic book. by eenbiertje (Mon 23rd Sep 2019 2:30am)
  • How do you know they were/weren't Scots (and honestly... what does it matter)? Were you counting kilts and See You Jimmy hats along your wee walk? by eenbiertje (Tue 24th Sep 2019 2:39pm)
  • It's really really not. GCC and all other councils had their rights to interfere in public transport severely curbed in 1986 by the Thatcher govt (London got an exemption, allowing it to set up TfL). Manchester and a couple over new "mayoral regions" in England recently petitioned Westminster to change the law to give them greater control over transport matter and set up TfL type organisations. We can't do it in Glasgow cause it's up to the Scottish Parliament to pass legislation to allow it first. There's a new transport bill working its way through the Scottish Parliament at the moment. It proposed meaningless changes but it was amended in committee thankfully to include these powers for councils. It's heading for a final vote in parliament on 8th October. If and after it becomes law, GCC and others will be able to step in to make transport better connected / joined up in the city in a way they've not been able to do for 30+ years. Would strongly recommend anyone who cares about the council getting these powers to follow the Get Glasgow Moving campaign - https://twitter.com/GetGlesgaMoving?s=17 They had a large part in getting these powers added to the bill. by eenbiertje (Wed 25th Sep 2019 1:51pm)
  • For cheap and cheerful I really like Bloc's menu at the moment. by eenbiertje (Wed 25th Sep 2019 2:54pm)
  • Pollok Park. It's the old family estate of the guy that owned half the southside before it was given to the city. You can get there pretty easily by bus or train from Central Station. The country house and gardens in the middle are worth visiting and a nice place to sit and have a picnic (it's next to the River Cart and a wee old water mill). Also you can usually see Highland cows in the paddocks close to the house itself. by eenbiertje (Wed 25th Sep 2019 4:42pm)
  • I think they must mean Revolution on Mitchell Street, can't think of any other one. It's definitely not communist themed though... Just a typical cocktail bar. Is it possible this got mixed up with Bloc? It was renovated recently to be a more generic bar, but it used to go heavy on the "eastern bloc" and communist era theme. Not the case anymore though, but still a good place. by eenbiertje (Thu 26th Sep 2019 7:58pm)
  • If you do go, they're usually in the big field that's on your left hand side when you walk along the main path from the Pollokshaws West station entrance westwards towards Pollok House. Though sometimes they're hanging around in a wee field across the stone bridge over the Cart, on the south side of the house. Me and my gf got lucky one day and their calves were poking their heads through the hedges on the path at that side. Hope you enjoy! by eenbiertje (Thu 26th Sep 2019 8:01pm)
  • Check this site out: http://www.gigguide.co.uk/Glasgow%20Listings/glasgowsaturday.htm by eenbiertje (Fri 27th Sep 2019 7:47pm)
  • You'd need the "Network" ticket that includes both "City" and "Local" zones. by eenbiertje (Sun 29th Sep 2019 10:24am)
  • There's the SPT Zonecard, which is a multimodal ticket that lets you use trains, the subway, and most buses. Unlike many other European cities though, it isn't a blanket cross-city pass. It applies only to those zones that you pay for. There's not five or six zones, but 16 or so around the city proper, and maybe 50 or so around the wider Strathclyde region. Depending on where you're commuting from and to, the cost might escalate so much to make it not worth your while. You'll probably need to study the prices and maps to see if it'd be a good deal for you. Think carefully if you'll really need daily access to 2 or more travel modes. http://www.spt.co.uk/travelcards/zonecard/ Beyond that, the different bus companies offer their own weekly and monthly tickets. First is the biggest company with the widest coverage. Depending where you're living though, you might find McGills or Stagecoach have routes that do you fine. Again, it's a shame but it's worth your while looking into what company you'll be relying on and going with that. ------------------ **P.S.** I'm letting everyone know about this whenever this topic comes up - the Scottish Parliament will be voting on the Transport Bill on 9th October. It contains powers for councils to takeover or setup their own municipal transport networks, like is normal in almost every other European country. If it passes, this jumbled mess of multiple companies and different layers of pricing and ticketing could well disappear. If anyone reading this is concerned about it passing I'd recommend writing to your MSP about it pronto. by eenbiertje (Tue 1st Oct 2019 9:27pm)
  • I think that is the plan - to remove car traffic from that portion of the broomielaw. At the very least Clyde Street is about to get the Avenue treatment. It's up next in the sequence after Sauchiehall Street (nearly done) and Argyle Street. by eenbiertje (Thu 3rd Oct 2019 11:16am)
  • This is essentially right. It'd likely be hit by a couple of 2-3 megaton warheads, cratering the base and the shoreside hills by the loch. Since they'd be aiming to get at the stuff underneath the ground at Faslane, my guess is it'd be a ground burst/bunker buster, not an air burst, which wouldn't be good at all... this means drastically more radioactive fallout from all the contaminated debris flung up into the air. The winds tend to pass eastward, so this would be deposited over the central belt and likely as far as the Aberdeenshire coast. Basically where everyone in Scotland lives. Worth remembering though if this was because of a full scale nuclear war, Glasgow would be targeted too, so we'd all be toast anyway. by eenbiertje (Thu 3rd Oct 2019 11:25am)
  • As far as I know (was quite nerdy about cold war stuff in my younger days), there's different grades of plans on both sides, depending on the scale of the conflict. A typical cold war era target list for a major exchange included not just weapons stockpiles and naval bases, but airports, power stations, centres of infrastructure, major hospitals, centres of commerce and/or government, and supply networks (rail yards, storage depots etc.). It wasn't ever really that big populations were directly targeted, just that these types of things (storage depots, engineering works, hospitals, airports, government headquarters) tend to be in and around cities. Because of this, in a full scale war Glasgow (just like Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh, many other cities too) would be targeted by a couple of warheads, each aiming for a specific point of infrastructure. by eenbiertje (Thu 3rd Oct 2019 11:57am)
  • Some genuine actual **good news** for everyone with an interest in the mess that is Glasgow's bus network: The Scottish Transport Bill passed in the Scottish Parliament days ago! Complete with powers for councils to run their own bus companies! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-49999555 We've been crying out for this change for years. And it's finally happened. Could see big changes to how Glasgow buses (and overall transport system) work in the next few years! by eenbiertje (Fri 11th Oct 2019 11:44am)
  • "What's that on top of your telly?" "That's ma toes" by eenbiertje (Sun 13th Oct 2019 11:03am)
  • Trouble is that stretch of the M8's not deep enough. The early renders for the planned cover at Charing Cross only go about 1 block to the south, to roughly level with Bath Street, with a little wedge/wrap around connecting it to the Mitchell Library. But further south than that and the motorway simply isn't low enough to stick a roof on. The logical thing to do would be burrow the road a couple meters lower to give room for lorries and buses, but problem is that there's a humongous water pipe (and other utilities running North/South directly underneath the middle of the lanes there). Anything a possible, but the cost of doing it quickly jumps from "let's pop a roof on this section of road" to "major root and branch infrastructure project affecting the whole city". by eenbiertje (Wed 16th Oct 2019 7:15pm)
  • Yeah of course. I should've noted that too. That's probably at least as problematic as water and utilities pipes that run North-South beneath the central barrier. by eenbiertje (Wed 16th Oct 2019 8:53pm)
  • Zebra crossings are absolutely everywhere in the rest of Europe, and it's just standard that a driver will stop if a pedestrian is using one (or on the verge of using one). I think it's partly through their rarity (and other issues relating to the UK being an inherently pro car place) that drivers don't act properly around them. It's really hard to adjust to how it is here, and honestly I agree with OP. It doesn't feel like we have the right balance in terms of car users and everyone else making their way from a to b on the streets. Between the typically mega long wait times at crossing lights, lack of faith that drivers will slow at zebra crossings, and excessive grey metal railings blocking obvious desire lines at junctions, walking in Glasgow (and most other UK cities) is not an enjoyable experience. by eenbiertje (Wed 16th Oct 2019 10:53pm)
  • Yep 100%. There are routine and long-term issues in this city (as with any city really) of which we're all aware, but there's a huge amount of change going on and planned for the next few years in Glasgow that either isn't widely known, or is being reported only in a piecemeal way. I'm totally aware I sound like a council-shill here, but when you add it all up the city could well look dramatically different within just 5-10 years: * the 12+ "Avenues" projects * the "City Way" cycle lanes which will *eventually* be on every major road out of the city * the re-population plan for city centre neighbourhoods * the office construction in the IFSD, Tradeston, Broomielaw * the massive regeneration and effective reconstruction of Sighthill into a semi-urban neighbourhood, one of the biggest urban neighbourhood regeneration projects of its kind anywhere in Europe * the similar regeneration and rehousing of Laurieston/Gorbals, Calton and Govan (with the planned footbridge to Partick). * the plans supported/endorsed by the Connectivity Commission * the the recent Scottish law change that allows city's greater control over bus networks)... the city could be a dramatically different place in just 5-10 by eenbiertje (Mon 21st Oct 2019 8:12pm)
  • [Amsterdam, before and after #2](https://www.google.com/search?q=amsterdam+before+and+after&sxsrf=ACYBGNRnCA3dZENLJ5SVHFMQdG-xmo_OWA:1571685446049&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwifjtfFiK7lAhX1QEEAHYPSB04Q_AUIEigB&biw=1366&bih=625#imgrc=dpVwXFJSXLwJJM) by eenbiertje (Mon 21st Oct 2019 8:19pm)
  • Union Street. There's maybe worse in terms of actual risk to personal harm, but for somewhere that thousands of people have to pass through at all hours of the day, right next to the main train station, it's beyond grim. Mind it's the first thing a lot of people visiting the city will see too. Dirty, grey, filled with rubbish, scaffolding at the Egyptian Halls, drugs being sold/done in plain sight down by the bus stops, alley ways that run off it closed (with good reason) and visibly grimy/rank. Completely embarrassing. by eenbiertje (Wed 30th Oct 2019 11:10am)
  • The train from Central lower level does a big bendy route southwards then up through Lanarkshire. Stops at loads of places and takes ages. There's three routes that use Queen Street. The two from the lower level go more or less the same way between Glasgow and Edinburgh, but branch off to Milngavie and Balloch respectively when they go west of Glasgow. The speedy express route goes from upper level Queen Street to Edinburgh, stopping at a handful of stations (mostly near Falkirk). Good article about it here (mostly for a non Scottish audience): https://www.citymetric.com/transport/how-can-you-travel-between-edinburgh-and-glasgow-let-me-count-ways-4432 by eenbiertje (Wed 13th Nov 2019 6:11pm)
  • Check social media pages for the Scotia, Clutha, Tollbooth, Park Bar, or The Lismore. They're probably your best bets with different types of music on in most of those places every Sunday. Each tends to change between folk/traditional and modern/pub rock/covers week to week though, so best check online or even better call ahead and ask. This site might be useful too: http://www.gigguide.co.uk/Glasgow%20Listings/glasgowsunday.htm Personally think the Scotia's your best bet. by eenbiertje (Wed 13th Nov 2019 8:12pm)
  • Yass there it is. by eenbiertje (Mon 18th Nov 2019 6:39pm)
  • Yep. Along with the brand new Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS), the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC). Inchinnan Business Park, Westway Park and the soon to be regenerated Paisley Harbour are all in that big red splodge too. by eenbiertje (Tue 19th Nov 2019 1:18pm)
  • Ah I think I might've invented the Paisley Harbour branding! - this is basically what I was thinking of though: http://www.glasgowcityregion.co.uk/article/9114/Plans-submitted-for-major-infrastructure-projects The area from the airport down both sides of the River Cart is meant to be getting regenerated. Covers what used to be "Paisley Harbour" in the olden days. by eenbiertje (Tue 19th Nov 2019 11:15pm)
  • Bamfest 2020 by eenbiertje (Wed 27th Nov 2019 8:58pm)
  • Box most (all?) nights of the week, Howlin Wolf. Sleazys does an open mic night I'm sure. Malone's (the one down the back of Howlin Wolf). Bloc has stuff regularly, not always ticketed. The Scotia, Clutha, The Park Bar, Jinty McGinty's, The Tolbooth, Mchuils, the Lismore. by eenbiertje (Thu 28th Nov 2019 12:24am)
  • Aye as kingminerva says, the area on the left/west side is meant to be getting developed into a mixed use site called "Central Quay". One of the buildings is already there, think the rest of the site plan has been dragging on for years (possibly since the financial crash). There's been signs it'll be getting built fairly soon though. The right/east side is coming under the city's Broomielaw district in the city centre district plan. Major part of this apparently will be the vacant streets being redrawn into a tighter grid, and it's mostly being set aside for large housing development. I'll see if I can find a video of one of the architects on the project talking about the grand plan, it was really interesting. Edit: aye here's a link: https://youtu.be/8NIyeGTpD7c He starts talking about Broomielaw specifically about 18 mins in. by eenbiertje (Sun 1st Dec 2019 10:57am)
  • Not quite. It's too early to call it a plan, but the council's Connectivity Commission identified a bunch of routes in their report earlier this year. There's a map from their report (halfway down this article), showing how a network with those lines might look: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-scotland-48070593 The priority one they identified was using a combination of the FastLink bus lane to govan, then existing rail to Braehead, then installing on road tram tracks to Renfrew and the airport. They've also essentially cannibalised/repurposed the proposed "Strathclyde Tram" proposal from the 90s, which would see a route from Drumchapel, through the city then all the way out eastwards to Easterhouse. by eenbiertje (Fri 6th Dec 2019 10:03pm)
  • It would've been the southern flank of the Glasgow inner ring road, cutting through Tradeston before turning to cross the river and meet the eastern flank at Glasgow Green. There's loads of quality info about it here: https://www.glasgows-motorways.org.uk/south-east-flanks/4594130869 by eenbiertje (Sun 8th Dec 2019 10:06pm)
  • Just a wee thing - the Tay House bridge thing was never meant to be a bridge/offramp. It was always just gonna be a platform with a building popped on it. The original idea was to have something grander (maybe grand is the wrong word... as nothing from that era was very "grand"). It was gonna have a large building, housing a restaurant on the top floor with a wide viewing window looking down the M8. Instead it say empty for ages til the offices were plopped on top of it. by eenbiertje (Mon 9th Dec 2019 6:28pm)
  • Oh Christ, Edinburgh is leaking. by eenbiertje (Tue 10th Dec 2019 12:03am)
  • Don't think they're exactly expecting to overthrow the government. Nothing wrong with people taking time out of their lives to get together to connect and express joint solidarity in public if they feel the need, for this or for anything else. by eenbiertje (Fri 13th Dec 2019 11:46pm)
  • I think when everything's factored in, this is genuinely one of the best cities to live in Europe: Cost of living (for rent + general spend on shopping, transport, leisure) vs typical income is on the whole much much better than similar cities elsewhere. Culture: Loads of free museums and cultural centers; loads of regular arts/music/film/neighbourhood festivals thoughout the year; fantastic local music scene; the Hydro/Academy/RCH/Barras etc means we're a stop off point on nearly all major acts' tours; plenty of good pubs and restaurants in the city centre and west end. Economy: quite a mixed city economy, with all sorts of trades and business going on. Lots of global companies with offices, and it being the biggest city in Scotland, a lot of key institutions (public sector, charities etc) are based here, or very close by in commuting distance towns like East Kilbride, Paisley etc. Huge service industry with tonnes of bars/restaurants, shops and events places. Public transport: Comprehensive (biggest suburban train network in UK outside London, loads of bus routes, we have the subway too), but it's not joined up and can be cheap to quite expensive depending how you use it. Some other things: the city's neighbourhoods are all becoming quite distinct with hotspots (other than the city and west end) sprouting up all the time. The west end is almost like another city in itself, and just a nice place to spend your time. Some of the city's Victorian architecture is downright amazing (something it shares with Birmingham I think?). There's some fantastic parks across the city, and we have two very big football teams. I've lived here most of my life, and while the weather's generally shite, and some parts of the city are still in dire need of regeneration and general tlc, the city's improved so much in just the last 15 years or so. Comparing it to others in the UK, and even abroad, on balance I cant say anything other than I feel quite lucky to live here. by eenbiertje (Sun 15th Dec 2019 3:00am)
  • * Local authority budgets cut by up to 48% by central UK government since 2010 * Glasgwegians being long-term inclined to dumping their shite at their arse Combination of these two things makes for a fairly manky city. by eenbiertje (Thu 19th Dec 2019 11:35pm)
  • For old style pubs where you're likely to meet locals/people up for a chat: The Scotia or The Clutha on Stockwell Street in the centre (near the river). The Lismore on Dumbarton Road in the west end. Probably a bunch of similar other pubs nearby in the west end, but none I can recommend from personal experience. Would be keen to hear any recommendations from others too. by eenbiertje (Fri 27th Dec 2019 4:44pm)
  • This pisses me the fuck off. That the Tradeston end is blocked off is one thing (there's a massive hole in the quayside that's not been repaired - which is an issue in itself). But the series of fences and sealed gates at the side of the squinty bridge, which *should* be open to allow access to the path that goes eastward to the Quay, is an absolute pain in the arse. I'm a novice cyclist who would cycle into the city from where I live in a heartbeat, if there were a safe route that avoided the need to encounter road traffic. The frustrating thing is there's an *actual fully built cycle lane* that connects the Quay to the city centre through Tradeston, there's just no way to get there legally without cycling along the PR. Glad to see someone else raising this. I'm thinking of writing to the ward councillors about it, and think others should too. by eenbiertje (Sat 28th Dec 2019 8:48pm)
  • It's coming out of the city deal funds (at least partly). The riverside redevelopment is one strand of the overall city centre repopulation strategy. More info here: https://www.glasgowcitycentrestrategy.com/ https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/25299/Glasgows-City-Centre-Living-Strategy-aims-to-double-areas-population by eenbiertje (Sat 28th Dec 2019 11:27pm)
  • Yeah sure, maybe I wasn't clear in how I was describing it. It's basically a short spur from the South West City Way (from the city centre to Pollokshields) that juts out west to just under the Kingston Bridge - but it's a spur to nowhere since it stops there. By opening up the riverside path at Mavisbank Gardens, you'd immediately connect that spur to a clydeside cycle path that goes down to the BBC and beyond. It's frustrating/infuriating that we've already got 2 semi decent cycle routes that are within touching distance, connecting pretty much everything from Govan to Tradeston and the city centre, then southwards to Pollokshields, except for this ~200m stretch at the river that's closed to public access. by eenbiertje (Sun 29th Dec 2019 12:25am)
  • You mention a path south of the Quay, what one are you meaning? by eenbiertje (Sun 29th Dec 2019 11:34am)
  • Right aye. But my basic point was that since the clydeside path from the Squinty Bridge to the Quay (along Mavisbank Gardens) is closed off (OPs original point), there's no way to get to that tiny Tradeston cycle path. That's the difficulty and frustration. If not for that blockage Mavisbank Gardens, a large portion of the south side from Ibrox to Tradeston would be connected to a legit cycle friendly network, which leads into the city, or south from there to Pollokshields. Ideally all arterial roads would have protected cycle lanes (like is being done to Victoria Road). Plan if for that to happen eventually, but it'll take years and a lot of money. By simply opening up the Mavisbank Clyde path, much of the work of having a Paisley Road cycle path would already be done. by eenbiertje (Sun 29th Dec 2019 3:55pm)
  • There's a short segregated cycle lane that runs along Kingston Street (I think it's called that, it's just marked A8 on google maps). Runs for about 300 metres from underneath the Kingston Bridge to the squiggly footbridge at Tradeston. It's not much more than a wee spur to the much longer cycle route that runs from town, southwards along West Street and on into Pollokshields. Since this wee spur stops a little bit east of the Quay though, I dunno what it's meant to accomplish. by eenbiertje (Mon 30th Dec 2019 10:47am)
  • Agreed. Absolute tacky shite. by eenbiertje (Tue 31st Dec 2019 11:56am)
  • Any specific questions? Happy to help. Fire away. by eenbiertje (Tue 31st Dec 2019 3:26pm)
  • Yeah it is. Tbh those people I know that use it live on the proper outskirts of Glasgow, or make their way in by train from commuter towns/suburbs. Most people in the city get by with one of either: a monthly subway ticket, or a specific bus company ticket. We've got multiple bus companies, but First is the main one with the most routes/coverage. You'll most likely be fine with one of these monthly (bus/subway) passes, depending where you live. Zonecard isn't really worth it unless you know for sure you'll need to make regular use of 2+ modes to get around. by eenbiertje (Tue 31st Dec 2019 7:27pm)
  • Your best shout might be asking them directly over Twitter. The first bus website is (I think purposely) totally unclear on ticket prices. Any other stops on the route and you just need the right network ticket, but from memory there's a distinct charge for going to the airport. Think it was £6 last I saw. by eenbiertje (Wed 1st Jan 2020 9:08pm)
  • Catholic Action https://youtu.be/vdpMuRXoItA by eenbiertje (Sat 4th Jan 2020 11:57am)
  • Was proposed, not promised. Was only ever a rough idea/plan with proposed new stations. BBC article says funding has been agreed between Renfrewshire and GCC, so looks like this will go ahead. by eenbiertje (Mon 6th Jan 2020 2:54pm)
  • They're different systems, the people planning this one aren't the ones that ended the old tram / trolley bus network, and that had its own reasons for ending. At the time the endless rise of motor vehicle use led the city to believe it wasn't needed. by eenbiertje (Mon 6th Jan 2020 2:58pm)
  • I think this will happen. It's the wider value that will make it happen. At first it'll be a link between Paisley and the airport. But the line will extend to Renfrew (unserviced by rail), on to Braehead, then possibly Govan or across the river into the city. by eenbiertje (Mon 6th Jan 2020 3:08pm)
  • I disagree with the waterboat idea. I mean maybe it could happen as well, but I don't think it's a replacement/alternative to an Airport-Renfrew-Glasgow tram line. In terms of what it will destroy along the way, much of the full Airport-Renfrew-Glasgow route would use a combo of vacant old rail alignment or new roads that were built with an eventual tram in mind (the fast link route from the centre to Govan via the squinty bridge). It'll also tie in with a major redevelopment of the area between Paisley and the airport that's going ahead anyway. by eenbiertje (Mon 6th Jan 2020 5:13pm)
  • Thing that's maybe understandably being lost with the headlines focussing on the airport angle - this would be the 1st stage of a further line that would eventually carry on from the airport to Renfrew, Braehead, Govan then along the clydeside FastLink route to Glasgow. Giving the airport a 5 min connection to the Paisley line (itself quite quick on getting into Glasgow) is a big benefit, but once it gets extended it'll bring even more benefits. Sometimes these big projects need an initial impetus to get everyone on board and shovels in the ground, and the Paisley-Airport connection is just that here. >Surely a Metro would be better off replacing some of the existing suburban rail lines like the Cathcart circle? They suggested doing exactly this as well in the Connectivity Commission report, as part of the final overall "metro" network (p28 here: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/connectivitycommission). by eenbiertje (Mon 6th Jan 2020 7:04pm)
  • You bet https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EAtV85GXkAAQSPr.jpg (Taken from here) https://twitter.com/GC_Archives/status/1156112238501093377?s=20 by eenbiertje (Mon 6th Jan 2020 8:21pm)
  • You can check this site too http://www.gigguide.co.uk/Glasgow%20Listings/glasgowmonday.htm by eenbiertje (Thu 9th Jan 2020 7:23pm)
  • Check this site just before you come over: http://www.gigguide.co.uk/Glasgow%20Listings/glasgowmonday.htm. Listings of most free (although some may be ticketed, but will likely be very cheap) gigs on at bars and small venues around the city. It's updated every month. Company/guy/whoever's behind it publishes it as a small booklet/zine that can be found in many pubs across town. It's a mix of house bands (that may have a residency at some place and play regularly once a wee), pub rock/cover bands, up and coming young local bands. Maybe some smaller international touring bands at the bigger venues too. You're bound to find something to your fancy through that. Some general tips if visiting and looking for live bands you can just walk in and see: The Scotia and The Clutha are two old/traditional pubs very close together that have free bands many nights of the week. A mix of pub rock cover bands, singersongwriters and traditional music. Sauchiehall Street has 3 music bars right next to one another: Nice n Sleazys, and Broadcast, which have ticketed gigs in their basement and are generally a place to see local bands that are on the up. Box has free gigs on in the bar itself nearly every night of the week. Could recommend plenty more, but depends on your tastes and what you're looking for. Those are good starters though I reckon. by eenbiertje (Mon 13th Jan 2020 9:40pm)
  • More history than supernatural, but there's the Govan stones: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Govan_Stones. Also, Dumbarton Castle atop the rock was the fortress capital of the old Brythonic Kingdom of Alt Fluid, or Strathclyde. It's so overlooked by Glaswegians but it's honestly one of the most remarkable historic sites in Europe that's also very accessible. Well worth a visit for about a fiver for the entrance fee. by eenbiertje (Thu 16th Jan 2020 10:29pm)
  • Also strongly recommend the hills and Corbets (one might be a Munro?) around Arrochar. The cobbler especially. The West Highland railway line runs through there on its way to Oban, and it's quite affordable for a day return. If you're with a pal, you should check out the SPT Daytripper ticket. Let's you get around all of Strathclyde on any transport for a day, for about £23 for two adults (and up to 4 kids). http://www.spt.co.uk/travelcards/day-tickets/ by eenbiertje (Sat 18th Jan 2020 6:10pm)
  • There's patches which are fairly grim, but honestly overall the centre has improved so much in the last 20ish years. Granted the actual legit top class areas (Buchanan & Gordon Street; Merchant City) are islands in the grey, but I think you need to remember what the whole of the town used to look like not even that long ago. The council has a massive regeneration plan for the city centre, already underway. Loads of individual plans and projects are in the pipeline, ranging from the "avenue" styling of Sauchiehall Street being rolled out to 16 other streets, widening of pavements to allow for outdoor cafe seating like is normal on the continent, added bus gates to limit car access (making the town more pedestrian friendly and less polluted), etc. There's loads of notable gap sites getting filled (Candleriggs/Trongate, the King Street car park, Pitt Street, Barclays down at Tradeston), and new builds/hotels going up over the next 2 years. Whatever we think of the use of these sites (some is housing or office, but a lot is student flats or hotels) it all means the city's gonna be bustling in a few short years in a way it simply hasn't been in potentially 100 years. Think we can be hopeful about how transformed for the better the city centre will be in just 3-5 years time. by eenbiertje (Sun 19th Jan 2020 8:30pm)
  • The Park Bar in Finnieston, or the Islay Inn round the corner both do haggis / mince and tatties and that sort of thing on their food menu. by eenbiertje (Sat 25th Jan 2020 5:09pm)
  • Hmm got 2 thoughts: The regeneration of empty lots (or lack of) is a separate issue from the avenues project. Think we should be happy the avenues are being spread out where they are, Stockwell Street included. The King Street car park is gonna be filled in eventually, I think the hold up is that the east side has been reserved for a possible new small city centre terminal train station, doing something of the job the old St Enoch station did. It was talked about in the Scottish government's transport project review in 2007, but didn't get final approval. My guess is that the upcoming review next spring will decide if it is to happen or not. Besides that, the council invited concepts of what could be done with it recently as a back up - here's one example: https://www.holmesmiller.com/blog/2019/6/27/union-yards-glasgow. Second point - this avenue's quite disappointing really. The bike lane stops half way down it, and the lower half of Stockwell Street is barely changed. (It might be that the lower half is barely improved because it's next to two blocks which are gonna be fundamentally redesigned though). by eenbiertje (Sun 26th Jan 2020 10:56am)
  • My major gripe is that the connection to Partick seems far from pedestrian friendly/convenient. Will need to see more from detailed plans once they're published, but think the master plan was a missed opportunity - should have had more demand placed on a north south through route by the council, connecting the Govan bridge to Bytes Road and or Partick interchange with as few steps/ interruptions as possible. by eenbiertje (Tue 28th Jan 2020 5:40pm)
  • Fairly simplistic point of view this. The council deals with hundreds of issues. They have different departments that deal with different issues. The city's clogged with polluting buses and private vehicles, and this is a step to fix that specific problem, in the city's central square. Other council departments exist to combat retail decline, with things planned for that very problem too. by eenbiertje (Wed 29th Jan 2020 11:27am)
  • You know the city deal money is being used to do exactly this? The Avenue programme includes 12+ streets, including the full length of Argyle Street, High Street and Sauchiehall Street. by eenbiertje (Wed 29th Jan 2020 12:58pm)
  • The money is coming direct from the £1b City Deal infrastructure fund. The council site has more detail on it here: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/25523/Findings-of-George-Square-Conversation-released Essentially, this doesn't look like new money thrown at a new project - the £10m talked about covers the nearby "Avenue" projects which are being applied to George Street and Hanover Street anyway. Since they wrap around George Square, it makes sense that the council's applying the findings from their George Square consultation to the design rules that'll be sent out to contractors for the Avenueisation of the streets next to it. If you read through the council news post, you'll see most of the changes will come from the final Avenue effects/benefits of George and Hanover streets. Most news reports are jumping on the pedestrianisation of the east and west sides, but that's just a stopgap til the full avenue changes happen. by eenbiertje (Wed 29th Jan 2020 2:41pm)
  • My best guess is they were firing a new train into the system from the maintenance yard, but had one scheduled to be at Ibrox within minutes so just rattled that one on through without stopping. by eenbiertje (Wed 5th Feb 2020 9:42pm)
  • It's a bit misleading in how it's being reported. The 10mil is related to George Street and the other surrounding streets which are being turned into "Avenues" anyway, like Sauchiehall Street. The council news release on their website says this, bit most of the news coverage doesn't go into this detail, and summarises it to be just for some George Square specific renovation project, which isn't what's happening. by eenbiertje (Fri 7th Feb 2020 8:16am)
  • This is the revised and I think final version of the plan, that was designed to avoid Saltmarket, Glasgow Cross and High Street (at the cost of passing over Glasgow Green, then continuing over the old Collegelands Railyards). The east flank would join up with what is now the M8 at the Townhead Interchange. You can still see today where room was left at this junction for a four way motorway junction and the necessary sliproads. The south flank would've joined with the west flank at the "ski jump", in Tradeston. Original plans ranged from having the ring road completely replace the Saltmarket-High Street road alignment, to having an elevated road run above, or very close in parallel to it. One plan involved the east flank tunnelling under a proposed "Cathedral Square". One thing missing from the model here, is the proposed Hamilton Motorway, which in most plans would have ran through Glasgow Green. Some plans envisioned this junction being completely or partially underground. More info here: https://www.glasgows-motorways.org.uk/south-east-flanks/4594130869 by eenbiertje (Tue 11th Feb 2020 7:35pm)
  • Yeah, well parallel to it, in the place of the canal. https://www.glasgows-motorways.org.uk/maryhill-motorway/4583129363 You can see where one of the sliproads would've connected up to the M8 here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/eG4ZmksPhcozgkQDA by eenbiertje (Tue 11th Feb 2020 8:33pm)
  • It's all happened / been happening/ still being rolled out. New contactless ticket machines and barriers (new electronic ticket system overall tbh), station refurbs (think West Street and a handful of others still need done), a load of works in the tunnels, mostly on water prevention, and works at the engineering/maintenance yard in Govan. by eenbiertje (Wed 12th Feb 2020 3:11pm)
  • The Scottish government did change the laws on transport to give councils some powers over buses (just last year). It was piecemeal and not the full range of powers needed, but GGM had a big effect in keeping it on the agenda, particularly with Labour and Green MPs who pushed for it and made the necessary amendments to the Transport Bill. by eenbiertje (Wed 12th Feb 2020 4:56pm)
  • Meant to add, as far as I know a lot of the unseen work is in preparation for the new driverless trains, meant to be coming this year but pushed back to 2021 at least. Stations will need glass barriers put in to line up with the doors as far as I remember hearing. by eenbiertje (Wed 12th Feb 2020 5:28pm)
  • Pressuring your MSP at this stage will have limited effect: the Transport Bill has already been made into law. The fight over what powers it gave (or didn't give) to councils to control transport was last summer, when thankfully, some actions were passed into law. At this stage, the council now has powers to franchise citywide a bus service out to a company of its choosing (complete with rules that must be followed, minimum service provisions, etc). Or it has the power now to set up its own bus company needed. So, at this stage, actually bending the ear of councillors directly, is what we all should be doing. by eenbiertje (Thu 13th Feb 2020 12:24am)
  • Most visitor places (museums, nearby castles) will be closed in the evening unfortunately. I'd recommend stopping by one of he older style pubs either in the centre or the west end, where you'll catch either folk music or a house band. This is the best site for listings of gigs in pubs and small venues across the city: http://www.gigguide.co.uk/Glasgow%20Listings/glasgowthursday.htm From glancing at it, I can see there's live bands on Thursdsy at The Scotia, The Lismore, the Park Bar and The Islay Inn (those last 2 are very close to one another in the west end). Those would be my recommendations, with the latter 3 being good places to get traditional Scottish food. by eenbiertje (Sun 23rd Feb 2020 9:14pm)
  • No worries. Oh also the Glasgow Film Festival starts this week, at the GFT: https://glasgowfilm.org/glasgow-film-festival. Loads of new films getting early screenings, might be something on worth checking out. by eenbiertje (Sun 23rd Feb 2020 10:23pm)
  • It's funny that it's just toilet roll. Fact it's just the one type of item that people are snapping up shows how this is all fed by panic and unestablished rumours of a shortage... feeding the shortage that wouldn't otherwise exist. Saw this thread on Twitter showing how all this has spread almost exclusively through English language social media in the past week, starting with rumours in Australia: https://twitter.com/socintuk/status/1236259386366013440?s=20 by eenbiertje (Sun 8th Mar 2020 1:11pm)
  • On a non rainy day, if possible, head to the Lighthouse, on Mitchell Street. It's the old Herald newspaper offices and print house, now a museum/events space, with a brilliant view of the whole city at the top of the old stone tower on the roof. Main museums you should check out: Kelvingrove Art Gallery - mixed city museum, with artwork, natural history, Scottish history. Riverside Museum - new home for the city's transport museum. It does an amazing job of telling the story of the city through transport big and small, from ships that were built on the Clyde, to trams, buses, trains, police cars, all sorts. Loads of interactive stuff, and there's a mini old fashioned street with shops that looks like it's 1895 - complete with a model old fashioned subway station (and subway car). People's Palace (in Glasgow Green) - out of the way compared to the others, but is the best "Glasgow specific" museum, with tonnes of great stuff about the city's cultural and societal history. It has a brilliant greenhouse garden in the back as well, where you can sit with a coffee. by eenbiertje (Sun 8th Mar 2020 9:14pm)
  • You know they didn't just decide to build the place. by eenbiertje (Tue 10th Mar 2020 8:36pm)
  • Fair enough actually, that was a stupid response to (and misreading of) a pretty reasonable point. by eenbiertje (Tue 10th Mar 2020 8:44pm)
  • Nah you're right, there's not been this many construction projects since the crash of 2008. In fact, many of the current works are plans (or rehashes of plans) that were cancelled after the bottom fell out the economy then. It's been a real slow burn, but yeah there's been a definite noticeable uptick in the number of big developments happening in the last 18 months - 2 years or so. by eenbiertje (Wed 11th Mar 2020 9:50pm)
  • Late to the party, but (and I know how dry and boring this sounds...) I'd totally recommend the Glasgow Motorways Podcast. From the two man team behind the Glasgow Motorways Archive website, also worth exploring if you've got an afternoon to kill. I think I came across their site on here actually, and after following them on Twitter, saw that they've been doing a podcast for about a year. It's obviously all about motorways, but as someone who doesn't even drive... it's fascinating. Particularly in terms of general chat about the development of Glasgow over the last 50-70 years, and infrastructure in general. Best bit is hearing about all the planned developments (not just for motorways) that didn't get built in and around the city. by eenbiertje (Wed 25th Mar 2020 11:41pm)
  • Great find. I'm only 5 mins but already this is really insightful look at the city, and that intro was a great summary of the history of the place. This guy clearly does his research! This point he's making about looking at the city through general urban planning eyes (where's the central park/leisure space that serves as a focal point for business development?) is quite insightful. by eenbiertje (Fri 27th Mar 2020 12:49pm)
  • Still people strolling down the Sauchiehall Street cyclepath I see by eenbiertje (Fri 27th Mar 2020 1:51pm)
  • Monteith Row used to be fairly grand. The McLellan Arch (now facing the high court) stood at the western end of the street, acting as a sort of gateway to Calton from the city centre. https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA01234 The Street used to have a fine row of mid-size townhouse tenements, a little like Bath Street or Argyle Street (in Finnieston) do now. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fa/13/bf/fa13bf0afbfc1200e2edfc83b6acf047.jpg by eenbiertje (Sat 28th Mar 2020 10:02am)
  • Was sold by the council to City Property Glasgow last year, for £3.5million: https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/17524348.glasgow-city-council-sells-merchant-city-car-park-in-35m-move/ They've not been able to punt it as yet (unlikely they will any time soon now with the economy having tanked completely): https://www.citypropertyglasgow.co.uk/property-for-sale/site-at-69-97-ingram-street/ by eenbiertje (Tue 31st Mar 2020 10:54am)
  • I absolutely love this and his other similar work. But I was reading recently this might not be Glasgow's Broomielaw (despite the painting's name), or anywhere in particular for that matter... He seemed to have painted this a few times, with different landmarks and scenery from dockyards at Glasgow, Liverpool and London giving him inspiration. (The church is a giveaway that this isn't explicitly Glasgow) Still love this though, and his other similar one, "Shipping on the Clyde": https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Atkinson_Grimshaw_-_Shipping_on_the_Clyde_(1881).jpg by eenbiertje (Wed 1st Apr 2020 1:57pm)
  • If you go here: https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.45301485917819&lat=55.83246&lon=-4.27579&layers=5&b=1 And click category "Scotland", then the "OS Six Inch, 1843-1882", this has the oldest highest def map of this area. Looks like there were lots of little buildings inside the park on this side. by eenbiertje (Sat 4th Apr 2020 1:15pm)
  • u/BananaH15 A bit more reading online and it seems this side of the park was the "Camphill Estate", with the main house building still there in the park "Camphill House". The wee buildings were all very likely little outhouses/store sheds associated with the grounds of the house. The owners of Camphill Estate bought over two big adjacent patches of farmland to the east in the 19th century, and held on the them while urban Shawlands built up around their lands. As with other areas of Glasgow (the Ibrox Estate which became Bellahouston Park, or the gifting of Pollok Estate to the city for example), the family gave the land over to the city as parkland in the mid 19th century. Not sure on the details of this gifting, but my guess is these donations of stately homes and parklands were as much about the families not wanting to live direct next to the hustle and bustle of dense semi urban Glasgow, in what was just decades before wide open farmland. by eenbiertje (Sun 5th Apr 2020 11:20am)
  • I love going down a rabbit hole on these things :D These pages have some more info. Neale Thomson, grandson of the industrialist who bought the Camphill Estate off of the Maxwell mobility in the 18th century, sold it to the city for £30,000. https://www.pointsnplaces.com/scotlandvacations/glasgow/glasgows-southside/ by eenbiertje (Sun 5th Apr 2020 12:54pm)
  • This. Worth remembering Glasgow's boundaries have grown significantly over the last 3 centuries, absorbing nearby formerly independently governed settlements and burghs (Govan, Partick, Springburn, Pollokshaws, etc.) You don't even need to look at wealthy outliers to see very nearby exceptions to this expansion (Dalmarnock, Renfrew and potentially Clydebank stand out, essentially stradling the existing boundaries and being part of a clearly contiguous urban area). With all that said, just as significant and controversial boundary reviews have happened in the past (such as [when Govan and Partick were absorbed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-19168940)) I do think we need a fundamental review of what constitutes "Glasgow proper" today - for a couple of obvious enough reasons, that were the reasons back then: * Increasing tax income to cover services already used by those living outside the city area * Need for proper unified action plans on transportation, infrastructure, urban planning, housing etc. I wouldn't feel confident boldly saying this needs to include place X or Y, simply because they're wealthy, or even just because they're very close by. There's consequences to every review - the Renfrew tax base and population brought into Glasgow, is a significant loss for Renfrewshire itself, and Paisley for that matter. You then get into less material issues bound up in names themselves: can "Renfrew" not be in Renfrewshire for example? But yeah, generally, there does seem to be a need for a new comprehensive boundary review. They can introduce new problems (for areas that lose territory) as well as solving existing ones (people using Glasgow servcies, but living outwith the tax boundary). So whatever happens, it needs to be looked at carefully and in the round. Don't have a clear answer on what that should look like. Any ideas? by eenbiertje (Fri 10th Apr 2020 4:00pm)
  • The city has massive plans on the go at the moment to repopulate the city centre, and more generally regenerate the city centre through specific "district" level action plans. The Broomielaw one finished the public consultation stage in Jan/Feb, with a report published shortly afterwards which identified the key options which could be taken forward. I think the final report (with final steps) is meant to be published this summer - though this might be held up with everything that's going on! https://www.glasgowcitycentrestrategy.com/broomielaw-district-regeneration-framework-public-consultation.htm But this is a process that's being repeated for about 10 or so city centre "districts" that have been identified. Some are further along in the process. There's loads of info on it here: https://www.glasgowcitycentrestrategy.com/ Also! I'd *really* recommend watching this video, of a talk by Graham Ross of Austin Lord Smith architecture consultants from 2 years ago or so (he's one of the leads in the city's project). In the video he runs through the general ideas they had at that time, some of them (especially for Broomielaw and that end of Argyle Street) were extremely positive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NIyeGTpD7c So good things happening! by eenbiertje (Fri 10th Apr 2020 4:15pm)
  • Are you meaning the gap site to the west of the M8? That's meant to be getting turned into a big mixed office and rented housing area. Some more info on it: https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/article/100m-clydeside-build-to-rent-development-gets-green-light Here's the plans for the east side: https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/article/25-floor-office-and-hotel-proposed-in-glasgow Candleriggs Square (at the massive Merchant City gap site) got the go ahead last year, with nearby derilict buildings being taken down slowly in the last few months. From what I'd read online, initial groundwork had just begun on it within the last 2 months - everything'll be at a halt now unfortunately : https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/new-images-show-candleriggs-square-17430206.amp by eenbiertje (Fri 10th Apr 2020 4:43pm)
  • It's the former hunting lodge of Lord Langlands, whose estate the recreational ground is built on. His heirs bequeathed the lodge to the city as a unisex changing room in 1965. Archeological investigations have found geese teeth dating back to the 2nd century BC, suggesting it was used as a bird hunting hotspot as far back as the early bronze age. by eenbiertje (Sun 12th Apr 2020 10:21am)
  • It's a brand new development, on the site of the former area/district of Sighthill, which was famous for its enourmous tower blocks: http://www.disappearing-glasgow.com/portfolio/redroad/ Personally, everything I've seen of the redevelopment plans looks fantastic. Cycle lanes along the major routes, lots of trees, a good focus on having mixed use buildings along the main roads. It reminds me a lot of semi-urban districts in the Netherlands. Good summary of the plans here: https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/article/work-begins-on-development-of-more-than-800-new-homes-in-sighthill It seems very geared towards family life, so it might well be ideal for you. People saying it's a bad district will be thinking of the Sighthill of old, which did have a very rough reputation. But the entire area has effectively been razed to the ground and rebuilt from scratch. No one lives there now, so I think it's fair to view this as an entirely new district, with no baggage. As I say, everything about it looks pretty good to be honest. Would be happy to live there myself. One possible negative aspects would be poor transport connectivity (there's talk of building a dedicated train station [roughly here](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Glasgow+G4+0LP/@55.873417,-4.245933,418m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4888441a7769861d:0x78f399dd208d4b19!8m2!3d55.8734155!4d-4.2437506), but that might be many years away). The site isn't up and running yet, so it's possible (likely?) that bus routes will adapt to include it. Also, a minor thing, though it will be connected to the city centre by a new pedestrian/cycle bridge over the M8, and so would only be about a 15/20 minute walk to Buchanan Street (the main street in Glasgow), there's not very much to see or do in this area (Townhead) leaving it potentially feeling a bit detatched from the city. Quite a minor thing though. It's still under construction - in fact, construction has just paused because of Coronavirus, so it's possible opening of the renovated district might be delayed later this year. Don't know though - so advise contacting the home builders directly to check on this! by eenbiertje (Mon 13th Apr 2020 1:08pm)
  • My best guess of where this is: https://maps.app.goo.gl/nNoa916SWkyGQdPE7 ? by eenbiertje (Sun 19th Apr 2020 5:52pm)
  • "Maddie runs the best supermarket in all of Glascow" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvoRJzIR110 by eenbiertje (Mon 20th Apr 2020 12:26pm)
  • Brown Street, facing the MOD building: https://maps.app.goo.gl/5p9svVwrRwNGtzqx5 by eenbiertje (Sun 26th Apr 2020 11:11am)
  • That's the Govan Graving Docks, No.1, 2, and 3, a repair site for ships, built in between 1869 and 1875. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.044444446563723&lat=55.86074&lon=-4.30152&layers=109707764&b=1 Here's a pic of a paddle steamer being repaired in inlet no.3, in 1898: https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA01509 Before the Graving Docks, this was the site of an old populated strip of Govan which stretched eastwards from Govan Cross, along what used to be called "Main Street": https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.044444446563723&lat=55.86074&lon=-4.30152&layers=80&b=1 by eenbiertje (Mon 27th Apr 2020 11:03am)
  • Agree in normal circumstances, but I think this is about councils doing what they can cheaply, quickly, and with the road crews they have available. Amy changes from the current situation would be an improvement. Like I say, on the main arterial road near me, it's technically a 2 lane road, but you could likely fit 4 lanes of traffic on there. The way traffic moves on this road, I'm not keen sharing regular traffic lanes on my bike, along with double decker buses. I personally think painted lanes (or, yes, cones / other barriers) would be a really valuable and simple change at this time, and one we should push for. Realistically no true fully segregated cycle paths can be built, like the South City Way, but these temporary routes along arterial roads could become permanent fixtures in future. by eenbiertje (Fri 1st May 2020 9:14am)
  • Totally agreed. It's never been so easy to use my bike for routine transport in this city. Normally I keep to a very few select routes that I know won't take me anywhere near traffic, but these are limited, only go to certain places, and aren't all that direct to where they lead anywhere. In some places too, even where there's bike infrastructure, it's shared with pedestrians (the entire north Clydeside cycle route stands out) making it less than perfect for getting quickly from A-B. In these times I feel particularly wary of even using these routes, as I don't want to unnecessarily make life harder for others walking on these paths. Imagine if getting on your bike and cycling 10-20 mins along the nearby A-road or B-road to the supermarket, to work, to the city centre, or even to visit family or friends, was a genuine option for the average person in normal times. All those car journeys that could be cut down. Really really hope this moment is seized by councillors to build a network of (actually useful) safe cycling routes across this city. When we come out of strict lockdown, we're going to face months to a year-plus of social distancing measures. I don't fancy getting on public transport unnecessarily - especially when that bus/train seat could be used by someone vulnerable who has no other option. We're going to need safe cycling routes across Glasgow very soon. If anyone cares about this as much as me, please do get in touch with your councillors to make sure your voices are heard! by eenbiertje (Fri 1st May 2020 10:26am)
  • Aye. Was built in two parts, with the first part as a trial to show how the rest would look. The second part never got past 1st public consultation (despite serious revisions to the plan based on public feedback) cause of uproar at the loss of parking spaces, and the apparently "low use" of the route - no bloody wonder, since it went all of 300 yards. by eenbiertje (Fri 1st May 2020 12:54pm)
  • Agreed - South City Way is full of problems, and far from the gold standard of Dutch segregated cycle lanes. *But*, and I really mean this, we need to remember what a good thing it is that these things are even being built. I don't mean to simply accept them without criticism, but to remember that these are the first examples of the type of safe infrastructure many have been campaigning for for years - they're unlikely to be flawless. They can and should be improved (SCW has several problems I could list that need changed pronto), but we need to use them as examples of what could also be brought to other parts of the city which have absolutely zero safe cycling infra. Also need to recognise the situation we're in at the moment. Regular construction/development will not be going ahead as planned for a long time. So anything that aims to make getting around the city easier for non-car-owners should be welcomed at the moment. by eenbiertje (Fri 1st May 2020 1:10pm)
  • Who are you replying to? by eenbiertje (Fri 1st May 2020 1:38pm)
  • Because it's an environmentally friendly method of transit with proven health benefits. Despite this, street design in the UK is incredibly discouraging for people who want to take it up. Therefore, it's a *good* thing if government and councils alter street design to improve safety. Redesigning streets should mean more room for pedestrians and public transport, as well as cyclists. The world isn't always a zero-sum game. I don't know why anyone is still engaging with you - your original repy (about cyclists running red lights) has no relevance to this thread or u/Saltire_Blue 's response, highlighting how positive an experience it is to cycle safely in the streets currently. by eenbiertje (Fri 1st May 2020 4:37pm)
  • https://glasgowse.foodbank.org.uk/ https://glasgowsw.foodbank.org.uk/ https://glasgowne.foodbank.org.uk/ https://glasgownw.foodbank.org.uk/ by eenbiertje (Tue 5th May 2020 11:08pm)
  • Need to check the coronavirus updates from each group's site (most issued an update in March). From what I've seen, some have only a few drop off / collection centres running. Some don't give exact details. You could always ping them over an email to check. by eenbiertje (Tue 5th May 2020 11:21pm)
  • Grahamstoun was indeed an old village on the site where Central Station was. But it's not like the station obliterated the village, as is the common way it's told in Glasgow. The village (and surrounding areas of Stobcross, Anderston etc.) had been absorbed into Glasgow in the early 19th century, with Grahamstoun's streets being absorbed into Glasgow grid plan as it expanded westwards. When Central Station was built, it was built over this "secondary", or more modern urban grid, not the village itself, which had long been built over. by eenbiertje (Sat 9th May 2020 8:59pm)
  • This. I try where possible to stick to very quiet neighbourhood/side roads, or use segregated cycle routes where they exist (ha!). But frankly there are some situations, and points on the Glasgow map, where the choice is between joining the pavement on a main road for 50-100 yards, or joining motor traffic at a heavy duty junction, sharing space with lorries, buses, and Glasgow drivers. So I opt for the pavement - but do try to limit it to short necessary stretches, and am very cautious around pedestrians. Even at the moment when it's very very quite on the roads, there's a couple of extremely sketchy junctions where I just do not feel safe enough to stick to the road. Might not be legally right, but I think this is how many many semi-confident cyclists feel in this city. (replying also to u/SKINNERRRR) It's also the case that most of the Glasgow cycling "network" is built from shared paths. The signage isn't *always* clear... sometimes it is. I think this is often the cause for this belief that cyclists are recently invading pedestrian only space. by eenbiertje (Wed 13th May 2020 6:45pm)
  • Disagree firmly. The roads in Glasgow and the UK in general are utterly inhospitable to cyclists, except hardened road cyclists. Until the roads are made safer and/or greater cycling infrastructure (in the form of safe, segregated lanes) is built, I don't think we should be surprised to see cyclists using pavements. This is obviously far from ideal. So the solution is to provide cyclists with a safe way of getting about the city too. by eenbiertje (Wed 13th May 2020 6:56pm)
  • Funny, I saw this very similar shot from the 70s posted on Twitter earlier https://twitter.com/GlasgowsMways/status/1261680203115479041?s=20 by eenbiertje (Sat 16th May 2020 9:16pm)
  • Old paper mill https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.482344583007034&lat=55.89906&lon=-4.30756&layers=142842758&b=1 by eenbiertje (Sun 17th May 2020 11:19pm)
  • There's a massive new sewer that goes from under Queen's Park, through Crossmyloof + Bellahouston to near the M8 in Craigton. Built with one of those massive tunnel boring machines a couple of years ago. I think it's something to do with this. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-44998611 by eenbiertje (Fri 22nd May 2020 8:33am)
  • Was it a seal or an otter? Somebody shared a video of otters in the Cart yesterday on Twitter. Will try to find it. by eenbiertje (Mon 25th May 2020 10:13am)
  • What u/veloglasgow said. If you cross the squinty bridge, cut through the estate there to Paisley Road West, head towards Plantation Park next to Kinning Park subway. From there you can follow Clinton Street westwards (its part of a national cycle route, and quite quiet) instead of going on PRW, with 4-5 different footbridges crossing the motorways at various points there. by eenbiertje (Tue 26th May 2020 7:11pm)
  • Glasgow campaign groups Go Bike, Glasgow Eco Trust and On Bikes have joined together to build this map, asking people to leave comments of where they think improvements should be made to walking and cycling infrastructure, as well as general street layout across the city. With the city looking to use some of the Scottish Government's £30m for emergency active travel measures, leave your comments here, and the campaign team will include them in its case to the council. From the about page: "We are working towards a future in which cycling and walking are pleasant, safe and obvious ways to move around Glasgow. We want transport in Glasgow to be revolutionised. We want a transport system that actively combats climate change, fights transport poverty and encourages healthy everyday choices." "To achieve our aims, we need and want your ideas and feedback! We will use your responses to increase the pressure on Glasgow City Council, Councillors, MSPs, MPs and whoever else influences the development of Glasgow’s neighbourhoods. However big or small, your ideas will help to determine what changes you want to see in the neighbourhoods you are living, working, socialising and playing in!" by eenbiertje (Sat 30th May 2020 11:14am)
  • Famously never rains in the Netherlands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkgKYjrNLwg If you build the infrastructure, people will use it. by eenbiertje (Sat 30th May 2020 1:39pm)
  • Add your comment to the map! by eenbiertje (Sat 30th May 2020 1:40pm)
  • Agreed - that shared path at the Hydro is a particularly bad one. It's just a regular pavement width, yet expected to accommodate 2-way pedestrians and bikes. Leave a comment on the map - or better yet, email your Councillor about this too! The council is voting on measures later this week, so make sure to let your ward councillor know what your concerns are. by eenbiertje (Sat 30th May 2020 5:12pm)
  • Great! It might also be worth emailing your ward councillor too. The council is meant to be voting on the initial measures later next week. You should let your councillors know your thoughts. by eenbiertje (Sat 30th May 2020 6:34pm)
  • No tanks in George Square, it's a myth that grew in recent years cause of this doctored photo https://athousandflowers.net/2016/02/10/the-trongate-tank-that-never-was-the-truth-behind-the-viral-photo/ That said, tanks were stationed on standby at the old meat market on Gallowgate. by eenbiertje (Sat 30th May 2020 6:38pm)
  • Just speculation here: https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/heres-theres-been-plane-flying-18336735.amp But yeah most probably mapping imagery / data by eenbiertje (Sat 30th May 2020 6:47pm)
  • Maybe we should tax pedestrians for pavement use too. by eenbiertje (Sat 30th May 2020 7:42pm)
  • Cool, just to avoid confusion - I'm meaning best directly email your councillors, not a council team. by eenbiertje (Sat 30th May 2020 7:40pm)
  • I noticed pretty much nobody gave a fuck about keeping their distance to one another in the shop I went to yesterday. Week by week fewer people have properly been observing the rules, but yesterday it was as if there was no pandemic at all. People just breezing up past you, reaching across for things, in big groups too. Fucking infuriating. by eenbiertje (Sun 31st May 2020 10:47am)
  • Can't comment specifically on actions of cyclists you ran into yesterday, it may be they could have read the situation better to give way. The underlying issue is that this section of riverside pavement is a shared use path, with cyclists and pedestrians allowed/encouraged to share the same regular width pavement. Other shared paths are a bit better, in that they're much wider, but they're never ideal. This is a bad spot since much of it is regular pavement width. Signage is also very poor, and in my experience pedestrians (fairly) don't realise it's a shared space for cyclists, leading to misunderstandings and even confrontations. The whole stretch needs to be redesigned with more space given either for the shared use path, or a segregated cycle path. by eenbiertje (Sun 31st May 2020 11:43am)
  • Yasss. by eenbiertje (Mon 1st Jun 2020 11:57am)
  • They don't necessarily need to be banned outright. As u/c_dawg7 says, there will always be some need. But a straight up change could be preventing any through-traffic in the city centre. In Dutch cities it's normal for the central business district or old town to be designed to be uncrossable by car. You can enter on one side to get where you need to go within the perimeter, but car traffic eventually meets a dead end in the form of bollards or a pedestrian only street, and so cannot cross into the other half of the city core. This instantly removes cars that would be using the centre as a short cut, but still allows them to get where they need to go. People will still need car/taxi access to the city centre (residents, the elderly, those with disabilities), but it's about finding the balance in continuing to allow that access, and also allowing the streets to be walkable and enjoyable for all sorts of activities. by eenbiertje (Mon 1st Jun 2020 1:53pm)
  • There's no detail in the plan yet, this story is just noting that the Council executive team is bringing forward a series of broad proposals to the wider council to vote on on Thursday. Like most media coverage, this has chosen to focus on a couple of headline suggestions in the council report - greater pedestrianisation of streets for example - but it's only a general suggestion. Changes will vary greatly street to street I bet. I expect we'll see more detail about the steps they intend to implement, and mitigation measures, in the next week or two. by eenbiertje (Tue 2nd Jun 2020 1:50pm)
  • It might happen. The idea was outlined in the recent Glasgow Connectivity Commission Report from 2019. Transport Scotland's Strategic Transport Project Review (STPR2) is meant to be published next spring, recommending big regional/national infrastructure projects it recommends getting funded over the next 10 years or so. There's a fair chance STPR2 will get behind it. You can read more here on p34-36 of the Connectivity Commission report, with diagram showing the new line under the city. https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/connectivitycommission It is a little different to the old Crossrail idea, which would've used the mostly disused Union Line to allow regional trains to reach the rest of Scotland without stopping at Central or Queen Street (and vice versa). With a new main station at King Street or Glasgow Cross. This plan would instead connect the SW regional rail lines running into Central directly with the lines to the North of the city, via a tunnel. With a new central (underground) station, likely at George Square. It's sort of an inheritor plan to the old Crossrail. But it wouldn't be to serve local train services, instead services that need to terminate in Glasgow at the moment. Bonus would be it'd free up Central, Queen Street and lots of other lines for local services (and maybe even a full blown metro / S-bahn type network)! by eenbiertje (Mon 15th Jun 2020 1:11am)
  • Where would you extend it if you could? by eenbiertje (Wed 17th Jun 2020 11:11am)
  • Not quite a high speed subway like we have with the circle, but the Connectivity Commission proposed a rapid transit / tram network extending out to most of those places - using a lot of the decommissioned rail lines across the city. Rough suggested network map here: https://transport-network.hgl-content.co.uk/library/fckeditor/editor/filemanager/connectors/aspx/~SurveyorAdmin/library/UserFiles/image/glasgowmetromap.jpg Extending the subway line was always pie in the sky, even when it was talked about pre-crash around 2006/7. But I think this is quite likely to happen. by eenbiertje (Wed 17th Jun 2020 12:13pm)
  • It was even more extensive than that at one point, closer to 1900. By the 30s mostly all but the key arterial routes had been cut. I'll try find a map. by eenbiertje (Wed 17th Jun 2020 4:44pm)
  • Twitter thread with video of George Square just now: https://twitter.com/parcelorogues/status/1273301897714294784?s=20 by eenbiertje (Wed 17th Jun 2020 6:31pm)
  • https://twitter.com/parcelorogues/status/1273301897714294784?s=20 Yep. Was on BBC Scotland news at 6.30 too. by eenbiertje (Wed 17th Jun 2020 8:11pm)
  • Around five years ago some local designer guy had a go at making a fantasy Glasgow Metro map, imagining what could be done if old/disused rail lines were reinstated, a second subway circle was built, and suburban rail routes were given a "metro" rebranding. Some of it was near fantasy (second subway likely won't ever happen), but bringing suburban lines into a Glasgow Metro, and making use of old infrastructure, whether for new heavy rail lines or trams / light rapid transit could happen. I think the plan also imagined some existing rail lines could be turned into tram or light rail lines to increased service frequency. http://angusdoyledesign.blogspot.com/2015/03/glasgow-transport-map.html?m=1 by eenbiertje (Thu 18th Jun 2020 2:03pm)
  • Pollok Park? Lots of people use that for wedding/graduation/celebration photos. Especially the bit next to Pollok House and the little cobbled arced footbridge over the River Cart. Pollok House still has scaffolding all around it though, not sure when that's coming down, so might not be good for background shots. The gardens and riverside area around it though might be a good shout. by eenbiertje (Thu 18th Jun 2020 8:04pm)
  • NIMBYism, quite simply. It was meant to be built in 2 (maybe 3?) sections. It was at the public consultation meeting for the 2nd and 3rd sections in 2016 where things kicked off. Someone recorded it, and you can have a listen to it here. https://youtu.be/NVYX4cN4uX0 It's really quite remarkable, how riled up people can be at the idea of a protected lane for vulnerable road users, but there you go. Common reasons given for being against it were loss of parking spaces, and oddly, claims that it would lead to more congestion. Some people were saying it's a major road *for* cars, and bikes should be somewhere else. There was also a targeted campaign that went on for quite a while of tacks being left over the existing lane. East Renfrewshire council shat it and put the rest of the cycle route on ice after that public meeting in 2016 though. So now you have a reasonably well built, solid protective lane which runs, what, 500 metres, connecting nothing to nothing. I think genuinely there was risk of it being torn up, but that might not be the case now with safe cycling infrastructure and environmental issues a bit higher on the agenda. So, who knows, if there's enough of a campaign to get it completed, it still might be. by eenbiertje (Sat 20th Jun 2020 11:11am)
  • Yeah I agree more or less. Getting a bit fed up with the ubiquitous sloping glass box design across the city, and not sure about the choice of gold... but I had almost forgotten the thing it replaced. https://maps.app.goo.gl/8hh8SLEu6hmWHu91A by eenbiertje (Wed 24th Jun 2020 3:50pm)
  • Aye I think funding was set for it. It wasn't clear from the reporting of it, but essentially much of the work on and around George Square is coming out of the "Avenues" project, as being applied to George Street, St Vincent Street, and I think Hanover Street. The Avenues project is being funded by the City Deal, and consultation for these parts has already mostly gone ahead. So it's not so much a single a George Square redevelopment project, just the square is benefiting from the planned changes to the perimeter roads anyway. by eenbiertje (Fri 26th Jun 2020 1:40pm)
  • The M74 should officially be made the priority strategic East-West route, allowing the city stretch of the M8 to be wound down. It could be downgraded, with junctions trimmed down, to an a-road, and maybe even eventually removed. The city section of the M8 is only the strategic artery between east and west that it is today because it's the only part of the Glasgow Inner Ring Road that was actually built. It was never meant to be the main east-west cord. Only an a connector for the southern motorway network and the maryhill motorway. The southern and eastern flanks of the ring road were the ones that were meant to do the heavy lifting in terms of traffic. That's why the M8 is only 4 lanes wide through Charing Cross. With the M74 having been completed, it is essentially the southern flank of the ring road, and should take the weight of regional traffic bypassing Glasgow. The ring road concept was chucked in the bin, and to be slightly curt about it, we should chuck the Kingston Bridge and M8 (from Anderson to Townhead) in the bin too. by eenbiertje (Sat 27th Jun 2020 5:16pm)
  • As someone else said, it's honestly worth it to just a bit of time browsing through Wikipedia. You'll find a fair amount on there about Glasgow itself. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Glasgow https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Glasgow_history https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Subway Also, check this site out too. It has tonnes of stuff, though pretty hard to navigate. https://www.theglasgowstory.com/ Any specific topics you wanna know more about? I might be able to point you to some more worthwhile resources. by eenbiertje (Sun 28th Jun 2020 11:58pm)
  • I think blame for this rests with the council. Signage for that new lane along Clyde street is terrible - it's not a surprise many are using it as a 2 way lane, not just people on Nextbikes. by eenbiertje (Mon 29th Jun 2020 1:14am)
  • So many parts of the city centre, and even neighbourhoods outside of the centre, could be doing with this. Especially along streets that have retail/cafes/pubs/restaurants. This might be a bit of a fundamentalist opinion, but I believe that on street parking should be removed from near-all high footfall areas (I'd allow exceptions for several well located disabled parking bays). I don't see why we should expect a quarter to a half of roadspace to be used up by stationary cars, when it could be used for active travel corridors and/or ideas like this. by eenbiertje (Wed 8th Jul 2020 4:24pm)
  • Came here to say the Beirut Star. Not a "fancy" name like many mentioned in this thread, but their menu is exceptional (Lebanese tapas type food), and you can't really get anything like it anywhere else. by eenbiertje (Fri 10th Jul 2020 8:25pm)
  • It's grim being a cyclist in Glasgow man, or most places in Scotland / the UK to be honest. It's not just the lack of safe cycling infrastructure that takes some getting used to, but people's attitudes are just so antagonistic and even hateful towards cyclists. (Bit of a side point, I dislike using the term "cyclists" in discussion, as it immediately tends to 'other' us/them as a group - we're just human beings riding a bike to get where we're going, and often in intimidating and dangerous circumstances. Don't know why it has to be viewed as a nuisance.) by eenbiertje (Mon 13th Jul 2020 10:52am)
  • Spotted in tweet from Green councillor Christy Mearns (Yorkhill / City Centre Ward): https://twitter.com/ChristyMearns/status/1282309406621933569?s=20 "I am happy to report that these will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If you would like a “parklet” outside your premises, a Section 59 permit is required and can be applied for. Let’s give more of our streets over to people during lockdown and beyond! #SpacesForPeople" by eenbiertje (Mon 13th Jul 2020 11:06am)
  • Fair dos, I totally appreciate this. There are rules for drivers and cyclists and it annoys me when I see cyclists racing along a pavement or not giving space to pedestrians. I will say this though: * Roads here are so inhospitable, intimidating and even dangerous for cyclists (except very hardened road cyclists), that I honestly cannot blame anyone for cycling on pavements. I try to avoid it as much as possible, but there are some stretches of Glasgow roads where I just won't go on the road. If ever I use a pavement, I know I'm on "pedestrians turf" so to speak, so am extremely cautious and avoid coming close to pedestrians. I'd expect other people on bikes to be the same, so yes it bugs me too when I see cyclists going quickly and acting without consideration for others. The way to counter this in the long term is either to make roads more hospitable (through traffic calming strategies), or by building segregated cycle lanes. Until this happens, I'm afraid pavement cycling will continue to happen. * Some pavements in Glasgow are officially "shared-use paths", with signage depicting pedestrians and bikes together. It's becoming more apparent to me that these aren't widely known about by non-cyclists. Signage is very very patchy and unclear, and from quite a few recent conversations, it seems a large bulk of cyclist-pedestrian conflict (or after the fact annoyance from pedestrians) in Glasgow comes from pedestrians having walked along one of these paths without knowing to expect bikes. In all honesty, these paths are a terrible, lazy, money saving idea and will always lead to conflict. They're a way for the council to say they have X miles of a cycle network, when there is really not such thing. They need to be replaced with proper segregation for walkers and cyclists. by eenbiertje (Mon 13th Jul 2020 11:21am)
  • Hmmm I get your point about one moment of anger not representing a person in the whole. We need to all be careful to understand people react defensively sometimes, and try to understand why that is. And I say this as a regular cyclist who is also annoyed (frustrated, exasperated?) to use the cycle lanes I'm told to use, only to find them filled with cars, or to have had run ins with door-zone impacts: anyone can react in impulsive anger in the heat of the moment and say something reprehensible. How serious this threat is and was, is a matter for the cyclist, this car-owner and the police. Maybe he's a good guy normally, maybe not. That aside, whether or not he's a genuinely nice guy most of the time, this incident is just the tip of the iceberg for cyclists. It's (and I'm so sorry to say this) just so extremely common for cyclists to be treated automatically like dirt in Glasgow. The automatic impulse from drivers is almost never to think "oh, woops, sorry I made a mistake here, I'm in the wrong". It's most often a defensive, reactionary response along the lines of: "who does this prick on a bike think they are, hogging my roadspace for themselves". What I'm meaning is, fine, leaving aside whether this 30 seconds of footage is a fair indictment of this particular guy, it's a window into the daily experience of cyclists in this city unfortunately. by eenbiertje (Mon 13th Jul 2020 11:56am)
  • Possibly. But then I tend to think large swathes of the city should be pedestrianised, or at a minimum closed to through traffic. The streets that are most busy with foot traffic (and eateries, attractions etc.) should be completely transformed into something like open malls. This could easily be done with Finnieston for example - allowing traffic *to enter* from either end of a 5 or 6 block stretch from Kelvingrove Art Gallery junction to Kelvingrove Street, but not pass *through* this superblock. Immediately this cuts away heavy traffic, but allows deliveries and disabled drivers to still access to the area. I pretty much see this as a goal for not just the city centre, but hubs of activity across the wider city, like Finnieston, Byres Rd, Strathbungo, Duke St, etc. If these parklets get going, it might play a bit of a role in changing Glaswegians attitude and general tolerance for heavy vehicle traffic in these areas. by eenbiertje (Tue 14th Jul 2020 12:16am)
  • Yeah, they're distinctly separate systems in Glasgow, unlike say, Berlin's BVG which includes suburban rail (labelled S-Bahn on the network). Bring back Glasgow Corporation Transport I say! by eenbiertje (Wed 15th Jul 2020 7:58pm)
  • There's technical reasons that make it more costly but not impossible. * Something about difficult geology of the Clyde Valley, meaning the city sits on a lot of soft ground which doesn't lend itself to easy deep tunneling. * We use a weird, very small track gauge (width of the two rails). 4ft exactly I think (I think only one in the world?), which is a fair bit smaller than standard gauge of 4ft 8inches. Means the track infrastructure and rolling stock is that bit more costly to procure. * Glasgow has a seriously extensive suburban rail network compared to most UK cities (even many comparable mainland European cities). As this network developed, there was less need to expand the subway system (with its weird track gauge). * This is related to the underlying point. Geology, track gauge and related issues can be overcome (perhaps at significant cost) if the will or need is there. Thing was that the 20th century brought a significant depopulation of Glasgow proper, as people moved to the suburbs and new towns. Cars and the planned motorway and heavy road network to carry them were the focus for infrastructure investment. New metro lines covering Glasgow council areas like the east end or southside didn't make as much economic sense with decreased population densities. These areas were also meant to have easy access to the unbuilt highway network too. The thinking was people would use private cars, or failing that, existing rail and bus services. I can *sorta* see how that would've made sense in a perverse way, had the motorway network been built in full (thank god it wasn't). But since it wasn't, it seems all the more strange that new metro or rail lines aren't there to carry people across the city. by eenbiertje (Wed 15th Jul 2020 8:11pm)
  • Been meaning to buy this book for quite a while (it gets mentioned in discussions on here and on some transport/infrastructure forums frequently). Thanks for the push, I've now ordered! I've heard it's the best book you can read on the topic of the subway, so very much looking forward to reading it. by eenbiertje (Thu 16th Jul 2020 11:55am)
  • The Zonecard is good if you're making regular, daily journeys, over the course of several weeks or longer as a regular commute. There's no way of getting a single multi-modal journey ticket though. Many European cities offer 45 minute, 90 minute, or all day fares across *any and all* modes. Glasgow doesn't have this option, as the transport system is fragmented amongst over half a dozen private operators. The SPT daytripper does exist, but this is something like £24+ for two people for one single day. You can't get a single person ticket. Not great value for money to be quite honest in comparison to other cities. (It's quite pricey as it's aimed at tourists and covers travel across Strathclyde). It's also not well known about, marketed only really to tourists, and only available at staffed ticket offices at a few major train stations. So though it's raised as a "wait Glasgow does have this" thing, it's really not comparable to the kind of convenience offered by a true all day fares available on oyster cards, or other cities' transport systems. Basically, whether you're talking about the Daytripper, or the Zonecard, these are only voluntary opt in agreements, organised by SPT and involving the private operators. They could withdraw at a moment's notice without any repurcussion. The Scottish Parliament passed the (somewhat watered down) Transport Bill last year, which does now give cities (limited) powers to franchise out their bus services. I *think* Glasgow could technically now set up a situation where bus companies bid to run the entire city's services, under conditions set by GCC. They could hypothetically include limitations on fare prices, set rules of routes which cannot be cut, and potentially force participation in a true city-wide multimodal transport card - and also set guidelines on the fare types. The ball seems be in GCC's court now to make this happen if they want. edit - some thoughts for you here u/scontter by eenbiertje (Fri 17th Jul 2020 8:45pm)
  • Hey, I'm a legit Glasgow transport / history nerd, if there's something you specifically want to know, ask away or hit me up with a PM. Quick summary of my thoughts: General network coverage in Glasgow is actually very, very good. Despite some notable areas without reliable transport links (Castlemilk, Easterhouse are two examples often raised, rightly), the city has extremely extensive bus and rail networks. We have a subway, which seems like an obvious thing to Glaswegians, but we are only one of three UK cities which have one. As limited as it is, it serves an amazing job in connecting different sides of the city, and different transport hubs (Govan, Partick, Glasgow Queen Street / Central) together. Could the subway serve the city better? Sure. But we're lucky to have it. Many cities of comparable size across the world don't have one. It does a good, if limited job for the city. I say extensive bus and rail *networks*, emphasis on the plural. As is obvious to anyone that lives here for more than a week, we have around half a dozen private bus companies operating a huge range of routes across the city. This in part comes from the fact that they serve different populations. McGills primarily serves Renfrewshire, but leaks into the West / SW of Glasgow. Stagecoach do regional / long haul, but do a few notable and essential local services, seemingly at random across the city. First might be considered the primary city bus service, but, as I say, they obviously don't serve every route. This all comes down to the changes to public transport law in the UK in the 1980s. The UK government's 1986 Transport Bill made it effectively illegal for council areas to run their own bus systems, as was the norm up to this point. Existing systems had to be privatised and fragmented, opened to the market. Prior to this there were various incarnations of Glasgow-wide transport companies, which ran buses and more: Glasgow Corporation Transport, and SPTE, who ran "Trans-Clyde" transport. SPT is an inheritor body to this. Anyway, we're in a situation where because the bus system is fragmented, fares rise *steeply* if you need to use multiple bus companies, never mind multiple *modes* of transport. This is just weird, as large European cities go. Frustrating too. In nearly every major European city, there is an option to buy a single far cross-modal ticket to get from A to B. In Glasgow this isn't possible, and it's all down to the fragmentation caused by this law change in the 80s. The Scottish Parliament eventually did repeal *some* aspects of this by passing the long discussed Scottish Transport Bill last summer. It gives cities the means to franchise out their bus networks - a little like Scotrail does with the Scottish rail network, setting the terms and having international companies bid to be the operators (Abellio currently, though not for much longer). Glasgow could set the rules for the bus network (fare limits, minimum service frequencies, mandatory routes, mandatory opt-in to multi-modal ticketing, etc.), and bus companies then bid to operate the service, perhaps even under "Glasgow Transport" livery. This is possible. Just need Glasgow to be one of the first in Scotland to use its new powers. I could talk loads more about the city's transport issues and opportunities (we have *loads* going for us, and loads of little tweaks that could be made to maximise the existing infrastructure). Maybe something for you worth reading is the recent Glasgow Connectivity Commission Report from last year: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/connectivitycommission It was a body of experts set up by the new council administration to investigate options and opportunities for building a solid comprehensive transport system for the city. The report is interesting reading, with headline suggestions being a "metro" network incorporating new tram lines and disused rail infrastructure. It also makes the case for mandatory multi-modal ticketing across all transport in the city, and the setting up of a "Transport for Glasgow" type body to oversea *all* transport in the city. Anyway, as I say this is my pet subject and could prattle on about this for ages more. TL;DR - city has loads going for it transport-wise. Fragmented system is main problem, but this can be tackled soon. by eenbiertje (Fri 17th Jul 2020 9:21pm)
  • Agreed 100% by eenbiertje (Fri 17th Jul 2020 9:32pm)
  • I agree completely with this. The primary reason people don't want to hang around the streets you're thinking of (u/tag1989) in the city is because they're shite, grey, smoggy, vehicle-ridden places, where there's no space to feel relaxed, sit and eat or drink, or idle along without worrying about oncoming vehice traffic. Buchanan Street is fully pedestrianised, lined with trees benches, uninterrupted access to side streets. Not a car to interrupt you, save for a brief wait at the the St Vincent Street crossing point. It's one of the most valuable and busiest shopping streets in the whole of the UK. Conversely, imagine putting a 2-lane road down the middle of Silverburn, or Braehead. With parking spots outside every shop. Right around the food court too. I'm guessing you wouldn't be for that, as you know instantly in your gut the difference that would make to the experience of being in those places. But we don't treat city centres the same way - why is that? The idea that successful and thriving city centres depend on private vehicle access has been shown to be bogus across the world. In much of mainland Europe, you'll find the picturesque shopping and leaisure quarters in the city centre, built around plazas and pedestrian streets, have limited private vehicle access. I say limited, not totally prohibited. Ghent has led the way with its strategy of **"filtered permeability"**. In plain English, this is basically identifying a core zone (hypothetically a city's old town centre), and making it impossible for through-traffic to pass across it. You can still enter on one side of the edge of this zone in a vehicle, and go to wherever you need to go near that "side" of the zone, but you cannot cross into another corner / side of the zone and exit out the other side. This was achieved in Ghent with a combination of pedestrianised streets, one-way loop systems which brings traffic in one quadrant and out the same quadrant, and good old fashioned bollards - allowing bicycles and mobility vehicles through to the absolute core of the centre, while stopping private vehicles. It's been copied in many other Belgian and Dutch cities, to the effect that their city centres are hospitable, lively, and bustling with activity. We can do this too! The council has plans along these lines, which I think they'll be bringing in slowly over the next 2 years. I strongly believe we need to support this change to improve our city centre and make it a better place to live, work, shop, and just simply spend your time. u/scontter by eenbiertje (Fri 17th Jul 2020 11:31pm)
  • Background and reasoning for the Spaces For People programme (widening of footways at key neighbourhood shopping areas, and reallocation of roadspace for active travel options) here: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/spacesforpeople Detailed programme page here: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/spacesforpeople/programme by eenbiertje (Mon 20th Jul 2020 11:35pm)
  • > whilst it's a good idea it's also important that adequate space is retained for those who need to commute by car and that we don't end up with no parking spaces Not really disagreeing with what you say here, we do need to maintain a balance in terms of how different modes are able to access the city. Just chipping in with a point worth knowing. The City centre already has well more than enough off street parking capacity to surpass parking demand. Info in the recent Connectivity Commission report, page 17: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/connectivitycommission We can afford to lose a lot of (possibly even the majority of) on street parking, particularly on major arterial roads and streets that have heavy footfall in and outside the city centre. In fact, I said we need to maintain a balance there - I don't know that maintain is the right word. I think we need to *create* a balance that doesn't currently exist between transit modes. We have a situation (through the legacy of 20th century urban planning) of private vehicle traffic being over catered to, in terms of dedicated road space, to the detriment of safe cycling and walking routes. So, IMO I'm all for the council making changes to roadspace share that makes it easier for non drivers to get around. by eenbiertje (Tue 21st Jul 2020 9:53am)
  • I don't feel strongly either way about this, strangely. My own view on needing more "green" in the city is that we need many more street trees / bushes / general greenery, wherever we can plant them. We have very good parks in around the perimeter of the city centre. Not to say this wouldn't be very nice and well located as another small central park, in amongst a developing district... I personally think the space would be better used for an actual development (mix of residential with street level retail / hospitality), adding to the density of the city centre. The block was sold by the council to a developer for this purpose relatively recently, I think they were just unable to shift it prior prior to Covid. by eenbiertje (Tue 21st Jul 2020 2:14pm)
  • Are you meaning the corner of Wilson Street and Candleriggs, facing Merchant City Square? That's gonna be part of the big Candleriggs redevelopment. Preliminary ground work got underway in Jan/Feb, and I reckon is probably just starting back again since the construction sector started back recently. Info on the final masterplan below: https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/article/green-light-for-300m-candleriggs-quarter-masterplan by eenbiertje (Tue 21st Jul 2020 4:26pm)
  • Yeah that's a fair point. Street trees don't come without some downsides (I know of roots being an issue in some residential areas). But the city is just so completely grey, in the area bound by the Clyde, M8 and High Street. Where street trees are possible, with minimal impact, we should be adding more. Where not, some plants, flower patches, shrubbery, something, anything. I think also the newer trees planted on Sauchiehall Street are installed with a special cap thing around their perimeter, that stops root spread. Bottom line is I don't see how near enough every other major city Europe manages to have trees along their main city streets, but we cant? by eenbiertje (Tue 21st Jul 2020 7:18pm)
  • Are you meaning the old subway building, on top of St Enoch station? It's a beautiful wee building, would be sorry to see it go for any reason. by eenbiertje (Wed 22nd Jul 2020 4:12pm)
  • I think more trees would help alleviate this. I was praising the benefits of getting in more street trees in another thread, but now you mention this, planting a fair few more trees along the riverfront would definitely provide some barrier to the wind that is funneled west down the Clyde. A few strategic pockets of parkland along the quaysides (nothing that big even, just half a block wide every now and then) would make a big difference, and I think make outside dining / seating along the Clyde way more tolerable. As it is, the city has big plans for regeneration of the riverside, so I imagine everything from the SECC through to Glasgow Green will be vastly improved in ~10 years or so. by eenbiertje (Wed 22nd Jul 2020 4:16pm)
  • A few people have already commented on general (as well as more specific) ideas for what can be done to improve the area around St Enoch, Broomielaw, the riverside etc. Just in case its not that widely known about, the city has a massive city centre regeneration plan underway at the moment. It's a big overarching strategy with the aim of repopulating and regenerating the core of Glasgow, and the whole thing will stretch well into the mid to late 2020s (it's been talked about in various city development strategies through the 2010s, but is underway in its own right now). As part of this, the city centre is being broken into 10 workable project "districts". These are being worked on steadily in order, all as part of the overall city centre strategy. The district strategies are at different stages, some not active at all yet, others have been through early consultations, idea generation, early implementation (Sauchiehall is furthest ahead I think). Others are somewhere in the middle of the process ("Broomielaw", "St Enoch", "Blythswood"). You might've seen the active consultation for 4 of these districts being promoted recently - Cowcaddens, Learning Quarter, Merchant City, Trongate. AFAIK these are at initial idea generation stage, with the public being asked for initial input. You can do this here via the commonplace tool: Anyway... I was commenting to say, with respect to the riverside specifically, a lot mentioned in this thread is actually covered in some way in the "St Enoch" district regeneration framework. It's been through idea generation, and initial consultation. The council released the full report of agreed options for the district last summer, you can read it here (full PDF at bottom of the page) https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/25363/Council-approves-regeneration-framework-for-Glasgows-St-Enoch-District Headline options that are actively being explored are: * Extension of the "Avenues" project to key routes in this area (Clyde Street, St Enoch Square, Argyle Street, Stockwell Street) - widened pavements, segregated cycle lanes, trees, room for outdoor seating, new lighting. * A riverside park zone, stretching from the SEC to Glasgow Green. The report recommends breaking this into 4 distinct planning zones or mood "rooms", each with a different purpose in mind, to help identify actual on the ground changes suitable for these areas. It lists a "Harbour Room", a "Historical Room", etc. Each room drawing in different international examples that can be applied here. * Key projects including the Briggait masterplan, and the regeneration of Custom House Quay. Anyway, this is all a bit of a brain dump, but am conscious reading this and similar threads that there is actually quite a lot planned (and already underway), that people are calling for, but don't realise is happening. by eenbiertje (Wed 22nd Jul 2020 5:28pm)
  • Added to that, a few former employees shared their experiences online when that story came out. https://twitter.com/AimeeBairdy/status/1273993714642321409 by eenbiertje (Tue 28th Jul 2020 10:08am)
  • Depends what problem the govt think they're solving. If it's a demand problem, with people being reticent or out the habit of going out to eat, then this type of scheme goes a little way to fixing that and jump starting hospitality again. A tax break would help places out, but how much would it help them to stay afloat if they still don't have much demand for their services? I'm not totally sold on it as a fool proof plan, but I can see how a demand side injection like this has its benefits in the current situation. by eenbiertje (Tue 28th Jul 2020 11:35am)
  • Most of the things I would like to recommend are likely closed! But in terms of outdoor spots worth visiting: The Cathedral "precinct" (God I hate that term). Even if you can't go inside the cathedral, have a wander around outside. The oldest remaining medieval house in the city is across the road from it ("The Provand's Lordship" building, dating back to 1471). You can get up to the Necropolis too which is worth exploring, especially on a beautiful day like tomorrow is meant to be. Great views over the city, and many interesting graves of / monuments to influential Glaswegians up there. If you go to the botanics, make sure to explore down the back end of it, and take a walk along the Kelvin Walkway. A nice, short 15-20 minute walk is to follow the walkway from the top of the Botanics, south east towards Kelvingrove Park. There are two spectacular bridges that you really can only fully appreciate from walking underneath them on this walking path. If you go the other way along the walkway though, northwest towards Maryhill, after about 10 mins you'll reach the old flint mill on the Kelvin. Interesting wee historical site, and maybe worth fitting in before you double back towards the west end and Kelvingrove. Stretching my mind a bit here trying to think of things to do / see outdoors, but if you're interested in the striking architecture of the city, there's three main areas I'd recommend walking to / around 1) Park Circus, on the Eastern side of Kelvingrove Park. Fanciest part of town with some of the grandest example of Glasgow tenements. Great views across the park to the uni, and from the other side, across to the south of the city. 2) For a walk to take in some of the city's finest Victorian architecture: Visit Central Station. Go out the western exit then follow Hope Street north, about halfway up turn right onto St Vincent Street, and then on towards Buchanan Street. Be sure to look up! Hope Street isn't a particularly glamourous part of the city, but if you're looking to explore Glasgow and take it in, this route will bring you next to a lot of the most striking architecture from the 1870s - 1920s that we still have. 3) Merchant City (area east of Buchanan Street to High Street). This was the original 'new town' of Glasgow, built to accommodate the offices and homes of some of the wealthiest tobacco merchants in the city. Still fairly well preserved, it might make for a nice walk, particularly along Ingram Street. by eenbiertje (Fri 31st Jul 2020 1:51am)
  • On a personal note, the idea that we should use four city blocks' worth of space to store stationary motor vehicles smack bang in the centre of Glasgow, and be happy with this status quo, is completely nuts. by eenbiertje (Fri 31st Jul 2020 1:57am)
  • From what I was reading a while ago it's cause the glass panels are at risk of falling, or more they they just can't be sure no more won't fall off, since one struck the pavement about a year back :/ by eenbiertje (Mon 3rd Aug 2020 12:25am)
  • Massive adult hide and seek arena. Kit it out with bushes, ferns, fake trees etc., hidey holes. Throw in a bar like the crazy golf place on Bath Street, and you're golden. by eenbiertje (Tue 4th Aug 2020 2:11pm)
  • There's that old man's pub across the road from the old tollbooth at Glasgow Cross - the Tollbooth Bar. Never been in but I'd bet that's cheap enough. You've also got the Scotia and Clutha nearby. Press Bar on Albion Street too just around the corner in Merchant City. by eenbiertje (Fri 7th Aug 2020 1:31pm)
  • Won't retype everything here, but here's a thread on this very topic that I posted about a year ago (just prior to the Scottish Parliament passing the Transport Bill which now gives councils some powers to step in and control bus services). https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/bwqwtf/better_glasgow_transport_get_glasgow_moving/?utm_source=xpromo&utm_medium=amp&utm_name=amp_comment_iterations&utm_term=control_2&utm_content=post_num_comments&ampcid=1*gf0yn0*cid*YW1wLWRZWGdiNkg5ZG5sUU9fTWJNUlN4d0E. Essentially - Thatcher govt effectively outlawed municipal ownership and control of bus services in the mid 80s. UK law has been unchanged since until very recently: some mayoral areas in England got recent opt outs in Westminster legislations; last year the Scottish parliament finally got round to repealing the relevant laws in its own Scottish Transport Bill. London always had an opt out in the 1980s law change, hence they were able to set up TfL in the 90s. Edinburgh got round it by having Lothian Buses being a very arm's length private company, which the council owned a share of. I don't really know the absolutely detail of this arrangement, and it's probable that someone else can explain it better. Anyway, cities apart from London have been screwed with bus de- regulation laws until very recently. Councils now have (limited) powers to intervene, so I'd recommend making your feelings known to your Councillor, and maybe also support the campaign group Get Glasgow Moving and their affiliates. Their 2 goals are for the council to either: * Buy out First Bus's fleet (which there have been indications they may be interested to sell), and once again set up a proper municipally run bus service. * If this can't be done, revert to a franchise model, like how ScotRail runs. GCC sets the exact terms and conditions of being allowed to run Glasgow's buses, and First or Stagecoach or anyone else have to comply to retain the contract. This means GCC can mandate which routes are kept, route frequencies, participation in a proper multimodal ticketing system, even the livery the buses use (like how Abellio runs the trains, but they're all branded ScotRail, you could have a "Glasgow Buses" or "Transport for Glasgow" branding). The council seem warmer to the franchising idea. I think it's for all of us that are fed up with the transport (and particularly the bus) system to make our thoughts known. http://www.getglasgowmoving.org by eenbiertje (Fri 7th Aug 2020 1:45pm)
  • It was the Strathclyde Tram project. I'll root around and share some links in a mo. by eenbiertje (Fri 7th Aug 2020 1:54pm)
  • The tunnel entrance/exit is a wee bit to the left of where Inn Deep is https://maps.app.goo.gl/KyJhq5zgeTg1S7wA8 It *would* mean getting rid of the park pathway that's closest to the river, at least until the tram line could join Kelvin Way via one of the bridges. So I imagine it'd face some opposition. I think it'd be worth it though. by eenbiertje (Fri 7th Aug 2020 4:17pm)
  • The King's Cross ones look brilliant, especially as part of the renovated park area around it. Link here if anyone's curious: London, England https://maps.app.goo.gl/22EHGWqRGfFCwyxs8 Thing about gasometers though, is that they're usually right next to old (and sometimes still functioning) rail lines. Unfortunately this one's not, as the rail infra was ripped out. Interestingly though, there's talk of the former rail line running parallel to Provan Road being reinstated as part of a future light-rail / metro line. May well be that these things have a new life as apartments / offices, if ever this happens. Could fit in with a full on regeneration of the surrounding industrial estate at Provanmill, north of the M8. by eenbiertje (Tue 11th Aug 2020 4:34pm)
  • Doesn't mean they're wrong. by eenbiertje (Tue 11th Aug 2020 4:42pm)
  • Aye, it's been closed since not long after the bridge opened in 2011 (or maybe even since it opened, though I seem to have a memory of being able to walk down there?). Seems such a small thing but it properly infuriates me that the whole south stretch of the Clydeside is out of bounds except for residents of those flats. The walkway is also fenced off at the other end next to the Quay. It's not down to a broken quayside as a lot of people think (that's further up, past the Kingston Bridge at Tradeston) - it's "private land", with a rather pitiful sign that's been there for about 9 years, saying: > "Glasgow Council has hopes to include this section of Riverside Walk as a core path. Until necessary adaptations are implemented, this area is not suitable for cycling / skateboarding". It's such a shame as Paisley Road West from the squinty bridge to Tradeston is very unwelcoming to pedestrians and (especially) cyclists. The junctions at either end of the squinty bridge itself also make the path on the north riverside less than straightforward to access from the south. I see cyclists crossing the bridge pavement every day (which personally I don't mind, but in Covid times isn't great), I imagine because of the intimidating nature of the the traffic lanes and junctions at either side. If this path were opened, you'd have an uninterrupted path running from the Science Centre all the way into the new Buchanan Wharf development, and then into the city via the newish bridge there. But nothing is ever joined up in this city. by eenbiertje (Thu 13th Aug 2020 4:05pm)
  • That's a different section, further up between the Kingston Bridge and Tradeston. by eenbiertje (Thu 13th Aug 2020 8:06pm)
  • Sure, but as far as I know it's not related to the stretch between the squinty bridge and the quay being closed. by eenbiertje (Thu 13th Aug 2020 9:06pm)
  • I disagree. Don't want to exaggerate, as it's not the absolute worst, but it's not a great stretch for pedestrians and cyclists. You've got 4 major road junctions on a 500m stretch between the Toll and Kingston Bridge, with two of the junctions having motorway traffic coming and going. Street furniture on the Quay side of the road is pretty bad. Getting into the weeds of street design for a second - the junctions have multiple crossing points (lots of waiting for pedestrians moving East-West parallel to the river), and massive bellmouths meaning that cars turn the corners at speed. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th Aug 2020 2:03am)
  • Don't think they come anywhere near here. They're stored in the hills close to Faslane. No reason that they'd be getting transported this way as far as I know. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th Aug 2020 2:08am)
  • I think cause of the former chemical manufacturing sites up Polmadie / Dalmarnock way, it still has a risk of some pollutant run-off from the ground water in these areas. Not too sure but that's what I'd read recently. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th Aug 2020 11:24am)
  • Yeah, the Connectivity Commission highlighted this line as one of several across the city that would be ideal to be reopened as part of a light-rail / metro network. https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/connectivitycommission Slight difficulty with this old Glasgow Central Railway line, is that there's a semi-recent housing development where the old Kirklee station is. Could be dealt with by compulsory purchase order of course. Curiously, Maryhill Central Station, which this line served, was on the site of the current Tesco. The Tesco was built on stilts with enough clearance should a rail line ever be needed in future. So it's all still possible! by eenbiertje (Fri 14th Aug 2020 6:27pm)
  • It was considered (and coated/planned) as part of the Strathclyde Tram plan in the 90s by SPT, and there's. Reasonable chance it could still happen. It wouldn't just be a line between the Botanic Gardens and Finnieston: it'd connect Drumchapel to the city centre via Maryhill and the West End. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th Aug 2020 6:34pm)
  • Yeah I would to be honest. Having such a near complete rail line is so incredibly valuable, and something other cities would kill for. That particular line was open for around 70 years until it was closed - the reason why? The rise of the private car, making hundreds of rail routes across the UK seemingly obselete. We need to make the most of the existing underused infrastructure. On balance it's exactly the sort of thing we should be doing to help build a world class urban transport network, so people don't need to get into their cars. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th Aug 2020 7:23pm)
  • Oh right, maybe I'm wrong about that! I had heard it said by some people involved in infrastructure planning, so thought it was true. I reckon it might be the case though. The tunnel mouth you mention is one of quite a few lines that ran through there, but it isn't the one relevant to the Strathclyde Tram (and potential future metro / light rail) route. If you look here at a map from 1936, you can see where the line that passed through Maryhill on its way to Possil went directly under where the Tesco car park is. It's a little bit west of the tunnel/line you mention. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.798838851795246&lat=55.88604&lon=-4.28824&layers=142842758&b=1 by eenbiertje (Sat 15th Aug 2020 10:52am)
  • It'd be a line that serves Drumchapel, and the same line would connect through the city to Easterhouse, literally two of the poorest neighbourhoods in Scotland, nevermind Glasgow. by eenbiertje (Sat 15th Aug 2020 4:19pm)
  • Sorry, I shoud've been clearer and just linked to the Strathclyde Tram map earlier to show exactly what I meant. You can see the planned route here, though it's not a high res pic. https://urbanglasgow.co.uk/strathclyde-tram-leaflet-from-c-1994-t456.html West of Maryhill it would be an on-street tram. The only portion making use of existing rail infra would be between Maryhill and Kelvinbridge. After running through the park to Finnieston, it'd also be "on-street" all the way through the city centre out east to Easterhouse. Running along a route that's roughly: Kelvin Way, Argyle Street, St Vincent Street, George Sq, George Street, Duke Street, Carntyne Road, Edinburgh Road. The 2nd pic has the first planned stage of the route, between Maryhill and Easterhouse. A pic lower down has a small image of the "final" optional upgraded route, which would've stretched out to Drumchapel using surface streets. by eenbiertje (Sun 16th Aug 2020 10:09am)
  • Really, really nice. by eenbiertje (Mon 17th Aug 2020 3:03pm)
  • The Roy Map (Lowlands), from 1775. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Roy Could get lost looking at this for hours. https://maps.nls.uk/roy/ by eenbiertje (Tue 18th Aug 2020 10:44am)
  • There was a great recent programme on the BBC, all about the history of mapping and surveying of Scotland. Of course going off on all sorts of (very interesting tangents) about the landscape, local history, etc, while showing off old archive aerial photos and handdrawn maps. Scotland From The Sky, presented by James Crawford from Historic Environment Scotland. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09wzvn7/episodes/guide There's a specific episode all about the Roy map. Worth watching if it's on TV again soon, or if you're able to find it anywhere online. by eenbiertje (Tue 18th Aug 2020 6:07pm)
  • University Cafe? by eenbiertje (Wed 19th Aug 2020 4:50pm)
  • Tesco. Even the wee Tescos have them. Or maybe it's McGhee's rolls, now I think about it. But pretty much the same thing. by eenbiertje (Thu 20th Aug 2020 5:06pm)
  • Think they do both. You get the well fired rolls in a pack of 4, and the regular cripsy rolls are sometimes loose in a box. Am a roll aficionado so I am. by eenbiertje (Thu 20th Aug 2020 5:22pm)
  • Been flat hunting recently, and it's outright shocking the condition of some tenements, all across the city. I'm talking ones in quite well sought after areas, that outwardly look great. Viewed maybe a dozen flats, and all had signs of structural issues, even if the home report said otherwise. Most with significant cracks down the stairwells and back of the building. It just shocked me a bit. I genuinely wonder what happens city-wide, over the next 30, 50, 75+ years say, when I think genuinely large swathes of the tenement stock will begin to be unviable for housing. Seems it'll properly fuck with the housing market locally (maybe hyperinflating the value of those tenements that are habitable and/or in good condition). It'll also probably need a comprehensive redevelopment of whole neighbourhoods across Glasgow. by eenbiertje (Mon 24th Aug 2020 8:35pm)
  • Exactly this. I don't think you were actually arguing for 100% pedestrianisation. The best Dutch, Belgian (and increasingly French) towns and cities have introduced filtered permeability in their urban cores. Cars can enter from one side and maybe exit an adjacent side, but through a combination of pedestrianised streets, bollards, one way loops, etc., Vehicle traffic cannot go "through" the centre to the opposite side. It dramatically cuts down on vehicle presence within the perimeter of the urban core, but the city is still *permeable* - people in cars, buses and taxis can still *get* into and out of the centre. The absolute core of the city might be properly limited to pedestrians and bikes though, with maybe a few remaining roadways that can be opened if there's cause to. by eenbiertje (Tue 25th Aug 2020 1:40pm)
  • History grad here. It's probably too early to be able to recommend specific books as we don't know exactly what areas you'll be studying. Do you have an area of interest? You'll be doing very general history (likely of the UK and early modern European history) in your first and second years. In third and fourth you'll have opportunity to specialise in given areas of history, depending of course on what is available at your given uni (depending on what specialisms they offer, what professors they have on board). But - and I know this seems like a lazy, non-academic recommendation - I strongly recommend dipping into the r/AskHistorians subreddit. I discovered it midway through my third year, when I was googling some specific queries on a topic in one of my elected classes. You'll find that the level of question asked on there, and the answers given, are of a very high calibre, with sources and references given for every answer. I wish I'd found it earlier, as it gave great insight into specific aspects of what I was learning in class. I was able to find questions and answers relating to what I was learning, and understand the topic on a deeper level. I found my contributions in class, and in turn what I gained from these classes, improved dramatically - all essentially from doing more outside reading. If you've got a topic of interest in mind, have a wee search through the subreddit's past posts. I found it helpful on three levels: 1. Simply getting wider knowledge about my topic of interest (why did X happen, who was responsible for Y happening etc.) 2. Getting to see how good, comprehensive, *readable* answers are laid out. I'm certain that browsing this subreddit improved my own writing ability. You see people who are experts (or on the road to being experts) in their fields, laying out their answers in coherent, illuminating ways. 3. Better appreciation for the actual process of *studying* history - i.e. understanding the constant, perpetual need to be weighing things up as you gain knowledge about a topic. Source A said X happened for that reason? Great, but how does that relate and interact with what source F said? Who was source A? What were their concerns and needs? Why would they say what they said? Even if you get into the habit of reading it casually, you'll pick up little things from the answers. Read up on [historiography](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historiography#:~:text=Historiography%20is%20the%20study%20of,work%20on%20a%20particular%20subject.) as a concept - the process of writing about history. Get to know a little about the different dominant views and philosophies related to historiography over time (Wikipedia is a fine resource for this). by eenbiertje (Wed 26th Aug 2020 8:36am)
  • My two cents - keep it closed. But I think it's a fairly low impact thing to be discussing anyway. The council picked it as the priority action of the Spaces For People programme, because it was easy and would grab some nice headlines. Whether it stays open to cars or not... I could care less, compared to other parts of the city that the council should be brave and act on. There are higher impact things that can and should be done to nearby streets. "The strip" area of Argyle Street in Finnieston, from the fork junction with Sauchiehall St at the Art Galleries, down 4 or 5 blocks or so to Kelvingrove Street - this should be closed to traffic, with cars rerouted onto Sauchiehall Street. by eenbiertje (Sun 30th Aug 2020 9:40pm)
  • * It's targeted in response to an increase in cases, specifically traced back to house gatherings. Not saying this will have been the only cause of transmission in recent days, but it will have likely accounted for high numbers of the rise in cases - taken from what Ross Greer (Green MSP) was tweeting last night after he'd been to a parliamentary scientific briefing on the announcement. * It's possible that some % of the case rate rise has been caused by pub/restaurant transmission too. Evidently though it's not at the point where it is on balance worth taking the nuclear option of banning hospitality services - lots of places are saying another lockdown, even short term and local, would be the end for them. So, my assumption is the govt will bring in a hospitality ban if it is needed, but only when they absolutely need to, and no sooner than that. Especially not just to make the rules *look* better. * I guess also pubs and homes are very different environments. You'll have mandatory contact tracing in pubs, mandatory cleaning being carried out, servers wearing face masks, cleaning gels provided, distances between tables, and importantly - you and your mates will be being "supervised / monitored" throughout your visit. None of this is the case in homes. by eenbiertje (Wed 2nd Sep 2020 9:19am)
  • Depends where you go. Buchanan Street and Argyle Street are still mobbed with shoppers most days. Beyond that though, yeah it's pretty quiet. by eenbiertje (Thu 3rd Sep 2020 1:52pm)
  • Citylink "Airlink" bus. Something like £15 one way, £22ish return (lasts for a month). It normally leaves stance C at Edinburgh, but the normal bus stops are out of action. You need to go head left towards the tram stop, where you'll see the new bus stances being used now. No idea of this is to do with Covid or renovations. Glasgow bus leaves from stance 5, though it's unmarked. by eenbiertje (Fri 4th Sep 2020 5:38pm)
  • I wouldn't call it a no go zone. The areas that are always slightly sketchy (Union Street, four corners at Jamaica Street, the area around Argyle Street train station) are sketchier than normal. Rest of town is pretty much as it always is. by eenbiertje (Sat 5th Sep 2020 9:40am)
  • Ordinarily, I'd say it wouldn't make much difference to your trip. You're maybe a little more likely to experience miserable cold/rainy weather than other months, but the city isn't "seasonal" in the way many mainland European cities can be. Bars, restaurants, museums, events, all go on as normal all through the year. There's normally the Celtic Connections music festival happening in late Jan - early Feb (I expect cancelled in 2021). This is said of course with the massive massive caveat that we're probably heading for a big lockdown over winter anyway. So this winter is probably a bad time to plan a trip. Everything being normal though (which it's not) January wouldn't be a bad time to visit in itself. by eenbiertje (Tue 8th Sep 2020 8:46pm)
  • The subway by eenbiertje (Thu 10th Sep 2020 11:33am)
  • I wonder why most people don't just list their property at 10-20% below the home report value then. Are the ones listing it close to the HRV just nervous about undervaluing their house and getting mostly low ball offers / hoping the higher "offers over" value means they'll get much higher offers overall? by eenbiertje (Thu 10th Sep 2020 11:38am)
  • Hands up, this was a shitpost. I'm standing by the subway but. by eenbiertje (Thu 10th Sep 2020 3:24pm)
  • Tin bin man with the dancing cats. by eenbiertje (Thu 10th Sep 2020 3:23pm)
  • Dunno why I'm being downvoted. I think it fits with the type of things that OP's looking for. As I read it they're not asking for things that are perfect, but things that the city has a lot of affection for. by eenbiertje (Thu 10th Sep 2020 3:21pm)
  • Closed down sometime around 2010/11ish, reopened a few months later but it changed a fair bit. Think it had different ownership. It had lost its simple, no frills dive-bar charm. Think the new management/owner also had the Priory Bar a few doors down the street (upstairs). They tried to change Cellars into the same style (think a faux dive Firewater), but it didn't stay open long. It was boarded up until reopening with the "Priory" name a few years ago. Cellars in those days pre-2010ish, the place was brilliant though. One of the best hidden gems in the city easily. Real shame it's not around anymore. by eenbiertje (Fri 11th Sep 2020 12:06am)
  • Third oldest in the world, and better than no subway at all! by eenbiertje (Fri 11th Sep 2020 1:02pm)
  • Why would you put a roll on a sausage by eenbiertje (Sun 13th Sep 2020 2:39am)
  • Downstairs in WHSmith on Argyle Street might be worth a look too. The one next to the St Enoch Centre. by eenbiertje (Sun 13th Sep 2020 2:52am)
  • Voltaire & Rousseau in the West End. (Second hand book shop). https://bookriot.com/voltaire-and-rousseau-bookshop-glasgow/ Another good one nearby is the Oxfam Book Shop (also second hand) on Byres Road, near the Botanic Gardens. Always high quality stuff in there. by eenbiertje (Sun 13th Sep 2020 12:36pm)
  • Phased out by trolleybuses in the 50s - early 60s, which in turn were themselves phased out by Glasgow Corporation diesel buses in the late 60s. From what I've read, development of the Glasgow Highway plan (the motorway ring road which was eventually cancelled, along with many major features that exist now such as the Clydeside Expressway and Clyde Tunnel approach roads) meant many trolleybus routes had to be closed. It wasn't economical to keep the transportation power station (at Pinkston near Townhead) running just to power the routes that remained, so they were all converted to diesel buses. by eenbiertje (Sun 13th Sep 2020 7:14pm)
  • Mmmm if you have a book/author in mind, they might be able to tell you if a copy has come recently. But then you'll have to venture into the pile to try to find it. It isn't a *total* rammy - the main room is divided into topic sections (Scottish Fiction, Classics, History, Science, Philosophy, Music, etc.). When I visit I go with an open mind, and browse by categories. More often than not I see something that take my interest. by eenbiertje (Mon 14th Sep 2020 10:19am)
  • This. I get that people (definitely) shouldn't be keeping bikes in closes, as it's a fire hazard, and shouldn't keep them locked up outside, as they attract thieves. But there aren't many other options. People do this because the city has pretty much zero residential parking for bikes - except in a few modern, private blocks of flats I can think of. There was talk of cycle parking pods being trialled at 80-odd locations across Glasgow last summer: https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/17601611.glasgow-launch-on-street-bike-parking-scheme/ Since then, not heard a peep about it. All the while you can barely walk on the pavement in some neighbourhoods because of the amount of pavement parking. by eenbiertje (Tue 15th Sep 2020 10:44am)
  • What was the artistic motivation behind your escapade? by eenbiertje (Wed 16th Sep 2020 1:51pm)
  • GoMA's looking awfy green by eenbiertje (Wed 16th Sep 2020 2:13pm)
  • Why by eenbiertje (Wed 16th Sep 2020 7:31pm)
  • Think it's a relic from when the old St Andrews Lane (a winding old lane from late medieval Glasgow, that ran south from Gallowgate) passed underneath London Road, which was built at a slightly higher level. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18.56437613940679&lat=55.85580&lon=-4.24258&layers=80&b=1 by eenbiertje (Thu 17th Sep 2020 12:41am)
  • Couple of things. * Between the squinty bridge and quay is "private land". There used to be an open path there (you can see a side ramp was included in the bridge design to access it, but it's gated now). But the residents/property owner complained (not sure what about) around 10 years ago and got it sealed off at both ends. Arseholes. There's a sign there that says something pish like "the council will endeavour to include this in a future open routes plan" or something, but it's been there for years. Hope something changes soon. Worryingly though I've heard that the clearance height at the bridge is too low to allow a cycle path under it legally. Which might prevent a path extending west to the BBC and beyond uninterrupted. Again, not sure how true this is. * There was a major quayside collapse between the Kingston Bridge and Tradeston about 3 or 4 years ago. So access was fairly closed there. * Same situation up near the sheriff court and across from Glasgow Green. The path subsided into the river during heavy flooding a few years ago. The council secured funding for a complete remodelling of the quaysides along the river, I think that's what the hold up with repairs is - they plan to do them all at once as part of a comprehensive project. Bundled into this, there was a plan for a complete southside cycleway announced recently (I can't find the story). First section of this to be built will run parallel along the river to the current Tradeston cycle lane in Paisley Road. Seems an odd choice since, as I say, there's already a fine parallel cycleway there while the rest of the south river bank has none. Anyway that's all the info I have! by eenbiertje (Fri 18th Sep 2020 8:50am)
  • Unfortunately I agree with this. I do think the long term aim should be to downgrade, and then possibly even remove the city section of the M8 (from Kingston through to roughly Provan). Use the M74 as the main "through corridor" for East-West traffic. The M8 could be boulevardised at first, with greenery/parks bounded by surface streets, to make it something along the lines of the Wallanlagan park which circles the core of Frankfurt, or if we had even grander aspirations something like the Ringstrasse in Vienna. The Mitchell would make for a nice centerpiece for a city ring park. Realistically though, I agree, this might mean we need to revisit the unbuilt outer ring roads (the unbuilt Kelvindale expressway, and a Paisley-East Kilbride motorway) to compensate. by eenbiertje (Sat 19th Sep 2020 10:56am)
  • > Some of the intermediate expressways would help too, but it's too late to even think about building them. No way will the majority of residents approve of Pollokshaws road becoming an expressway, for example, as much as the route sorely needs it. To be fair, the South Link motorway plan always looked like the most mental of all the unbuilt motorways to me (with the exception perhaps of the east flank of the ring road that would've torn through Glasgow Green, Saltmarket & High Street). It's easy for me to say, just build the route fully that cuts through the East End, when I don't live there. There would probably be huge opposition if it went ahead. Indications are that the council has properly binned the idea of completing the East End Regeneration Route due to Green Party opposition. Fair enough, maybe. My personal opinion is though, that there'd be a big difference between upgrading and completing a route that is already sorta there (the EERR), than thinking of building the south link, with would bulldoze through untouched areas like Strathbungo, Crossmyloof, and even Mosspark. by eenbiertje (Sat 19th Sep 2020 5:43pm)
  • Quite literally. The rubble from the demolished hotel was used to infill Queen's Dock prior to construction of the SECC. https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSE00115&t=2 by eenbiertje (Sun 20th Sep 2020 8:54pm)
  • Yup, a new major city station at or around King Street is being talked about to takeover southside traffic from Central, to free it up for high speed rail and an eventual airport route. by eenbiertje (Sun 20th Sep 2020 11:46pm)
  • Probably would've looked something like Milton Keynes, T least in terms of road layout, but with high rise flats dotted absolutely everywhere. Maybe something like Novosibirsk. by eenbiertje (Mon 21st Sep 2020 1:14am)
  • Brilliant, have filled it out. Citywide ticketing for all transport and proper cycle lanes (that join up) please! by eenbiertje (Wed 23rd Sep 2020 12:58pm)
  • Yep this would be amazing if it could all be bundled in together into a single ticketing system. "Pay for what you use" type thing, maybe even with a daily cap. There's quite a lot of exciting stuff on the horizon transport-wise for Glasgow, as they outline in the supporting document for this consultation. - tram / light rail network - (a proper!) interconnected cycle network - integrated ticketing - making bus travel more efficient - "car-quieting" pedestrian-heavy parts of the city Clearly the council has identified a lot of these as priority projects. Some will need Transport Scotland and maybe even Scottish Govt buy-in, so may be a matter of waiting until they can confirm support before much of this is given the green light. But we can hope! by eenbiertje (Wed 23rd Sep 2020 5:18pm)
  • Imagine this might get me voted down, but the general response from the hospitality trade in interviews or talking head slots on the news past two weeks has been shocking. Some interviewed have been quite realistic and understanding of the need for these ongoing (and new) restrictions, but the vast majority of pub/bar owners that have been on the telly or radio have come across terribly. Borderline psychopathic in some cases. We're in the middle of a global pandemic. A highly infectious, life-altering disease is sweeping across the world, a once in a 100 year event that has already killed a million people globally. I feel like screaming whenever I hear some pub owners whinge about shutting two hours earlier than normal. Yes, there are implications from this for how businesses can continue to cope, and how staff can be supported. This is something that needs to be challenged by on its own rights. By all means, make the case to the Scottish Govt & UK govt for better financial support (I have total agreement this is needed). But this constant challenging of the very *idea* of safety measures... get a grip. by eenbiertje (Sat 26th Sep 2020 12:15am)
  • How are people still not understanding this? It's fatal in around 0.1% of cases. In percentages maybe that sounds like not a lot, but that's hundreds of thousands of people in the UK and millions worldwide that would die if we let it just continue spreading. The relatively low deaths so far (I wouldn't say "miniscule", one million globally so far mind!) isn't cause it's not a dangerous virus afterall. It's happened *because we've been taking measures to halt its spread*. by eenbiertje (Sat 26th Sep 2020 3:18pm)
  • And we try to lower that number all the time don't we? You're being a bit obtuse here. We do things to stop common causes of death where we can all the time. We don't just do literally nothing and accept it. If you're talking cancer, heart disease, hunger, or just plain household accidents: we have anti-smoking campaigns, regulations about sugars/fat content in foods, emergency famine relief, regulations for labelling on foods and dangerous tools / toxic materials. by eenbiertje (Sun 27th Sep 2020 5:20pm)
  • Isn't that the forecast for yesterday ("2020-09-27") ? by eenbiertje (Mon 28th Sep 2020 8:04pm)
  • Cheers! by eenbiertje (Mon 28th Sep 2020 11:49pm)
  • I think it looks pretty good. It's similar to what would be in place at a 4-way crossing in the Netherlands. Cyclists just need to treat it as a mini round about, with lights. As I say, par for the course with junctions in Dutch cities. Info and pics here if anyone hasn't seen it yet: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/ProtectedJunctions by eenbiertje (Tue 29th Sep 2020 12:40am)
  • Yep. The city council has a lot planned, or at least planned in a sort of long term ambition type way. I can't find it, but there's a planning document from a few years ago showing the eventual aim is to have full cycle paths radiating out from the city to neighbourhoods, at almost all points on the compass. There's ready the South West City Way (which isn't all that continuous), and the South City Way on Victoria Road *should* be completed into the city eventually. The East City Way along London Road and Hamilton Road is up next I think. A segregated cycle path just got completed along Garscube Road too in the NW. There's also separate plans for different neighbourhoods that exist as specific local projects: Connecting Woodside and the rough plans for redesigning the roads around Battlefield too. Proper cycle routes are coming in at the new Sighthill development and at the bridge between Govan and Partick too. Lots happening! by eenbiertje (Tue 29th Sep 2020 12:25pm)
  • I love the advert that's on Clyde 1 sometimes: 45 second hyper cheesy intro all about the benefits of hydroponics for gardening, boosting your flowers and fruit trees etc, like it's Dobbies or something. Then it pure casually segues into "we also have a range of mind boosting CBD products available". by eenbiertje (Fri 2nd Oct 2020 4:35pm)
  • I get the feeling it's all temporary. The road layout at Tradeston's changed about half a dozen times over the past 20 years alone. Now is the first time in decades though that the area's getting some much needed redevelopment going on, with the Barclays campus thing at the riverside. The city is also planning to improve the quayside at Kingston Quay at some expense, repairing the public pathway and adding in cycle lanes. My impression is that things will settle in Tradeston within a few years, and you might begin to see some of the other vacant sites being built up, or the listed buildings converted into offices and fancy flats. The current midden that it is won't last forever. I reckon the road layout in and around the area will be rationalised/simplified by then too. by eenbiertje (Fri 2nd Oct 2020 9:59pm)
  • See, honestly, the main problem facing the city centre to me is quite simple - not enough people live there. Most people I know have said their local neighbourhood high streets have been jumping the past six months. That's my own experience too. I've never seen the wee row of shops in nearby main roads busier. People aren't travelling into the centre in anything like the numbers they used to for casual coffees, lunches, pubs, meetups with friends, nightclubs etc. Argyle Street and Buchanan Street are busy but that's because they have large retail outlets concentrated around there, particularly near St Enoch subway station. It quickly tails off as you move to Sauchiehall Street or elsewhere as you say. Basically as I see it, the pandemic's shown the biggest problem facing the city centre economy not to be car parking spaces, bus lanes, one way streets or any of the number of things that are usually trotted out as reasons for its decline. It's simply that there isn't the population density where retail/services have a local demand base to live off of. The medium-long term solution to this is to repopulate the city centre, which thankfully the council does seem to be planning for. by eenbiertje (Wed 7th Oct 2020 11:32am)
  • Evening Times (recently renamed the "Glasgow Times") is probably your best bet. The website is abysmally laid out, like most newspapers tbh. Ads and pop ups galore. But it's only 70p for a copy. It's the main local newspaper for the city, and for all I might be about to receive replies to the contrary, I reckon it does a good job covering what's going on in and around Glasgow. If you want to get to know what's going on in the city, maybe get a copy of it a couple of times a week. Glasgow Live also gets absolutely savaged on this subreddit. Sometimes fairly, as it is built on clickbait. But it's free, and essentially is the best single source of online news for the city. In amongst the listicles about top ten cheap eats in Dennieston, there's news on music, business, construction, city planning, etc, usually drawn from the Daily Record. It's also not an absolute trainwreck to navigate like many newspaper websites. Overall, I'd recommend the Evening Times for print, and following for online coverage: https://reglasgow.com/ https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/ https://news.stv.tv/section/west-central by eenbiertje (Wed 7th Oct 2020 1:53pm)
  • It's different in Poland (and in many central European countries to be honest). Central heating comes on for the whole building/block in a sort of communal way when the temperature is low enough. And you toggle your radiators on and off if you want to use some of it. by eenbiertje (Thu 8th Oct 2020 11:34pm)
  • I think many people are looking at it the wrong way, and claiming "pubs/restaurants are hardly to blame for any transmissions, so there's no reason to pick them out for closure". That overlooks the fact that (rightly or wrongly) the Scottish Govt is prioritising keeping schools and unis open. It doesn't matter if they're the primary site of transmission - them staying open means other aspects of life will have to be cut back as case rates rise nationwide. Thats the trade off that's been decided. For what it's worth, I can see the logic - if you're picking which part of life to minimally disrupt, early education (and education overall) seems to be a good choice, it being so important to life chances and having such an impact on later life. Other aspects of life might be able to rebound in a way that educational attainment might not. Anyway, the other main point is: even though hospitality is only responsible for a minority of transmissions these last few weeks, that doesn't say anything about the situation in another one, two, four weeks. With case rates rising everywhere, you simply want to cut down opportunities for the virus to spread. This means ending situations with socialising in close proximity... anywhere. Unfortunately this has to mean hospitality settings. by eenbiertje (Fri 9th Oct 2020 9:02am)
  • Unless the virus is totally 100% extinguished from a given population, it'll return just as before once lockdown measures ease. That's what happened here, and everywhere else. Even New Zealand, which claimed "zero Covid". Maybe effectively true. But even one lingering case can spread and within weeks you have a fresh outbreak. That's the reality until we have a vaccine. by eenbiertje (Fri 9th Oct 2020 9:07am)
  • Read my comment. It's not scapegoating or blaming. It's simply that looking at the current situation with transmission increasing day on day, opportunities for more viral transmission need to be stopped. This means hospitality settings - just as home visits, public transport use, shop visits are all being limited in one way or another. It's no longer about saying "here's where the virus is spreading, let's close this sector down for a bit". It's: "Jesus, this virus is really spreading now, we need to stop it spreading further." by eenbiertje (Fri 9th Oct 2020 11:46am)
  • Bullet time by eenbiertje (Fri 9th Oct 2020 3:52pm)
  • Only if it mutates with enough regularity to become resistant to a vaccine, in which case it might reoccur seasonally like different strains of flu, which it well might do. If we're able to catch it with a simultaneous global vaccination programme though, it could be snuffed out. by eenbiertje (Fri 9th Oct 2020 7:15pm)
  • It's definitely improved over the last 20 years. I don't have the stats to hand, but the city centre still lags way behind other comparable cities in the UK and Europe in terms of the city core's population density though. It's a problem that affects the city overall, especially the zone that surrounds the city centre, taking in areas that were cleared for Comprehensive Redevelopment and motorway construction in the 1960s. Glasgow used to house over a million people 100 years ago, and now despite the council area being bigger, homes around half that. by eenbiertje (Sun 11th Oct 2020 8:59am)
  • Don't really see the benefit of the cycle path idea with the South City Way on its way to begin finished soon. Eventually (I know...) Stockwell street, Saltmarket, and George Street will have cycle paths too. So there should be segregated cycle routes from Govanhill to Dennieston (maybe in like 5-10 years?). You're right about the flats at Blackfriars car park. Absolute short sighted planning. But even if the high street spur can't happen, linking south city rail traffic to Queen Street, the union line could still be used for trains (or maybe even light rail) going between the southside and the east end (via Bridge Street subway, new Gorbals stations, and Glasgow Cross). Defo think turning this into a walkway would be a bad idea. Reused as a railway/light-rail line, it potentially could link together loads of other infrastructure (the subway system, the Cathcart circle line, the Argyle line, plus providing new stations in the Gorbals and Trongate). by eenbiertje (Sat 17th Oct 2020 12:14am)
  • My understanding is the abrupt and awkward start/end at Charing Cross is only temporary - it's going to join up with the Connecting Woodlands scheme (eventually, maybe in a couple of years once that's completed). by eenbiertje (Sat 24th Oct 2020 12:48pm)
  • GCC should be publishing its ten year transport strategy next year - a little like Edinburgh's comprehensive plan that was released earlier this year: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/12714/all-aboard-for-2030-a-greener-healthier-better-connected-capital I expect the headline takeaway from this will be a formal recommendation/go ahead for the Connectivity Commission's "Glasgow Metro" plan - a new network of light rail / tram lines. Fully expect the Airport to City Centre tram line will get the nod (and necessary funding) from Transport Scotland around that time too. More info on the metro plan in the Connectivity Commission's 2019 report here: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/connectivitycommission by eenbiertje (Mon 26th Oct 2020 12:16pm)
  • City proper used to home 1.1 million people, down to something like 650,000 today. That mixed with the rise of out of town shopping malls / entertainment complexes and creation of dormitory towns made the city centre what it is today. Hopefully this can be turned around soon! by eenbiertje (Tue 27th Oct 2020 8:16pm)
  • Yep, council seems to be on the right track, drawing inspiration from Manchester's success over the last 10-15 years. It won't be a quick fix, but I think the city centre will be in much better shape overall 10 years from now. by eenbiertje (Tue 27th Oct 2020 10:44pm)
  • Agree with everything you've said here! Especially that, although it doesn't seem like it now to many people, Sauchiehall Street is especially well placed for a return to former glory (of you want to put it like that). The full length of the the street will have the avenue treatment relatively soon (the 2nd part of it is in one of the next batches of streets to get it done). The north-south avenues and segregated cycle routes (on Hope Street and Cambridge Street) will open Sauchiehall Street up to a lot pedestrians and cyclists too. Also the McLellan Galleries is being turned into a co-working space, and new build to rent accomodation planned for Charing Cross. Lots of cultural hotspots along it (CCA, GFT, the willow tearooms). It has a lot that can make it very marketable over the next few decades. The ABC and Renfield Street fires have for sure left massive repair jobs to be done, but the basis is there for it to be much improved once this all comes together. by eenbiertje (Wed 28th Oct 2020 1:57pm)
  • You had me with you up until "unused cycle lanes". by eenbiertje (Wed 28th Oct 2020 6:53pm)
  • Ok. I just don't really get this at all, sorry. As you say, opinions will differ, but Glasgow was overhauled through the late 20th century to suit the needs of motor traffic - at the cost of connecting neighbourhoods, and even facilitating safe walking/cycling on our roads. The gains made so far for safe cycling infrastructure have been absolutely tiny. Loads more needs to be done, as it's just simply not safe (or viable) for lots of people to consider cycling as a travel/commute option across Glasgow at the moment. The way I see it, it's about rebalancing. At for the last 50 years or more, the urban space has been overcatered to motortraffic. We're seeing that rebalancing happen, with that space fairly given over to provide safe, pleasant space for waking, cycling, and even sitting (outside cafes, restaurants) etc. Cycling and walking can benefit at the same time, it doesn't have to be one or the other. by eenbiertje (Wed 28th Oct 2020 9:01pm)
  • You mean exactly like this? https://twitter.com/CalumC_91/status/1317918397515112448?s=19 by eenbiertje (Thu 29th Oct 2020 10:41am)
  • Highly highly doubt we'll have any lifting of restrictions, anywhere in the UK, for Christmas. The case rate (and subsequent ICU, and death rates) trends won't be down to June levels (when first lockdown was eased) until mid January at the very earliest. Possibly later. by eenbiertje (Sun 1st Nov 2020 4:41pm)
  • Agreed on all those points. Still think it's overly optimistic to expect this national lockdown (in England, which will possibly be extended in some form in Scotland too) will buy us a normal, or even less restricted Christmas. I fully expect these new restrictive conditions to have to be in place past Christmas, otherwise, we simply end up back where we started in mid January or early February. by eenbiertje (Mon 2nd Nov 2020 12:56am)
  • Bus prices here are a joke, but £4.40 sounds a bit steep for a single. Did you maybe get an all day by accident? by eenbiertje (Mon 2nd Nov 2020 9:38pm)
  • Not attacking you in particular. Just a personal thought, that I don't hear many people asking: What on earth is the appeal of these events? Buying tickets to see... some lights? Genuinely baffles me that this thing is so popular, every year. by eenbiertje (Tue 3rd Nov 2020 8:53am)
  • Fair dos! People are interested in different things. Just this event in particular always sounds so... boring? And yet every year thousands of people go along. A light show with a theatrical element sounds more interesting. by eenbiertje (Tue 3rd Nov 2020 9:16am)
  • Maybe as the backdrop to an event that's happening in its own right - a gig, an open air performance of some kind, a curated museum or photography exhibition - something like this could be interesting and help build a specific atmosphere. I just honestly can't get my head around the appeal of light shows to be honest. Sorry. Everyone will find interest in different things though, as I say. by eenbiertje (Tue 3rd Nov 2020 3:16pm)
  • Similarly to light shows, which I commented on yesterday (the post about Glasglow), I just don't get the point of fireworks or fireworks displays. I don't get it. I know like 90% of people love watching fireworks. But I just can't wrap my head around why people like to watch them. Oooh. Big light goes boom. Marvelous. Different folks, different strokes and all that, but what am I missing? by eenbiertje (Wed 4th Nov 2020 11:29pm)
  • I'd recommend getting in touch with Go Bike (pro-cycling campaign group for Glasgow). One of their organisers might be able to help you out or at the very least point you towards someone who can! https://www.gobike.org/contact-go-bike by eenbiertje (Thu 5th Nov 2020 9:02am)
  • Now that's a photo. What did you use to take this? by eenbiertje (Sat 7th Nov 2020 9:31pm)
  • "punishment" Nobody's being "punished". Frankly I'm getting sick of hearing this claim on the news every day. Absolutely 100% YES. Pubs, restaurants, any businesses affected by lockdown measures need financial support to stay afloat. I'm fully behind this. Energy needs to be focused on getting this done, on lobbying for this. It's outrageous that businesses are being all but forced to close, but not offered full financial support. Furlough funding should have been guaranteed into the medium term by the UK govt much sooner. I agree with *all* of this. But, jesus. Pubs aren't being "collectively punished". There was one woman on Radio Scotland the other morning saying pub owners were being "persecuted". Give me strength. This virus spreads in situations where people are in close proximity with one another over extended periods of time. This includes pubs and restaurants. It's not a surprise that these businesses in particular cannot remain fully open in a normal way if we want to reduce transmission. by eenbiertje (Wed 11th Nov 2020 1:12am)
  • I'd be interested. Good place to share news of developments and general advice as you say. Let's do it! by eenbiertje (Wed 11th Nov 2020 1:38pm)
  • Yeah, most people don't really know this as they never rub up against the details of the existing UK immigration system. It's widely assumed that it's "too easy" for people to come to the UK... But it's really really not. It's especially hard on couples where one is not a UK citizen. Marriage alone is no guarantee of solving anything. Extortionate fees for every single step in the process, that rise way above inflation every year. Minimum income threshold for UK citizens wanting to being their spouse to the UK. The annual NHS surcharge.. etc. If you want to come via a work visa, you need to find a company in a field which is on an employee shortage list, which will be happy to pay a £2000 fee per year to be able to employ you. That's on top of all the personal costs you need to go through for the application. This has been the reality going back to at least 2011 or so. by eenbiertje (Fri 13th Nov 2020 10:50am)
  • It can be now, if the council wants it to happen. Scottish parliament passed the necessary law changes last year. Council doesn't seem keen to actually use the new powers, despite big words in the papers about buying out First around 12 months ago. by eenbiertje (Sun 15th Nov 2020 1:28am)
  • "everyone's as bad as everyone else". Cheers for your contribution. by eenbiertje (Sun 15th Nov 2020 2:55am)
  • That's the point, isn't it. You don't want packed buses at the moment. by eenbiertje (Sun 15th Nov 2020 4:22pm)
  • Well, some pavements across Glasgow are official shared-use paths. Quite a lot actually, and the signage is often really poor, so pedestrians often don't realise cyclists are "meant" to be riding on the path with them. But to be fair beyond this lots of cyclists do use pavements. I honestly don't blame anyone for doing it. Unless you're a hyper confident road cyclist, the roads absolutely do not feel like a safe place to be on a bike in Glasgow. It's not realistic to expect casual/non-experienced cyclists to use the roads in their current state. The way to solve this is to build way more segregated cycle lanes to let bikes get from A to B without being hassled by cars/buses/articulated trucks, and without hassling pedestrians in turn. by eenbiertje (Sun 15th Nov 2020 4:20pm)
  • Everyone's more or less given you the right direction here. Only thing i'd add: drain the excess oil and water runoff from the cooked mince out of the pan before serving it. Nothing worse than stodgy oily mince and tatties. by eenbiertje (Tue 17th Nov 2020 10:56am)
  • To be honest, Kebabish in Govan is dynamite. by eenbiertje (Wed 18th Nov 2020 2:04pm)
  • Any wee Co-op by eenbiertje (Wed 18th Nov 2020 8:29pm)
  • Nah I've defo bought them in Co-op before. Proper Danishes, like you say (pastry rings with jam in the middle). Never seen more than 2 or 3 on the shelf though, so might just be that they've sold out by the time you've been in. by eenbiertje (Thu 19th Nov 2020 12:25am)
  • *Even* if we grant you the idea that "Covid only affects older people", the problem you quickly run into if you simply let it spread, is that NHS capacity is breached within weeks. Many hospitals are already close to that point in central Scotland and across England. Essentially, you have so many Covid patients being treated that there are no beds left for other critical care. Things get compounded when staff (inevitably) catch it and get sick too. So, even if you're willing to let older folks die from it, it's just moronic to think unleashed spread of it wouldn't affect anyone else. by eenbiertje (Sat 21st Nov 2020 12:31am)
  • Awrite mr timpson by eenbiertje (Sat 21st Nov 2020 12:40am)
  • Absolutely nothing as far as I can tell from jumping to the markers on google maps. One wee thing I've deduced though: it's either a walking route or a cycling route (generated by Google Maps or something similar). The giveaway is at the Shields Rd junction at the M8: a car would go straight up Seaward Street, not up that side alley that's for walkers/bikes. In fact I'm betting it's a route for bikes cause there's a few times between Finnieston and KG that it follows cycle paths, rather than taking the straighter pedestrian route. No idea what it means, if anything though. by eenbiertje (Sat 21st Nov 2020 1:35am)
  • Out of curiosity, what specific ones are you meaning in the West End? I don't know of any offhand. There are a handful of new "Spaces For People" cycle lanes across the city that I know of (eg, Broomielaw, London Road, and a little section of GWR), but most of the coned off road lanes in the centre are justed extended pavements. Could honestly do with a few more along the major arterial roads connecting all corners of the city to the centre. The South City Way is coming on well. Need it to connect up properly with the riverside though for it to be completely viable for new cyclists. by eenbiertje (Sat 21st Nov 2020 2:50pm)
  • Ah right, as far as I know these are all fairly ad hoc temporary cycle lanes (that's not to say we can't hope they'll be kept and improved!). by eenbiertje (Sat 21st Nov 2020 4:22pm)
  • I think it's because they're part of the citywide "Spaces for People" project, expanding pavements and installing temporary active travel corridors in response to Covid. I'm pretty sure OP is mistaken - it's not a regular cycle lane (installed through the regular planning process), but a "temporary" one, like the Broomielaw or London Road. The reason there was no consultation (I think) is because the council voted to give the council executive emergency powers to do this back in May/June. Part of the reason for the speed is cause the money for it came from the emergency Sustrans budget, that councils had to bid for by mid-summer. https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/spacesforpeople I'm finding it hard to find a detailed story reporting the specific council vote (something thats usually poorly reported), but I do remember seeing coverage of it at the time. by eenbiertje (Sun 22nd Nov 2020 11:57am)
  • It's a mix. The stretch along GWR between Kelvinbridge and St George's Cross was cut and cover, along with between Buchanan Street and St Enoch. Other smaller stretches were part cut and cover, like between Dumbarton Rd and Byres Road near Kelvinhall station, and parts of the route near Shields Road and Ibrox. by eenbiertje (Mon 23rd Nov 2020 4:44pm)
  • It's going to happen. These things go through many stages before any shovels touch the ground. It was raised and formally recommended as part of the city's Connectivity Commission report in 2019. This was an independent commission of experts looking at realistic transport projects that the city could (and should) explore in the next 10-30 years. Some of the "metro" lines they dusted off the shelf were actually planned in the past, but abandoned for various political reasons in the 90s. The one you mention, the Airport to the City Centre was recommended as the priority line to build first. Anyway, afaik, the latest is this has had initial project funding committed by Glasgow and Renfrewshire councils. Don't know details, but I expect this is related to funding early planning. Everything's likely waiting for Transport Scotland's big long term Scottish Transport Project Review (STPR2), which is set for this coming Spring. In that report, TS set out which big scale projects they want to fund for the next 10+ years. I expect the Glasgow metro (stage 1) will e in this list. At that point, the actually detailed planning will begin, maybe with construction starting within a few years. GCC also has a long term public transport strategy report coming out in the spring. Expect the airport-city team to be the centrepiece. by eenbiertje (Mon 23rd Nov 2020 6:49pm)
  • Glasgow also has far *far* too many bus stops (though I've noticed this is a problem across most UK cities too). Pick nearly any bus route in Glasgow, and you'll see there are bus stops every 200/250 metres or so. In some places it's as bad as 150m between stops. There's no need for it. Buses barely get going on their journey before they have to pull in again. It all adds up to mean buses here spend a huge percentage of their journeys stopping or dwelling at bus stops. In most mainland European cities I've been to, bus stops are much more spaced out, maybe with 400-500 metres between them. The impact this has on bus journey times in Glasgow is so underappreciated, and I imagine if ever it was tackled head on there'd be a revolt along the lines of "they're taking away our bus stops". by eenbiertje (Mon 23rd Nov 2020 11:11pm)
  • Nothing wrong with that. It's a good summary of plans that I've never seen put together anywhere else. by eenbiertje (Tue 24th Nov 2020 12:28pm)
  • Semi regular reminder that the current transport setup is garbage and needs root and branch reform from the council. If you're reading this thread and agree, start following and supporting this campaign: https://www.getglasgowmoving.org/ https://twitter.com/GetGlesgaMoving https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/get-glasgow-moving-world-class-transport-for-glasgow by eenbiertje (Wed 25th Nov 2020 5:51pm)
  • Skyline by itself isn't too important. I don't mind some taller buildings in the centre, and overall think the city could do with some towers / skyscrapers on an aesthetic level - but what's more important is what the building is *for*. The "communal living" setup here sounds very suspect to me. A nice way of describing a hostel? Or student housing effectively, but not aimed at students? By all means, many many more people need to b living in the city centre, and tall buildings are welcome. But, is this the type of housing format the city needs? Seems to me traditional apartments would be the way to go. by eenbiertje (Thu 26th Nov 2020 6:41pm)
  • There's a medium term ambition from the council to cap the M8 Charing Cross, down to roughly parallel with Kent Rd. Not much of a cap (which is limited by underground infrastructure causing the M8 to rise south of this), but together with the planned pedestrian and cycling improvements for this junction, I can see this corner of town being relatively bustling in a few years time. by eenbiertje (Thu 26th Nov 2020 6:47pm)
  • It's one of these official shared use paths, and a vital one at that, as there are barely any other ways of getting from the top end of town to the Clydeside (and vice versa) without going on the roads. That said, you're right in that shared spaces rarely work and are a cop out to say we have a much bigger cycle "network" than really exists. The "Avenue" design of Sauchiehall street is going to be extended eastwards, up close to Buchanan Street I think but not quite touching it. Eventual plan is for other north-south roads to get the avenue treatment (Hope Street, Cambridge St, and Saltmarket if I remember right). So the city should *eventually* be a great place for cycling, once it's all done. by eenbiertje (Thu 26th Nov 2020 9:10pm)
  • What bollards? The armadillo things? So long as drivers keep parking in cycling lanes they'll be needed unfortunately. Ideally we'll have more fully kerb segregated lanes in future, but for now we need something in place to protect the painted lanes. Maybe the armadillos aren't the best choice though. There are short stocky post things that other cities use - might've been better to go with. by eenbiertje (Fri 27th Nov 2020 8:56am)
  • It doesn't bother me at all, so long as the cyclist is cautious enough and gives way to pedestrians. The reality is the roads are just not safe to cycle on. We need more segregated cycle infra, and it is coming in slowly. But until it reaches the point where you have a critical mass of connected lanes making a network, the reality is that people who need to cycle will do it on the pavement where they feel safe. I'm a reasonably confident casual cyclist, but there are a couple of junctions and stretches of road where (through past experiences) I simply will not cycle on the roadway. But these roads are also choke points that can't really be avoided as part of my route, so, I tend to use the pavement on these short stretches until I reach quiet side streets or a cycle lane. I'd much rather not have to. by eenbiertje (Fri 27th Nov 2020 3:26pm)
  • A bus lane is just not going to be attractive for a huge percentage of people who are just taking up cycling. Blew my mind that Glasgow includes these in official "cycling network" maps. "Please, cycle in this special lane, reserved only for you, taxi drivers, and 15 tonne vehicles." by eenbiertje (Fri 27th Nov 2020 3:31pm)
  • Segments of Pollokshaws Road are really dodgy to be on a bike though, especially the junctions. It was only a few years ago that a young woman was killed cycling home from work at the junction with Calder Street and Nithsdale Drive. This sticks in my own mind every time I pass this junction. https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/17662967.young-cyclist-killed-glasgow-week---cycling-worth-risk/ I really think people would understand the fear (sometimes!) of cycling on Glasgow's major roads if they tried it themselves. The junctions as I say are the worst parts: even if the roads themselves have a token painted cycle lane, more often than not the junctions haven't been adapted, almost making the road adjustments pointless. It's honestly little wonder people choose to use pedestrian crossings at some points, or cycle on pavements when needed. by eenbiertje (Fri 27th Nov 2020 3:40pm)
  • Way to solve this is to take some of the road space on Paisley Road (of which there's a lot!) and create a segregated cycle path. by eenbiertje (Fri 27th Nov 2020 4:00pm)
  • >If it does, it will leave a giant empty building in an already trashed Argyle Street. What could be done with the building if they do close? Housing. Even luxury housing of some kind (which the building and massive atrium would probably be suited to). Don't care. Glasgow needs a much better balance of retail to resident population in the centre. The bottom has fallen out of bricks and mortar retail across the world, not just the UK, not just Glasgow. People prefer visiting out of town shopping malls in their cars. That was a mistake of planning from the 70s to the 2000s, but it happened. With internet sales compounding this already bad situation for inner city retail, we need to completely remodel the centre of Glasgow. The future for healthy city centres will be a greater mix of leisure and dining/bars, along with residential. Big box retailers are on the way out. It is of course, ultimately, up to the landlord of the building. Maybe another big retailer will move in. As I say though, I think the equilibrium eventually will lie with it being used as residential, of some form. This might be high end luxury apartments in the long run. by eenbiertje (Tue 1st Dec 2020 7:21pm)
  • Yes this is true, at least in the short/medium term. Once we're into "recovery", a trend we might see continue is a preference for eating out locally, potentially bursting the bubble of restaurants/bars located in the centre (or similar "destination" locations like shopping malls). If this happens though, all the more reason for a big population injection in the centre. Any hospitality or retail which lingers in the centre will need a population to support it in the long term anyway. by eenbiertje (Tue 1st Dec 2020 8:24pm)
  • More housing. It's conspicuous that while local neighbourhood high streets / main roads (newsagents, corner shops, local coffee places etc.) have seen demand boom this year, footfall in the centre, where barely anyone lives, has bottomed out. Same is true of towns up and down the UK, not just big cities. by eenbiertje (Tue 1st Dec 2020 8:32pm)
  • Possibly. There are a lot of penthouse type properties around the city centre, especially in the old buildings that line Buchanan Street, but not limited to there. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if there was a certain demand from high-wealth renters to live in a spruced up Debenhams building, no matter the condition of the street below. It's close to the financial services district, the soon to open Barclays site at Tradeston, the Merchant city, Central Station, the subway (and with it the West End), not to mention all the amenities of the St Enoch centre. Argyle Street is also next in line for the Avenues project. I wouldn't dismiss the idea totally. by eenbiertje (Tue 1st Dec 2020 10:42pm)
  • Somebody shared a Glasgow neighbourhood mapping project on here a few years ago. Asking people to draw boundaries of any areas they knew well enough. I remember it had loads of responses, and in the end it aggregated out the contributions to come up with a final map... Which was pretty good from memory. Does anyone remember what this was or have a link? by eenbiertje (Thu 3rd Dec 2020 7:08pm)
  • Yeah that link wouldn't work for me either. This will take you to a later blog post talking through progress of the map though: https://gisforthought.com/glasgow-regions-mapped-progress-update-1/ There's a zoomable map with all the user data which should help you out! Thanks also to u/what_katy_did for finding this. by eenbiertje (Thu 3rd Dec 2020 11:52pm)
  • The Dixon Halls in Crosshill/Govanhill are quite an arresting sight when walking down Cathcart Road. Go a few miles further south and there are a lot of beautiful old buildings around Cathcart, Newlands, and up towards Lynn Park. by eenbiertje (Fri 4th Dec 2020 12:02am)
  • I disagree with this. I think it's fair to say that modern Finnieston (the area around Argyle St, Minerva Crescent, etc.) has been known as "Finnieston" going back to the late 1800s. It's *slightly* interchangable with Stobcross nowadays, which was the area further south around the docks which you mention. The village of Stobcross sat on a small burn here for centuries prior to the western expansion of Glasgow. Much of Stobcross disappeared by the riverside when replaced by Queen's Docks in the mid 1800s, only to be later filled in and built over by the SECC. You can see Stobcross listed on maps going back as far as the mid 16th century, usually as "Stobcrof". Anyway, on Finnieston - this developed out of a mansion house built roughly on where Stobcross Road was now. It and the lands north which were fued into tenement blocks were named Finnieston by the landowner, merchant Matthew Orr, who named it in honour of his tutor, Reverend the John Finnie. Long story short - this area centred on the Argyle St & Finnieston Street junction was known as Finnieston back then, in the late 1700s. Indeed, the name "Finnieston Street" denotes how the street leads into this district from the riverside to the south. You can also point to the two former railway stations "Finnieston Station" (disused, behind the Tesco on Argyle St) and "Stobcross Station" (now the Exhibition Centre Station) as examples of where the two districts were, and how they evolved with different identities over time. by eenbiertje (Sat 5th Dec 2020 1:09am)
  • I haven't actually come across anything written on this. It's an interesting question. But I think it's as u/janquadrentvincent says: Govan and the area around it (what we know as Ibrox, Cessnock) and Kinning Park were outside the city boundaries as independent burghs for a long time, up until the early 20th century. Govan continues to have a strong identity of its own, partly due to the strength of the shipbuilding and industrial heritage, and it's slight isolation from other "southside" neighbourhoods - it was physically cut off early on from Pollokshields and everything east of this by the Paisley main railway line, and moreso by the construction of the M8 in the 20th century. By comparison, everything south of Laurieston down to Queen's Park grew as planned extensions of the municipality of Glasgow. And unlike Govan, which has been a sizable settlement since the 900s, these "southside" districts are very new inventions - rising out of farmland which the landowners turned into housing districts as the agrarian economy turned to heavy industry in the 19th century. That's when populations moved into Pollokshields, Govanhill, Mount Florida etc. So, I think it's these two factors that make what *is* and what *isn't* considered proper Southside Glasgow today. by eenbiertje (Sat 5th Dec 2020 10:47am)
  • Interesting Q&A, but maybe I misunderstand what you're saying. Isn't it GCC's decision whether to move to franchising (setting up something like "Glasgow Buses", which is run by whichever bus company wins the tender)? I mean, GCC is the one to mandate it, now that the law changed in Scotland last year allowing councils to do it if they want to. It's not really the bus companies warming to the idea that we need to wait on. by eenbiertje (Sun 6th Dec 2020 7:31pm)
  • Stand by my recent claim in another thread that Kababish in Linthouse/Govan is the business. by eenbiertje (Sat 12th Dec 2020 12:24am)
  • Kinda agree in that I prefer seeing maps that make use of existing lined and stations and show how and where the network could be made better. That said, it's cool to see what people would ideally like a fantasy Glasgow Metro network to cover! The best one I've ever seen was the one from [Angus Doyle a few years back](http://angusdoyledesign.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/glasgow-transport-map.html), adapting the existing heavy rail network into an S-bahn and U-bahn style plan for Glasgow, with minimum interventions (a few connecting chords between existing rail lines, new interchange stations). The biggest punt of this plan is the second subway loop (with the 15 east end stations talked about around 2006), but the rest of it is all very realistic and workable using infrastructure that already exists. by eenbiertje (Tue 15th Dec 2020 11:18am)
  • That old branch line underneath London Road is definitely one of the more appealing ones! If we're picking and choosing wee interventions, that one gets my vote - rather than the c.2006 subway loop. With that line reopened: * Celtic Park gets a train station to service it (maybe only on match days?) * Bridgeton Cross turns into a sort of mirror of Edinburgh's Haymarket, with two lines meeting there on the way into Glasgow. * As you move towards the city, I'd reopen the old Glasgow Green Station (next to the WEST Brewery). It's a shame there's no station here - you've got a 1.8km stretch around the heart of the old city centre completely bypassed by trains! It'd be great for making the People's Palace and the green more accessible, as well as serving Calton and the Barras. * I'd reopen Glasgow Cross too (and close Argyle Street). If the Union Line was used as well (with lines from the Southside to the East End and/or Queen Street Station), you could build a two level station in the [**Mercat Building**](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Glasgow_Mercat_Cross_and_Mercat_Building.jpg) - if ever a building was meant to be a train station! by eenbiertje (Tue 15th Dec 2020 6:17pm)
  • If the Botanics/Maryhill line was a tram and not heavy rail, I think this would go part of the way of mitigating the negative response. There still *would* be a negative response, but on balance, I'm convinced it's hugely worthwhile passing such a light rail line through KG. The line (basically the route of the quashed Strathclyde Tram from the 90s) would link Drumchapel and Maryhill with Hillhead, Finnieston, and the City Centre. The Strathclyde Tram route was planned to also continue east on-street through Denniestoun and Carntyne, all the way to Easterhouse. Completely worth running a tram through KG Park. On First's depot at Crown Street: why would that need to be demolished? by eenbiertje (Tue 15th Dec 2020 8:30pm)
  • I know the pamphlet you have - yeah it only shows Maryhill to Easterhouse. Can't remember where I saw it, but I did see a diagram online once (I think related to actual planning from the 90s for an optional extension), showing the tram running on-street from Maryhill Central (where Tesco is now) NW to Drumchapel. It followed quite a winding path from what I remember, mostly following Maryhill Road then Canniesburn Road. On the Union line / Argyle Line - are you maybe getting mixed up with one of the Paisley lines? The Argyle Line runs West-East under Central Station. I don't think a chord between those crossing lines near Carthcart Road will ever happen (and I don't think it's really needed!). The plan/option I've heard for the Union Line bridge is to transfer the Carthcart Circle line onto it, and have that run through towards a new High Street station (moved a little to the east towards Bellgrove). by eenbiertje (Tue 15th Dec 2020 10:12pm)
  • Don't think it was explicitly "essential purposes only" back then, and there weren't restrictions on travel between council areas. That's the way it is now though. by eenbiertje (Tue 15th Dec 2020 10:38pm)
  • A-listed Egyptian Halls, designed by famed Glasgow architect Alexander Greek Thomson. It's been in disrepair and vacant for about 40 years. Current owner doesn't want to renovate it (I think the cost is prohibitively expensive?), but doesn't want to sell it either. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-50743623 The Alexander Thomson Society and the Glasgow City Heritage Trust have tried a few times to kick start interest in doing something with it. Last year they organised a competition (open to international entries) to suggest how the building could be renovated. https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/competition-launched-breathe-new-life-17284139 by eenbiertje (Fri 18th Dec 2020 6:17pm)
  • Whisper it: there are too many cars on the road. by eenbiertje (Fri 18th Dec 2020 7:06pm)
  • But people need somewhere to store their personal property.ₛₐᵣ𝒸ₐₛₘ The Scottish Parliament [passed a national ban on pavement parking last year](https://roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/scotland-becomes-first-uk-nation-to-ban-pavement-parking/), but I've no idea what the situation is with it. Is it genuinely against the law now? It happens all over Glasgow, on streets that were just never designed to be lined by two banks of stationary cars. by eenbiertje (Fri 18th Dec 2020 7:05pm)
  • Do you mean the Dutch style junctions? I think there's still a bit of work to be done at the top end as you get towards the city centre, last I knew (not Victoria Road to be fair). by eenbiertje (Sat 19th Dec 2020 12:00pm)
  • Nice one. It's really impressive seeing these proper junctions put in. You can tell the planners were taking this route seriously (though it does have a few "continuous" cyclepath/pavements further up that are far too ambiguous). Bodes well for the other "city ways" whenever they get built. by eenbiertje (Sat 19th Dec 2020 1:46pm)
  • Three observations, which I think are fair: * Cars are often parked on unprotected sections of the route, and often swing round the side-street junctions without care for cyclists passing along the "continuous" cycleway. * Too many cyclists are indeed using the lanes on the wrong side of the road (maybe like 10-20% of those that I see - still quite a high number) * Pedestrians are often walking down the middle of the cycle lane So across the board, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are making errors. Personally, I think this is largely down to the novelty of this type of (really good!) quality segregated two-sided cycleway. It's the first of its kind in the city, and I think, possibly Scotland. It's also partly down to less than perfect design: the lane isn't well protected enough in places; it's not clear that cyclists have right of way at some of the junctions without traffic lights (eg Cuthbertson Street). It's a shame as well that it wasn't given a more bold and uniform colour - maybe green or ash red as is normal in Netherlands. Can't just assume everyone will know instinctively that a new tarmac lane is for cyclists. Red or green might've made this less ambiguous. Anyway, design issues aside, as I say it'll probably just need a bit of time for people to get used to how it's meant to work - for all involved (cyclists, drivers, pedestrians). And once it's actually completed and connected to the City Centre, you'll see use increase dramatically. In itself, more use will build more familiarity with it. by eenbiertje (Sat 19th Dec 2020 5:07pm)
  • Should've been coloured a uniform red or green. Yeah there's cycle signs painted every 30m or so, but this doesn't seem to do the job of communicating what it is. by eenbiertje (Sun 20th Dec 2020 12:52pm)
  • The number of cycling journeys (as a % of any journeys) is really low in Scotland, and the UK generally. Reason is simple - there's never been a concerted drive to build safe infrastructure in our cities, until very very recently. The South City Way along Victoria Rd is the first flagship scheme in Glasgow, so it's not totally surprising that cyclists (as well as drivers and pedestrians) aren't using/interacting with it properly. I think it'll take some time for people to get used to it, and for it to be used properly. The city has plans to build similar "City Way" routes, radiating out from the centre on all points of the compass, but God knows when these'll be started, nevermind finished. North and East are up next from what I've read: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/24173/North-City-Way Anyway, just to give you basic background, this is all very new for Glasgow, and UK cities generally. So it'll take some time for the good infra (like Vicky Rd) to be expanded, and for people to really start using it as intended. by eenbiertje (Sun 20th Dec 2020 6:21pm)
  • Agree 100% on the colour choice (or lack of). I do know that it does ramp up the cost of tarmac significantly, and that might've been a planning consideration - especially if the path needs to be dug up in future to upgrade underground utilities pipes/cables (something that I've heard is going to happen along Vicky Rd soon). Maybe when more cycleways are built, there'll be a review to give them a single citywide colour. I think it's valuable to have a soft visual prompt (green/red colouring) to tell people it's something different to the pavement or roadway. About the old couple, I probably wouldn't say anything if I was just walking by too - seems a little provocative. I would say something if I was on a bike though. by eenbiertje (Sun 20th Dec 2020 8:32pm)
  • I would quite like High Street - Saltmarket to be celebrated a bit more, maybe via on street signage and information, as the centre of the early modern centre of the city. Most Glaswegians know this, yes, but there's no information there for tourists. Maybe formally rebrand the High Street - Saltmarket axis all the way from the Cathedral to Glasgow Green as Glasgow "Old Town" or something like this. Have a "plaque trail" showcasing what used to stand on each plot of land, or describing the Glasgow City Improvement Trust's tenement buildings that still stand around there. The "mural trail" has shown that if you give something some very simple connective branding, you can really generate tourist (and local) interest. It would also be very easy to tie the Cathedral, Provand's Lordship, the Necropolis, the Tolbooth Steeple, the Tontine Building, the Mercat Cross, the Mercat Building itself, St Andrews in the Square, McLellan Arch and Glasgow Green as the key landmarks in a single "Glasgow Heritage Trail". Obviously bigger problems going on at the moment, and it's unlikely we'll have waves of tourists visiting Glasgow or Edinburgh again any time soon, but I'm surprised this hasn't already been done as a way of marketing Glasgow to the millions of people who normally visit Scotland every year. by eenbiertje (Mon 21st Dec 2020 9:40pm)
  • I think I'd push back against this (gently! as it used to be close to my own view). I don't see it necessarily as a shame that the city core followed industry west along the Clyde - this after all was the reason for the city's growth from sizable town to urban metropolis in the late 19th century. It's part of the story of the city itself that this westward growth happened. I wouldn't say that High Street and Trongate area were abandoned by city planners either - at least not initially. [Thomas Annan's photographs from the late 1860s](https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/features/thomas-annan) show the squalor, overcrowding and disrepair that much of the area had fallen into - particularly the wynds and closes coming off the main streets, which contained housing &warehousing which had not been improved upon since the early modern period of the city's first spurt of growth. These photos themselves were commissioned by a city leadership that wanted to make improvements to the old core of Glasgow, through what was the Glasgow City Improvement Trust. The establishment of this trust and its support from city leaders is the reason for the (still relatively grand) tenement buildings that line Saltmarket, High Street, Trongate, and many of the offshooting streets that line the Merchant City and Gallowgate. So, it's not completely fair to say that this corner of the city was always abandoned by planners. Of course, the 20th century is a different matter. In some ways absolute disaster was avoided (with the cancellation of the east flank of the ring road motorway, which would've torn through, above, and below this old city core. On the other hand, vast blocks of GCIT tenements *were* cleared around Gallowgate to make way for this motorway which never came: https://twitter.com/pastglasgow/status/1333882116023742470 So, it's not an absolute that this area was overlooked. The 19th Century planners took great care to upgrade the housing and frontages that lined the main streets. Delegations even went on architectural fact-finding trips across Europe, to Paris and Budapest and other cities, to take inspiration from tenement design and street layout. They cared a great deal about how this corner of the city looked. Some of it has been lost, but a lot of it still remains. by eenbiertje (Tue 22nd Dec 2020 12:04pm)
  • I don't know about its effect on newer builds from the 70s, but I heard recently that pebble-dashing is massively damaging to brick and stonework if left on for a long time. Something about the coating not allowing moisture to escape properly and for the stone/brick to "breath". Over time the stone/brick crumbles underneath. It's something that wasn't known about when it was all the fashion in the 30s onwards. by eenbiertje (Wed 23rd Dec 2020 10:32am)
  • Always find the spot on the Kelvin Walkway directly underneath the Belmont Street bridge (and also under Queen Margaret Drive) quite enchanting. The bridges themselves are so impressive from underneath, but also, you feel like you could be anywhere but the centre of a major city. by eenbiertje (Wed 23rd Dec 2020 11:19am)
  • It's a good area for a walk. There's the remains of the old Kelvin flint mill too, on the stretch between those two bridges. And Alexander Greek Thomson's [Sixty Steps](https://www.sixtysteps.org.uk/) just above it. by eenbiertje (Wed 23rd Dec 2020 12:39pm)
  • Agree more or less. There is something admirable/appealing about the idea that stuff used to just get done and on a massive scale. Of course, as you say, this is always tempered by awareness (with hindsight) of the not so great decisions that were made. I don't know what the direct cause of this lack of large scale capital investment and project planning is. It does seem UK-wide, and not limited to Scottish cities. Maybe the 70s oil crash was just the final nail in the coffin for big-scale projects. The *Abercrombie Clyde Valley Plan* (Glasgow new towns), *Glasgow Highway Plan*, and even the *Comprehensive Redevelopment Areas* (which came from the Bruce Report), perhaps the three biggest development undertakings for Glasgow in the 20th Century, and the focus of this 70s video clip, were each devised in the 1930s-40s, a time when Britain still had the prestige of Empire and aspirations for such large-scale projects. These projects certainly follow on with the massive dock-building and railway building phases of Glasgow's development in earlier decades from the 1850s - 1920s, not to mention the city's own bold and large-scale *City Improvement Trust* tenement construction phases at the turn of the century. It all sort of hit a wall by the 70s / 80s though, didn't it? The formal end of empire, the oil crisis, the Thatcherite revolution and move back to laisse faire government. Anything that happened after this was tinkering around the edges in terms of urban planning, at least until very recently (with the UK govt of HS2, 30 years late, and large road-building / rail projects starting to get off the ground in Scotland). I do have some hope though for the plans laid out by the Glasgow Connectivity Commission. A "Glasgow Metro" network and new Crossrail-type central train station (tunnelled under George Square) are the types of things which would have a transformational impact on the city & wider region. I also reckon this could well get the go ahead within the next 5-10 years. by eenbiertje (Tue 29th Dec 2020 4:01am)
  • Dick nose is the absolute worst. What's actually going through people's heads when they do it? by eenbiertje (Wed 30th Dec 2020 1:00pm)
  • Roughly where Superdry is now on Argyle Street. by eenbiertje (Wed 30th Dec 2020 8:29pm)
  • I think it's mostly the lack of pavement space, and much less about the weather. That and old licensing customs that have only just started to be overturned by the council over the last few years. Lots of other European cities with similar (or colder!) climates through at least part of the year have widespread outdoor eating & drinking. by eenbiertje (Thu 31st Dec 2020 12:10am)
  • Yorkhill used to be "Overnewton", going back centuries. You can see it on some maps of the city from the mid 1800s: https://maps.nls.uk/view/216443484 by eenbiertje (Sat 2nd Jan 2021 5:51pm)
  • I think it is very tacky, but then, it's next to a massive motorway, airport, and industrial area, so it's not exactly spoiling an area of outstanding natural beauty or anything. The Paisley pattern is an ok touch I guess, tying to the local area. And it seems like it was entirely funded by the private advertising company that erected it: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/tallest-advertising-hoarding-scotland-proudly-22744207. So it's not public resources that have been squandered on it. by eenbiertje (Sun 3rd Jan 2021 7:16pm)
  • Always found [the iron gate](https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/iu2w5b/comment/g5j0fhb) at Barrowland Park mildly interesting. It's not anything to do with the flow of the Molendinar, but a relic of the old medieval / early modern street plan of the city, before the area around Glasgow Cross and Gallowgate was largely redrawn along a new grid plan in the 1860s-80s. by eenbiertje (Wed 6th Jan 2021 5:07pm)
  • Catches moisture droplets and a decent percentage of aerosol borne particles but. by eenbiertje (Fri 8th Jan 2021 10:20am)
  • Corporation Bus colours (going back to the 30s I think). The organisation of the buses changed over the decades from early 1900s to 1970s, but essentially in that period it was all run by the city. Then when it was run regionally by SPT, they took the its orange colouring and branding, the buses being branded as "Strathclyde Buses". In between, for a very short time, they had the corporation colours, but were branded as "Trans Clyde Transport", along with subway stations and trains within the Greater Glasgow area. I think this was a short-lived attempted to unify all regional transport around Glasgow, eventually replaced when SPT was created. by eenbiertje (Sat 9th Jan 2021 8:36pm)
  • Came here to say this. by eenbiertje (Tue 12th Jan 2021 12:07pm)
  • Well, there was a plan put forward just a few weeks ago, and though I don't think it's had formal council approval yet, it did get a positive public response from local stakeholders (Clyde Heritage Trust, local councilors, etc.). I personally think it looks great. https://www.reglasgow.com/new-blueprint-for-govan-graving-docks-combines-maritime-heritage-culture-and-housing/ https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18735174.glasgows-govan-graving-docks-welcome-ships-restoration/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-54238769 by eenbiertje (Tue 12th Jan 2021 6:13pm)
  • "roll and sausage", but aye it is. Unless you wrap your rolls in sausages. by eenbiertje (Thu 14th Jan 2021 10:50pm)
  • Lively city. I feel like there's genuinely something for everyone. If you're looking for a gritty city experience, it has that. But if you're looking for fancy, elegant architecture, gardens, greenery, it has that too (eg. West End, Pollok Park, large parts of the Southside). Perfect if you're into music. A great and active music scene, probably to rival anywhere else in the UK. Gig venues of all sizes, from pub basements where you can see local acts, to mid size halls (CCA, the O2 Academy, Barrowlands), and big concert venues and arenas (Hydro, Royal Concert Hall, Armadillo, Hampden). Pretty much every international band that does a European tour stops by here, and there's always free local music to be found in pubs in the centre and various music festivals through the year (Celtic Connections, TRNSMT, Kelvingrove Summer Night, Great Western Fest). For reading, you've got the Mitchell Library, local neighbourhood libraries, as well as a fair few independent bookshops (particularly clustered around the West End). Living costs in terms of food, eating out, entertainment, and even rent, are relatively low for what you get. Though rent does seem to be creeping up. It's easy to meet people - probably more so than anywhere else I've ever lived. by eenbiertje (Tue 19th Jan 2021 3:30pm)
  • One possible explanation for this corner of Port Glasgow having such notorious deprivation and long-term low land value, something that doesn't get talked about much, is that the A8 dual carriageway was originally planned to be on top of where Glasgow Road is. In the dual carriage expressway would've run directly *next* to this estate of tenements, not on the other side of the railway to the north as it eventually did. You can see the signs of this plan that wasn't completed, in the wide-flared roundabout at either end of this Glasgow Road section. Instead the expressway curves to the north east before woodhalk station, skirting the area altogether. Boring point maybe, but it's very similar to what happened around Gallowgate and Tradeston from the 70s onward. Planned expressways and motorways that never materialised, but as the plans remained on the books for decades, it permanently drove down land value and killed interest in any redevelopment/neighbourhood maintainance, fuelling neglect of the buildings that remained. by eenbiertje (Thu 21st Jan 2021 3:45pm)
  • Yep there was talk of it being around £70 a year for use, when this was first announced a few years back. by eenbiertje (Thu 28th Jan 2021 12:37pm)
  • Full list of locations from article: 33 Elderpark Street Napier Place, Govan 5 Barrland Street Coustonholm Road / Grantley St 48 Waverley Street 4 Nithsdale Road 95 Nithsdale Drive 16 Kildrostan Street 60 Keir Street 122 Kenmure Street 19 Arundel Drive Battlefield Gardens 20 Langside Place 126 Cumming Drive 1 McLennan Street 78-84 Grange Road 21 Eskdale Street 132 Dixon Avenue 44 Langside Road 119 Copland Street Malta Terrace 1 Queen Elizabeth Gardens 62 Albert Road 2 Balvicar Drive 9 Albert Avenue Balvicar St/Pollokshaws Road 3 Dixon Avenue 85 Bowman Street 21 Steel Street St Mungo Avenue 4 Maitland Street 102 Kelvinhaugh Street 1323 Argyle Street 45 Arlington Street 317 North Woodside Road 168 Raeberry Street 168 Wilton Street 291 Wilton Street 11 Fairlie Park Drive 30 Woodcroft Avenue 18 Plean Street 60/56 Strathblane Gardens 12 Garrioch Drive 4 Torgyle Street 43 Mingarry Street 8 Sandfield Street 21 Wester Common Drive 47 Aberfeldy Street 6 Circus Drive 9 Marwick Street Roystonhill / Dunolly Street on nib east CW 105 Whitehill Street 81 Armadale Street 248 Meadow Park Street 7 Fordyce Street 72 White Street 26 Havelock Street 3 Dowanside Road 1 Dudley Drive 60 Hyndland Road by eenbiertje (Thu 28th Jan 2021 12:55pm)
  • I don't know about that. > That article is more about the tenements in the hands of slum landlord in Govanhill and the like I remember the STV news report at the time (November), where they spoke to some guy with a flat which I'm sure was on Battlefield Avenue. Saying his building was included in the preliminary citywide survey. It's not just 'slum tenements' that have been neglected or left in a state of disrepair that featured in the survey. It's flats in all areas that are simply getting very very old. Those Battlefield Avenue flats are some of the most luxurious, sought after flats in the whole city, but they're also among the very oldest, coming up for about 150 years old. I really worry Glasgow is sitting on a real time bomb with this, with so much disrepair stored up. by eenbiertje (Fri 29th Jan 2021 12:24pm)
  • Saw this too from Mt Florida. Looked like it was coming from beyond the hills at King's Park, towards Castlemilk/Cathkin Braes direction. The glow looked a lot whiter from where we were. I just assumed it was some sort of lighting to do with that big old house up in King's Park? Obviously has to be something much bigger than that. by eenbiertje (Sat 30th Jan 2021 1:09am)
  • Think it was from much further south, Cathkin Braes direction. by eenbiertje (Sat 30th Jan 2021 10:18am)
  • The news is a few days old, but it doesn't seem to have been picked up much in the local/national media (and I hadn't seen it mentioned on here). Transport Scotland's Strategic Transport Project Review 2 (STPR 2) is to be published in full later this year, but the good news is that the proposed "Glasgow Metro" (as proposed by the city's Connectivity Commission in 2019) has been included in their phase one recommendations, published this week. It bodes very well for this getting off the ground and actually happening within the next decade or so. You can read the full report of initial project recommendations, or just the smaller annex about the Glasgow Metro itself, in the link. TL;DR - The long-term review of big-scale Scottish transport infrastructure projects that happens once every 15 years or so has effectively given its seal of approval to a new Glasgow Metro network. by eenbiertje (Sat 6th Feb 2021 3:13pm)
  • "news spam"? How does anyone talk about anything related to Glasgow on this sub, if it can just be labelled "news spam"? As I said in the post, it hasn't been in local media. Public transport's a constant talking point in this sub, so this seems like something that'd be of interest to users. If not, they'll downvote it or ignore it. Poor show. by eenbiertje (Sat 6th Feb 2021 7:51pm)
  • Dunno why you're being downvoted. by eenbiertje (Sun 7th Feb 2021 6:21pm)
  • I tried to post a few days ago about the news that the Glasgow Metro proposal has been included in Transport Scotland's STPR2 list of phase one recommendations (announced just this past week), but apparently this came under "news spam". Anyway, for anyone who wants to know more, you can read the full phase one recommendations report, or just the piece all about why they selected the Glasgow Metro, here: https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/update-and-phase-1-recommendations-february-2021-stpr2/ by eenbiertje (Wed 10th Feb 2021 1:33pm)
  • Not pie in the sky. The current council clearly wants it to happen. Whether the Strathclyde Tram, or an Airport Rail Link, or other ambitions for reopening old rail lines - many ideas have come and gone over the last 30-40 years or so. The common problem was they often *were* not much more than vague proposals, or unfortunately came too soon, when such plans were run through the Scottish Office, not the Scottish Parliament. This is different. It's a concrete proposal as mapped out by the Connectivity Commission in 2019, which itself, I think, was only launched by the council because they had more or less this "metro network" vision in mind, and wanted to give it an "independent" public platform for widespread attention. That succeeded, and now Transport Scotland have picked it up in their big infrastructure overview for the next 15 years or so. https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/update-and-phase-1-recommendations-february-2021-stpr2/ by eenbiertje (Wed 10th Feb 2021 1:44pm)
  • Closet to where you are, I'd recommend La Fiorentina, at Paisley Rd Toll. Old family Italian restaurant with fairly traditional pizzas. by eenbiertje (Sat 13th Feb 2021 5:14pm)
  • Yep. There's a danger of overstating it, but I've heard it first hand from many newcomers to the city (and to Scotland/UK) that the readiness of people to talk to you on the street, at a bus stop, in a shop, on the bus, etc. in Glasgow specifically always catches them by surprise. It is a nice characteristic to have, and it might just be that people who've lived here all their lives don't realise that it's not the norm in many other places (Glasgow is the better for it). That said, it's not just a Glasgow thing in my experience. It's true of most cities north of the middle of England, and across much of Scotland. Glasgow does stick out as particularly "chatty" though. by eenbiertje (Thu 18th Feb 2021 8:12pm)
  • The city has almost completed the first proper segregated on street cycle route, which runs along Victoria Rd from Queens Park to the south bank of the river facing the city centre. There are a lot of other cycleways planned. It is very piecemeal at the moment, but its getting better with every passing year. Southside is probably one of the better areas of the city for easy to cycle routes (quiet streets, cycle paths, soft segregation on roads, lots of parks which are close together). If your main route is between a southside neighbourhood and the city centre, you should be pretty well covered. by eenbiertje (Tue 23rd Feb 2021 2:59pm)
  • 100% I'm fairly sick of reading endless comments from middle aged folk on Facebook underneath *anything* the council posts, asking why the money's not spent on either potholes or bins. Cause it's not designated for potholes or bins Barbara. The council is a huge enterprise (that is absolutely not to support what OP is saying, which I'm worried sounds inadvertently supportive of David Cameron's Big Society ideals). The city we live in is big, even by international standards (it's in the top 40 or so cities by population, and that's not even considering Greater Glasgow). There are so many many facets of civic life that come under the council's remit. From flower bulb planting as you say, to urban realm improvements, active travel planning, (elements of) public transport, social care, logistics, education, community development projects, etc. etc. etc. It's one thing to complain about a problem where one exists, but this trope of complaining anytime the council spends money on something that's not potholes or bins absolutely does my head in. by eenbiertje (Wed 24th Feb 2021 1:21am)
  • Thanks for doing this. Lots of good points to be learned from looking at the figures like this, as you say at the end. Gentle suggestion though: you should put a note about whether these tables include **real terms** numbers, adjusted for inflation. It's likely that when inflation from 2013 to 2020 is taken into account, the totals in the second column will be lower in real terms. by eenbiertje (Wed 24th Feb 2021 9:11pm)
  • Fairly certain this is Plantation Street, looking south to Paisley Road West. Now Eaglesham Court. A view from roughly the same location today: https://maps.app.goo.gl/PNgLVUHcKcK1v2ZZA Kinning Park Parish Church (on the left of the image) is still there. The steeple on the right, I'm not so sure. I think it was most likely the United Presbyterian Church that was on Cornwall Street, demolished in 1960. by eenbiertje (Wed 3rd Mar 2021 12:16am)
  • Flight Radar says there was a C-130J Hercules flying over Pollokshields, maybe around 10-20 minutes ago. Might've been what you heard? https://www.flightradar24.com/OMEN1/26ff36f5 by eenbiertje (Fri 5th Mar 2021 8:25pm)
  • Not subway, and not an addition to the existing rail lines, but... https://www.railtech.com/infrastructure/2020/01/08/glasgow-airport-will-get-metro-link/ by eenbiertje (Sat 6th Mar 2021 11:02am)
  • I think the proposed "Glasgow Metro" tram lines are the way to go, if we're being realistic about costs. A second subway circle was costed at something like £2billion. That said, if money really was no object and we're talking subway lines, the eastern circle idea always seems a good one, connecting with St Enoch and Buchanan Street stations. I think we could probably do with a high capacity West-East commuter route stretching from Clydebank to Ballieston or Easterhouse too - as an alternative to the Lower Level train line at Central that serves places much further out (Balloch to Lanarkshire). by eenbiertje (Sat 6th Mar 2021 11:09am)
  • Slightly tangential reply here, but a big reason high streets have been dying is because of places like Braehead and Silverburn. by eenbiertje (Sat 6th Mar 2021 12:27pm)
  • Rangers won their first league title, so lots of celebrations going on. by eenbiertje (Sun 7th Mar 2021 3:34pm)
  • That really was a mealy mouthed response by Gerard. In one breath: continue to abide by rules and "stuff like that", it's other people's responsibility, but people need to know what our fans have been through. Admittedly, as he says, he's not the club expert or representative on safety or security. Bit of a cop out but ok. If that's an issue, get the chief exec or someone who *can* comment on security issues to make the statement instead then. It's also important to distinguish that this was a response to a question, made off the cuff in a press conference. Not a club statement. Fundamentally, is it really so hard to simply say: "Just stay at home. Don't come to the stadium. If you're already here, go home now." That's all that people were expecting. by eenbiertje (Tue 9th Mar 2021 10:53am)
  • Much of them are also directly (or at least majority funded) by Sustrans and/or the Scottish Government. People complaining that it's either money for segregated cycle infrastructure or money for potholes are plain factually incorrect, as well as being obtuse morons. by eenbiertje (Thu 11th Mar 2021 2:23pm)
  • Rain is one thing, but when there's precious few public spaces in the first place (I'm talking in and around the city centre) where people can idly sit around / enjoy outdoor hospitality... there's not going to be much of it happening even when the weather's nice. Need to provide the spaces first. Then you'll see them being used whenever it's appropriate weatherwise. by eenbiertje (Thu 11th Mar 2021 2:20pm)
  • Agreed. Just as an aside, there are council plans to overhaul Byres Road soon. Bringing it down to two lanes of traffic, widening pavements and installing cycle lanes. Work's meant to be starting on it this year I think. Shawlands Cross (I'm speaking of the stretch between the Walton Street and Minard Road in particular) could be spectacular if it had similar treatment - a significant widening of the pavements to allow outdoor seating especially. Kilmarnock Road is more than wide enough, and the foot traffic and cafes/restaurants are already there. https://maps.app.goo.gl/66dkhzLuSLK9BcBP7 You can already see the positive impact of turning the space In front of Langside Halls into a public square. by eenbiertje (Thu 11th Mar 2021 3:38pm)
  • Nah, the photo was taken from the suspension bridge (it's 170 years old!). The site where the cafe was is still there, with the doorway bricked over. by eenbiertje (Thu 11th Mar 2021 6:26pm)
  • Important to understand that this was entirely part of the plan as well. A feature, not a bug, as you might say. Massively defund local authorities (disproportionately affecting dense urban areas, ie. cities, which overwhelmingly do not vote Tory), and force *them* to pass on either unpopular tax rises or unpopular cuts to services. The local authorities then end up bearing the full brunt of public outrage. by eenbiertje (Sat 13th Mar 2021 12:56pm)
  • Is this Mavisbank Gardens? Boils my piss. by eenbiertje (Mon 15th Mar 2021 11:12pm)
  • No, that's a separate stretch, further up, closer to Tradeston. On the east side of the Kingston Bridge. That collapsed sometime in the last 5 years or so. The stretch at Mavisbank Gardens (between the squinty bridge and The Quay) has been out of bounds like this going on 10 years. With the owners simply claiming it as private property. It's scandalous that a vital walking corridor is out of bounds like this. Paisley Road around this area is a car sewer, with traffic coming and going from the motorway. Cycling and walking options are so limited on this side of the river. I'd be up for a local campaign to get this riverside walkway reopened permanently, as it should be. by eenbiertje (Mon 15th Mar 2021 11:17pm)
  • It should be opened up though as an accessible route for cyclists, walkers, wheelchairers, anyone that needs to make use of an east-west path on this side of the river. by eenbiertje (Mon 15th Mar 2021 11:20pm)
  • It's no more complicated than lots of people not being entirely enthralled by the idea of sharing a lane with taxis and 10 tonne buses. Lots of cyclists do use the bus/taxi/cycle side of the bridge - but fair play to anyone who doesn't feel comfortable doing it! Also... If you think about how cyclists find themselves on the Squinty Bridge, either approaching from the north or south, unless you're already on the road, you're unlikely to naturally find your way into the bus/taxi/cycle lanes. You're more likely to be on the riverside path, or using quiet side streets, or the path at Lorne Street, all of which dump you unceremoniously at pedestrian traffic lights. The Broomielaw is also a shared space for peds and cycles, so, it's not totally surprising that casual cyclists would just continue on the pavement southwards. It's all a product of not having a clear network of serrated cycle routes for cyclists of all capabilities to fee comfortable using. by eenbiertje (Thu 18th Mar 2021 2:17pm)
  • I really don't get the venomous hatred some people have for other people, just because they choose to get from A to B on a bike. From the typical cyclists pov: we're just humans trying to get where we're going safely. And feeling very vulnerable while we're doing it. Why does it have to be so hard, or incite some sort of culture war? There have been quite a few horrific examples of cyclists being killed in Glasgow and Edinburgh in just the last few years - people just trying to safely return home from work or uni at the end of the day. Every time I pass the junction of Pollokshaws Rd and Calder Street, I think about the poor young woman who was crushed by a HGV. A few years back. Put yourself in the shoes of someone else just for a second mate. by eenbiertje (Thu 18th Mar 2021 2:37pm)
  • This 100%. Bus lanes should never be operated as cycle lanes, but this one is a particularly bad example. A combination of really really bad, cluttered, confusing street design at either end of the bridge, and the fact it's not just any bus route - but the "FastLink", a high speed bus route. Not exactly inviting for the average casual cyclist. by eenbiertje (Thu 18th Mar 2021 2:43pm)
  • Alright, I'm not testing/scoring you on your empathy here. Just sharing our viewpoint in the hope you might understand how the situation is for cyclists at the moment. You're entitled to think however you want. One question though - what cycle lanes have you seen this at in Glasgow? Cause I know for sure that there are a few with issues where (some) cyclists might have reason to be on the road and not in the segregated lane. It's obviously not possible to communicate that to other road users in the moment though. And so others see it and assume it's an inexplicable choice from the cyclist. Sometimes it's perfectly explainable. by eenbiertje (Thu 18th Mar 2021 2:49pm)
  • Glasgow is widely known to have been a huge center for shipbuilding, but I don't think the scale of it is commonly appreciated, in terms of just how much Glasgow completely dominated shipbuilding in Britain from around the 1850s - 1920s. I can't find an original source to verify, but it's widely said that circa 20% of all shipping (by tonnage) launched worldwide in 1913, was Clyde-built. I do have these stats to hand though, from Peter Hall's 'Cities in Civilization' chapter on Glasgow: "In 1850-1 the Clyde built 84% of Britain's steamers and 76% of its iron-hulled ships. In this year, 89% of all steamships were engined on the Clyde." by eenbiertje (Sat 20th Mar 2021 10:12am)
  • "placemaking" by eenbiertje (Sun 21st Mar 2021 11:23am)
  • Slight sideways look at this - The SNP council group don't have a majority. Them **depending on votes from 7 Greens to make a majority** has been good for Glasgow. There's a definite feeling that local grassroots activist organisations and community groups have the ear of the council leadership in a way that just wasn't the case before. The current council has been quite proactive in active-travel and green space renewal plans. So much more can be done, but I'd say it's been a welcome change from the previous administrations. by eenbiertje (Mon 22nd Mar 2021 8:51pm)
  • I'd say the fact the administration depends on Green votes has been a very good thing! by eenbiertje (Mon 22nd Mar 2021 9:04pm)
  • I'm with you 100% on this by the way. The continual delays to the SCW and Avenues have been shocking. Spaces for People stuff was quite disappointing and mostly low hanging fruit (eg. Closing off Kelvin Way). Many more things were promised and not delivered (a cycle route along the full length of Sauchiehall Street to Kelvingrove for one). I'm only praising the fact that behind these disappointments, there is an apparent active travel strategy which simply just wasn't there before. There's now a long list of Avenues and City Ways to be delivered. Disappointingly it appears this may take up to 10 years to be completed, but the pipeline has been established, and it will definitely be happening, unlike many previous infrastructure projects which never came to anything. Speaking of which, the Strathclyde Tram, and several other light rail lines may soon get the go ahead under the current administration. Again, I'm all for criticising the pace of change, but I'm pleased that there *has been* a change on these fronts. by eenbiertje (Tue 23rd Mar 2021 7:06pm)
  • The legal powers are there now. Brought by the Transport Act (Scotland) in 2019 :) by eenbiertje (Tue 23rd Mar 2021 7:12pm)
  • A subway extension has been off the agenda since 2009ish (costed at £2billion +, SPT opted just to modernise the existing circle and order new trains). A subway extension isn't going to happen unfortunately. Not soon, and possibly not ever. SPT wrote this report knowing the wider lay of the land though - that the proposed metro/tram system has been approved by Transport Scotland in its initial STPR2 publication, likely to be 100% confirmed later this year by GCC. This'll get backing and funds from the Scottish Govt and soon get underway. The "metro" project isn't anything directly to do with SPT, not yet anyway, so while that's slowly coming over the horizon, there's really no cause for them to bring any new half baked infrastructure proposals to the table. Instead, understandably, this report focused on what is sort of in SPT's remit (a joint remit, shared with Transport Scotland). I actually think it's a very important moment to see SPT put it out in black and white: they want an integrated transport network, starting with buses, but extending to all modes. With all the key groups (SPT, GCC, the Connectivity Commission) singing from the same hymn sheet, I think the prospects of these things happening are starting to look very good. by eenbiertje (Tue 23rd Mar 2021 7:25pm)
  • McHargs on the PR. by eenbiertje (Sun 28th Mar 2021 11:44pm)
  • As others are saying, the lack of landmarks makes this really hard to trace the location. That said... 1. The shadows are behind and slightly to the right of the people in the photo (see the shadow of the girl's head). Which similarly to u/FidgetTheMidget makes me assume the sun is over the left shoulder of the photographer. Pure ballpark guess here, since we don't know the time of day or the season, I think we can assume that the people are facing south rather than north. Whether SE or SW, I don't know. This does mean the hills are likely north(ish) of the location. 2. The tenements look like those with very rounded bay windows, as opposed to the common, flatter style of bay window. You can see an example of this style on Battlefield Avenue. There are a rarer style of tenement, and I think in the absence of other landmarks, offer the best clue to where this might be. This tenement design dates from around 1890-1900. So you're looking for an upwards sloping street, possibly on a roughly north-south axis, with these specific tenements on the west side of the road. Assuming they haven't been demolished. Will let you know if I find the location! by eenbiertje (Mon 29th Mar 2021 9:44pm)
  • Maybe, though I'm not sure at all. There's a slight curve which makes me think it's a full junction, possibly with the roads not at exactly 90 degrees to one another, or not meeting in the same spot. It's far from clear though. by eenbiertje (Mon 29th Mar 2021 10:13pm)
  • It's likely this, the new Glasgow University Technology Campus. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-48050067 Urban Realm and ReGlasgow are good sites worth following for construction/development news in and around the city. by eenbiertje (Mon 29th Mar 2021 11:13pm)
  • u/longlostpenpal44 how sure are you that this is Glasgow (or greater Glasgow)? by eenbiertje (Tue 30th Mar 2021 10:21am)
  • I need to know where this is for my sanity. by eenbiertje (Tue 30th Mar 2021 3:32pm)
  • Thanks for the extra info! To be honest (u/seefroo), Pollokshaws did run through my mind as an outside possibility. The hill could be Queen's Park or maybe Bellahouston. Seems unlikely. Hard to know, as the whole area was more or less demolished and rebuilt. It did have a lot of tenements though. by eenbiertje (Tue 30th Mar 2021 6:40pm)
  • I followed over to Lost Glasgow on FB, but I'm really not convinced it's this street. To me, that looks like a row of villa-type housing in your original pic. I can't find any trace of something like this in that area of Pollokshaws. It grew quite quickly from isolated village with cottage housing, to heavy industry and tenements in the mid-1800s. It doesn't strike me as fitting the profile for this street view sadly! by eenbiertje (Tue 30th Mar 2021 8:38pm)
  • I'm fairly sure it isn't that street, and I don't think it's likely to be Port Glasgow anyway. There were tenements on Glen Mill Way but no detached villa-type houses. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.56868241846467&lat=55.93489&lon=-4.69680&layers=168&b=1 The sun being behind the photographer, means the photographer must be facing northwards, roughly. So generally I don't think the upwards slope of the street fits with a location south of the Clyde (at least, not immediately next to the riverfront, where the slope would be downwards). by eenbiertje (Wed 31st Mar 2021 12:09am)
  • Wow. Well done! This has to be the location. u/longlostpenpal44 u/FidgetTheMidget u/seefroo u/moonwatercloud The tenements. The treeline on the hill in the distance is a complete match. The villa type house is still there, and still has that window on the roof (visible on in Google Maps). As you say the gable end of the villa house is a complete match with the windows and little extension. There's also an offset crossroad where the people would be standing. https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ps4DDbggi91R5MrW6 Congrats on finding it! How did you suss it was here? by eenbiertje (Wed 31st Mar 2021 3:17pm)
  • Sounds like you're talking about Mitch Miller's Dialectograms. http://www.dialectograms.com/ As I remember, the exhibition at GoMA had 3 sets of drawings: a long demolished pub that was in the neighbourhood of the Red Road flats, some old shared student house in the west end... and something else I don't quite remember. He interviews people to get their shared memories of a given place, and draws it from their description along with loads of little details. It was a brilliant exhibition. His stuff featured in the Guardian as well a few years back: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jan/04/sometimes-the-city-lands-right-on-top-of-you-glasgow-by-mitch-miller-an-urban-cartoon by eenbiertje (Wed 31st Mar 2021 10:47pm)
  • So long as the city considers footpaths through parks as part of its 'core cycling network', this type of thing might be unfortunately necessary. It's frustrating for everyone involved, using the same space, with walkers and cyclists moving in both directions. In my mind, I stick to the left side of paths in anticipation of others coming the other way (whether on foot or on bike). I know not everyone does this though. The long term solution is to construct a proper network of cycle routes along arterial roads so that park paths don't end up as the sole safe route for bikes. In the Netherlands though, it's also common to have distinct *cycle* paths through parks, coloured pink/red so everyone knows what they are. We're a long way from either of those things being the norm though. by eenbiertje (Thu 1st Apr 2021 10:54am)
  • It's the GSA's Reid Building, at the top of Garnethill. https://www.world-architects.com/en/architecture-news/reviews/seona-reid-building-glasgow-school-of-art by eenbiertje (Thu 1st Apr 2021 11:22am)
  • I'm glad the nanny state built the park in the first place! by eenbiertje (Thu 1st Apr 2021 11:39am)
  • Did he design wallpaper? by eenbiertje (Fri 2nd Apr 2021 12:24am)
  • More of this please! by eenbiertje (Fri 2nd Apr 2021 3:34pm)
  • On the "why do we have cycle lanes on London Rd... I've seen cyclists using the road" points: 1. Glasgow was almost completely reconfigured as a city to suit motor traffic half a century ago. Massive spending at almost every level of government still continues on roadbuilding projects. All the while, it's extremely difficult and treacherous for anything less than hardened road-cyclists to navigate the city's street network as it is. The rebalancing that's going on now (with some roadspace being reallocated to create safe, segregated cycle paths, catering in part to the 54% of Glaswegians who don't have access to a car) is *not* the end of the world. 2. You're complaining that cycle lanes are sometimes empty, in a city which has *only just gotten round to installing them* within the last couple of years. They're also not very well connected (at the moment, though this is improving). Year on year things are getting better, and more people are taking up cycling as they see it's safer than before. But we're not yet at the saturation point where you can readily expect to see a queue of cyclists on every major cycleway. That's no argument at all for removing them though. by eenbiertje (Fri 2nd Apr 2021 4:19pm)
  • Emergency vehicles can make use of the cycle way if it's wide enough. That's what happens in the Netherlands and lots of other countries. The armadillos are designed with this in mind (they're small enough that fire engines can go over them, but if they're destroyed in the process of an emergency response vehicle passing over them, it's worth the cost of a few replacements to allow passage). Also on buses - it's become common practice in transport planning (not just in Scotland but across the world) to build bus stops so that the bus doesn't have to pull in. It saves the bus time having to leave then rejoin traffic, and reduces overall dwell times. Obviously there's a cost in terms of added inconvenience for other motor traffic, but the consensus generally is that the impact is minor, and public transport is given priority in modern transit planning anyway. by eenbiertje (Fri 2nd Apr 2021 4:34pm)
  • As Glaswegians, I know we would say this, but honestly Glasgow is no more dodgy than any major UK city. It seems to have some sort of impossible-to-shake reputation for being a rough city. That might've been true 40 years ago. Maybe. Not sure why it lingers. It's an extremely varied, lively place, with a good amount of stuff going on (in normal times). Live music, festivals, community events, dancing classes, museums (we have a shed load of free museums), travelling (all of Scotland, from the Highlands to small coastal towns and even Edinburgh, is all on your doorstep)... I think Glasgow definitely ticks all these boxes. by eenbiertje (Mon 5th Apr 2021 6:15pm)
  • It's going to be a long process I think, involving opening of big petrol station style 'charging stations' across the city. We're not exactly short of vacant brownfield sites though, so in some ways it could be easier to set up here than other cities where space is at a proper premium. The site next to Hampden has a few charging points. I could see this become a larger scale 'station' with dozens of charger spaces. https://maps.app.goo.gl/rdBXBDFZRoP77sHw8 One thing I worry about is the already overcrowded car parking along residential streets becomes compounded by the added problem of people trailing their own charging cables across the pavements - in absence of 'official' or public charging stations elsewhere. by eenbiertje (Wed 7th Apr 2021 1:29pm)
  • I thought Land Registry Scotland might provide an answer, it nope. https://scotlis.ros.gov.uk/map-search There's no listing of ownership for that stretch of land. by eenbiertje (Tue 13th Apr 2021 11:12am)
  • Don't know the answer, but seems that it was known as Little Hamilton Street until at least 1925, according to NLS maps: https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.730374944849284&lat=55.86208&lon=-4.24770&layers=109707890&b=1 I'd thought it might be related to nearby Margaret and John Streets, but they were named like that in the mid 1800s. by eenbiertje (Tue 13th Apr 2021 3:04pm)
  • You might be interested in Hit Factories by Karl Whitney, which came out a few years ago. It looks at why so much good pop music came out of industrial cities across the UK, Glasgow included. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/19/hit-factories-by-karl-whitney-review more info on the Waterstones listing:https://www.waterstones.com/book/hit-factories/karl-whitney/9781474607414 by eenbiertje (Wed 14th Apr 2021 10:02pm)
  • Think I've found the answer, on this 1857 map of Glasgow. Best bet is it's the structure of an old dam across the Kelvin. It matches up with the location on a modern map. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18.393310585780927&lat=55.87479&lon=-4.27956&layers=80&b=1 I didn't think it was related to the older lower bridge: it's a little north east of where that was and the orientation doesn't match. It's definitely not related to the tunnel that runs under Great Western Road, for the same reasons. by eenbiertje (Thu 22nd Apr 2021 1:02am)
  • Thank you :) To be honest I didn't have a clue that was even there until OP shared the picture. Had never noticed it before even when walking around the area. I love people asking questions like this on the sub. It's always fun trying to find out the answers or learning what others know about the city. by eenbiertje (Thu 22nd Apr 2021 12:20pm)
  • As frustrating as these are for drivers, a lot of the worst examples (Braidcraft Road, Auldhouse Toll) are basically a big middle finger to pedestrians and cyclists too. Basically anyone not in a car. What could/should be a direct, single or two point crossing for pedestrians, becomes a convoluted, circuitous tour of the roundabout, across 4-5 sets of pedestrian traffic lights. A lot of these really need to go. by eenbiertje (Thu 29th Apr 2021 10:51am)
  • To be fair, I think that area's about to become a building site for the development there. Beyond that though, I'd rather they just let all premises that already exist in Merchant City expand their outdoor seating - massively so. No need to herd everyone into a single, purpose made site for outdoor eating/drinking. The restaurants and pubs already exist. Just let them get on with it by pedestrianising many more streets and letting them set up tables outside. It should be the norm, rather than encouraging everyone to take to a converted car park to have a seat outside (which then takes business that could otherwise be going to those existing venues). by eenbiertje (Thu 29th Apr 2021 11:00am)
  • Lots of reasons people might be cycling on the road, parallel to a segregated cycle lane. Top thoughts that come to mind: 1. They're a confident road cyclist who doesn't need or want a segregated lane. It's important to understand that new, segregated cycle lanes aren't designed for this type of person. They're for people who don't feel safe to be on the road on their bike. So, this by itself shouldn't be taken as a reason to say "we'll just get rid of them then". These cyclists go faster on the road than they would in a cycle path, and wouldn't have the freedom to follow the road network, if they stuck solely to cycle lanes. 2. The cycle lane itself is incomplete, or partly blocked by works. See the southbound side of the South City Way, pretty much any time from now going back 12 months, with large sections out of commission. Cyclists who regularly use these lanes *know* where the gaps and interruptions are, and so often just make the common sense choice to use the road - especially if repeatedly joining and exiting the cycle lane to avoid a blockage is difficult. 3. Glasgow's network of lanes isn't exactly, well, a network. Not yet anyway. You have a few long, very straight routes, which don't cross one another or come close to other cycle lanes. If you're leaving the road which does have a cycle lane, and want to make a right turn up ahead for example, very often the safest thing to do is to leave the lane and join car traffic to turn at the main lights. 4. Very closely related to the last point - while the cycle lanes themselves are improving, the junctions are still a disaster for the most part. To the point where it doesn't necessarily make sense (for your above average, confident road cyclist) to use a cycle lane for a short stretch, before having to deal with an inevitable car-centric junction. They'll just stick to the road and use the junction as normal. It's quicker. 5. Plenty of cyclists are using the lanes and you're making a sweeping generalisation. by eenbiertje (Sat 1st May 2021 12:59am)
  • Nobody pays road tax. If you own a car you pay vehicle excise duty which is based on emissions. Again, and sorry, I don't mean across as unnecessarily antagonistic - we're at a point where many of the cyclists you see out and about are *still* the more confident types. And I suspect you're possibly focussing on seeing the ones who piss you off by daring to use the road. You're likely missing the plenty others who do use existing cycle lanes. Mass cycle lanes are there to encourage everyone and anyone to get out on their bike and use it as a means of getting from A to B, without needing the prerequisite road cycling experience. As we see the networks develop, you'll see many many more people on these lanes. You already see it where there *are* high quality routes. South City Way, and the Clydeside paths are examples. But we need much more before we reach that saturation point. On your last point about fining people not using lanes - I covered a few very valid reasons why (more confident) cyclists would occasionally opt to be on the road. There's really no reason to stop them using roads if they want to. A huge percentage of potential cyclists wouldn't dream of using the road, and that's who the lanes are aimed at. But I don't know what you're achieving by formally preventing road cyclists from using the, well, road, if they want to. by eenbiertje (Sat 1st May 2021 11:01am)
  • 100% by eenbiertje (Sat 1st May 2021 11:14am)
  • I get your points about annoyance with fellow cyclists - but you also have to understand and appreciate just how limited the options are for people who want (or need) to travel by bike. The network is so bare that inevitably less confident cyclists will end up on the road at some point. And inevitably they'll be waiting to continue through junctions, moving on at green lights with less than perfect acceleration profiles. The alternative is that cyclists use pavements where there's no cycle network, but we all know the fury that unleashes as well. There's no winning. It's a shit position to be in. Fundamentally, the only way forward is having a fully connected city,-wide network of safe, segregated lanes. But until we reach that point, vehicle drivers need to appreciate the compromised, limited, and ultimately vulnerable position that many cyclists are in. by eenbiertje (Sat 1st May 2021 11:10am)
  • Righto. Seems to work fine in the rest of northern Europe. https://youtu.be/Sb7V1qtx8VE https://bicycledutch.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/wintercyclingban.jpg https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTBnSCWhqcnZ3-BVs05zdikezGqyYroUi1iRA&usqp=CAU by eenbiertje (Sat 1st May 2021 11:21am)
  • The absolute underlying connection between all places that have high cycle ridership, isn't weather, isn't cycle education or anything else. It's provision of safe cycling routes. That's it. Build the network, and people will use it. In all weathers, so long as it provides them the confidence to do so. That's the lession from everywhere else that made these decisions decades ago. by eenbiertje (Sat 1st May 2021 3:26pm)
  • All this is is fly tipping. Nothing to do with a bulk uplift. Most likely your neighbour is lying to you, as when you arrange for a bulk uplift, the council instructs you to keep the items in your own building or back lot - not in a public space. They've just fly tipped this junk, so it needs to be reported as that. by eenbiertje (Mon 3rd May 2021 10:10am)
  • I don't think they did. The council leadership said the right things at the right time (it was just after the new Transport Act Scotland had been passes, and the same week I believe that Get Glasgow Moving submitted 2000 signatures from their petition campaign to get the council to buy the buses) but it was only mildly positive words. The council has been luke warm and hyper cautious in pursuing further regulation of buses. It took Get Glasgow Moving to pressure enough Labour and other MSPs to force the necessary amendments to the Scottish Government's original transport bill - which did not provide fill powers to councils. It's SNP policy not to encourage full on regulation and municipal ownership, but to limit any changes to franchising (where a single company may be given responsibility for all city buses). If people want to see real change happen the lesson is that we need a concerted, widespread, and importantly **sustained campaign** to get the transport system we deserve for the city. by eenbiertje (Mon 3rd May 2021 8:32pm)
  • Get off the road, get off the pavements. Stay out the park. There's no winning. by eenbiertje (Wed 5th May 2021 11:47pm)
  • I think what you're describing is in large part the Spaces For People programme, rolled out during the pandemic. The primary goal is to create more space for pedestrians in areas of high footfall, so they don't have to crowd together. This is sometimes along main streets in the centre, and outside rows of shops in quieter neighbourhoods. Another aspect is creating "pop-up" cycle lanes. Initially using cones, though most of these are now being upgraded with armadillo bumps and/or bollards. This is part of a nationwide programme of funding. There's a central funding pot with money from Sustrans and Transport Scotland being granted to councils to make these changes, if they apply. Most councils across Scotland have don't it. In terms of goals, there's two really: 1. More space for pedestrians to not have to huddle together. 2. Creating a better, more comprehensive safe(ish) cycling network almost overnight, primarily to help people who are avoiding public transport. There was a huge uptake in cycling at the start of the pandemic, so cities are (thankfully) catering to that demand. It looks a mess, but it's all just temporary, ad hoc infrastructure, which as I say is being upgraded and proved bit by bit. Ultimately though, a lot of the temporary extended pavements and cycle lanes may stick around for a while after the pandemic, until the council can raise funding to make them permanent (extended paving and redrawing kerbs, actual kerb segregated cycle lanes, etc). by eenbiertje (Thu 6th May 2021 10:25am)
  • The fundamental reason for the collapse of inner city retail was the widespread construction of out of town shopping malls, in the American model. Places which cater specifically for... people in cars. City centres themselves, in a vain, futile attempt to compete, also followed the car-first model, providing thousands of car parking spaces, and trading pedestrian (or even cycle space) for road space catering to motor vehicles. This legacy of car centrism has hollowed out our cities. People don't want to walk and shop on a busy road chock full of HGVs and cars. Evidently! That's why they choose to walk down entirely pedestrianised malls like Silverburn, the Fort, Braehead, etc. If cars parked inside Braehead ,or drove down the main concourse like they do across the city centre, you'd see how quickly this affects the appeal of it as a destination for visitors. Glasgow and many many other cities have realised (quite late in the day) that they're fighting a losing battle trying to cater for car owners alone. In fact, it's entirely detrimental, not just in environmental terms, but in terms of pure land space you devote to visitors. A single car space (likely used by one driver) could house 2 tables for a restaurant, or a parking bay for 10 cyclists, or a free space for potential customers to walk around. Long rant, but the point is that the town is in the situation it is (boarded up shops, low customer base) precisely because of the car centric planning of the late 20th century. by eenbiertje (Thu 6th May 2021 10:44am)
  • I agree exactly with what u/LordAnubis12 says here. It's not about banning cars in totality. There's an understanding that the public transport system (while actually quite comprehensive in Glasgow) isn't quite joined up enough to take over the load quite yet. That said... In many Dutch, Belgian and Dutch cities, it's common to have a perimeter around the city core with car parks (often underground). Visitors who choose to drive to the city centre of somewhere like Ghent, simply park on the edge of the central core and leave their cars there. It's really not all that different to leaving your car in the parking area at Braehead before walking ~500m to the shops. With Glasgow, it's easy to imagine this perimeter being something like the circle made by M8, Clyde and High Street. Cars can even *enter* the core if they really have to, whether for deliveries or drop-offs (infirm people will still need to use cars - most people realise this). So drivers can reach their destination within the city core if it's absolutely necessary to do so by car. The only thing is they can't do is cross the city core, using it as a through route - through a combination of dead ends, bollards, and pedestrianised zones that break up the road grid in the middle. This, I think, is what Glasgow is working towards. The benefits have been huge for places like Ghent, Delft, Groningen. With car traffic removed, the city centres have flourished. More space for outdoor hospitality, markets etc. And a much more liveable place overall. by eenbiertje (Thu 6th May 2021 1:56pm)
  • * Whether along the franchise model or through full on council ownership (both now permitted by recent changes to Scottish law) - the creation of a fully integrated transport system for Glasgow. Creating the option for a simple, single ticket for cross-city travel on bus/train/subway, with capped daily fares. * Massively expanded network of safe, segregated cycle routes along *all* major arterial roads. * Ambitious programme of pedestrianisation across the city centre, and perhaps also at a re was of heavy pedestrian footfall in neighbourhoods across the city. * Get rid of the ban on drinking outside. * More street trees. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. by eenbiertje (Tue 11th May 2021 6:26pm)
  • Bit of a niche suggestion this I know, but I'd like to see more areas roll out standardized, traditional looking shop frontages, like Govan has been doing recently. https://getintogovan.com/projects/traditional-shopfront-improvement-grant-scheme/ by eenbiertje (Wed 12th May 2021 1:25pm)
  • But...this isn't "outdoor", is it? by eenbiertje (Wed 12th May 2021 8:38pm)
  • So they don't need this then? Don't get me wrong - I'm all for much more outdoor seating in Glasgow. Here included. But there was no real need for this massive space hogging eyesore. I wonder partly if this might've been a publicity stunt to be quite honest. by eenbiertje (Thu 13th May 2021 1:23pm)
  • In my mind Kelvin Way should always have been closed to traffic - never mind a pandemic. It's just totally obvious that it ought always to have been a pedestrian boulevard. On one hand, it was pure low hanging fruit in terms of changes. Council really should have done way way more over the last year as part of Spaces for People. Kelvin Way always struck me as a very minor achievement in the grand scheme. Ambitions should've been much much higher. On the other hand, these things are so hard won that we need to make sure that the pedestrianized zones and cycle lanes that's were instated aren't rolled back. Hopefully Kelvin Way and the dozen or so other temporary cycle routes can be kept long after the pandemic. Get answering that survey people! by eenbiertje (Fri 14th May 2021 12:08am)
  • It was an almost token change that came in quite late, I think as part of the 3rd or 4th stage of the SfP programme. And it was much reduced from the original plan. Originally the council had shared plans (back in April/May 2020) of widening the pavements up nearly the full length of Byres Rd, essentially from University Avenue to the Botanics. In the end, it only happened along a single section of the road between two side streets. There was also a plan to install a "pop up" cycle lane along the western section of Sauchiehall Street, between KG Park and Charing Cross. It never happened. As I say though, complain as we might that the changes weren't ambitious enough, we definitely need to show support for what was done. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th May 2021 12:30am)
  • Oh I agree with you 100% on the importance of the lanes elsewhere, especially in the East End where they were almost non-existent before! I was just replying to the particular chatter about Kelvin Way. I'm a bit worried that we're seeing such concerted opposition to the new cycle lanes in the very areas that so badly need them - the East End, Maryhill, Pollok. There's every sign that folks in the West End (that already have some basic provision of cycle routes, and as you say, have more on the way) are behind the changes. I'm anxious that the temporary routes in other areas might be on some shaky ground. Hopefully the council plough ahead with keeping these new SfP lanes, like London Road, and secure them as part of the actual permanent network. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th May 2021 10:18am)
  • I've flip-flopped in my thinking on this over the years. I used to be all "how could they ever have thought the M8/ring road was a good idea"? But, being generous, put yourself in the thinking of the time. It's post-war. The whole of the UK and Western Europe generally is undergoing *massive* reconstruction, with some cities literally being rebuilt from the ground-up. There's money to burn on grand-scale infrastructure projects. There was a fresh wave of new thinking about the nature of the urban environment spreading across the world at this time, coinciding with the sudden boom of car ownership. From New York to Paris, and even on both sides of the Iron Curtain, cities were re-evaluating how they worked for their citizens, with planners riding this wave of utopianism. We can definitely agree now, in hindsight and with full awareness of the consequences both macro (greenhouse emissions causing climate change) and micro (destruction of neighbourhoods, isolation of communities, defunding of public transport networks, loss of cities' Victorian urban fabric, etc.), that the decisions of the 1940s-70s were on the whole, very very bad. But, "what would we do differently" is a hard question to answer. I think it's hard to imagine a world where the Bruce and Abercromby reports, and the resulting Motorway Plan for Glasgow didn't exist. The thing I've always found hardest to reconcile was why Glasgow's ring road was intended to hug the city core so tightly. People today talk of Glasgow being the only city with a motorway that "runs through it". If you know the history of the motorway plan, you'll know that's not quite right. The existing M8 which wraps round the west and north of the city centre is only 1/2 of what would have been a full ring road. So, from the planner's point of view, this ring round was to *surround* the "city core". Thing is - and this is why the M8 stings with so much of the city population - Glaswegians don't necessarily have this American view of the topography of the city, and arguably never did. In hundreds of mid-sized US cities which underwent the same motorway treatment in the 50s-70s, the divide between city core and *not the city core* was always more well defined. You had central business district, then quieter neighbourhoods with smaller single-lot housing. (There are of course major exemptions to this - Detroit and Philidelpha had large swathes of built-up tenement style neighbourhoods, and predominantly Black neighbourhoods, which were bulldozed to make space for their freeways). In Glasgow though, you could fairly claim there was a solid, densely packed, uninterrupted urban structure of tenemental housing (interlaced with commercial activity), running contiguously from Partick in the west to Bridgeton in the east. And from Possil in the north, to Shawlands in the south. The nub of what I'm getting at is: assuming they *just had to* build a motorway network and ring road, this should simply have been built much further out from where was planned. That's my alternate universe take. There was a plan for three ring roads. You can see it here: https://www.glasgowmotorwayarchive.org/inner-ring-road?lightbox=dataItem-kb6fmkq3 If I could wave a wand and have it turn out differently, I'd have avoided the central ring ever happening at all. No M8 dividing the West End and centre today. No tangled mess that is the Townhead interchange next to the medieval core of our city. No Springburn expressway. You still need to allow regional traffic to move around the city, without going through it. So there's an important role for motorways. If only they'd focussed on the outer ring road as the way to do this. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th May 2021 11:45am)
  • I'm not sure why they have to perform dawn raids (on Eid) and, more generally, stick applicants in detention centres while they await their decisions. Deportation for justifiable reasons isn't the problem here. The problem is that the UK Home Office has a declared mission to create a "hostile environment" for asylum applicants (and other "regular" migrants more generally, through insane bureaucratic demands and application costs, but that's a separate issue). Dawn raids like this, and regularly carting people off to detention centres for no particular infringement is part of the problem. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th May 2021 12:51pm)
  • Got to say, the community defence of these two men hasn't been borne from nothing. It comes after 20 years of increasing belligerence from the Home Office. There are cases aplenty to show that they needlessly detain individuals on a daily basis. Often not for immediate deportation, or in response to a specific infraction, but while they await a decision on their pending asylum application. This can go on for months and months. They Home Office also has a terrible appeals record, losing something 70% of cases that make it to appeal following rejection. Networks have developed (evidently, as we saw yesterday) through the last decade allowing concerned fellow citizens, neighbours, time to act and prevent what could well be an unwarranted detention of a vulnerable person with a limited support network. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th May 2021 1:37pm)
  • If streets aren't 'spacious' enough to store cars without encroaching on the lives of others (space for pavements for pedestrians, wheelchair users, prams etc, & space on the road for buses if needed) then there shouldn't be cars parked on the street. by eenbiertje (Sun 16th May 2021 8:04pm)
  • Might just be how you've worded this, so I've possibly got the wrong end of the stick with what you're saying (apologies if so). But I don't think it's fair to say the city planning of the 1880s-1920s was 'poor' for not forseeing every family wanting at least one car each, and expecting they can just store it on the street. For sure government is is ultimately to blame for taking us down the car-centric route. Of building entire new towns designed around cars and then just expecting existing, high density urban areas to adapt to that new status quo too (all while undermining and underfunding public transport provision). by eenbiertje (Sun 16th May 2021 11:49pm)
  • I dunno, in other countries it's common to have these outside your block of flats, and everyone who uses it has a copy of the same key. That's just the way it is. Maybe it'll be with an app though, like Nextbikes, which is that bit more secure by eenbiertje (Mon 17th May 2021 11:00pm)
  • Keep seeing (justifiable) comments like this, so I don't think the council has done the best job in communicating this. A bit of a wider issue with how GCC promote their work to be honest. AFAIK this is a pilot, so it's expected it'll expand across the city in the coming years to areas other than the Southside and West End. It's run through a private company (Cycle Hoop), a little like how Nextbike works, so there's an element of the business wanting best return on its investment. From what I remember when this was first announced a few years back, the criteria for the 70 or so eventual locations was a combination of cycle ownership, population density, and proximity to busy cycle routes. It's very much a residential focused pilot at the moment. You need a key to access it, so this isn't really geared for pubic use at subway stops / universities / shopping centres etc. by eenbiertje (Tue 18th May 2021 10:45am)
  • Although the gut reaction might be to rage about people being too lazy to go, anecdotally it sounds like the issue is lots of younger people (under 40s) having their letters sent to the wrong address. It's probably an issue to be expected as we move further down the age bands, with younger people typically being more mobile (in terms of permanent accomodation) than older age bands, and so not always having their personal details updated at GP surgery or NHS region level. It seems like that's why there is a big push launched today to get 18-30s to manually register online - as a way of catching anyone who would otherwise slip through this net. by eenbiertje (Mon 24th May 2021 3:21pm)
  • Got to say, if there was an award for consistently chiming in with rational, clear-headed replies you'd deserve it. by eenbiertje (Thu 27th May 2021 9:29pm)
  • I know, it'd be good if it was closed for longer. by eenbiertje (Thu 27th May 2021 9:27pm)
  • It's not just Glasgow, or even just Scotland. It's a thing happening all over the western world, mostly in cities but not exclusively. Read a thing in the FT last week about it. Seems it's not necessarily down to more demand for housing, or people getting bored where they live during the pandemic and looking to upgrade. Or even just pent up demand. Seems that it's because while loads of people have had a tough time the past year, the people in the upper half of average earnings have tended to be in a great position to save. So the total number of buyers isn't necessarily much higher than pre-pandemic. It may actually be much lower. It's just that those who are buying have accumulated a lot more savings this past year, and are trying to outbid each other. by eenbiertje (Fri 4th Jun 2021 2:36pm)
  • You need to create a situation where people are demanding change from corporations and the government though, or nothing gets done. Corporations are only now making big steps towards decarbonising because of two things: public opinion, and legislation. Both only come about if people are engaged enough to demand change. by eenbiertje (Sat 5th Jun 2021 8:52am)
  • I know this might sound glib, but there i actually *a lot* of street space already given to parking there. There are just too many cars. by eenbiertje (Sun 6th Jun 2021 12:40am)
  • Couple of points. * It's not a case of demanding *every single person* abandons their car for a bike/bus/train. Just that, it's very clearly the situation just now that too many journeys are made in single occupancy vehicles than is needed. It's about creating opportunities for people to have viable alternatives to driving, if they want to. Currently, those alternatives are few and far between. * Our climate is fine. It's not Siberia. It rains a fair bit, it's windy now and then. But that's how it is in the Netherlands and Scandinavia. Why are we uniquely incapable of having nice, pleasant, livable neighbourhoods with pedestrianised areas, added room for outdoor hospitality, and cycle lanes? by eenbiertje (Sun 6th Jun 2021 1:03am)
  • So much cynicism / pessimism in this thread. The council is planning to turn neighbourhoods across the city into much more pleasant places, with increased space for outdoor leisure/hospitality and easier access to safe cycling routes. It will be absolutely transformational for the city. The city was entirely overhauled from the ground up in the 50s-70s to entirely suit the use of single occupancy vehicles. You can see it all around our urban fabric. From the large scale (motorways cutting through the city itself and neighbourhoods) to the small (anti pedestrian road junctions, tiny pavements at expense of road space, barely any street trees, the loss of trams, cars being parked on almost every single inch of public space). Just because we've become used to it doesn't mean it has to be this way. by eenbiertje (Sun 6th Jun 2021 1:16am)
  • Drivers need to understand that these changes (which aren't just happening in Glasgow, but are being rolled out in cities the world over) aren't about persecuting them, or making their lives difficult for the sake of it. We all have to share the same urban environment. How space is used within a city has an impact on choices that people make. For the last 50 years, there has barely been any element of choice offered. Glasgow, like many other cities, was almost entirely reconfigured from the bottom up to suit car use as the main mode of transit - at the expense of all other options. The changes suggested in this plan are part of rebalancing the situation, making cycling, public transport, and yes even walking, way more viable and appealing as options than before. There are choices to be made for how we use what is ultimately limited street space. Do we continue to have maximum space devoted to car travel, or even car storage? Or do we use some of that space to provide a safe cycling route connecting whole neighborhoods to one an other, or maybe even a space for outdoor hospitality? It's not even just about the utility of space in and around the city. We're in a climate crisis, and hard choices have to be made. Something like 70% car journeys are 10 mins or less. Essentially journeys which could be walked or cycled. That's not to say the aim is for *everyone* to switch transport modes. It's not, and it's frustrating to see this always talked about as a black and white thing. Drivers vs everybody else. It's just about giving you the opportunity to travel a different way if you can or if you want to. Once that genuine choice is offered to people, you'll see the number of car journeys tumble, which in turn benefits the people who absolutely do need to drive as there will be less congestion. by eenbiertje (Sun 6th Jun 2021 1:37am)
  • Yep, exactly this. It's basically a standard in transit planning across the world now. It's recognized that you drastically impact bus journey times by making them pull in and out of traffic at every stop. by eenbiertje (Sun 6th Jun 2021 1:43am)
  • Sorry that's completely wrong. The single thing that is holding back people from cycling is the lack of infrastructure. Not the weather. The Netherlands and Scandinavia have rain and wind too. Sometimes intense snow. Millions of people happily commute to work by bike in these countries every day, through all weathers. The lesson from cities around the world - not just Amsterdam or Copenhagen, but literally cities all across the world which have rejigged their roads to create cycle networks - is that once you build a safe, properly interconnected network, people use it. by eenbiertje (Sun 6th Jun 2021 1:47am)
  • This seems to be being attacked from a few angles as not solving every one of the city's problems. It's not meant to. It seems to me to be specifically about reallocating street space to increase neighbourhood livability - whether through more space for pedestrians, for leisure activities, for outdoors hospitality, for cycling. As far as I've read, GCC also has an overarching Transport Plan in the works, and a few other distinct projects that address public transport. by eenbiertje (Sun 6th Jun 2021 1:59am)
  • I slightly get where you're coming from, but I honestly think you will be proven wrong! There's good evidence of schemes that have happened in just the last few years, that this will essentially be replicating across all parts of the city. There Connecting Woodside scheme, the South City Way, the Avenues project, etc. These are obviously not 100% complete, and that's the only area of this plan that I have low expectations about - the timescale. That said, once it's all done, be that 5 or 20 years (probably the latter), it will all add up to a city transformed for the better. by eenbiertje (Sun 6th Jun 2021 8:50am)
  • I get what you're saying but I think you're describing two different things. It's not practical to have segregated bus lanes on every part of every route. The FastLink along Govan Rd works because the road is about 35m wide, so there's space for 2 vehicle lanes and 2 bus lanes. But buses run all across the city, sometimes weaving through densely packed neighbourhoods. Segregating them from vehicle traffic isn't feasible in every situation, without then taking space from pedestrians. So it's going to be necessary in a lot of places for buses to stop in-line with traffic. I mentioned in another comment, but it's generally routine transit planning practice across the world now for this to happen (for buses not to have to pull in and out to on/off board passengers), as it vastly improves journey times. Just as a minor point: the FastLink was actually designed with trams in mind, and it looks like it will be the first route to get the go ahead as part of the 'Glasgow Metro' network. Segregation works for modern trams as they serve slightly different purposes to buses. They're meant to move more quickly between locales, and have better acceleration profiles, acting as something between buses and trains. So it makes much more sense to have them segregated wherever possible to maximize these benefits. Buses serve a slightly different purpose: ideally serving shorter journeys or acting as first and/or last-step in a multi modal journey that connects people from local neighbourhoods to transit hubs. All that said, I do agree with the last thing you said - we need many many more park & ride stations, be it for trains or buses (or even trams when they come in). by eenbiertje (Sun 6th Jun 2021 9:20am)
  • Just because you wouldn't do it doesn't mean lots of other people wouldn't. Millions of people across Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia and many cities in Germany cycle to work every day, through all weathers. They get as much rain and wind too. Realistically not every single person is going to swap their car for a bike, but lots might like the option to do it. Doesn't mean it's not worth building the infrastructure to support it either. by eenbiertje (Sun 6th Jun 2021 12:06pm)
  • Exactly this. by eenbiertje (Sun 6th Jun 2021 8:30pm)
  • The single biggest difference is the infrastructure. The weather's not all that different. by eenbiertje (Tue 8th Jun 2021 10:56pm)
  • Started in 2011ish. Only a few left to be fair, Kinning Park, West Street, Cowcaddens maybe? But yeah, it's taken an age. by eenbiertje (Wed 9th Jun 2021 4:25pm)
  • Could make it a square by eenbiertje (Thu 10th Jun 2021 12:31am)
  • I like it. The colours are a nod to the red and blonde sandstone of the area, obviously without being the same "Glasgow tenement" form (which I think is simply prohibitively expensive to replicate these days, even if there was demand for it). I'd be keen to see more pictures to get a sense of how the heights compare. It's a big step up and much more in fitting with the area than the last proposal, and an even bigger step up from the Arcade. Only suggestion is it could've been stepped back a bit from the street edge to give more space for pedestrians / outdoor seating. But maybe this can be fixed with some of the roadspace on Kilmarnock Rd being given over to other uses in future anyway. by eenbiertje (Thu 10th Jun 2021 3:43pm)
  • Puregym won't have much of a say though. They'll be tenants of the Arcade site itself (the owners have planned a residential focused redevelopment like this or 10-15 years now). by eenbiertje (Thu 10th Jun 2021 5:37pm)
  • They're all rental as far as I know. by eenbiertje (Thu 10th Jun 2021 10:12pm)
  • There are big changes coming in relation to transport. Bus companies, though not being taken over by the city, are being pushed to adopt new fare schemes over the next few years. We'll also have a joint multi-mode ticket in place in a few years too. There's also meant to be a big top-down revision of bus stop placement and bus priority routes, which should lead to faster journey times. Transport in Glasgow's definitely not what it could be, but it's not a million miles away. We've got relatively good bus and train provision for a city this size. Of course as you say it's not the same everywhere. The outer estates like Pollok and Castlemilk, Drumchapel and Easterhouse don't have great transport provision. Partly that's because they were built from the ground up with cars in mind. Shawlands is very well connected by bus and train though. Where possible, we should be building fewer car parking spaces. It's not a good use of space in a dense area, and acts as a disincentive for people to use public transport in the first place. by eenbiertje (Fri 11th Jun 2021 9:13am)
  • The lack of integrated ticketing and all round poor customer service / opaqueness of bus ticket prices clouds a lot of people's view I think. But you're right. Comparing pure levels of service to other UK cities, we've got it good. We're not bad for European cities our size either. Great suburban rail network, loads of buses, even a subway on top of that. Ticket prices and lack of integration is the thing that's holding it all back. My suspicion though - and this might be controversial - is that the people who complain most about Glasgow's public transport are the one that use it least. That's not to say people who use it don't have complaints about it. Just... I think the negative perception is mostly amongst people who drive, and whose routines (driving in traffic, perhaps living further out from the centre, etc) colour their perception of public transport. by eenbiertje (Fri 11th Jun 2021 10:27am)
  • There already is a cycle path there... ah but you weren't making a serious point were you. by eenbiertje (Sun 13th Jun 2021 5:11pm)
  • Unpopular opinion - it was actually quite a grotty dank wee bar, which traded on some nonsense about it being the oldest pub in Glasgow, which wasn't the case. I don't think that iteration of the bar, and the building it's in, were even around at the time of the Old College across the road. The building wasn't all that architecturally significant. It wasn't a looker. The Linen Bank next door across the lane is a different story. by eenbiertje (Fri 18th Jun 2021 10:21am)
  • There's the sweety shop in Trongate, probably worth a try. They sell postcards and Scottish touristy stuff. I'm pretty sure GoMA have them in the gift shop there. by eenbiertje (Mon 21st Jun 2021 11:02am)
  • Agreed. by eenbiertje (Wed 23rd Jun 2021 12:29pm)
  • I guess in that situation you just bump up onto the central reservation to let the emergency vehicle past, then carry on with your journey? by eenbiertje (Wed 23rd Jun 2021 4:55pm)
  • Hmmm yeah I get your point. That said, it seems a relatively minor inconvenience for drivers compared to the general benefits the Spaces for People changes have brought for pedestrians, and in the specific example of these locations, for cyclists. Agreed though that the situation is imperfect. In the medium to long-term I suspect the ambition will be to remove central reservations completely where they exist on arterial roads, along with hatching. But these measures were brought in during a pandemic when people were discouraged to use public transport - with safe road space needed for people to commute/travel by bike if they wanted to. by eenbiertje (Wed 23rd Jun 2021 5:06pm)
  • I think a lot of people assume that once we switch to electric cars, a lot of the currently planned changes to roadscapes will be unnecessary. But I don't think that's really the case. The measures on London Rd, Wallacewell Rd and Royston Rd have been brought in as part of the council's 'Spaces for People' programme. But there are big plans more generally to reassign roadspace - even on arterial roads - over from cars to buses & bikes. Reducing pollution (in both the global and local sense) is only one part of it. It's also largely about rebalancing the space given to transit options more generally, and righting the wrongs of the last 75 years of city planning. Making the use of road space more equitable for different modes, and giving people the option to cycle if they need or want to. by eenbiertje (Wed 23rd Jun 2021 5:11pm)
  • As someone else said Megabus is your best bet. But there's also this site that helps you plan out a rail journey through split ticketing to minimise the cost. Might be worth checking out if you're set on taking a train. https://www.splitticketing.com/ by eenbiertje (Thu 24th Jun 2021 12:35pm)
  • How frequent is it? Could it be a bus in the distance maybe? by eenbiertje (Sun 27th Jun 2021 12:06pm)
  • Not really true. NY's grid began to be laid out a little before Glasgow's got started, but not by much. The truth is Glasgow's grid came about because so many Glasgow-based merchants and their apprentices lived in the Caribbean, close to their plantations (often they were contracted to do so, as a necessity for gaining entrance into their guilds). Caribbean towns were being planned with such speed (due to the surge in activity from the trade of slaves and harvested tobacco/sugar/cotton) that they didn't develop organically. They were planned street by street, with planners applying the the grid layout - viewed at that time as symbolic of enlightenment and classical elegance. Merchants came back to Glasgow, bringing back ideas, goods, and in some cases even slaves. Among the ideas they brought back though, was the Carribbean style grid layout, which could be readily applied to Glasgow as it expanded westwards into what was previously empty fields. by eenbiertje (Thu 1st Jul 2021 2:18pm)
  • AFAIK it's a long term issue down to the natural life-span of the quaysides along the Clyde, and them being worn down over decades with no major restructuring works done. A lot of money has been set aside in the City Deal fund for "Quayside / Wharf" repairs though. The funding programme was announced about ~2ish years ago, and I read recently that the first works should be underway early next year. At least, that's the case downstream of the weir. I'm not too sure about upstream, round Glasgow Green area. The stretch near Tradeston (known as Windmillcroft quay, between the squiggly bridge and Springfield Quay) will be [getting a cycle path installed as part of the quayside rebuild](https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/article/glasgow-accepts-funding-contribution-for-windmillcroft-quay-project). That particular stretch has a massive hole in it, so it makes sense that one will be prioritised first. But as I understand it other quays have money allocated to them as well. by eenbiertje (Thu 1st Jul 2021 11:23pm)
  • I don't totally blame people for attempting to go eastbound on it. I mean, they shouldn't, but it's definitely wide enough that it ought to be 2-way. And the actual "shared space" riverside path is murder to navigate on a bike, apart from a few very wide stretches, like just east of the squinty bridge. But right after that you've got a tiny, barely 2m wide space that runs down the back of the flats at Lansfield Quay, that naturally has lots of people walking along it. by eenbiertje (Wed 7th Jul 2021 8:46am)
  • If it's those green verges next to Dumbarton Road, it's probably those drive-thrus that were approved a year ago. Climate emergency and all that. https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/article/green-light-for-new-drive-through-eateries-at-glasgow-harbour by eenbiertje (Wed 7th Jul 2021 6:07pm)
  • Urban councils across the UK (whether majority Labour and/or SNP) soaking up all of the blame for the subsequent devastation to services was also totally part of the plan by the way. Political genius in some respects. Ten years on it's still paying off, with the focus for community ire being aimed at local councils, who though obviously are not perfect, are working under sustained financial constraints that haven't been seen since comparable (but much shorter lived) austerity of the early 1930s. by eenbiertje (Tue 13th Jul 2021 3:30pm)
  • Not defining council against all counts, but we need to understand that problems have multiple causes, some of which aren't GCC's making. The lack of care for empty buildings is in part down to it being historically cheaper and more cost effective for developers to demolish and build anew, rather than repair existing properties. There's no incentive to buy damaged buildings, and therefore, there's no incentive for landowners to take care of them. Egyptian Halls is a great example. This is a VAT issue at UK govt level, though could probably be remedied through some Scottish Parliament actions. On residential parking - it's a simple fact that there are too many cars for our streets. Cars are the single biggest cause of greenhouse emissions globally, and cause pollution on a local level too. It's good that actions being taken to limit their viability for short journeys in and around cities. GCC is only doing what's being done in cities all over the world. by eenbiertje (Tue 13th Jul 2021 3:39pm)
  • Was about to comment but you've effectively made every point I could have conceived of in my reply u/LordAnubis12. "War on the motorist" In a city which was carved up by road planners. by eenbiertje (Tue 13th Jul 2021 5:53pm)
  • Sorry I was replying specifically to: > No residents parking - environmental reasons by eenbiertje (Tue 13th Jul 2021 11:18pm)
  • I do, but I understand why lots of people don't. It's a scary thing to do when (in many cases) you don't have an option but to ride on the road for long stretches. And at rush hour, even "quiet streets" near to schools can be very daunting places due to the sheer volume of cars. There's a bit of a feedback loop going on. Parents see the streets are full of cars and unsafe for their kids to cycle (or even walk!) to school, and so drive them there. So adding to the very traffic they'd rather wasn't there in the first place. Put simply, we need fewer people driving extremely short trips uneccessarily. Whether that's to school, shops, or elsewhere locally. People won't do this voluntarily on an individual basis, as they're only making a (completely understandable) personal choice based on what's best for them and their families given the situation. That's why top-down measures (low traffic neighbourhoods, limited car parking, cycle/public transport only zones) need to be implemented. by eenbiertje (Wed 14th Jul 2021 12:29pm)
  • Not Italian but there's a Portuguese one in Mount Florida, and a kind of catch-all deli/cafe place called La Mediterranea just opened on Kilmarnock Road. by eenbiertje (Wed 14th Jul 2021 4:32pm)
  • Some upcoming screenings of 'classic' films at the GFT: https://glasgowfilm.org/whats-on/all?genre=172290&accessibilityScreenings=&specialFeatures=&type=standard%7Cfestival&film=1#screening-filters Trainspotting The Third Man Roman Holiday The Ladykillers by eenbiertje (Thu 15th Jul 2021 11:30pm)
  • Ah so it is. by eenbiertje (Fri 16th Jul 2021 11:09am)
  • Decreasing the number of cars that are actively moving around Glasgow's city centre streets is a good thing though. The footfall problem is being combatted by encouraging more people to live in the city centre, and by making it an attractive destination for outdoor eating, leisure, and generally spending time. Part of achieving this is swapping some space used for cars to space used for other purposes. Although the LEZ tackles vehicles that over-pollute, there's a wider issue of vehicles having too much of a presence generally in the city centre. by eenbiertje (Thu 22nd Jul 2021 1:48pm)
  • So, I actually agree with everything you've said. People will still need cars to travel medium-long distances, whether for work or anything else. Well into the foreseeable future. What can be avoided though are the journeys that are short enough to be made on foot, by public transport, or by bike (trips under 1-2 miles say). A huge number of car journeys are these short trips currently. We have plenty of multi-level car parks around the centre, which are often (highly) under capacity. The Connectivity Commission highlighted this in their report last year, recommending that this capacity might be used by new residents of the city centre itself. So, having fewer cars able to move around within the city centre needn't be a ban on people living in the centre owning cars and using them to travel significant distances for work. by eenbiertje (Thu 22nd Jul 2021 3:30pm)
  • Go up The Lighthouse on Mitchell Lane. There's a viewing room on the 2nd floor or something, but skip that, go right to the very top. There's a big tower with a 360 degree view of the city centre from the top. by eenbiertje (Wed 28th Jul 2021 11:57pm)
  • Just to understand you, are you meaning literally what was in place of current pubs & bars in tenement buildings (what was in those shop units before)... or are you asking about the standalone pubs that look like they should have tenement buildings above them? If you mean the first thing, what pubs/bars got your attention? It's often possible to find out through a few different online tools. NLS Maps, Canmore, Virtual Mitchell, and even a clever Google can sometimes turn up useful info. If any specific pubs/bars come to mind, I can have a look and then show you the tools that you could use to find similar info for other places. by eenbiertje (Wed 4th Aug 2021 11:31pm)
  • Ah right I get you. There are a lot of online tools and sites that can become a real time sink, if you find yourself wanting to look into stuff like this. The thing that comes to mind immediately for what you're asking about, is this map on the NLS map explorer site: [Charles Goad's Fire Insurance Plan of Glasgow](https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15&lat=55.85916&lon=-4.25699&layers=218&b=1). It's a map that catalogued fire risk of buildings across Glasgow, and so ended up including a lot of info about building functions, arrangements, etc. It's really fascinating. If you overlay it on a modern map, you end up finding what was previously in place over a century ago. The digitised sheets currently only cover the city centre, Tradeston, the Gorbals, Bridgeton and the old Glasgow Harbour area. Nothing on the west end yet. Quite often you can piece things together with info from other maps too. Here's a big list: https://maps.nls.uk/towns/glasgow.html by eenbiertje (Thu 5th Aug 2021 12:04am)
  • Yeah I think you're correct about there being many many more pubs in the past. If you look through that map I linked to (Goad), there's a pub on nearly every corner (anything labelled "P.H." - public house). /u/princess_peachfuzz69 by eenbiertje (Thu 5th Aug 2021 10:23am)
  • Park Bar in Finnieston by eenbiertje (Fri 6th Aug 2021 5:41pm)
  • I think both things are true. The council has drastically cut services (through less money from Holyrood and Westminster, and the council tax freeze). Undeniably. At the same time there is a *deeply* ingrained apathy in this city, from a obscene amount of people, who do not give a second thought to tossing their rubbish wherever they like. It's a long term thing too, not something that's just happened in the last few years. Where it comes from, psychologically is an interesting question. by eenbiertje (Sun 8th Aug 2021 9:42pm)
  • Best Kebab by eenbiertje (Mon 9th Aug 2021 1:30pm)
  • Woodlands will be one of the priciest areas of the city for rentals. It's a very nice area and directly adjacent to Glasgow Uni and KG park, so rent's always been at a premium there. If you're studying at Glasgow Uni, have a look at other places on the subway route, Govan through to Kinning Park. Broomhill might be worth a look too (number 4 bus goes from there to Hillhead), and Maryhill / Wyndford (number 8 bus). If you're still struggling after looking there, I'd push out a bit further west along the route of the number 6 (Anniesland etc.). As nice as it is to live in the heart of the West End and have all the amenities on your doorstep, I don't know why anyone would do it when there are lots of other cheaper areas with decent commute options. by eenbiertje (Wed 11th Aug 2021 12:51pm)
  • The current resurfacing works are one thing, but The M8 viaducts to the north of the city are approaching the end of their expected lifespan. There was a report a few months back (Maybe a year ago? Can't find the source sorry) that the viaduct at GWR in particular had extreme structural issues. There's talk now that it will have to be reconstructed to some extent, at high cost. Seems a good opportunity to remove the whole thing. by eenbiertje (Fri 13th Aug 2021 11:26am)
  • Although the South City Way on Victoria Rd is brilliant, there aren't many other isolated / fully segregated routes around at the moment. It's useful that you live close to Queen's Park though. You can use that as a node to connect to a few quiet street routes / on either side, and that really does open up viable bike journeys where you're barely interacting with traffic. A good West-East route you might find useful for getting around the Southside is one that goes from the SW corner of Queen's Park to Cathcart. The route is something like: South along Tantallon Road until you get to the old bridge over the River Cart at the corner of Langside Rd and Millbrae Cresent. From there there's a great path that hugs the river all the way to Battlefield. This riverside path then joins onto Spean Street, which follows the river all the way to Cathcart. The pavement on Spean Street is an official "shared use" path, extra wide for pedestrians and cyclists - though it's not unusual to find cars parked along it unfortunately, creating lots of choke points. Anyway, that's a very useful 'sideways' route across several Southside neighborhoods. Another useful one to know about is that you can more or less get from the NW corner of Queen's Park, to the South West City Way segregated cycle route in Pollokshields, with a mix of quiet streets / shared pavements and pathways: Cross at the junction of Balvicar Street and Pollokshaws Road and go straight along Queen's Square in Strathbungo. Turn right on Moray Place and use the footbridge over the railway to cross into Pollokshields. Then head straight up Kenmure Street, turn left at Maxwell Road, then right once you reach Shields Road. At the end of that dead end you'll cross to meet the South West City Way, which will take you to the city centre via Tradeston. Also, the pavements around the big Seaward Street motorway junction are shared use, and give you a reasonably easy - if awkward - way to reach Kinning Park, Ibrox and even the riverside via side streets. by eenbiertje (Thu 19th Aug 2021 10:47am)
  • I don't see the problem with people asking these questions. Sure it might be boring to see repetitively asked questions, but just why not just ignore the posts? In fact, I'd say this attitude to policing the content is verging on being kinda unwelcoming. Let people ask what they want. If it is some aesthetic thing about having a feed cluttered up with too much of on type of content, why not have a sticky thread for "new to Glasgow" type queries? by eenbiertje (Mon 30th Aug 2021 12:14pm)
  • Agreed 100%. "News" spam being banned is a completely stupid rule. You see all sorts of valid threads on this sub being canned after being up for only a few hours, purely because of that vague rule that's being interpreted differently by every mod. This sub is essentially now just about bins, pubs, and orange walks because of it. by eenbiertje (Mon 30th Aug 2021 9:51pm)
  • Can't really say anything about the cyclist's behaviour in the moment (since obv I wasn't there). It might be that they were unnecessarily rude / aggressive in how they conveyed their point to you. But basically the safest thing to do is for the cyclist to occupy the centre of the lane they're in. It's safer for them, and safer for overtaking cars. It means overtaking cars are encouraged to pay extra attention to the availability of space in the other lane and overtake only when there's not going to be a tight squeeze or risk of collision with oncoming traffic. If the cyclist hugs the side of the lane, that can encourage drivers to attempt risky overtakes, or even just overtake within the same lane, possibly endangering the cyclist. Anyway, it sounds like you overtook in the correct way from what you say. As annoying as it might be, they did what they ought to do to keep themselves safe. Their reaction is another issue, but then that could come from having a recent collision or something. You never know what someone's experienced, and cycling is quite a vulnerable position to be in. by eenbiertje (Wed 1st Sep 2021 10:28am)
  • Cycling two abreast is absolutely fine, and to be honest much safer for everyone involved - the cyclists and overtaking drivers. Cycling in single file means drivers have a longer distance to complete their overtake, meaning much greater risk of meeting an oncoming vehicle during the attempt. Cycling two abreast shortens this distance for the overtaking vehicle. Weird how two cyclist riding two abreast is unacceptable, but cars with a driver and passenger in the next seat are fine? by eenbiertje (Wed 1st Sep 2021 10:35am)
  • A lot of pavements in Glasgow are official "shared paths" for cyclists and pedestrians. It's basically a cheap way of the city falsely claiming it has a much bigger cycling network than it does. So sometimes if you see a cyclist on the pavement, it's because they're encouraged to use it. That said, you're right about lots of delivery cyclists going at speed on the city centre streets. Shouldn't happen. by eenbiertje (Wed 1st Sep 2021 10:48am)
  • What lane are you talking about? by eenbiertje (Wed 1st Sep 2021 1:17pm)
  • No chance it'll be finished before COP. It's not a minor issue that's being fixed, it's the structure of the motorway viaducts themselves, which are now 50 years old. Have heard talk that it could take up to four years to repair, meaning delays for related "Avenues" projects in that corner of the city. by eenbiertje (Tue 14th Sep 2021 11:24am)
  • https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/19579418.amp LEDs being installed, closed until 24 September by eenbiertje (Tue 14th Sep 2021 1:46pm)
  • People marching in celebration of a battle over 300 years ago where the Protestant Dutch King defeated the forces of Catholic Ireland, to over-simplify it. For (some) Protestant Scots whose roots lie in Ulster in Northern Ireland, and whose brethren would've fought on the winning side that day, they see it as the moment where their particular religious sect avoided subjugation under potential Catholic rule in Ulster and the wider UK. They take great pleasure in reminding everyone of it. As it happens, Catholics became the subjugated party for several centuries. These marches are essentially a means of continuing to crow about the victory and reminding everyone (read Catholics) of who had the power for several hundred years. That said, pull a random person from the crowd and I bet you they couldn't tell you what it's about. Most seem to do it because it allows them to vent a particular dislike of a particular religious sect. Not that it's an obviously backwards, racist, sectarian event or anything. Part of their "culture" and all that, as we're so used to hearing. by eenbiertje (Sat 18th Sep 2021 5:48pm)
  • Yeah very fair point - wrote that clumsily. by eenbiertje (Sat 18th Sep 2021 7:29pm)
  • I think something like this could get traction, but it takes someone to start it. We're all numbed to the fact that this racist, sectarian hate march happens. A counter protest - not necessarily on the same day - highlighting in black and white terms how racist and sectarian this event is, could be the thing to get it ended. by eenbiertje (Sat 18th Sep 2021 9:34pm)
  • In my experience these things are always a massive disappointment. Paying a ticket to then pay for food/drink should be a big red flag. by eenbiertje (Sun 19th Sep 2021 6:24pm)
  • I've always thought it was completely stupid like OP, but now you say this... that kind of makes perfect sense. by eenbiertje (Mon 20th Sep 2021 10:03pm)
  • GCC just recently shared a new website with lots of publicly available data related to the city, including their 3D model of Glasgow (commissioned a few years ago): https://data.glasgow.gov.uk/ by eenbiertje (Tue 21st Sep 2021 7:12pm)
  • Apologies, the bus system in Glasgow is a fragmented mess. Thatcher broke up the municipal bus companies across Glasgow in the 80s and allowed private companies to move in, carving up services as they liked. London got an exception, written in law (funny that), which allowed it to move ahead with a fully integrated TfL system in the early 90s. Edinburgh got round it by having the buses run by a single arm's length "private" business, of which local authorities are major shareholders. But you'll have seen how bad it is in Glasgow to this day. Fragmented services, overlapping services, incomprehensible bus routes and opaque pricing (which the bus companies have no incentive to be up front about). Scottish Parliament passed a bill two years ago allowing local authorities to step in (in some limited ways), but as yet, Glasgow hasn't done anything. by eenbiertje (Tue 21st Sep 2021 11:59pm)
  • Think it's never-ending underground electric/utilities works around that area. There's not been a single day that the full cycle path on Vicky Rd has been opened for use without some big section being out of action over the last year. by eenbiertje (Wed 22nd Sep 2021 12:55pm)
  • Really missed several bullets there didn't we. by eenbiertje (Wed 22nd Sep 2021 5:34pm)
  • Isn't that they way Reddit's meant to work? You upvote what you like, and more generally interesting/popular threads get upvoted (and hence are "stickier") in the aggregate? I think the rules here are a bit stifling for new threads. by eenbiertje (Wed 22nd Sep 2021 10:19pm)
  • It's not like Susan Aitken has just come up with this on the back of a napkin. This is a bunch of major development plans that have been in the works for 10+ years. Some are closer to happening than others, but I really don't get the automatic negativity towards it all. The city could do with a proper light-rail metro, and the Victorian tenements need retrofitted. None of it's controversial. Hope it all happens and as soon as possible. by eenbiertje (Thu 23rd Sep 2021 9:33pm)
  • Plan is for some of the existing suburban lines to be converted to light rail (trams, basically, or at least something closer to lighter subway-style trains than regular heavy-rail trains). Lighter trains = faster acceleration profile = more trains per hour = moving more people in the same amount of time. Makes sense to be honest, at least for the suburban lines that are creaking past capacity already (Cathcart Circle for one). by eenbiertje (Thu 23rd Sep 2021 9:31pm)
  • It's based on the recommendations from the Connectivity Commission in 2019: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/connectivitycommission by eenbiertje (Thu 23rd Sep 2021 9:39pm)
  • Malcolm Allen are defo low tier sausages. Splash out on some Simon Howie and you'll thank yourself. Or butcher's own stuff, but Simon Howie is probably the best you'll get in a supermarket. by eenbiertje (Sat 25th Sep 2021 11:36am)
  • Anyone else seen the petition to examine full closure of the M8? https://twitter.com/ReplacetheM8/status/1442472570230501383?s=19 by eenbiertje (Tue 28th Sep 2021 11:49am)
  • If it's not a post about takeaway recommendations, council tax or orange walks the mods seem keen on removing it these days. Preventing shitposting is one thing (and arguably the actual job of the mods) but the no "news spam" rule has broken the sub, preventing many new threads that would potentially be talking about news, events and general goings on in and around the city. by eenbiertje (Tue 28th Sep 2021 12:31pm)
  • Supplementary idea: have fewer cars on the roads. by eenbiertje (Tue 28th Sep 2021 12:35pm)
  • Something like that would be absolutely relevant for this sub in my mind. Mods, can you please change this rule? In my mind news "spam" should cover multiple repeated posts on the same topic. Not someone sharing a news story relevant to the city, with the thread giving space for discussion of that story. Isn't that what city subreddits are for? Talking about things that are happening in the city? by eenbiertje (Tue 28th Sep 2021 1:11pm)
  • I've seen a lot of threads on legitimate Glasgow news stories that disappear within an hour or so of posting too. The sub's become a very sterile, boring place recently, with 90% of threads on takeaway recommendations, flathunting, ticket giveaways and council tax. The news spam rule needs removed by eenbiertje (Tue 28th Sep 2021 4:06pm)
  • On a related note, wonder if people could give me some advice. What do you do if you see someone who lives in a nearby close dump stuff on the pavement? I happened to be looking out the window and witnessed them walk out, dump stuff in the middle of our street, then walk back in their close while doing a shifty glance around. No idea who they are or what flat they live in. What's the done thing in this situation? Normally I'd report it through the Glasgow app thing, but it honestly pisses me off that the council workers come clear it and the dumpers think that's how it's meant to work. by eenbiertje (Tue 28th Sep 2021 11:03pm)
  • 100% Looks like they've removed this rule now. by eenbiertje (Wed 29th Sep 2021 10:07am)
  • >If the whole city was kitted out like that I'd have no hesitation using my bike for 95% of the year. It will be soon! by eenbiertje (Wed 29th Sep 2021 7:20pm)
  • Just temporary stuff until the permanent lanes get installed (maybe a few years away until the full London Road route is completed). The Victoria Road dutch style lanes are going to be rolled out across the city. by eenbiertje (Thu 30th Sep 2021 1:16am)
  • There are much much bigger underlying causes for the unaffordability of homes than the availability of nice coffee, books, restaurants etc. More amenities is good. It shouldn't be the preserve of fancy pants districts to have things that are desired in modern life. I say this fully accepting that there is a deep underlying issue in the UK (and the western world in general tbh) with the affordability and availability of housing. It's much more to do with record real terms wage stagnation, lack of new housing supply, and the explosion of short term lets via AirBnB than it is to do with a few vegan cafes. by eenbiertje (Sun 3rd Oct 2021 5:52pm)
  • The folk at Pink Peacock seem to be saying that. I thought that's what you were saying too, but might've just misunderstood you. by eenbiertje (Sun 3rd Oct 2021 6:25pm)
  • First Bus is purposely vague about the price of tickets on its website, which should be sanctioned by the authorities quite frankly. They know what they're doing, and it shouldn't be allowed. It says "from" £1.70, which is technically correct in that if you travel 5 stops, your ticket should be priced at £1.70. Over 5 stops and it jumps to £2.50-£2.90 or something like that. The important thing for the average traveller to know is that 5 stops in Glasgow is hardly any distance at all. Bus stops are spaced every 200-300m in most places (which far too short a distance between stops, and something that means bus journeys take longer, but I digress...). It means hardly anyone, ever, pays £1.70 for a bus trip in Glasgow. by eenbiertje (Sun 3rd Oct 2021 7:33pm)
  • The underlying difference is that Govanhill has just had one of the city's biggest public realm projects delivered: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/scw The cycle lane is central feature (and means local businesses have increased passing trade liable to make a short stop and spend money), but it also meant new paving the full length of Victoria Road and several side streets closed off and turned into civic space. The result is much more space for cafes and shops to have activity outdoors, and more space for people to mill around at their own pace. People can also just sit and chill at many of the new seating areas. It's easy to underestimate the impact that simple interventions like this can have. Duke Street by comparison is a traffic sewer. Cars are parked on the pavement and at corners at all junctions, making it an unpleasant, unsafe place to walk. The pavement and road surface is also a mess. Traffic comes and goes via *all* of the side streets along its length through Dennieston. Sure, lots of people do shop and eat on Duke Street, and it has some great places already, but it has a self imposed "ceiling" caused by the state of the public realm. It's not unique: look at Partick along Dumbarton Road, or sections of Maryhill Road. by eenbiertje (Mon 4th Oct 2021 2:48pm)
  • Sounds good. So many other cities around the world have active riverfronts, usually spurred by restaurants cafes and other places of interest next to the water. The Clydeside is quite sterile by comparison. Could be doing with a few hospitality spots further along at Anderson Quay and the Broomielaw as well. by eenbiertje (Tue 5th Oct 2021 10:49am)
  • AFIAK it goes back to land ownership issues. I think the Clyde Navigation Trust owned (and still continues to own) a large area of the Clydeside on both sides of the river. It was the body that initially built the quaysides and harbour area back in the 18th century. Over the years they've parcelled off land for commercial sale, whether flats or other developments. I don't know the exact ownership situation but I think the ownership situation has meant nothing has really happened with the river unless it has explicit buy-in from the trust (or whatever combination of private landowners). by eenbiertje (Tue 5th Oct 2021 11:54am)
  • 100%. Whichever way you look, that corner of the city isn't the most pleasant pedestrian experience. Whether it's navigating the multistage crossings on Finnieston Street at the Expressway, or using the thin pavements along Finnieston Quay. The nearby mess of multi-stage crossings, steel railings and discontinuous paths around Pacific Drive on the other side of the river is another issue. by eenbiertje (Tue 5th Oct 2021 1:24pm)
  • Not totally sure but I think anti-industrial action laws have neutered unions in the UK to the extent that something like that would be immediately clamped down on by the police. by eenbiertje (Tue 5th Oct 2021 2:54pm)
  • Not really the same thing as I was meaning. The Renfrew Ferry is alright but it's self contained. Need some actual activation of the empty riverside land space itself, either side of the Kingston Bridge. There's a lot of space to play with as well, if the Fastlink Road and the existing roadway were just condensed together. No reason for the Anderston Quay / Broomielaw road to be 4 lanes wide. That'd create space for actual bars, restaurants etc dotted along next to the river, while keeping the walkway as it is. by eenbiertje (Tue 5th Oct 2021 4:46pm)
  • What feasibility study? by eenbiertje (Tue 5th Oct 2021 10:08pm)
  • I really don't get this automatic fatalism that prevails this sub and Glasgow more generally. People moan that we don't get citywide projects of this scale and ambition, then moan when they're announced. I reckon this will be properly transformational. Similar to the transformation seen in London, Paris, and to a lesser extent Manchester since the rapid rollout of a real network of high quality cycle lanes. by eenbiertje (Tue 5th Oct 2021 10:06pm)
  • £470m for the delivery of a full city-wide high-quality cycle network, facilitating safe cycling trips for the entire population of an entire major UK city, is a fraction of the cost for even a few miles of urban motorway. The M74 completion cost £700m by comparison. It's incredible value for money. by eenbiertje (Tue 5th Oct 2021 10:16pm)
  • I hadn't even given a thought to the knock on impact this will have for local neighborhood economies, like has happened already on Victoria Road. I was thinking in more simple practical terms, in terms of taking cars off the road, giving people equitable and safe means of travel to jobs, appointments etc. across the city. That sort of thing. But you're completely right and have hit on something important here. It undoubtedly will have huge benefits for local retailers and neighbourhoods. The cycle lanes will also come (I'm imagining in large part) with other public realm improvements, like on Victoria Road. More space for people to live, relax, enjoy their neighbourhoods, in more pleasant surroundings: and of course meaning they're also likely spending more money locally. It could really positively transform neighbourhoods as a side effect. by eenbiertje (Tue 5th Oct 2021 10:54pm)
  • You need to build a network to see large scale use of lanes. If all the roads were disconnected, I imagine you would see far fewer cars around too. by eenbiertje (Wed 6th Oct 2021 8:48am)
  • You can make driving less appealing by making routes longer (creating LTNs, preventing through-traffic of a given area, encouraging bypass routes) and also by limiting parking availability at given destinations. This doesn't necessarily mean more congestion, so long as fewer cars are on the road. It's not an overnight change, but when it happens at the same time as improvements to cycle and walking infrastructure, and general neighbourhood public realm improvements, that trade off can happen, and be maintained into the long term. It's an equilibrium isn't that's being striven for I think. Where short, unecessary trips by car are disincentivised at the same as short trips by foot or by bike are being incentivised and made more attractive. by eenbiertje (Wed 6th Oct 2021 10:16am)
  • It ran into significant protests at the Provan section a few years back. https://athousandflowers.net/2016/01/19/motorways-make-glasgow-another-70m-road-set-to-tear-through-the-east-end/ Council abandoned or at least put it on pause the Provan section at that stage. Although it looks like it could still happen. https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/19382527.amp/ by eenbiertje (Wed 6th Oct 2021 10:51am)
  • I didn't say anything about the city not implementing an expensive project properly. The M74 extension was implemented. It was very successful. (That was delivered by Transport Scotland, not GCC, but that's beside the point). I'm just saying this is extraordinary value for money as an infrastructure project, in terms of its scale and the knock on effects for health, opening up of equitable transport opportunities, neighbourhood economies, etc. You can be raging at the council for cut backs (though the angers probably better aimed at the Scottish Govt and Westminster for passing on record funding cuts), and be raging at the delivery of services. But at the same time it's possible to welcome the planned delivery of what is essentially basic infrastructure in many other countries already. by eenbiertje (Wed 6th Oct 2021 12:11pm)
  • Or you could create a segregated space on that roadway for cyclists of all abilities and ages to use, where they don't need to worry about a car approaching them from behind. No worrying about overtakes. No worrying about tailgating. No worrying about being seen to be holding up traffic. Just the ability to go about your way by bike if you want to, at whatever pace you want to. Like is normal in so many other cities across the world. by eenbiertje (Wed 6th Oct 2021 12:35pm)
  • You don't need to. You can still drive or take the bus. No one's forcing you to do anything. Lots of people will be fine with cycling in a bit of rain or even snow. Also the thing about really good high-quality cycle infrastructure is that it removes the intensity needed to do a bike commute normally by road. Instead of keeping up with traffic, at 15km +, people can cycle at their own relaxed pace. It opens it up as an option for those less experienced with cycling, and also makes the whole experience a less intense one. Good infra means you can arrive at work without needing a shower. Millions do it in the Netherlands every day of the week. by eenbiertje (Wed 6th Oct 2021 2:07pm)
  • I think your points are valid re. quality of the lanes that have been delivered on London Road. It's important to remember these were emergency, pop up lanes, added during the pandemic. In my experience, the lanes on London Road themselves are fine, the problem is that there is no protection at junctions. And these are major junctions we're talking about, especially around Celtic Park / Parkhead area. If ever I use these lanes, I accept that I need to be very wary at the junctions, and deal with it. However risky and unsafe it feels. That's just me, and probably people who already cycle semi-regularly. I can imagine people doing a spot of urban cycling for the first time will have stumbled onto the London Road lanes, experienced the junctions, and thought "never again". That said, the stats from the recent Spaces for People evaluation do show that vastly more cyclists are using these roads (with lanes) than were pre-pandemic. So they're working, but they're not working anywhere near as well as they should. Again, that comes down to their form. They were funded through central government funds (not from the council budget), to plug an immediate gap in the cycle network during the pandemic. They're not perfect, and I wouldn't expect them to be. This newly announced plan from the city is a different kettle of fish. It's about building a real network over ten years, bit by bit. A network of actual properly segregated lanes, with planned out junctions and a whole lot of added work to pavements and adjacent public spaces. When it comes to funding, this will largely not come from council funds. It's not taking money away from bin services. It's being funded through the Scottish Government's newly announced commitment to a national active travel budget of £320 million a year. A massive increase on the £10-30 million that has been normal until recently. This means the council will be able to plan a serious, properly integrated connected network. It'll make such a difference to the lives of people who already cycle, and importantly also to those who would like to cycle but fear using the roads currently. Long reply, but it's wrong to see this as a zero-sum, "this money should be spent on something else" situation. That £320 million active travel budget is still dwarfed by the budget for roads, and will continue to be into perpetuity. by eenbiertje (Wed 6th Oct 2021 5:14pm)
  • Tradeston is a massively underpopulated area considering its location, with huge gap sites and warehouse units that have been sat empty for decades. If I was to think of one single district in Glasgow that typified urban decay, it'd be Tradeston. It's a stone's throw from the city centre and from Central station itself, with two subway stations close by, so eventual regeneration couldn't be put off forever. Riverside location too. It's been a terribly underused and blighted part of the city going on 50 years - largely suffering through the planning of the southern ring road flank, which of course, never came. We certainly need more affordable housing in Glasgow. Much more. Maybe even rent caps. But what do you do? Just stand still and not allow the land to be used? by eenbiertje (Wed 13th Oct 2021 1:00am)
  • It's a 400m walk from the biggest passenger rail station in Scotland, within 250m of Bridge Street subway station, and directly served by at least 14 separate bus lines. by eenbiertje (Wed 13th Oct 2021 1:09am)
  • What you're saying honestly sounds a wee bit NIMBYish. I'm assuming you live in Tradeston. Barely anyone lives in Tradeston. No where near enough people at any rate. I mentioned before but it is a hugely under population area for a district directly adjacent to the centre of the fourth biggest city in the UK. I don't get why it should be controversial in the slightest for land that's either used for empty warehouse units or surface car parks to be built on, either for office use of residential, or a mix of both. I sympathise with what you're saying about park space. Glasgow city centre could do with so much more greenery, and maybe even small micro parks to break up the grey urban fabric. Along the river too. There are a few initiatives on the way that might go part of the way to solving this though. The city is committed to rolling out a dozen "Avenue" projects (next ones being Clyde Street and Argyle Street West of Central. Hope Street will get this too), meaning many more street trees and benches. There's also an ambition to drastically improve the public realm on both sides of the Clyde in the next few years. Trees, paths, seating, cycle lanes. I'm not sure an actual park is the best use of underused space in Tradeston. So long as the streets in it and nearby areas are made more for people and less for cars, this goes a long way to delivering benefits of parkland, while also allowing new development. AirBnBs are a huge issue. I'll grant you that. But the solution would be to legislate to put limits on availability of short term let's within Glasgow. It shouldn't be a curb on using vacant land to provide housing or office space. The city centre has been in decline largely due to the fact nobody lives there. City centre retail has next to no local customer base to see it past office hours, or through long periods where the ciy centre is largely vacant (as has been shown up through the pandemic). That twinned with the fact out of town shopping malls are much more appealing, pleasant shopping experiences, where pedestrians don't have to mix with vehicle traffic. Encouraging more people to live in the centre and nearby districts that are a walkable distance (i.e. Tradeston) by building more housing, is part of the solution. by eenbiertje (Wed 13th Oct 2021 10:15am)
  • Quick plug for the petition calling for an urgent review investigating the possibility of removing / downgrading the city centre section of the M8: https://petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE1906 Only 2 weeks left to sign it! Those repair costs that u/Specialist-Product45 cites are eye watering! £415 million? I heard £35 million recently, but presumably that could've been just for the repairs to the Woodside Viaduct. As you say u/LordAnubis12 it's an astonishing sum of money, absolutely dwarfing transport spend on other modes, whether active travel or public transport. If the repairs go ahead, that could be another 50+ years of the motorway and its embodied carbon footprint, not to mention the immense waste of land space that it causes next to the city centre and dislocation it causes between city centre and nearby neighbourhoods. How this can be going ahead at this time, without any apparent enquiry or pause to consider its value as we're already experiencing the early years of a prolonged climate crisis is completely beyond me. P.S. Sign the petition! by eenbiertje (Wed 13th Oct 2021 11:30am)
  • You've shared views here that a lot of Glaswegians share. I get where you're coming from with your points about the impact on local services and some of your concerns about the value of office space post-Covid. To me though, I despair when people say: this thing doesn't solve a problem that exists somewhere else, therefore it's bad. I really don't get why you're raising Spingburn. I say this as someone who agrees fully that Springburn is a neglected, ignored part of the city, which has suffered largely due to the isolating effect of the motorway building in the 1960s, compounding social problems through to this day. This is a privately funded, purpose-built office complex, on land that was blighted for 50+ years. It's not meant to be anything more than that. Zooming out slightly, I sincerely hope much more is built in Tradeston. If it's housing, all the better. But I wouldn't be surprised to see more mixed use office/retail pop up too as it densifies. Fundamentally, it's next to the city centre and directly adjacent to Glasgow's (in fact, arguably Scotland's) main transit hub. One which in some years time will also host our high speed rail terminus (at former Bridge Street rail station). This is absolutely not the place for single storey industrial units, budget carpet and tiling warehouses and surface car parks. by eenbiertje (Wed 13th Oct 2021 1:18pm)
  • Fair points all round. Genuinely appreciate this type of back and forth, as you've said some stuff there I hadn't considered. Especially on the fact the motorway itself, which I maintain is the structural issue behind Springburn's state today, was itself billed as *regenerative*. Need to keep that in mind. As I think you're saying, a development being billed as "regenerative" shouldn't be good enough by itself. I guess to put it simply, my basic view is that this is essentially an area that should always have been "built up". That is wasn't, and that it had massive underuse for over half a century, is a bit of a historic oddity. This is a small part of correcting that. My default position is any construction / redevelopment / regeneration, call it what you will in Tradeston specifically, should be expected, even encouraged, as a return to normal for a city centre adjacent area. In fact, being honest, I personally would view Tradeston as being part of the city centre core itself. It puzzles me a little that it's not talked about in that way (I think as a result of it being a blighted underused area more than anything else). That's my basic, default view. Beyond that, on the issues around housing cost, publicly provided homeless housing, etc. There's no reason it has to be one or the other. We realistically need a suite of measures to fix the housing crisis. Including legislation on things like short term lets, rent caps, mandatory social housing in any new build apartment complexes, etc. by eenbiertje (Wed 13th Oct 2021 2:53pm)
  • That's what I think it is. Others in the thread are saying it's that it charges you a small amount then totals at the end of the day (in case you've done multiple journeys, so giving you the best daily fare). But I'm absolutely sure this isn't rolled out in Glasgow. by eenbiertje (Wed 13th Oct 2021 4:52pm)
  • I don't think it would be closed overnight. It could be downgraded over a period of 10-15 years say. Perhaps the ultimate aim would be to remove the road space entirely. More likely and realistically, it could be kept as a lower volume boulevard. This would mean you still get the benefits of removing the many overpasses and ramps which take up so much space around Anderston. It would be a slow process, all the while winding down the numbers of vehicles using it as a bypass route. The Scottish Government has a committment to reducing car journeys by 20% by 2030, in line with climate targets. by eenbiertje (Wed 13th Oct 2021 7:13pm)
  • Meh, missing the point. They'll still have a single ticket covering the buses and subway, which is more than anyone living in Glasgow has. by eenbiertje (Mon 18th Oct 2021 3:32pm)
  • Sure, but no single 'all day multi-modal' ticket, like exists in nearly every single city in Europe. by eenbiertje (Mon 18th Oct 2021 3:43pm)
  • Sure, but it was geared for tourists. Available only at certain staffed train stations with ticket booths. A big bulky laminated pass that I imagine they only had limited stock of on any given day. A million miles away from a swipe-and-go ticket or even a simple print-out ticket that lets you hop on a single mode and then jump on whatever else you need to get where you're going. Shame it's ending though, leaving Glaswegians with no daily multi-modal ticket at all. by eenbiertje (Mon 18th Oct 2021 3:59pm)
  • I didn't know this. So the technology is already rolled out and evidently the competing transit companies have decided to cooperate to make it work (or been forced to make it work?). Let's have this for everybody. by eenbiertje (Mon 18th Oct 2021 4:41pm)
  • Not really what I'm talking about. It's more of a season pass. I mean a ticket available at the point of boarding or buying your ticket from a machine that allows you travel across the city by whatever means necessary to get where you are going. Whether a single, return or day ticket. This initiative on behalf of COP delegates shows that it is possible. The only barrier to date, and apparently still, are the transit operators. by eenbiertje (Mon 18th Oct 2021 8:12pm)
  • Bad for parking since it's a Victorian neighbourhood not really designed for the high number of cars used today, but it's excellent for public transport. Crossmyloof train station, 10 different bus lines running along either Minard Road or Pollokshaws Road. by eenbiertje (Tue 19th Oct 2021 10:55pm)
  • Aggregate demand has its role to play. There are things many of us can already start doing to reduce demand for fossil fuels or other heavily polluting goods. Whether that's eating a bit less meat every week, cycling/walking trips that are 1-2 miles rather than driving, etc. Won't solve it by itself, but industry follows consumer demand. by eenbiertje (Wed 20th Oct 2021 8:44am)
  • No, don't you see? Cycling doesn't work for him therefore it can't possibly be a good idea for anyone. by eenbiertje (Wed 20th Oct 2021 8:41am)
  • Not sure it is, not in the main anyway. It's a opportunity for nations from over the world to agree on a new binding set of targets for carbon outputs across industry. There are definitely thousands of hangers on, but at its core a meeting like this, whether it happens on Glasgow or New York is essential. by eenbiertje (Wed 20th Oct 2021 8:49am)
  • People do it all the time in other countries (a waterproof jacket will do the trick). Guess we're just too fragile for it here eh? by eenbiertje (Wed 20th Oct 2021 8:45am)
  • These are all huge issues but entirely separate to us hosting COP. Honestly, I'm completely with you on public transport and on the general state of city streets. If anything though I see COP as crystallising these issues and actually putting them front and centre of public debate. It's difficult to tell the public they can't have integrated public transport ticketing if you're rolling it out for international visitors. It's difficult to pretend the streets are clean and we're somehow getting by fine with unresolved pay disputes leading to constant strikes, when it's happening while the eyes of the world are on us. by eenbiertje (Wed 20th Oct 2021 10:06am)
  • Cycling rather than driving prevents air pollution on a local level but it also unarguably lessens a person's greenhouse gas output on a macro level too. Transport accounts for a huge portion of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. I've seen stats recently showing ~50% of car journeys in Scotland are less than 2 miles. Some of these are necessary, but many aren't, and could be walked or cycled instead. by eenbiertje (Wed 20th Oct 2021 10:12am)
  • Cyclists being on the pavement is nearly always a sign that the roadway is unsafe and inhospitable to cyclists. Until that's fixed, cyclists will continue to ride on pavements where they feel it's safer. by eenbiertje (Wed 20th Oct 2021 12:03pm)
  • Yep it's far from ideal. I'm mostly comfortable on the road, but there are some parts of the Glasgow road network that even I will simply avoid using on a bike, and take the pavement instead for short stretches. If ever I do, I do extremely cautiously and slowly, with mind to pedestrians having complete priority. It's also sometimes necessary to use the pavement to access cycle routes that aren't on-road (if they're down side streets or in parks). And sometimes the pavement itself *is* the cycle route, if it's a designated shared use path. These are usually signed, but aren't so clear and often pedestrians don't even realise that's where the cyclist is encouraged to be. Long story short, we need more segregated routes in Glasgow to keep cars, cyclists and pedestrians apart as much as possible. by eenbiertje (Wed 20th Oct 2021 1:21pm)
  • All these things will fight climate change, but it's also empirically true that cycling rather than driving will also fight climate change. Both can be true. The statement on the side of the Kingston Bridge isn't wrong. by eenbiertje (Wed 20th Oct 2021 1:28pm)
  • You sound like you just want to argue for the sake of it. I'm merely saying what the projected text says is true: cycling fights climate change. I'm trying to make more climate conscious wherever possible, including cycling instead of driving. I'm not in control of what the Premier of China does, but I'm in control of my life decisions. That's all anyone can really plan for. Not a fan of the whole "China's burning a million tonnes of coal a week so stop worrying about what you do". by eenbiertje (Wed 20th Oct 2021 5:33pm)
  • Not really ironic? They've chosen to stick that in the side of the M8 for a reason. by eenbiertje (Fri 22nd Oct 2021 12:04pm)
  • Probably John Lewis. M&S used to do currency exchange (with good rates), not sure if they do any more. by eenbiertje (Sat 23rd Oct 2021 11:39am)
  • > the manager is an absolute arsehole What's the story there? by eenbiertje (Sat 23rd Oct 2021 11:37am)
  • I only just found out recently you can get a full Glasgow day ticket that includes the Airport express bus for £13 on the app. It's pure hidden away and not advertised anywhere by First, as you'd expect, but when you bundle that together it works out at not bad value (letting you get somewhere other than just the city centre from the airport). by eenbiertje (Sat 23rd Oct 2021 11:42am)
  • Think they're wrong about that. It was undergoing a big renovation last I heard. Edit - a quick google and it looks like it's going to be used as a nursery / childcare centre soon, but will still allow educational visits for schools. Sort of a "working museum", which actually sounds quite good to me. Glad to see it being used: https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/19035353.charles-rennie-mackintoshs-scotland-street-school-to-turned-new-nursery/ by eenbiertje (Sun 24th Oct 2021 11:12pm)
  • Have you seen the "segregated" diversion they've put up for cylists along Argyle Street in Finnieston? A few haphazard stretches of plastic barriers extending the pavements by a metre or so, that aren't connected up to one another. That'll be fun once all the cycle-traffic going both ways gets funnelled through the same 1.5m space as pedestrians there. by eenbiertje (Sun 24th Oct 2021 11:17pm)
  • I don't think people were necessarily blindly voting for independence at the last council elections. Think there was more a general long term malaise with the Labour leadership of the city, and SNP were by far the most viable alternative for people, pro Indy or not. by eenbiertje (Tue 26th Oct 2021 8:36am)
  • Or just use another short term let platform. by eenbiertje (Tue 26th Oct 2021 11:16pm)
  • SPT built the bike lanes? That's news to me. by eenbiertje (Thu 28th Oct 2021 11:46am)
  • Tough and intimidating in places, but much easier than it used to be, thankfully. The bones of a good network are there, supplemented by some good Spaces For People routes through the pandemic (in most cases these have accelerated delivery of routes the council had been planning anyway, but might've been many years away). The eventual citywide cycling network will be great once it's completed. Not a fan of the mix of "shared space" pedestrian and cycling paths and bus lanes that the council counts towards the existing network, which aren't especially good for anyone. Glad to see a lot of proper segregated routes being planned and rolled out now though. by eenbiertje (Thu 28th Oct 2021 11:00pm)
  • The little talk I've heard about it is that it'd be planned for east of Dumbarton, which would make sense since that would avoid the flow of the River Leven. My best guess would be roughly where the estuary widens south of Milton. by eenbiertje (Fri 29th Oct 2021 12:06am)
  • Not sure of the exact link in terms of temperature, but it might be helpful to think of the expected temperature increase this century and the expected sea level rise. As far as I remember, 2 degrees warming (above the pre-Industrial Revolution era average) by ~2060s is currently seen as the likely scenario, and I think between 2-3 degrees by ~2100 (assuming minimal mitigation). At the same time, here is what the most recent IPCC Report says about sea levels: > "the likely global mean sea level rise by 2100 is **0.28-0.55m** under the very low GHG emissions scenario, **0.32-0.62m** under the low GHG emissions scenario (SSP1-2.6), **0.44-0.76m** under the intermediate GHG emissions scenario (SSP2-4.5), and 0.63-1.01 m under the very high GHG emissions scenario (SSP5-8.5). 0.55m doesn't sound like much, but remember that's a global *average*. Some places will see higher sea level rises due to local factors such as tides, water salinity, and distance from the equator. On top of that, storm surges bring higher water levels. So while locations along the Clyde might cope okay at the moment during storm surges, that could be a very different story if sea level is just 0.5m higher in 60-70 years. by eenbiertje (Fri 29th Oct 2021 12:17am)
  • Yeah pretty much. It's actually very scary when you start to visualise the changes and picture the short time scaIes we're talking about. by eenbiertje (Fri 29th Oct 2021 8:34am)
  • Play around with this tool here. It's a much better visualisation than the one OP shared: https://coastal.climatecentral.org/map/12/-4.416/55.8776/?theme=water_level&map_type=water_level_above_mhhw&basemap=roadmap&contiguous=true&elevation_model=best_available&refresh=true&water_level=2.0&water_unit=m Sorry I made a mistake in my earlier reply to you. I didn't mean to confirm what you said: "even if we tried we would all still be dead before it happens". Sorry, no it's not that at all. The 2.7 degree warming modelling and 2-3 metre sea level rise is based on us doing nothing extra beyond what little we're already doing to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The hope is the world agrees to much more to avoid this. by eenbiertje (Fri 29th Oct 2021 9:16am)
  • Whether they've been given a true integrated smart card or not (maybe it is just a laminated pass to show drivers & ticket inspectors)... it doesn't really matter. What matters is the simple fact that there's no integrated transport solution for Glaswegians, at a time when it's the norm in cities all across the world. That was true pre-COP26 and will remain true after the delegates and their temporary all-access transport passes leave the city. It's scandalous and people have a right to be infuriated by it. by eenbiertje (Sun 31st Oct 2021 11:27am)
  • Apologies for hitting out this much used phrase, but it captures the essence of why this is important: "If you think this is an inconvenience, wait for 2.7 degrees of global warming." People need to have a sense of proportion. This is a brief conference, happening in one city. There will be local disruption. Massive local disruption even. But its purpose is to get the *entire world* on track towards reducing the amount of carbon we're pumping into the atmosphere. The future of 7 billion peoole. Comparisons to some cars stuck on a few stretches of motorway don't quite work. Also I'm sorry, but the whole "what about the extra fumes from idling engines" chat can get in the bin. You hear it a lot when people suggest limiting the amount of space given over to cars generally, but I've heard it a lot the last 2 weeks in relation to COP26 diversions. People are driving these cars, including you. That may be necessary or essential to what you do, to how you live your life. But you can't detach yourself from it. by eenbiertje (Mon 1st Nov 2021 6:07pm)
  • The only way corporations will stop pumping carbon into the atmosphere is if legislation prevents them from doing it. The only way legislation will happen on a global or near-global scale, short of miraculously happening everywhere at the same time through the simultaneous goodwill of governments, is through these collective summits. Summits where the world's media attention is focused like a laser and where climate activists have a reasonable chance of having their protests land a punch on the legislators. The fancy dinners and excessive glitz surrounding the event, yes, with you on that. But the general idea of having these summits is sound. by eenbiertje (Mon 1st Nov 2021 8:51pm)
  • My guess it's probably to do with having somewhere to stay as close to Air Force One as possible, in case of emergency / crisis where he needs to leave urgently. by eenbiertje (Thu 4th Nov 2021 9:08am)
  • Sure, but Air Force One was parked at EDI though. No idea why that might be, but that seemed to be the most likely reason why he was staying at Dalmahoy, just 5km from Edinburgh Airport. by eenbiertje (Thu 4th Nov 2021 10:50am)
  • Not to take away from the terrible situation the place is in, but it already was available as a space for weddings for quite a few years. I don't know that it's been managed decline for nefarious purposes, I think it's down to lack of council funding and an inability to cover costs through the council budget more than anything. by eenbiertje (Thu 4th Nov 2021 6:45pm)
  • I disagree a little bit with what you say here. Slightly. The problem isn't that the idea of covering the M8 comes round every few years without going anywhere. The council does seem to have a well formed plan/project to cover *an extremely small section* of the M8, at Charing Cross. It needs to be funded, probably through a mix of City Deal, Transport Scotland and other Scottish Govt block funds. I heard they were even applying to the UK's "levelling up fund" for it (not the only project the council is seeking funding from these sources for it has to be said). The council routinely publicises ongoing projects they're seeking funding for, and sometimes, various media will pick up on existing projects as they're discussed at council committee meetings (as the Charing Cross cap plan has been recently). They clearly have a solid ambition for this small section of M8 next to Charing Cross to be capped. The problem is that's the extent of the plan! It's a tiny cap, covering little more than a city block. And a real worry I have is that when it's done, the council (and potential funders for even more extensive capping of the M8) will say: "Nah, that's done. We fixed the M8. We don't need to look at that for another 80 years. etc." by eenbiertje (Sun 7th Nov 2021 2:06am)
  • The city centre section of motorway we call the M8 was never meant to be the main east-west arterial route for the central belt. You can see this in how it was built: it's extremely thin and was intended only to have two lanes each way through the most urban stretch from Anderston junction to Townhead. The southern flank of the inner ring road (effectively what we have now as the M74) was planned to do that job. That's why the city centre section of motorway is so slim. It only took on the national/strategic significance it has today because the rest of the surrounding network - the southern flank / M74 - wasn't built, until the 2000s. by eenbiertje (Sun 7th Nov 2021 2:14am)
  • There used to be a long-term ambition (going back something like 70 years) to use the Union Line that runs through the Gorbals to let rail traffic from south of the river stop at stations other than Central - "Glasgow Crossrail". It would require a small rail curve connecting the two lines close to High Street station. I don't know that it would've allowed for connector trains from Central to Queen Street necessarily. But it would've allowed a train from, Shawlands say, to pass through Queen Street Lower Level and then on to Partick and the west end. Or turn east instead and go towards Duke Street station way. Unfortunately for the Crossrail idea, a new development was recently approved for the site of the rail curve. So it's never going to happen. Thoughts seem to have moved on anyway to other ideas. The main proposal now which seems to have a bit of traction is eventually constructing a brand new North-South rail route which runs under the city, with a new main city centre station serving it (possibly under George Square, or thereabouts). by eenbiertje (Sun 7th Nov 2021 2:24am)
  • It doesn't need to be an either/or situation. Many cities in other European countries have extensively pedestrianised central cores. Ghent is a great example (which many other cities, even UK cities, are starting to copy). Not every single street, but maybe 80% are fully pedestrianised. The other 20% of streets allow cars to enter the city core at all times, but not to cross it. This immediately encourages through-traffic to take another route entirely, but importantly still allowed access to the centre for those who really do need to travel by car (the elderly, infirm, or even deliveries as you say). On top of that, many European cities with such a pedestrianised core have one or even two periods during the day, usually something like 6am-9am, or 5pm-7pm, when delivery vehicles *are* allowed to enter pedestrianised streets. The rest of the time it's prohibited, but shops and other businesses do then have enough time each day to get their deliveries. It's what happens already on Buchanan Street. by eenbiertje (Sun 7th Nov 2021 2:38am)
  • I don't think it's just a convenient election promise. To be honest these things are planned in a longer time scale than council terms. It's more that it's a massive project and needs funding and backing from multiple national agencies. Transport Scotland are very likely to give it the green light when they publish the final version of their upcoming transport project review (I think early next year?). After that, I expect the first line will be officially announced, with necessary funding. by eenbiertje (Sun 7th Nov 2021 2:48am)
  • Could remove or downgrade the city centre section between Anderston and Townhead, and make bypass traffic use the M74 instead. When people say "get rid of the M8" they don't really mean the whole thing from Greenock to Edinburgh. Just the stretch within Glasgow city centre, for which there is now an alternative route. by eenbiertje (Sun 7th Nov 2021 2:46am)
  • This. 100% this. A route that allows traffic to enter the city centre area from the west is valuable, even necessary to some extent. But it doesn't have to be a high speed expressway. It could be a boulevard, lined with housing and retail, and developed into a new neighbourhood. by eenbiertje (Sun 7th Nov 2021 2:53am)
  • If it's done in tandem with reducing car use more generally, which the Scottish Govt has an explicit aim of doing - ("20% fewer car journeys by 2030"), then I don't see why not. by eenbiertje (Sun 7th Nov 2021 2:59am)
  • It doesn't rain inside trains you know. by eenbiertje (Sun 7th Nov 2021 3:01am)
  • Crow Road > Clyde Tunnel > M8 > M74. by eenbiertje (Sun 7th Nov 2021 6:27pm)
  • > I don't imagine many people regularly pay for day tickets with two different Glasgow bus operators (I could be wrong though). I think you might be right, but just because that's the way it is doesn't mean it's a good thing. It's hiding a deeper issue. People quite probably limit themselves to a daily / weekly ticket that covers the one bus company they absolutely need, and just make do with that. I think lots of people actually have to plan their lives around which buses and trains they can or can't take - especially if they don't drive (which half of Glasgow doesn't. "I can't apply for that job... it's two bus trips away on a McGills and a First." "I can't go to X weekly event because there's no train, and it means getting two buses". Etc. People just adjust their lives and do without. Anyway, my point is that people are probably self-regulating in regards to what modes and providers of transport they limit themselves to. It shoudn't have to be like that. People should be able to travel wherever they need, whenever they need, within their home city by whatever public transit means they need, under one ticketing regime. by eenbiertje (Sun 7th Nov 2021 9:31pm)
  • That's a sort of related but different idea. Superblocks would mean coalescing a few city blocks (maybe between 4 and 8 city blocks) together in vehicle traffic terms. Making cars have to travel round these superblocks to reach their destinations, while the superblocks act like a kind of bubble, where cars cannot enter, but pedestrians, bikes and in some cases, public transport, can. Barcelona is applying superblocks all over the city, in essence making many low-traffic neighbourhoods next to one another. I'm meaning something more like what Ghent has done, or what Birmingham is committing to. Having an actual specified and extensive zone in the city centre where cars cannot enter - except for a few roads which 'probe' into that zone from different sides. That's the norm in many Dutch and German cities. Glasgow's toying with the superblocks idea (Queen Street - Ingram Street - Argyle Street - High Street being one I think) but it strikes me as a bad idea for a city the shape of Glasgow. Barcelona is vast and expansive. Superblocks fit its layout. Our city centre is quite compact though and well defined by the M8 - High Street - M74 ring around the periphery. Seems to me anyway that following the Ghent model would produce more dramatic results in terms of improved liveability & regeneration of the city centre than tinkering with a few superblocks. by eenbiertje (Sun 7th Nov 2021 11:54pm)
  • Has to be returned to a station. This won't help you now, but I'd really recommend contacting OVObikes or even your local councillors and requesting a new station close to you. It won't happen overnight, but the council are continually rolling out more and more, and as far as I know local requests carry some weight in how they plan where they go. Better yet, you could talk to some neighbours or friends that live close by and ask if they'd cosign your request. More voices asking for a station, the better. by eenbiertje (Mon 8th Nov 2021 10:50pm)
  • "Up-town" doesn't translate easily. It's not a phrase we would ever use. But I think in American cities that refers to something *beyond* the suburbs? Like, on the very edge / periphery of the city, closest to nature and greenery? If that's what you mean, I suppose Bearsden or Milngavie would be what you're looking for. In geographical terms maybe, as they're on the edge of the city, quite wealthy areas, and close to unbuilt land. That said, they don't have the same character as an American "up-town". Townhouses and detached villas like in that picture of Markham are more likely to be found in Dumbreck, (west) Pollokshields, parts of Broomhill. "Mid-town" also doesn't translate so well. To me that means density, even if it's not the centre of town. So, maybe something of that character would be Pollokshields, Govanhill, Finnieston, Dennistoun, Partick, etc? Residential, but of greater density than the suburbs proper. Again though, we don't really think in terms of mid-towns. They're not the city centre, but they're not suburbs either. We don't really have a term for it. I think Jordanhill and Scotstoun can be termed as suburbs though. by eenbiertje (Wed 10th Nov 2021 1:26pm)
  • "Car Free" doesn't mean literally completely free of all motor vehicles at all times. The devil will be in the detail but I expect there may be a few select "entry roads" which allow people to drop off or collect goods inside this zone. Importantly there would be no way to cross the zone, so eliminating all through traffic. Even cities which have already implemented similar plans, there is a long list of exemptions on certain streets and at certain times. Loading for retail units is usually allowed in early morning hours or in late evening for an hour or two. The area is also small enough to be very walkable from any side. It also contains three train stations, two subway stations, and will likely be surrounded on all sides by bus routes. Life will go on. by eenbiertje (Thu 11th Nov 2021 2:43pm)
  • Thing about the "people will just go to Braehead or Silverburn and the city centre will die on it's arse" takes... This ignores the fundamental difference between the city centre and out of town shopping malls: you don't have to negotiate your passage through shopping centres with vehicle traffic. Imagine if cars, buses and lorries passed down the central concourse of Braehead or Silverburn. Do you think that would encourage people to shop or spend their time there? by eenbiertje (Thu 11th Nov 2021 2:47pm)
  • I mean, the lack of access you talk about is related only to car access. You can walk and and cycle, or even take a taxi or bus along Ingram Street no problem. There's an odd presumption in the western world that everybody needs access to a car. It's not just odd to be honest, it's dangerous, and led us in large part to the climate crisis we're in now. The connectivity commission made the excellent point in it's report that Glasgow city centre car parks are predominantly only at 50% capacity. They have plenty of capacity to handle all current on-street traffic across the city centre between the M8 and high street. The changes that are coming will likely mean people have to walk a little bit more to reach their vehicles. A little bit. But that's not the end of the world. It's honestly so bizarre that people feel they have a right to park their private property on a public space. In a city centre, it's even less understandable, as this ought to be the most public of spaces. by eenbiertje (Thu 11th Nov 2021 5:04pm)
  • But they're fucking huge. They're entirely unnecessary for and detrimental to city living. by eenbiertje (Fri 12th Nov 2021 1:17am)
  • No direct relation between the two, but both derive their names from the latin Floridus meaning "flowering". I read a while back that Mount Florida was a notably floral hill at one point way back in time, and likely the origin of the name. But don't know how truthful that is. by eenbiertje (Fri 12th Nov 2021 1:23am)
  • City centre living with the 'luxuries' of the suburbs? Not possible I'm afraid, unless you really want to reconfigure the centre of our towns even more in favour of provision to motor vehicles than they already are. by eenbiertje (Fri 12th Nov 2021 1:28am)
  • Counterpoint: businesses in walkable, inviting, welcoming urban spaces tend to flourish. Those in locations choked with vehicle traffic don't. by eenbiertje (Fri 12th Nov 2021 1:30am)
  • Personal choice is great, but if everyone drives an SUV or other oversized car (as is sadly the norm now), there's literally less space for other people's cars, nevermind space for anything else. It means a few other things too: * Crossing streets suddenly becomes much more difficult for pedestrians, whose sight lines are blocked by oversized vehicles. * Buses and public utility vehicles like bin trucks find it harder to navigate the streets (see Sinclair Drive as a great example of this). * Pavements and roads wear down at a quicker rate (more pot holes) as they have to cope with the weight of larger, heavier vehicles resting on or travelling over them. * As SUVs and wide cars more generally become the norm, roadways have to be widened to accommodate this. In cities, this means less pavement space, as you can't move the buildings. In new build suburban areas, this means extra wide streets, which again are detrimental to pedestrians and have the added effect of encouraging speeding. These are all knock on effects of individuals deciding they want to drive a completely unsuitable vehicle. by eenbiertje (Fri 12th Nov 2021 9:06am)
  • Why do you need an SUV to be a caregiver or drive as a disabled person? Even if that was a good faith argument, you can't possibly be saying every SUV owner is a caregiver. 99% of modern day SUV owners have no need to have it beyond their superficial appeal. by eenbiertje (Fri 12th Nov 2021 1:41pm)
  • In edge cases I can see why they serve a utility. But honestly it cannot be more than a fraction of a percent of current SUV owners. by eenbiertje (Fri 12th Nov 2021 2:56pm)
  • Hook this graph to my veins. by eenbiertje (Fri 12th Nov 2021 5:57pm)
  • If you've read the agreement you'll know that it won't be. But besides that, in a purely selfish sense, it was good that we were able to host it. Again, in a selfish sense, while people bemoan council announcements on things from the Green New Deal ambitions, to the Active Travel Network, and the "car free" zone ambition as being conviently times for some good COP PR... Whether or not that's the case, it's definitely focused the mind and encouraged the council to announce some ambitious things, probably earlier than they otherwise might've. Looking forward to big positive changes to the city over the next 5-10 years. by eenbiertje (Sun 14th Nov 2021 11:59am)
  • Late to this, but the basic underlying answer is that so much land on either side of the river, basically from the city out west to Renfrewshire, is owned by the Peel Group - inheritors of the Clyde Navigation Trust. Essentially it's in private hands. That's why development has been piecemeal, slow, and uncoordinated. Land has been parcelled off here and there where there was money to be made speculatively, whether for some flats or in grander cases, for the significant redevelopment of the Queens Docks into the SECC in the 70s/80s. That's the fundamental reason why. by eenbiertje (Tue 16th Nov 2021 10:36pm)
  • See my reply to OP. It's not really the council's fault at all. Massive stretches of Glasgow's riverside is privately owned, and any development that has happened to date has come through individual instances of them parcelling up the land for sale or rent for new uses. It's why nothing coordinated can be done with the river. A massive comprehensive riverside regeneration plan using empty land would need buy-in from the Peel Group, who would probably be happier either selling the land to property developers (as has been the trend), or better yet, sitting on it and watching the value increase. by eenbiertje (Tue 16th Nov 2021 10:45pm)
  • The council barely owns any riverside land. See my repy to OP for more info! by eenbiertje (Tue 16th Nov 2021 10:52pm)
  • The Met Tower building with "People Make Glasgow" on it? It's being refurbished into mixed-use offices and flats. Might be a while before it's finished and opened though. https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/articles/planning-permission-granted-to-transform-glasgow-s-met-tower by eenbiertje (Wed 17th Nov 2021 11:40pm)
  • Nah, bring it on. The site of the buildings visualised there at Govan Cross is currently a windswept car park. Will be glad to see it developed and more activity there. This is about 2 miles west of Glasgow city centre as well. by eenbiertje (Fri 19th Nov 2021 1:38pm)
  • https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=48855&p=0 by eenbiertje (Fri 19th Nov 2021 4:39pm)
  • There is a bridge being planned for Renfrew - Yoker. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-56295177 by eenbiertje (Sat 20th Nov 2021 12:32pm)
  • Not Polish, but there's a Russian shop half way up High Street which sells some Polish items. Wee bit of a walk, but the nearest pure Polski Sklep to the centre is [Polish Taste in Calton](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Polish+Taste/@55.8560417,-4.2451357,16.27z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x18c803852a48c72f!8m2!3d55.8549677!4d-4.2407658) not too far from Glasgow Cross, which is one of the better ones in the city (same people as the one in Partick as far as I know). by eenbiertje (Sun 21st Nov 2021 5:11pm)
  • I know I say this all the time, but really it astounds me that people are blind to the fact that Silverburn and Braehead are attractive primarily *because* they are traffic free pedestrianized shopping precincts. In these out of town shopping centres, you don't have traffic flowing down the central concourse, of belching out fumes next to the food court. That's the situation in Glasgow City Centre. The pedestrianisation plan for the city centre is great because it will give over space for cars to space for people. Space to amble around at your leisure, to shop, to eat outside etc. by eenbiertje (Mon 22nd Nov 2021 10:03am)
  • Yeah this is totally true, and in the end it might just be that the two end up catering to two different markets. The city centre for people that live close to bus routes or train lines or don't mind a bit of active travel, or perhaps even live in the city centre as it redensifies. Out-of-town malls for people who prefer to drive, or simply drive because they don't live close to reliable public transport. I think the problem for the city centre has been that the strategy up until recently (over the last 3ish decades really) has been to chase after the latter cohort - when in reality they already have Braehead and Silverburn. No amount of catering to vehicles is going to maximise the benefits for the city centre. In fact, it's been to the detriment of anyone else that would like to spend time there. by eenbiertje (Mon 22nd Nov 2021 11:22pm)
  • In the interests of common sense: Langside Station should be renamed "Newlands". Pollokshaws East should be renamed "Shawlands". Shawlands should be renamed "Pollokshaws". Pollokshaws West should be renamed "Pollok Park". Not a deal-breaker for me, but I'd also prefer if Queens Park station was "Govanhill". Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. by eenbiertje (Thu 25th Nov 2021 12:22am)
  • Crosshill and Mount Florida are both in between them. by eenbiertje (Thu 25th Nov 2021 9:26am)
  • No bad thing! by eenbiertje (Thu 25th Nov 2021 10:35am)
  • It is, at least Auldhouse near Shawlands is. The house, built in the 1630s, is still there, just off Thornliebank Road. https://maps.app.goo.gl/joov5UsCNCRc5KVQA by eenbiertje (Thu 25th Nov 2021 10:42am)
  • Yep. Although a lot of Glasgow neighbourhoods and districts are named after old villages or towns that long predated them (eg. Pollokshaws, Langside, Govan, Strathbungo), many many others especially in the West End and Southside are actually named after old mansion houses and estates that used to be there. Cessnock, Bellahouston, Broomhill, Castlemilk, Kinning Park, Kingston for example. There's many more, but that's just a few off the top of my head. Auldhouse is one of the few where the villa at the centre of the old estate still exists. by eenbiertje (Thu 25th Nov 2021 1:50pm)
  • Small quibble - I don't think Pollokshields West station is complete nonsense. It's definitely in Pollokshields, not Dumbreck. But the use of double Pollok____ (Shields/Shaws) East and West in the Southside is a mess though. It'd be better to rename them if possible. Pollokshields East would be best as "Pollokshields", and Pollokshields West renamed "Strathbungo". Which also isn't ideal, since there's the former Strathbungo Station very close by on another line. But it's probably the best option. by eenbiertje (Thu 25th Nov 2021 2:56pm)
  • Nah, sorry! I think you're a wrong here :) The motorway is obviously new, but it follows the line of the Glasgow, Paisley and Ardrossan Canal which was built in the 1800s. That was subsequently built over by the Paisley Canal railway line which takes its name from the canal. Pollokshields is a really interesting neighbourhood as it was designed almost in totality as a defined garden borough in the mid 1800s. It was meant to have a west and east side - the west filled with villas and the east with ornamentally and symmetrically laid out streets lined with tenements. We ended up getting something like that, but the original plans were on a whole other level of urban planning. I'll try find a link to an image. Anyway, my basic point is Pollokshields was always designed as a contiguous, well defined neighbourhood. When it was built, it was separate from Dumbreck both spacially and in it's development. It shouldn't really be seen as a continuation of Dumbreck, because there was always a 'barrier' of sorts between the two. EDIT - ah there you go, I found some more info to show what I mean. http://www.gerryblaikie.com/southglasgow/pollokshields.htm Scroll down a wee bit and you'll see David Rhind's 1849 fueing plan for Pollokshields. Way more ornate than what we ended up with. by eenbiertje (Thu 25th Nov 2021 3:54pm)
  • The National Library of Scotland Map digital viewer might be worth dipping into, but a word of warning, it's incredibly addictive: https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=14.283466731965289&lat=55.84661&lon=-4.26218&layers=81&b=1 I come across new stuff on there all the time. In terms of books, for a general overview of Glasgow look for The Second City by Charles Oakley. The recent Glasgow: Mapping the City from John Moore is also excellent, giving a broad sweep of city history through maps and diagrams. by eenbiertje (Thu 25th Nov 2021 4:02pm)
  • Because First are underregulated and allowed to charge whatever obscene prices they want even for short journeys over 5 stops (which equates to less than a kilometre a lot of the time). The city has a consultation open on its draft Transport Strategy at the moment, if anyone wants to leave some constructive criticism on the glacial pace of change in bus service quality and pricing, following the council getting powers to fix things under the Transport Act a few years ago... https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/transportstrategy You can leave a response here: by eenbiertje (Tue 30th Nov 2021 10:49am)
  • Unpopular opinion by I agree. They were parked in a cycle lane which is why they were fined. They said they had permission from Celtic to be there, which can't have been true as it's not private land. Celtic do have a few car parks on site though, and could probably give them free space in future if they wanted to. Agreed that maybe the parking officers should try to show some discretion and fairness... but did they not try to move them on first before issuing the fines? > “Our parking attendants spoke to the drivers of the vehicles and asked that they move on from the restricted area. > “Only when the drivers refused to move on were penalty charge notices issued against the vehicles blocking a route for emergency vehicles on match day. by eenbiertje (Tue 30th Nov 2021 1:39pm)
  • I'm not totally sure that's the case. It's possible the police have made an error in their statement or that in escalating the issue beyond the control of the parking attendants alone, the police have added some claim of them blocking a route emergency vehicles, whether correctly or not. They were very definitely parked in the segregated cycle lane on London Road though. You can see from the images shared by the food bank. by eenbiertje (Tue 30th Nov 2021 3:22pm)
  • They're parked in a cycle lane. by eenbiertje (Tue 30th Nov 2021 3:31pm)
  • I think someone has made an error at some point. Maybe the police in their statement. It's definitely a cycle lane though, and my bet is that's why the parking officers were asking them to move initially. by eenbiertje (Tue 30th Nov 2021 3:34pm)
  • I'm not sure what difference Celtic Park staff would have made to this? The problem (which seems to have been lost in the various statements and social media reporting on this) is that they were parked in the segregated cycle lane on London Road. by eenbiertje (Tue 30th Nov 2021 5:03pm)
  • 'The council' in this case is just the parking attendants carrying out their job. It's not like there was some top-down Council decree to fine this group on this given day for no reason. The parking guys saw they were infringing restricted roadspace, asked them to move on, then fined them when they wouldn't. I don't see the controversy here. by eenbiertje (Tue 30th Nov 2021 7:32pm)
  • I mean, either they were fined for being in a cycle lane (which it is) or that cycle lane is out of use on match days as it's for emergency vehicle access, and they've been fined for that reason. Either way they were parked in a place they shouldn't have been. I honestly don't see how people are blaming the police or the council for this. by eenbiertje (Wed 1st Dec 2021 10:48am)
  • I think in reality you need a mix for the market. Building by to rent is helpful in that it provides housing availability for renters, who otherwise would be turning to existing properties, jacking up demand for a finite housing stock. We really need more housing of all different types to serve different purposes and take pressure off the market. All this rejection does is push more people into a limited supply of flats in the west end, so keeping rents inflated at a premium in existing hot spots. by eenbiertje (Wed 1st Dec 2021 8:42pm)
  • It's a dense area that could and should take on more dense housing in my opinion. I get the revulsion against high rises, but this is more medium-high rise, and in keeping with what exists in the area already. This kind of thing is the norm in equivalent cities like Hamburg or Rotterdam. Look at their waterfronts and you'll see urban density. This is next to one of the best local transport hubs in Scotland, next to shops, supermarkets, etc. I think Partick could handle this. Loads of bars and restaurants too. And everyone knows we need more housing. The housing market whether rental or home sale is bananas, down to limited supply (and to other extents, a lack of regulation on short term lets which is inflating prices further). If urban development# like this aren't to be allowed, we're going to end up with continuous suburban sprawl instead. by eenbiertje (Wed 1st Dec 2021 8:52pm)
  • Glasgow used to home over 1.3 million people within its city boundaries. Today it's 650,000. We are definitely not overcrowded. by eenbiertje (Wed 1st Dec 2021 8:59pm)
  • Exactly this. I mean, there are definitely other measures that would help right now, like regulating short term lets. Right now a huge chunk of housing stock that could be used for rental is used for Airbnb, leaving what stock is left to be artificially inflated in price (as more renters compete for fewer homes). But you're essentially right. People renting in these new builds are people not renting in existing stock, so easing the pressure on prices and rents. by eenbiertje (Wed 1st Dec 2021 8:57pm)
  • Outside the city, but Dumbarton Rock and Castle. Easily overlooked by visitors and even native Glaswegians because Dumbarton itself isn't a particularly glamourous part of the world, but it *blows my mind* that this isn't given bigger billing by Visit Scotland or other tourist bodies. It should probably be a Unesco World Heritage Site. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumbarton_Castle It was the capital and main fortress of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, one of the largest Brittonic kingdoms that existed on Great Britain before Scots, Gaels, Angles, Saxons etc arrived. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Strathclyde It's like something out of Lord of the Rings: winding staircases leading up to battlements, overhanging stone archways. Absolutely amazing views from the top, all the way out to the edges of the Firth of the Clyde and up northwards to the Highlands across Loch Lomond. You can see why it was such a pivotal strategic location for centuries, for the various rulers that came and went. A lot of the structure is long gone, but it's remarkable to walk around and imagine, and see what's still there. Only about a fiver to get in, and it's a 5-10 min walk from Dumbarton East train station. by eenbiertje (Sat 4th Dec 2021 3:24pm)
  • I said in the other thread on this that this lane quite recently became a segregated cycleway (installed in 2020). Maybe they've been doing it for years, but quite definitely they shouldn't have been parking there since that's been in place. A lot of people seem not to know this, which is fair enough. But it's not like they've been fined for nothing. They blocked the cycleway and didn't move when asked to by parking wardens. by eenbiertje (Sun 5th Dec 2021 12:34pm)
  • Completely disagree. They were parked in a cycle lane and given an opportunity to move (which most drivers wouldn't get). They weren't "targeted", as many seem to be suggesting. They blocked the road where they shouldn't have. This isn't about saying they're bad people or anything either - they made an error. But they were given a chance to correct it and chose not to. If any lessons are to be learned it's that the physical segregation needs to be reinstalled on that cycle lane (which was removed by the police during the summer). There are big bike signs painted on the road, which should give an idea that it's not for parking in, but maybe that's not enough for some people. by eenbiertje (Sun 5th Dec 2021 12:36pm)
  • Yes, if they decided not to move after being asked to repeatedly. Seriously, what's unreasonable about that? by eenbiertje (Sun 5th Dec 2021 12:41pm)
  • They weren't "targeted". They were parked in a cycle lane and asked to move. They didn't. Why is it controversial that they received a fine? Anyone doing this would be fined. It might well be that they've been parking in that spot for years with no issue. But since 2020 it's been a cycle lane. There are painted bike symbols on the road explaining this. by eenbiertje (Sun 5th Dec 2021 12:45pm)
  • Listen, I'm not saying I would or anyone should jump at the chance to fine them within seconds of seeing them parked there. In the parking wardens shoes, I'd have explained the situation and given them as much opportunity to move on as possible. But they didn't move. It's not about being a jobsworth. That safe cycle lane was literally *unusable* for the duration that vehicles were parked in it. That's not nothing. It's really depressing that there is zero consideration being given, either on social media or in articles like this in the Scotsman, to people affected by parking like this. It's not victimless. Being charitable, you can say they made an error parking there. But at the end of the day it's selfish behaviour from anyone, whether private citizen, courier company, or even a food bank, to choose to park their vehicle there, or to feel like they have some sort of right to. I just can't get my head around why they should get some sort of pass for it? It's not the behaviour of a "jobsworth" to point out they were in the wrong, especially after giving them fair opportunity to move. by eenbiertje (Sun 5th Dec 2021 1:07pm)
  • This is my experience too. I think it's bedded in really well, generally. People rarely walk along the cycle path any more. Junctions are still hairy with cars parking on the cycle path or turning with no warning, but that's another issue. But yeah I do also see and pass cyclists coming the wrong way along the cycle path. It really winds me up, cause I try to do everything I can to follow rules and generally act responsibly on a bike. I'm so aware of the hate and flack that cyclists get, I don't want to add any excuse for more. So it does wind me up seeing other cyclists not use the lanes properly. There used to be a reasonable excuse for it, when there was a lot of construction going on on the southbound lane around the M74 overpass. But that's cleared now, so I don't see why so many people can't just cycle in he correct lane. by eenbiertje (Sun 5th Dec 2021 3:01pm)
  • Cyclist here. I agree it does my head in too when people cycle on the pavement when there's a cycle lane. Sometimes there's very little choice but to carefully use a s stretch of pavement, but even if there was a shit cycle path, I'd use that rather than a pavement. But there are a couple of fair enough reasons someone might choose to use a road lane rather than the cycle path: * They're an experienced and fast road cyclist. Someone that would be on the road anyway, and who would find the cycle lane actually slows their journey down. * Someone who's maybe figured out their route in advance and knows they need to be in the road lane to have the safest means of turning right at an upcoming junction (junction design is still really weak in Glasgow). * Someone who knows of existing issues on the cycle path, and just stays on the road to avoid them. These might even be temporary issues. The South City Way was basically closed at one section on one side for about 500m+ due utilities works earlier this year. Cyclists would use the road at this stretch and close to it, and I know anecdotally that a lot had bother from drivers telling them to get into the cycle lane (which was literally blocked at multiple stages). by eenbiertje (Sun 5th Dec 2021 3:08pm)
  • Please complain not just to First, but to SPT and your councillor(s). There's potential for the council to actually take stronger measures on transport in the city over the coming years, but they need pressure and evidence (in the form of direct complaints) from the public. by eenbiertje (Mon 6th Dec 2021 2:12am)
  • https://www.getglasgowmoving.org/ https://twitter.com/getglesgamoving by eenbiertje (Mon 6th Dec 2021 3:17pm)
  • You're right that there's a "gap". To be honest, I think the essentials are mostly in place: * I suspect it's a majority personal opinion amongst councillors (across the Greens and Labour and even the SNP grouping) for either municipal ownership or tighter regulation and greater "hands on" running of the transport network. Breaking political cover is another question, but I think the underlying personal desire from councillors is there. So a sustained campaign would in some respects be pushing against an open door. * The campaign apparatus is there. I think it's fair to credit GGM with getting the needed provisions into the Transport Act, through their encouragement of Labour MSPs in particular as it went through the various parliamentary stages. They've shown they can be successful. There's a wider network of related campaign groups, and I think with the right planning and messaging, it could become a sustained, successful campaign which brings in the wider public. * Importantly, and fundamentally, the powers are now there in the hands of the council. In many ways, the hardest part has been done: getting the Scottish Parliament to change the law. What is missing is the general public being aware of this third point. That's the missing piece. Most people don't know the latest when it comes to the ins and outs of law changes, and who holds what powers. There needs to be an awareness or educational campaign from GGM saying, essentially: "We got GCC the powers, and they won't use them. Demand that they do". by eenbiertje (Mon 6th Dec 2021 8:31pm)
  • It genuinely happens all the time, especially the closer you get to the Jamaica Street end of it. by eenbiertje (Mon 6th Dec 2021 10:49pm)
  • It was added as something of an ad-hoc emergency cycling lane during the early months of the pandemic. Quick and dirty upgrading of the cycle network using existing vehicle lanes, giving people a better means of getting around on bikes rather than on public transport (around 50% of Glasgow residents don't own a car remember!). This street is due to be upgraded eventually as part of the 'Avenue' programme of works, but that might be a few years down the line. So, to avoid unnecessary road redesign, which would then just be redesigned again in a few years, this is probably how it will be for a while. It's not a disaster. There's talk that it'll become officially 2-way soon though, which would be a better use of the width. by eenbiertje (Mon 6th Dec 2021 10:53pm)
  • Exactly. Many of the Spaces For People lanes aren't perfect (the junctions need revision most of all to make them safer), but they've been a godsend in making it easier to get around by bike. We're getting relatively close to the bones of a connected network now. Still large gaps, but it's a huge improvement on pre-2020. by eenbiertje (Tue 7th Dec 2021 10:04am)
  • The infrastructure is kinda there. It's just that it's all fragmented into different services, making it unnecessarily expensive and unattractive. In terms of provision and coverage, between the bus routes, subway and suburban train network, Glasgow's extremely well catered for by European standards. If anything, that shows just how detrimental it is that the services are fragmented: it doesn't *feel* like we have good public transport infrastructure, so long as it's all disconnected. by eenbiertje (Tue 7th Dec 2021 10:07am)
  • The Clydeside path is ok if you're going straight ahead, but this is much better for turning right into one of the side streets. The Clydeside path is also a shared space with pedestrians, with lots of twists and turns and tight sections, it's not really great. by eenbiertje (Tue 7th Dec 2021 10:11am)
  • Sorry I'll be more specific. I mean provision in terms of coverage. In terms of number of bus routes, suburban train routes, and yes, the dinky wee subway circle (only 2 other cities in the UK have something similar). I stand by what I say. They're assets that add up to a high level of provision even by European standards. Fair enough we don't have a tram network, as is the norm in many mainland European cities, but this was largely replaced by the subsequent bus lines in Glasgow. Service quality is another matter entirely and I'm totally with you there. As is the lack of integration between the different modes. The subway hadn't been expanded for a lot of key reasons: * The combination of train lines, trams and later trolley buses served a lot of the potential routes, at much lower capital cost than excavating a subway tunnel. * Demand for the subway peaked around the 1950s, tumbling ever since. There was never a business case for expanding it after WWII. This of course is due to the rise of car ownership, something encouraged by central government through the 50s-present day. Billions spent on motorways, expressways and upgrading of roads. Also coincident with the dispersal of Glasgows population to the far edges of the city region over the 60s and 70s - meaning people were better served by train and, unfortunately by car, than by metro/subway. The de-densifying of Glasgow killed the case for a subway expansion essentially. * The unique track gauge of Glasgow's subway makes it an expensive prospect in any case, though not impossible. But another reason why it's been historically difficult to get subway expansion plans off the ground. by eenbiertje (Wed 8th Dec 2021 3:26pm)
  • It's very odd that we don't have a congestion charge in place yet. Not heard a peep about it, but it seems a no brainer way of raising some additional funds that would get a lot of support in the current climate. Definitely more support than ten years ago say. by eenbiertje (Fri 10th Dec 2021 2:23pm)
  • Couple of things are happening which might remedy this in the medium term (next 2-5 years). * The second phase of Sauchiehall Avenue, from Rose Street eastwards to Buchanan Street is to begin work soon. * There's a huge injection of new city centre residents coming, particularly around Blythswood with the MODA City Living development under construction, and a half dozen other big ticket residential sites in the works in the core of the city centre. You're looking at an injection of 2k-3k more people living a 5 minutes walk from Sauchiehall Street in just a couple years. * The council seems to have a much more positive approach to allowing venues to run outdoor hospitality than before (short answer, Covid has forced a change of approach on easing bureaucracy and allowing this with much more ease than before). We may see more of an outdoor cafe culture develop across the city centre in the next few years. The urban realm works (the Avenues) and anti-vehicle measures will likely go hand in hand with this to make the city centre more generally a welcoming place for people to spend time. Sauchiehall Street isn't a complete disaster. It suffered two major fires in the last few years, which has completely stalled it (east of Rose Street at least). It has problem, but they're not insurmountable. I'm pretty hopeful for what could happen in the next few years. by eenbiertje (Sun 12th Dec 2021 9:40pm)
  • There have been a lot of extension plans drawn up over the last 100 years or so. Most of them involved a bit of tinkering with the existing existing heavy-rail infrastructure, making new subway lines of what already were suburban rail lines. Connecting them with tunnels here and there as needed. The idea of a full-on new eastern circle route, with new tunnels and stations across the east end, has been around since the 1940s too. The fundamental reason no expansion of any type has happened is that national funding priorities changed drastically in the mid-20th century, and as subway ridership fell off a cliff in the 1960s, the business case for any expansion evaporated too. The subway peaked at an average of 37 million journeys per year between 1948-51. By 1960 this had fallen to 28 million, and 17 million by 1970. (Today it hovers around 12 million journeys per year.) Of course, this didn't happen by chance - it coincided with around 50 years of national transportation and planning policy focused squarely on the private car. Billions spent on road upgrades, motorways, new roads. The city reconfigured to suit vehicles in a huge range of respects. The city was designed for driving in, and so, that's what people did. Tram, trolley bus and subway ridership collapsed. Added to this, as Glasgow de-densified with people moved out to new housing estates and new towns further afield, the suburban rail network ended up becoming even more essential than before. Any previous plans to convert suburban rail lines into subway lines, would mean sacrificing long distance services for something better suited to inner-city, rapid transit. So, these individual "line conversion" ideas simply had no appeal any more. by eenbiertje (Tue 14th Dec 2021 12:05pm)
  • It's in the Riverside Museum these days, in the little Victorian Street area (inside its own mock subway station). by eenbiertje (Tue 14th Dec 2021 12:47pm)
  • > East-West line would start out towards Glasgow Fort, and go all the way through to the west around Clydebank, using Great Western road as a template. You may know about this already, but that's almost exactly the route of the planned Strathclyde Tram from the 90s! https://urbanglasgow.co.uk/strathclyde-tram-leaflet-from-c-1994-t456.html by eenbiertje (Tue 14th Dec 2021 12:59pm)
  • There are a couple, particularly around the West End. Also one which runs under London Road between Bridgeton and Celtic Park, though I'm not sure how intact that is. How useful they are for building a bigger network, in terms of their location, is another question. by eenbiertje (Tue 14th Dec 2021 1:14pm)
  • https://www.railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php by eenbiertje (Tue 14th Dec 2021 1:29pm)
  • Yep very true. Not just a case of the city's population moving further out, but of the decline and end of the shipyards. by eenbiertje (Tue 14th Dec 2021 2:38pm)
  • Yes this would be a useful one for a Maryhill spur from the Argyle Line. It's tunnel between the Exhibition Centre and roughly underneath Gibson Street, where the the line carried on above the surface until Kelvinbridge (the Botanics tunnel beginning just next to where Inn Deep is now). The Strathclyde Tram proposal from the 90s followed this route. Except it suggested surface on-street running from Kelvinbridge southwards. by eenbiertje (Tue 14th Dec 2021 2:44pm)
  • I think this is totally the way to go. Maybe some day in the distant future Glasgow can have multiple subway lines criss crossing one another. But short term there's a lot we could do, including implementing bus rapid transit routes or something very close to it. In fact the city is planning this on around six major roads leading in and out of he city centre over the next few years. by eenbiertje (Tue 14th Dec 2021 7:31pm)
  • There are 35,000 journeys on it every day. by eenbiertje (Wed 15th Dec 2021 1:12am)
  • The council does seem to have absorbed the necessity of this, and has quite a few things planned to ease the transition from private car use in nearly all settings, to a level of street and neighborhood design that encourages walking, cycling and public transport use (and makes PT more efficient and more attractive as an option for people). Main things on the horizon: * The Liveable Neighborhoods programme, being rolled out across the city over the next few years. Essentially 20 or so areas which group together a handful of council wards each. The idea is each LN area will have a programme to identify all manner of improvements, from quick fix uses of vacant land, through to more detailed urban realm works. All towards having viable "20 minute neighbourhoods" across the city, where everything you need for daily life is just a short walk away, with minimal barriers. * The city centre Avenues. * Five main roads leading into the city centre will be redesigned as "Sustainable Transport Corridors", with more road space dedicated to bus use and cycling. This will be a way of making bus journeys along these roads (Paisley Road West, Great Western Road, Maryhill Road, Dumbarton Road and Pollokshaws Road) faster and more reliable. Not to say more can't be done, or done sooner. But I'm generally hopeful that the ambition is there among the politicians (across several parties) in the council. There is of course always the chance of backlash. Lots of people will be up in arms at losing on street car parking spaces, whether in front of their flats or in front of their offices. But it needs to be done to make other transit options more viable. Fortunately the backlash seems fairly minimal in Glasgow so far, at least a lot less concentrated than it has been in response to similar measures in London and Edinburgh. by eenbiertje (Wed 15th Dec 2021 2:10pm)
  • As others have said there's the whole battery vs directly powered by the grid argument, and energy efficiency points related to that. Added to that though, tram lines can have a bit more of an economic stimulus effect on areas they pass through, owing to the fact they are seen as permanent infrastructure. A bus line could always be changed or diverted. Installing physical tram lines is a statement that the area will be reliably be served by a rapid transit option for years to come. I can't remember where it was, but I read a paper a while back citing examples of this effect in various cities, comparing tram lines to bus lines. Of course there are pros and cons to both. Buses give more flexibility in terms of route options. They're cheaper too. Trams are slightly more efficient than buses (which are already quite efficient) at carrying people, so long as they're on segregated paths not shared with other traffic. Short of an underground high speed metro line, a modern segregated tramway is the best way of moving the most people the quickest. In truth, a healthy transport network for a big city probably needs a mix. Buses providing neighbourhood to neighbourhood services, and trams (or better yet, high speed subway routes) providing rapid commuter travel into the city centre. by eenbiertje (Wed 15th Dec 2021 2:22pm)
  • They're getting bigger too. Between 17-20% wider and larger on average than 20 years ago according to a few different reports I saw. Everybody wants to drive, and everybody wants to drive a tank these days. The result is less space ultimately for the cars themselves - not to mention the knock on impact to other aspects of everyday life, from impacting bus journey times to simply making crossing the road more treacherous for pedestrians (with sight lines past parked cars lessened). by eenbiertje (Wed 15th Dec 2021 3:37pm)
  • Sorry re-reading what I wrote I can see I might've been unclear! By > trams disrupt car traffic in a way that buses just don't... I mean that the act of giving trams (or buses for that matter) a segregated lane means that's now roadspace not used for cars. Which is a benefit in my eyes, not a criticism. Tram or bus exclusive infrastructure forces people to view roadspace differently. Drivers and potential public transport users alike. Yes, there's the practical impact of less space for cars, but there's the mental impact, with the new arrangement stating positively: "public transport is of at least equal importance to cars. Get used to it". by eenbiertje (Wed 15th Dec 2021 4:22pm)
  • Trams have slightly higher capacity than buses (single decker buses at least) and also tend to have faster acceleration profiles. If fully segregated from other traffic, they can offer benefits that buses don't, particularly over longer routes. It's all very marginal though, and a question of cost vs benefits. Sometimes a bus is just better. But sometimes trams can make more sense than simply having a segregated line, like Bogota's Bus Rapid Transit System. by eenbiertje (Thu 16th Dec 2021 6:08pm)
  • It blew my mind recently when I saw a clip from some documentary on recycling, showing the sheer amount of stuff that can't be recycled at depots because it's been 'contaminated'. A lot of it just ends up in landfill if so. I mean, it made me realise that pretty much 95% of everything I was putting in the recycling up to then had been 'contaminating' the bin contents. Whether dirty, or just not totally the right thing to be putting in there (soft cellophane lids and wrappers on bottles for example - elements of otherwise recyclable packaging that just can't be recycled yet). So many people, probably most (including me btw!) don't realise this. I notice the council doing a bit more proactive education on it now. But yeah, as you say, this is very probably the reason OP's bins have not been collected. If the council workers very clearly see material in the recycling bin that isn't compliant... they'll leave it. Obviously, that doesn't mean all other bins are totally compliant. But they're not going to collect something that has non compliant stuff on the top. by eenbiertje (Thu 16th Dec 2021 10:33pm)
  • It sucks, but you'll need to let your neighbours know sometime. Once they fix this issue with no recent pickups, you'll be back in the same situation if everybody else continues to pack it with stuff that's unrecyclable and overfilling the bins. by eenbiertje (Thu 16th Dec 2021 10:38pm)
  • Exactly. Plus, council tax has been frozen for years now. At the same time, councils are receiving historically low amounts of funding from central government. It's not a mystery that they are unable to fund services to a level that they used to. The blame for that lies with the Scottish and UK governments. by eenbiertje (Thu 16th Dec 2021 10:41pm)
  • Yep. Though I read only very recently that the existing trains already have capability to be run remotely, and have done since they were installed 40 years ago. They just never did it. It's still unclear if the new ones will be completely driverless, or if there will be some sort of phasing out of drivers over some years. The driver controls on the new trains are attached to a foldaway table, so it's quite easy to just turn it into a completely driverless space and open the cabin up for additional seating at the very front. by eenbiertje (Fri 17th Dec 2021 10:50am)
  • I'm willing to bet they did cycle round it immediately after this. What's wrong with taking a picture and sharing it? There's a good chance a lot of people on this subreddit also park on pavements or cycle lanes and think nothing of it. Seeing this might make them think twice. by eenbiertje (Sun 19th Dec 2021 12:53pm)
  • Did you see OP cycle through a red light or something? Cause I've no idea what "cycling through red lights" has got to do with this picture of a car blocking a cycle path. by eenbiertje (Sun 19th Dec 2021 12:58pm)
  • Did you think they just gave up and cycled back the way they came? They probably did cycle round it in the end, but the point is they shouldn't have to. by eenbiertje (Sun 19th Dec 2021 12:56pm)
  • Sure are a lot of broken down cars on pavements and cycle paths across Glasgow... by eenbiertje (Sun 19th Dec 2021 1:04pm)
  • The basic point is the car shouldn't be there. Maybe OP is a fit and healthy, confident cyclist. What if you were cycling with wee kids? Should they just go onto the road too? It shouldn't matter - the car shouldn't be there. by eenbiertje (Sun 19th Dec 2021 1:03pm)
  • 55% of Glaswegians don't own a car. If everyone owned a car, or even 10% more owned a car than do now, do you think that would make it easier or harder to drive around the city? by eenbiertje (Sun 19th Dec 2021 1:00pm)
  • Things like this are exactly why cyclists are on pavements a lot of the time. by eenbiertje (Sun 19th Dec 2021 1:05pm)
  • Maybe just me but I haven't yet set foot in a single airport that felt like a nice place to spend some time. They're all largely the same. Sterile, over-lit waiting rooms. Some bigger than others and some with more shops than others. I try to avoid spending time at any airport if I can. But that said, Glasgow isn't even that bad compared to many others. by eenbiertje (Mon 20th Dec 2021 10:54pm)
  • Look out for it in charity shops. Lots of good Glasgow books floating around. I got my copy of it cheap in the Oxfam on byres road. by eenbiertje (Thu 23rd Dec 2021 1:46am)
  • It is actually pretty good though. I was expecting it to be a chippy version of Best Kebab with a name like that. Best in the city? Mmm, possibly up there but hard to say. by eenbiertje (Sun 2nd Jan 2022 9:44pm)
  • It's really not. It's peanuts to the council. What it is is a considered, tactical tool for managing finite roadspace. There is only so much roadspace, and there are objectively too many cars in many parts of the city. What it should be doing is making OP consider if they really need that 2nd car for their household. It's a bad side effect that OP seeks instead to park their 2nd car in another neighbourhood, basically compounding the problem for residents there. For this to work fully we really need RPZs to be deployed across the entire city in all residential areas. by eenbiertje (Tue 4th Jan 2022 1:20am)
  • I read a while ago, perhaps even on here, that the Mitchell Library holds records and architectural plans for all homes in the city. Somebody was saying a relative bought a copy of theirs as a present for them. Might be worth calling the people at the library to find out more. by eenbiertje (Tue 4th Jan 2022 12:03pm)
  • Not helpful to you just now sorry, but in case others are looking for to do this in the future, Bike For Good in Finnieston and Govanhill do cargo bike rental. Not used it personally, but it could be useful to someone without a car. by eenbiertje (Tue 4th Jan 2022 1:43pm)
  • I vaguely remember First Bus tried marketing its network as that some years back. The "Glasgow Overground". by eenbiertje (Wed 5th Jan 2022 4:40pm)
  • You say another tax on the motorist, but it's the case that driving in the UK is (and has historically always been) subsidised to an extent that utterly dwarves spending on any other means of personal transportation, whether public transport provision or active travel infrastructure. Yes, as an individual driver you pay VED, you pay to hire or purchase your vehicle outright, you pay for fuel. It may feel like you as an individual are spending a lot. But you are taking for granted the monumental capital funding devoted year on year to building and maintaining the road network that allows people to drive cars across almost every square KM of land. Money that ultimately comes from general taxation, not "motorist" specific taxes. Motorist specific charges wouldn't even begin to cover a fraction of the total spent facilitating driving in the UK. Our cities and entire modern economy and have been reconfigured to suit the needs of the individual motorist, and LEZs are a small, localized means of rebalancing the urban environment, to limit the impact of pollution on people who largely do not cause that pollution. In Glasgow, around 50% of residents do not have access to a car - predominantly poorer Glaswegians. Added to that, a huge proportion of the vehicles which do come into the city every day though, polluting and taking up unecessary road space, are coming from wealthier suburban zones in nearby local authority areas. Sorry, but I struggle to see this as an injustice or something targetting the poor. by eenbiertje (Wed 5th Jan 2022 5:10pm)
  • Most of old Glasgow College (UofG) as pictured in the sketch shared by OP was sited on the east side of High Street, essentially where High Street Station and the Lidl are now. I wasn't aware they had buildings on Rottenrow (across High Street) but I guess it's possible there were several college occupied buildings there for some time. This of course was long, long before Anderson's College was developed (now Strathclyde Uni). by eenbiertje (Fri 7th Jan 2022 1:36pm)
  • Ah, I did not know this! Thanks. by eenbiertje (Fri 7th Jan 2022 3:57pm)
  • Do Lothian Buses have a daily/weekly price cap on card payments? I can't remember. by eenbiertje (Sat 8th Jan 2022 5:39pm)
  • Tram rosettes. You see them on buildings across the city where there used to be tram lines. They're little ~6 inch or so metal crosses, usually around 1st floor level on old buildings. They used to hold the power lines above the street for the trams. Some have disappeared but many are still there on buildings that predate WWII. Some buses also travel on slightly peculiar routes in some neighborhoods, maybe travelling down side streets for some distance rather than just using nearby major roads. The number 4 is a good example, which leaves the modern "main road" at Battlefield Rest and weaves through Battlefield via Sinclair Drive. This is because it follows the route of the tram line that used to be there. by eenbiertje (Wed 12th Jan 2022 10:12am)
  • I just googled it and apparently the most common explanation for purple skies at dusk is sea/ocean water evaporating rapidly (more rapidly than normal ) and carrying tiny salt crystals with it, which then refracts light from the sunset to make it purple. I remember the Saharan sand happening twice in the last couple years, both during big storms. And the entire sky being this weird sickly yellow at sunset. Not sure if that was to do with the sand crystals refracting the light or just the sand itself colouring the clouds. by eenbiertje (Wed 12th Jan 2022 5:09pm)
  • I really don't think it's anything to do with the SNP. He was ranting and raving about covid restrictions being stupid and OTT, at the height of a global pandemic. Certainly government needed to act much sooner at several stages to provide support for businesses, but that wasn't his central point. He was calling into question the very idea of restrictions. Not once, but repeatedly for months on end. Spreading nonsense about masks being useless and criticising many other anti-covid measures. I'm never stepping foot in his places again. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th Jan 2022 1:00am)
  • Croftfoot Road is one of these roads designed in the 50s which has barely any pedestrian crossing points along its length. They're far too common in Glasgow. Long roads with no interruption for drivers, which encourage speeding, and which are largely impermeable to pedestrians. Lite-Expressways which run through residential neighbourhoods which themselves are isolated and encourage people to drive in order to get anywhere. The experience as a pedestrian in Glasgow is terrible. These incidents are happening all too frequently. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th Jan 2022 10:28am)
  • I've just looked this specific location up on Google Maps. That is a horrible, borderline negligent example of road design. Dreadful. A wide flaring bellmouth junction, with angles that visually encourage drivers to speed around the corner, and which give pedestrians increased distance to cross. Direct next to that is what I presume is the "suggested" or implied crossing point for people getting to the bus stop. No traffic lights, no pelican crossing, nothing. Just a small break in the steel fencing (which itself implies this is a dangerous, non-pedestrian friendly road), for pedestrians to attempt to cross between. This is really bad. If you live locally I'd strongly encourage you to report this to your councillor, because this isn't really good enough in 2022. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th Jan 2022 12:19pm)
  • It's deeply cultural and ingrained behaviour in the UK. Similar to the US. It comes down to 80 years of infrastructure planning where driver convenience was the priority, over and above any other considerations. Things are beginning to change. As another reply says, the highway code has been changed just this month to give pedestrians formal right-of-way when crossing side roads. Something which should always have been the case frankly. If a driver does this now, they're committing a driving offence. Other changes are slowly being made to the physical design of roads and streets themselves, to discourage speeding or dangerous driving. Whether slimming down roads by taking away excessive road space and giving it over to wider pavements or There is talk also of Glasgow rolling out zebra crossings across a large number of side street junction points over the next few years. I think part of the issue with zebra crossings meaning nothing to drivers here is that they're so rare. Once they become present everywhere in the city, and pedestrians get into the habit of making use of them confidently (as they should, and as people do in other European countries), I think you'll see driver behaviour change. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th Jan 2022 12:55pm)
  • Maybe it says more about how bad those places are, because we may be ahead of them but we are massively behind other nearby European countries. It's tempting to blame it on an attitude change. Are people more selfish / impatient than 15, 20, 30 years ago? Specifically behind the wheel of a car? I don't expect so. I'm convinced it's structural. Down to the physical infrastructure of our cities and roads, and the fact that people are encouraged or even forced into driving more than necessary. There is a good YouTube channel called Not Just Bikes, by this Canadian guy who moved to the Netherlands, making observations about the differences in public realm design, road space usage, public transport, etc. He has a fantastic quote which has really stuck with me since I heard it. It just so succinctly gets to a point I've never heard expressed before. > "Driving *sucks* in car dependent places. There's so much traffic. There are people who obviously don't want to be there. People who are bored, they're looking at their phone..." > "When you take everybody and force them to do something, *whether they want to or not*... It sucks! And you get all of the road rage and terrible driving. And this is where a lot of this comes from. But you *have* to do it. You have to do it to even feed yourself, to go to your job, to go to a doctor's appointment, anything... You need to go through this highly undesirable experience." He talks about how in the Netherlands, due to the fact they have such a broad network of public transport routes, walking routes, cycling routes and pedestrian friendly spaces, driving is actually a joy there, compared to other countries. Because the only people that are driving are the ones that want to drive or really need to drive. by eenbiertje (Fri 14th Jan 2022 3:25pm)
  • People. People ruined the internet for people. by eenbiertje (Sat 15th Jan 2022 1:51pm)
  • I have friends of friends who work in tv/film production and it's given them more jobs through the year. Have also heard first-hand examples of it filtering further down the regional supply chain (sourcing production materials, drivers required for ferrying crew and materials around, that sort of thing). On top of that there's the crew buying things locally when they're filming, as a few other people say, but I think this is a quite small compared to the actual money going into production supply chains. The city also charges by the day for filming, depending on the location and inconvenience caused. I think I remember hearing GCC was paid nearly a £1 million for a single production a couple of years ago. by eenbiertje (Sun 16th Jan 2022 10:57am)
  • Why are you making sweeping generalisations like this? Cyclists, as a group, do have it quite difficult. They're largely unwelcome on roads and unwelcome on pavements. Criticized for cycling in a primary position and criticised if they don't. Your generalisations help no one. I cycle, so I guess I don't follow the rules of the road, ever? What a vapid comment. by eenbiertje (Sun 16th Jan 2022 12:04pm)
  • Sounds nice but the road below is being upgraded to have a cycleway leading into town, so not sure there would be much benefit? by eenbiertje (Mon 17th Jan 2022 1:54pm)
  • One of the weirdest things about modern life is how there's this almost universal expectation that you should be able to use public land to store your vehicle *for free*. £85 for the right to hold exclusive use of a plot of road space, for a full year, isn't much money. by eenbiertje (Mon 17th Jan 2022 8:42pm)
  • There was a guy in England who did something like this last year. He got a parking permit and used a tiny flatbed van to create a little parklet. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-57569344 > Mr Tranter said: "We've made something that's nice [in] the absence of much else... Our high streets are filled with car parking. It [fulfils] a purpose, but doesn't make them a nice place to sit and go to. > "I want to encourage them [the council] to see the opportunity to engage communities in repurposing local space." by eenbiertje (Mon 17th Jan 2022 8:59pm)
  • £85 per year, per parking space, isn't all that much of a money earner for the city in the grand scheme of things. It's simply about managing limited road space. Everyone universally agrees that finding a parking space is murder in residential neighbourhoods. It's because there are so many cars these days. Car ownership has ballooned in the last 15 years or so, with growing numbers of households with even two cars or more. There's only so much street space to go around to store them though. by eenbiertje (Mon 17th Jan 2022 9:31pm)
  • Yeah it's used for moving rolling stock between different parts of the network, and I think some freight trains use it as well occasionally. by eenbiertje (Tue 18th Jan 2022 10:43am)
  • When you open three out of town shopping centres, all within a couple of years of each other, this is what happens. Twenty years of predictable retail decline in the city centre. by eenbiertje (Wed 19th Jan 2022 9:00am)
  • > GCC waived parking fees, would people go out their way to drive into a miserable city centre to go shopping? It's an interesting question, as it's a bit of a live policy discussion amongst cities across the UK. Personally, I think they should always have charged for the parking. To not charge from the beginning has given the impression that free parking (and driving more generally) comes with minimal external costs and impacts. Of course, it's private land so essentially up to the owner to do what they want. Local authorities could coerce them through legislation, on parking pricing anywhere within the local authority area. They may have to do it, as you've got an imbalanced situation where city centre car parks charge for use (rightfully), but Silverburn, Braehead and The Fort are free. As the city attempts to make the city a more pedestrian friendly place, with less easy access for cars - which is the right thing to do - this imbalance becomes even more stark. So I think it has to happen. At the same time I don't think it will solve things by itself. As you'd say, there's still the convenience factor, and people will generally still prefer to pay to park at a shopping centre than in the city if going shopping. This needn't have been the case. If the parking cost imbalance had been tackled early, and greater pedestrianisation, greening and room for outdoor hospitality provided in the city centre much sooner (coinciding with the opening of the malls 20 years ago), the city would've stood a fair chance. As it is, the imbalance is in place now. So, short of making the city centre a truly attractive destination, I'm not sure what can be done. by eenbiertje (Wed 19th Jan 2022 9:19am)
  • > Out of town centers are successful because they're essentially easy to access pedestrianised areas. This point is overlooked by nearly everyone. by eenbiertje (Wed 19th Jan 2022 10:03am)
  • Yes this is very true and part of the difficulty in fixing things. by eenbiertje (Wed 19th Jan 2022 10:25am)
  • * Not enough people live in the city centre (A problem not exclusive to Glasgow. This is a global phenomenon in cities which depopulated in the mid-20th century). * Although a majority of people in Glasgow don't own a car (and so you'd think surely the city centre has a client base that doesn't prefer out of town malls) the entire city was reconfigured to suit driving at the cost of the pedestrian experience, and to a certain extent the public transport experience. Public transport provision was also left to flounder for decades. As an aside to this, there have been a few good studies recently linking the rapid expansion of car traffic in US cities to the loss of trams and trolley buses in the 1940s-1960s. Essentially, the volume of street traffic made trams and trolley buses completely unviable and unattractive to the public. So increasing demand for cars. A bit of a spiral ultimately leading to the situation we're in now. I beat this drum a lot but the design of our cities and the fact they have been built entirely around individual car use is a fundamental problem and base cause for so many problems we experience day to day. From material hollowing out of the city centre, to equitable access to job and learning opportunities, to health and wellbeing. by eenbiertje (Wed 19th Jan 2022 12:26pm)
  • Braehead, Glasgow Fort, Silverburn. by eenbiertje (Wed 19th Jan 2022 11:28pm)
  • It should be made more difficult to drive in the city centre though. The council's strategy is to make it a much more pleasant place to walk, shop, live, and generally to spend time. Key to this is removing unecessary traffic from surface roads inside the city centre. It isn't just Glasgow doing this - cities across the world have realized (very late in the day) that you don't create habitable, liveable cities by welcoming thousands and thousands of unecessary car journeys. On street parking is a terrible, inefficient use of space, which could be used used for so much more: pedestrianised areas, trees and greenery, cycle lanes, space for benches and outdoor hospitality. All things which actually boost spending. You can still park close to the city centre in the abundance of multistorey car parks. Or take a bus or train. The changes are simply about making the city centre's core a more liveable, prosperous place, as has been done in dozens and dozens of cities in mainland Europe already over the last few decades. by eenbiertje (Thu 20th Jan 2022 8:56am)
  • Braehead is in Renfrewshire, and so was a decision for Renfrewshire. It's impacted Glasgow though so I think it fine to include in the list of nearby out of town shopping centres that have led to the decline of city centre retail. Silverburn is a renovation of the Pollok Centre, but the Pollok Centre was not a direct rival to Glasgow's inner city retail. by eenbiertje (Thu 20th Jan 2022 9:28pm)
  • High Street & Saltmarket. A rejuvenated, pedestrianised heritage route connecting the Cathedral to the riverside. Something like our equivalent of the Royal Mile. by eenbiertje (Thu 20th Jan 2022 11:08pm)
  • I wonder if there is a way that the main bulk of the centre on Buchanan could be retained. I like the idea overall, of opening up the area north of Queen Street with smaller streets, and crucially a walking route that leads directly from Buchanan St and Queen St station to the bus station. At the moment the mass of Buchanan Galleries at the John Lewis end, and the car park next to it, are major barriers to anything north of the train station. I'd love to see a plan that deals with that, but keeps the south western section of the Galleries in some form. by eenbiertje (Fri 21st Jan 2022 1:59pm)
  • This is a problem that I've noticed with reporting here on all sorts of things. Most news coverage of plans or early stage proposals tends to suggest it's a done deal, and provide little detail on the steps involved. I think it's partly to blame for people generally being suspicious and weary of big sounding proposals - because they take much longer to become reality than some news coverage would make it seem. by eenbiertje (Fri 21st Jan 2022 2:07pm)
  • Potentially also the developers see the writing on the wall for medium size to big retail outlets, and worry what happens if John Lewis shut up shop. It's a big unit to fill. They might've made the calculation, as St Enoch owners seem to, that redeveloping the entire site to allow for a mix of rented residential, entertainment and some retail is more cost effective for them in the long term. As it happens, this could probably be of huge benefit to the city anyway. Mixed use areas are far more resilient than single-use monoculture zones, catering to residential or retail alone. You need a mix to ensure a busy, vibrant area. It's interesting that what has been an aim for city planners for years is possibly now happening because it makes sense financially to the property owners. by eenbiertje (Fri 21st Jan 2022 4:21pm)
  • Think you're completely right. by eenbiertje (Fri 21st Jan 2022 10:34pm)
  • Largely unrelated to the substance of discussion in this thread, I think you've [put the quotation marks in the wrong place here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgRglfwSy00). by eenbiertje (Wed 26th Jan 2022 10:59pm)
  • * The second phase of Sauchiehall Street "Avenue" (one of a dozen Avenue projects in the city centre ove the next few years) will start work soon. Rose Street down to Buchanan Street. * The central problem for the city centre is the lack of people living there. Places with permanent residents are much more resilient economically, so there is an ongoing push to repopulate the centre of town. Near Sauchiehall Street there are several big housing developments under way, including Moda Living at Pitt Street, which'll be finished soon ([477 housing units](https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/work-starts-on-moda-s-holland-park-development)). by eenbiertje (Fri 28th Jan 2022 8:41am)
  • Yes. We need a real mix in the centre as well. We're starting from a low base population in the centre so there is room for BTR, student-only builds as well as build for sale. It should all be welcomed. by eenbiertje (Fri 28th Jan 2022 10:52am)
  • Lots of people won't know about these things, save for occasional (and very tabloidy or clickbaity) reporting from local newspapers. If anyone wants to keep up to date with development plans around the city, I'd solidly recommend ReGlasgow and Urban Realm. by eenbiertje (Fri 28th Jan 2022 3:11pm)
  • Most of the riverside gap sites are privately owned. Same is true of gap sites more generally. It's a bit of a widespread phenomenon really, not just in Glasgow or Scotland. Sometimes landowners would rather sit and landbank, waiting for the valuation to increase. by eenbiertje (Fri 28th Jan 2022 3:49pm)
  • Pollok has shat in the kettle. by eenbiertje (Fri 28th Jan 2022 6:57pm)
  • Finnieston's wandering around with a silver tray full of all these fancy nibbles they brought, but nobody's interested cause they're all tucking into Calton's deep fried munchy box. by eenbiertje (Fri 28th Jan 2022 7:04pm)
  • That mansard roof on the white building is quite a distinctive feature. You see them around Glasgow, but not everywhere. Something about this is saying "Sauchiehall Street" to me, but I can't put my finger on it. Do you have a reason to think it was Dumbarton Road? by eenbiertje (Sat 29th Jan 2022 12:15am)
  • You got it! https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.8379476,-5.0562453,3a,75y,126.12h,94.3t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scZW4Feg5Tx5Vn0Rw-Sg-8w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 The "VIC" sign is the Victoria Hotel. by eenbiertje (Sat 29th Jan 2022 12:46am)
  • Is it really hard to find parking around the city centre though? There are 6 multi storey car parks and 5 pay and display surface car parks in the city centre. From [page 17 of the 2019 Connectivity Commission report](https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/connectivitycommission): > "Glasgow has one of the highest number of car parking spaces per capita of any UK city but its car parks are under-utilised, suggesting there is ample space to relocate parking from on-street provision to car parks." There's a graph on the same page of the CC report showing Glasgow has capacity for >12,000 cars in its multi-storey car parks, with average daytime usage only peaking at around 6,000 occupied spaces. So the space is there. Whether the cost for using car parks should be covered by employers... I don't think so. If public transport costs aren't covered by employer or the state, I find it hard to see the justification for covering costs of parking. If you do that, you're in essence subsidizing and encouraging people to drive rather than take public transport, at a time when the government has a target of reducing car journeys by 20% by 2030. by eenbiertje (Sat 29th Jan 2022 12:29pm)
  • I'm sympathetic to the idea that with no other feasible means of getting to their workplace, that NHS staff should or could be given free, exclusive parking spaces. It's not where'd I'd start from though. The underlying cause of this problem is that so many of these modern hospitals were constructed on the outskirts of cities, with terrible public transportation options. It's a scandal this should have been allowed to happen. Hospitals are a *huge* generator of journeys - whether staff (by the thousands) or patients or visitors to patients. They are possibly even the single largest individual trip generators by building, even compared to other massive trip generators like out-of-town shopping centres, stadia, retail parks or airports. So if they couldn't be built in more central locations already well-served by public transport, I would say the state has a public duty to ensure that public transport network expands to cover them. For the benefit of workers and patients and so as to avoid increased congestion on roads leading to the hospital. To an very limited extent this happened at QEUH, with investment in a specialised transport hub area. Even that is not great though, as only a few bus lines run through it. It's also an incredibly difficult place to access by bike. What I'm getting at is these things should have been built with a holistic view. How do they connect to neighbourhoods nearby and further away, in a way that doesn't make travel utterly car dependent. To get back to your question... I'm uneasy with providing free parking as a solution generally, as it only encourages and cements the utility of individual car journeys, which comes with wider costs the whole way along the route from people's driveway to their workplace. It should be the aim to improve public transport and cycling connections above all else, but until they're good enough, yes I could see the reasoning for hospital workers getting secured parking, perhaps at the cost of patient/visitor parking. Free though? Not convinced. by eenbiertje (Sat 29th Jan 2022 1:33pm)
  • Why do people even say this? The decline of brick and mortar retail has been ongoing for *years*. Its causes are long term and far preceed anything just now being talked about for the city centre. The main causes are 1. A planning culture which prioritized out of town retail parks/malls and 2. Internet shopping. The renewed focus to prioritise public transport and the pedestrian experience in the city centre is a response to fix the problem, not a cause of it. by eenbiertje (Sun 30th Jan 2022 1:59pm)
  • https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/avenues by eenbiertje (Sun 30th Jan 2022 4:12pm)
  • "Treat every junction as a zebra crossing" is a great, simple way of explaining it. Another way I like to think of it is that drivers should treat the pavement as another lane of traffic. You wouldn't just cut across a busy lane of moving vehicles to make a 90 degree turn, so why is it alright to do that to pedestrians? by eenbiertje (Mon 31st Jan 2022 11:47am)
  • Well...yeah by eenbiertje (Mon 31st Jan 2022 11:50am)
  • Down Crow Road and along the Expressway. by eenbiertje (Mon 31st Jan 2022 2:48pm)
  • This is how it works every minute of every day in most other countries across Europe. by eenbiertje (Mon 31st Jan 2022 11:31pm)
  • There's been a lot of talk of that for about a year now. Maybe longer. Can imagine it happening but certainly wouldn't bet on it at the moment. by eenbiertje (Thu 3rd Feb 2022 3:51pm)
  • You're right to say that a resurgence of the city centre can only happen with improvements to public transport. There are things in the planning, in fact, already being worked on to prioritize public transport in a way that hasn't been done in Glasgow in about 40 years. There's the headline stuff you might've heard about recently (idea of a metro style network of new light rail and rapid transit lines) which is probably years to decades away, to less glamourous but essential stuff around bus prioritisation on the roads which is being worked on now. The active travel stuff could also be transformational, considering half of Glasgow residents don't own a car. I'm gradually becoming quite hopeful about how improved the city's public transport could be in just a few years. That aside, I do think some people will always prefer to use a car, and some people will always prefer the offering at out of town malls over the town. They already cater to slightly different consumers to one another, but this divide is only going to become more stark as time passes and certain types of retail become utterly unviable in town centres. I expect out of town malls and retail parks may become *the only place* you'll find big box / big brand retailers selling things like electronics, large consumer goods, etc. We're already heading that way. That doesn't have to be a disaster for city centres. Just a change. Cities are transforming to cater to hospitality and resident focused retail. This will be the same in Glasgow as more people begin to live in the centre (a trend under way and one of the council's central strategic aims for this decade). There might be a lingering amount of big brand retail in the city centre, particularly clothing, but what the town offers will change. I think people are too quick to associate (1) car parking availability, and (2) the presence of big brand retail, as signs of a "healthy" or prosperous city centre. Just because that's what we're used to seeing in Glasgow for 50 odd years, doesn't mean it's the only viable model for a city centres. We're slowly moving to what you might call a more continental model, where the residential density of the city centre supports itself, and so access by car from the suburbs becomes less important a consideration. by eenbiertje (Fri 4th Feb 2022 10:53am)
  • I think it's because using your mouth isn't intrinsic to riding on a train or a bus, but it's intrinsic to eating or drinking in public. You can't have people masked up in eating/drinking situations, but that fact shouldn't really impact what is done in other situations. by eenbiertje (Mon 7th Feb 2022 1:55pm)
  • By the way, I think it's a fair question. Don't know why you're being downvoted. It doesn't always seem immediately logical or fair to have different rules in different situations, but practically, mask adherence is about limiting spread wherever we're able to. It all makes a tiny bit of difference that adds up a little bit more in the aggregate. Especially while rapidly spreading strains are around. by eenbiertje (Mon 7th Feb 2022 4:28pm)
  • There seems to be a persistent belief that it was to be a bridge for another road, but that's not true. The platform that Tay House sits on at Charing Cross was always meant to have a building on it. It had a few different iterations in planning. Here's an early concept image of a building connecting the Anderson Centre and the Charing Cross Complex on either side of the M8. There was also discussion of a taller building if I remember correctly. Not necessarily a tower, but something like Tay House or maybe a little bigger, with a viewing platform and restaurant on the top floor. The idea being if offered a good view down the M8 canyon to the river and westward to the west end. https://www.flickr.com/photos/63030861@N04/8289859153 by eenbiertje (Sat 12th Feb 2022 9:37am)
  • Just to make a niggly point: Not everything in Glasgow is done by the council. The M74 was funded by Transport Scotland, with the council as the on the ground manager of the project, but like all motorways it was a national project (one time managed, funded and planned through the UK's Scotland Office, but now through the Scottish Govt and Transport Scotland). On the ski ramps not connecting to the M74 - u/WellFiredRoll gives a good explanation of why they are there in the first place (the unbuilt inner ring road), but I think you're asking why they're not used, or why the M74 doesn't connect to the M8 that way. Two reasons really. First - by the detailed planning for the M74 got seriously under way (1990s), the inner ring road had been abandoned as a concept. It was long accepted that it wouldn't be built, even in a slightly different orientation (the east flank at high street was never going to happen, making the south flank through Tradeston pointless). So the M74 was planned as a completely different motorway to the original south flank of the ring road, despite serving similar purposes and having a similar general route once southeast of the city. Anyway the main point is that when the M74 was being planned as its own project in the 1990s, there was no need for it to take such a hard easterly approach to the Kingston Bridge (i.e. through Tradeston. Doing this would've been possible, but more costly in terms of necessary demolitions. The path it ended up taking meant fewer (possibly no?) demolitions, and also got the motorway to the West Coast Mainline corridor quicker, rather than having to bulldoze through the Gorbals / Southern Necropolis / parts of Glasgow Green etc. Second reason - you could add a connection between M74 and M8 today, but it would be quite a complicated project, involving a new plan for all the slip roads. The junction with the Clydeside Expressway is the difficulty, as you'd need to find some way of managing so many on and off ramps so close together. You could maybe introduce more lanes, or deal with the width you've got, but that would probably mean imposing strict speed limits around that area of the motorway network, to handle the short distances between different off and on ramps. That might be what happens eventually. by eenbiertje (Sat 12th Feb 2022 9:59am)
  • A fine ambition. Who knows, maybe it could happen? https://twitter.com/ReplacetheM8 by eenbiertje (Sat 12th Feb 2022 11:18am)
  • The M1 comes to an abrupt stop on the outskirts of London, close to Brent Cross, where it does a bit of a T-junction with the M25. https://maps.app.goo.gl/pb93j7B7TywSUuFf7 The original plan was for it to continue along a straight line south east into central London, past another few ring road motorways which were never built. by eenbiertje (Sat 12th Feb 2022 11:24am)
  • The outer ring road. Yep it's a shame that wasn't done as the priority rather than the inner ring. I can fully understand the logic of the time though. The inner ring was seen as more pressing to take car traffic off the surface streets in and around the city centre, particularly along Paisley Road West and Alexandra Parade, which had been the main east-west route for all regional traffic up until then. The outer-most ring would've gone roughly from the Erskine Bridge to Paisley, SE to Barrhead then East Kilbride, then up to roughly where the M73 is, before crossing the northern edge of the city between Gartosh, Cadder, Bearsden then Old Kilpatrick where it would meet the Erskine Bridge again. I favour getting rid of the M8 city centre corridor, but we need to be realistic that vehicles still need to use some route to cross (bypass) the city. The M74 could handle traffic flowing south of the city. But realistically you'd need a northern orbital, otherwise Great Western Road becomes the only main east-west route. by eenbiertje (Sat 12th Feb 2022 1:25pm)
  • There were always reasonable justifications against GARL, at least in some of its forms. As a stub line serving only the airport, it would've impacted all other services on the Paisley-Glasgow line. There was a plan tossed around a little in the 80s to do a loop, crossing the river after the airport at Yoker and returning to Glasgow on the old railway alignment past the harbour. Adding services north of the Clyde might've made the impact to Inverclyde services tolerable. In the end it the stubby St James link was canned because if the financial crash, if I remember right. The "personal travel pods" idea between Paisley Gilmour Street and GLA was always barmy and a massive waste of everybody's time. Glad that but the dust too. Oddly enough, from a glance at the recently published map in STPR2, it looks as if a "heavy metro/rail" line is planned for the airport as part of the Metro network. So, basically GARL. by eenbiertje (Mon 14th Feb 2022 6:07pm)
  • Closest you'll get is the German style rye bread in most Lidls or Aldi. You might find it in Asda too. by eenbiertje (Mon 21st Feb 2022 12:08pm)
  • I get this, but examples from cities across the world show that some element of stick is needed as well as carrot. In very simple terms, cars take up a ridiculous amount of space on roads. They make bus transit extremely slow and unreliable. You fairly bring up the lack of trams, but the very reason that trams were abandoned in Glasgow (as well as many many other cities around the world, at almost the exact same time) was because of the overwhelming rise in private motor traffic. Trams which previously glided along main roads in Glasgow became stuck in traffic. They became uneconomical to run, and were replaced by buses (which were cheaper and more cost competitive due to the low cost of diesel). It's incredibly unpopular and no one who drives wants to hear it, but for Glasgow to emulate bus transit success that's been had in cities like Oslo, Copenhagen, etc. it needs to drastically reduce the presence of single occupancy cars on main bus routes. Pollokshaws Road is a good example. It actually has a bus lane on the northbound side close to Shawlands/Strathbungo! But I haven't ever, ever seen it free of parked cars. by eenbiertje (Wed 23rd Feb 2022 10:13am)
  • Hi, see my reply elsewhere in this thread. Incredibly unpopular as it is, we will get nowhere without 'sticks' (efforts to curb car traffic on key routes) as well as 'carrots'. Buses are hugely constrained in Glasgow by the volume of single occupancy vehicle traffic. It's only once excessive car traffic is ended that buses will be able to move swiftly and reliably. It's been done elsewhere and thankfully the council does have plans to build bus priority routes on several key roads soon. by eenbiertje (Wed 23rd Feb 2022 10:22am)
  • To be fair, cycling more than 1km would have been an absolute nightmare in Glasgow 10 years ago. I don't blame you for giving up. With the improvements over the pandemic (soft segregation along new routes) we're closer to an actual network than ever before. Still massive gaps, and a lot of work to be done, but it's sort of possible to get from the East End to the West End, or from the Southside to Maryhill or somewhere in the north of Glasgow by bike, almost totally on segregated routes. You can see the impact as I've never seen so many people on their bikes each day as I do now. Build it and they will come, basically. That's what happened in the Netherlands in the 70s. Before that, it was as car-centric as here or the USA. But once the networks were in place, people changed behaviour. It might not be for you, or everyone, but once you make it a safe, practical option, more people will cycle as their primary (or perhaps even secondary) mode of transport. That will then make life easier for people who *need* to drive, as there will be fewer drivers and single occupancy cars on the road. You need well connected cycle routes in all neighbourhoods, and importantly along main roads, to reach this tipping point though. The whole "cycling is middle class" thing baffles me. Around 50% of Glaswegians don't have a car, and they're not the well off folk. In the Netherlands, everyone cycles more or less. Are they all middle class? by eenbiertje (Wed 23rd Feb 2022 10:32am)
  • > and it just randomly ends The plan is for it to eventually extend further up Maryhill Rd, as far as the boundary with East Dumbartonshire. The Garscube Rd section was built as part of local works, part of the "Connecting Woodlands" project, with other similar paths planned for St George's Road and Woodlands Road. Up till now, cycling schemes have only been able to be delivered in this sort of hyper local, neighbourhood project way. Bundled into wider neighbourhood improvement plans (which get funding from the Scottish Govt / UK Govt as specific local regeneration projects). This is changing now, as the Scottish Govt active travel budget (and by extension, the pot of money available to councils for active travel projects) is greatly expanding. Soon we'll see more cycle paths built as standalone projects, no longer dependent on being bundled into local regeneration plans. Check out the planned future cycling map. Once it's built, you'll be able to get nearly anywhere in the city safely by bike. https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/activetravel > i'll just be happy if they give cyclists a safer way to cross the clyde that's not a massive detour to avoid the clyde tunnel cycle path. Construction of the Govan - Partick bridge is staying soon. by eenbiertje (Wed 23rd Feb 2022 10:41am)
  • Aye sure. I had a root around to see the latest and you're right, even the latest start time of January 2022 seems to have come and gone (unless I'm wrong about that and stuff is happening on site?). https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=27731 I was just saying it's on its way relatively soon as an alternative to the Clyde Tunnel. by eenbiertje (Wed 23rd Feb 2022 3:52pm)
  • To anyone thinking of going: don't let fatalistic, lazy, cynical Reddit comments on here about the futility protesting put you off going. Go. Show solidarity with other people in the world in your own small way. Make the most of the event and make sure to speak to and connect with others there. Stay emotionally and politically engaged - not just on this issue but with issues of local and international importance more generally. If there are activist groups there, find out more about them and join / support if you think it could be a good use of your time in future. Make connections. Perhaps most importantly, if there are Ukrainians there from local expat groups, show them kindness and let them know explicitly that they have your support and that they and their families will find support in Glasgow/Scotland. If you want to go further, find out if there is anything practical you can do - thousands of people in Poland and Slovakia are traveling to the border area to support the incoming wave of refugees. Picking them up in cars at the border, providing food, shelter, etc. There may be ways to donate to organisations who are supporting these efforts. In time, we will likely have Ukrainian refugees here. Keep the spirit of togetherness and solidarity you have today and practically support these people when they arrive. by eenbiertje (Sat 26th Feb 2022 11:24am)
  • It will have made the Ukrainians that organised it feel that they have the support of the local community, which is achievement enough. Not that anyone attending it has to give any reason. Cynicism is easy. by eenbiertje (Sat 26th Feb 2022 7:59pm)
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/t1qtqx/comment/hyi4yic/ by eenbiertje (Sun 27th Feb 2022 1:23am)
  • Not particularly... but sorry to say it's not for a "good" reason. I mean to say I don't feel *worse* for living so close to Faslane. The thing that goes widely ignored / not talked about (maybe people just generally don't know this is the case?) is that if the shit well and truly hit the fan, major centres of infrastructure and administration would be targeted as well. That includes cities. You wouldn't want to be anywhere near any airport, port, rail or logistics hub, or city centre. That includes in Scotland. by eenbiertje (Sun 27th Feb 2022 3:41pm)
  • Yes this is true. It's not like there is a single response plan - there are tiered levels of response. I probably gave the wrong impression there that what I described would happen regardless of level of escalation. It's conceivable that in specific circumstances only military installations would be targeted. I thought it worth raising though because I think it's not generally understood that in the higher tier response plans, you'll have things ranging from minor airfields to rail depots in the mix too. by eenbiertje (Sun 27th Feb 2022 5:43pm)
  • I might've worded that badly, somehow giving the impression Russia is busy strategising how to take down GCC! But yeah, if you look into it you'll find that Glasgow's City Chambers building was one of around 500 UK based targets for full scale Soviet-era, worst case bombing plans. Along with most major municipal council HQs (Manchester, York, Leeds, Edinburgh, Liverpool, etc.). by eenbiertje (Sun 27th Feb 2022 10:21pm)
  • By a quick tally, I think we'd be in for around 3 minimum in the Greater Glasgow area, in a full nuclear exchange. One striking Glasgow Airport. One at Mossend rail & freight depot near Bellshill. One targeted at Glasgow City Chambers. by eenbiertje (Sun 27th Feb 2022 10:29pm)
  • I think they'd be useful in the event of a nuclear attack, god forbid. I can see why they might not have been useful as shelter from aerial bombing during the second world war. There is always the risk a bomb dropped from a bomber might strike directly above a cut-and-cover tunnel, rather than its intended target. If you're in one of the shallow sections when that happens, yeah not good. A nuclear strike aimed at the centre of Glasgow is different though. Cowcaddens, Buchanan Street and St Enoch, and the tunnels in-between, would be next to useless as shelters, bacause of their shallowness and location. But stations and tunnels elsewhere on the circle would be much better places to be than standing on the streets above. Can't believe this is what we're talking about. What a time eh. by eenbiertje (Wed 2nd Mar 2022 6:46pm)
  • By tapping out you're signalling the end of your journey. I can't see a way around needing to do it. Say the only journey you make in a whole week is a one-single from Patrick to the town. The system needs to know where your journey ended to charge you the least expensive fare possible. by eenbiertje (Wed 9th Mar 2022 6:07pm)
  • Ahh yeah, I see what you mean. Yes that would be much better to be honest. If there's a flat fare for all single journeys, instead of the shoddy £1.50 for <5 stops, £2.80 for > 5 stops business we have now, you wouldn't have any need to tap out. It just totals up the individual journeys you do, capping the total cost once you hit £4.50 spend in a day or £10 in a week, or whatever. I suppose this is a bad omen then for any prospect of a flat single fare being brought in :/ by eenbiertje (Wed 9th Mar 2022 7:40pm)
  • They've made a hash of the site plan. I welcome the new housing, and the density is more or less what you'd be looking for, but to have it so set back from the street with no street-facing retail units is a real shame. The bigger problem for me though is the fact a north-south route making use of the full alignment of Crown Street has pretty much been abandoned. by eenbiertje (Wed 9th Mar 2022 10:37pm)
  • The problem isn't with the retail units themselves, but the fact it's a site which invites and encourages trips by car. There really is no need for something like that on the edge of a city centre. It belongs on the outskirts of a city, if anywhere. In an ideal world (or in cities that get it right), these retail units would be sitting snuggly on the ground floor of mid-density housing. by eenbiertje (Wed 9th Mar 2022 10:48pm)
  • We're only a million miles off from it because of planning decisions like this though! Need to start somewhere, and unfortunately that means calling past mistakes out for what they are and demanding better. Don't get me wrong, all of those retailers should and could all still be there located in that vicinity. But the design of the site is wrong from the very beginning. by eenbiertje (Wed 9th Mar 2022 11:35pm)
  • Just an FYI, as it seems like most drivers/people generally don't know this... As much as you probably don't care about polluting the air outside for others, you're almost definitely getting a significantly higher lungful of tasty hydrocarbons particulate matter than anyone around your van, when you're sat inside it. by eenbiertje (Thu 10th Mar 2022 11:52pm)
  • That's what the tap and cap system is eventually meant to achieve. A physical transport card that you top up would be nice, but I think we're soooo far behind now that that's not worth doing. Sounds like that is being skipped entirely and tap and cap is how it is being delivered. At first it will just be the buses (which if it involves all Glasgow operators will be a win by itself). I expect the subway could be rolled into it relatively quickly. Trains might take longer, as a standalone and seperate pricing regime would need to be planned out that applies for journeys made inside Glasgow, on train lines that start and end well outside of Glasgow boundaries. Bit more complicated, and a bit more political, as it would involve having a hard, comprehensive look at how this fits with wider railway pricing and funding in Scotland more generally. by eenbiertje (Fri 11th Mar 2022 12:08am)
  • Hey, thanks for setting this up. I think it would be worthwhile contacting the Community of Ukrainians in Glasgow and involving them in this. In fact, I think it's essential that you do - they'll have invaluable networks and connections to bring to the table. https://www.facebook.com/GlasgowUkrainians/ by eenbiertje (Sun 13th Mar 2022 9:51pm)
  • Because it's crumbling. by eenbiertje (Wed 16th Mar 2022 8:54am)
  • I think Brazilians have visa-free entry to the UK (to stay for up to 6 months, as a visitor/tourist with no rights to work etc.) so you should be fine. Your EU visa wont confer any rights at all when entering the UK - it's just your Brazilian citizenship which matters. You'll need to check your passport has longer than 6 months until it expires though. As another reply says, you should check that you've got the right documentation to get back into Belgium as well. Hope you enjoy the trip! by eenbiertje (Thu 17th Mar 2022 10:56am)
  • Permanent reminder for everyone to follow/share/support the **Get Glasgow Moving** campaign, which is pushing for greater council regulation and control of our mess of a public transport network. https://www.getglasgowmoving.org/ https://twitter.com/GetGlesgaMoving They were successful in lobbying for a stronger Transport Bill in 2019 than we might otherwise have ended up with, giving Scottish councils powers to regulate or even manage bus services in ways they weren't able to before. But councils, particularly GCC, seem reluctant to use these new powers. I would **strongly** encourage everyone here to follow/share/support the work of Get Glasgow Moving. It's probably the single campaign that has a chance of forcing change. by eenbiertje (Sat 2nd Apr 2022 9:06am)
  • For First bus: Trips of up to 5 stops distance = £1.70 Trips over 5 stops = £2.50 That's just First Bus though, the pricing is different for each bus company. It's a complete mess by the way. Drivers might be watching how many stops you stay on for, but they've got other things to concentrate on that they're probably not paying attention. It's such a bizarre, old fashioned system. I've seen drivers pull up passengers for travelling further than a £1.70 ticket allows, but it rarely happens. Also, I wouldn't rely on drivers knowing anything about your route. They might, but it's not something I'd presume. I'd much rather it was a simple flat far for any journeys. The amount of travel time that's wasted in Glasgow through people negotiating their ticket purchase with the driver is mental. I can't get my head around why they still operate the ticketing like this. by eenbiertje (Sat 2nd Apr 2022 9:24am)
  • No joke, and this is entirely subjective of course, but the best are in all honesty Buchanan Galleries or St Enoch Centre, because you're not in the arse end of nowhere and have the entire city centre at your fingertips. Loads of transport options like subway, trains, buses too. by eenbiertje (Sun 3rd Apr 2022 9:30am)
  • You could just get a wee jar of fajita spice mix for like £1. Pack of 6 corn tortillas for a £1 most places too. Those burrito / fajita kits have to be the biggest rip off ever. by eenbiertje (Mon 4th Apr 2022 8:34am)
  • I disagree. That's not to say there's not an element of it making you feel better about yourself. And not that there's anything wrong with that anyway! People do things that make them feel good - that's not necessarily news. And nothing inherently wrong with it. Especially if gathering with other like-minded people for an hour or two helps you cope with doomscroll-induced anxiety. Worse ways you can spend the time. Whether it's a waste of time or actually a practically good use of time, it depends what you want to get from it. But, personally, I think events and actions like this are hugely beneficial on a small local level. By attending you: * Can make valuable connections with similarly minded / active people, potentially connecting with groups you never would have met before. * Meet and provide emotional support to local Ukrainians and diaspora community groups (who attend and help organise these events) * Learn how to provide practical support at alater stage, whether fundraising, donating/collecting goods, or practically supporting Ukrainian refugees when they arrive. At a bare minimum, there's nothing wrong with being politically engaged, and in your own small way, helping keep an issue (the need for direct, practical support for Ukrainians here and elsewhere) in the public's mind. by eenbiertje (Mon 4th Apr 2022 9:54pm)
  • I think the difference between us is you see it as people *using* an international crisis and I see it as people *responding* to an international crisis. by eenbiertje (Tue 5th Apr 2022 8:54pm)
  • You'll be wanting Stefanos in Mount Florida. by eenbiertje (Wed 6th Apr 2022 11:07pm)
  • Personally don't rate Trevi pizzas at all. Super greasy, and have an almost burnt-oil aftertaste. Yet to find anywhere better than Stefano's. by eenbiertje (Wed 6th Apr 2022 11:06pm)
  • I chapped the door and said hello to everyone in the close, not on the day I moved in, but a couple of days later. Didn't give a life story but just a polite, "Hi, I'm X, just moved in wanted to say hello". No unrwitten rules about it, and as far as I can tell, it's possibly normal for folk to move in and never say hello to their neighbours? Seems very weird and quite sad to me if that's the norm. A simple hello and letting them know your name and what flat you're in seems like bare minimum politeness to me, and probably helps set you up for a good relationship there on out. by eenbiertje (Fri 8th Apr 2022 9:05pm)
  • When you look into it the truth is that a single train station serving the airport never really worked as an idea. It sounds great but brings a lot of headaches for the wider rail network, as well as being hugely inefficient in terms of cost and service potential. The idea that most people think of is a single spur line from the main Paisley line, either at Paisley Gilmour Street or Paisley St James, which then heads off to a new station at the Airport. The main problem with this is that heavy rail (standard trains) is very very expensive to run per km. It only starts to make sense when it serves long distance routes, and usually many stops along that route. An added problem with heavy rail is the low acceleration profile (because the trains are so heavy). Heavy = can carry more passengers than trams or buses, but it also means it takes a lot of energy and time to build up speed after leaving a station. For this reason, it's never very efficient to build a spur line serving a single stop. This low acceleration profile limits the numbers of trains per hour that you can run on a single spur line... especially when that spur line then comes into contact with other services at Paisley. Airport-City trains would use the same railway line as other services going through Paisley. You'd probably need to trade off some Inverclyde services to squeeze in the airport trains. Once you factor all this in, you end up with a service which impacts the rest of the network, and is by itself not all that great. In the end, it looks like we may end up with a tram link as part of the Clyde Metro plan. Or, potentially, a rail loop that leaves Paisley Gilmour Street, runs north past the airport, and swings back across the Clyde to Glasgow city centre via Renfrew, Yoker, Partick, Anderston, etc. If you build a spur that serves many other stops, or better yet loops back to Glasgow via the north side of the Clyde, then the calculus quickly changes, and it could actually work out to be quite cost effective, and a good service in terms of trains-per-hour. by eenbiertje (Fri 15th Apr 2022 5:41pm)
  • I don't know the specific history of Manchester Airport station, so I can't be sure, but there'll have been some similar calculations and trade offs (which they accepted) there. Some key differences though: The first station that any Glasgow GARL spur line would've come into contact with is Paisley - a major regional interchange. Running extra services through that, and dealing with the complications, is different to running extra services through somewhere like Heald Green, in the case of Manchester Airport. Other big difference (and to be honest, Glasgow Airport *could* emulate this if the planning authorities wanted to do it), is that Manchester Airport became a major terminus station for trains coming from all over the place. From Manchester Central stations, to regional stations and even other cities. When you do this, the benefits of creating the station quickly outway any disruption to services on nearby lines. At least in the wider sense... Locals who see their trains per hour cut in half on nearby rail lines might not be so happy. In a Glasgow context, it would be like if we made a spur going east to Glasgow, and also a spur going west to Inverclyde and maybe even a third spur (somehow) to Ayrshire from Glasgow Airport. In that situation, Glasgow Airport becomes the main regional interchange station, instead of Paisley. This comes with costs for people travelling from Inverclyde or Ayrshire to Glasgow say. Generally, I don't think that was or ever would be acceptable. This is why GARL never got off the ground. The knock on effects were never deemed acceptable for the regional networks. The new tram line being talked about is the way to go. A totally independent line, which doesn't interfere with existing rail services. It's a shame this wasn't explored 50 years ago. by eenbiertje (Sat 16th Apr 2022 5:26pm)
  • At the expense of selfish nuggets parking on the pavement across the southside... fine by me. by eenbiertje (Mon 18th Apr 2022 10:29pm)
  • This is a good step, and one we've all been waiting for for years. Pretty soon this'll be synced up with the other bus operators. Then the subway and potentially local trains. All good. Nonetheless, as the new pricing shows, this isn't enough. A £5 day ticket for one operator alone is a scandal. As is a return fare (two-trip ticket) which costs £4.50. I can fully imagine when the multi operator system is in place we could see a day ticket costing something like £6 or £7. Bundling in subway travel? I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up at something like £7.50 or so. Obviously this is far from certain, but I'm very sceptical about where this is headed, cost wise. With this said, it might be that once the mechanisms for full multimodal ticketing is in place, that is the time that the city can exert its influence to cap prices. There's a lot of new powers in reserve that GCC haven't yet touched when it comes to bus / transport planning. Hopefully more can be done, even after all this integration is rolled out. by eenbiertje (Fri 22nd Apr 2022 11:34am)
  • >Will defo help safe time at stops This is one of the under appreciated benefits of this. It continues to astonish me how much travel time is wasted by forcing people to negotiate their ticket with the driver. You just don't see it in other countries. Usually there's a ticket machine at the stop, or it's all done on a prepayed travel card. This will trim some time from people paying by contactless card who now don't even need to speak to the driver. But there's still the underlying problem of time spent idling at bus stops while other transactions happen. by eenbiertje (Fri 22nd Apr 2022 11:47am)
  • Honestly, it shouldn't be their job to sell tickets. Just drive the bus. It's so antiquated that they have to idle at the bus stop and explain various fare prices or try to understand destination descriptions, all of which are totally subjective. It barely happens anywhere else. From a tourist experience it must be insane to try to navigate Glasgow by bus. Just seperate the two things entirely and make tickets purchasable at a ticket machine, at a central desk in train stations, online, by card, etc. Leave the drivers to drive. by eenbiertje (Fri 22nd Apr 2022 2:02pm)
  • Bin the car parks, replace them with housing and street level active frontage. City centre for people, not cars please. All car parks should be on the very edge of the city centre zone, not inside it. In the case of the southern half of the centre, this would be close to the M8 / M74. by eenbiertje (Fri 22nd Apr 2022 2:19pm)
  • It's not student apartments though? Some of it might be, but far from all of it. The rest will be housing of various types, and importantly active streets with retail on the ground floors. Something which sadly we've only recently grown to realise is the magic formula for liveable cities in the UK. by eenbiertje (Fri 22nd Apr 2022 2:22pm)
  • Nah, it's the St Enoch Centre's owners themselves that are driving this forward, since the bottom's completely fallen out of the value of indoor shopping centre retail unit rentals. This is very much going to happen, of only because keeping the centre as it is makes no financial sense for the owners. The benefit for everyone else though, is that we finally get a regridding of this area of the city, bringing back active streets and reconnecting the city centre core in a lot of new ways with the river. It's a dramatic proposal, but I'm hugely hopeful for the wider impact this could have for the centre of Glasgow. by eenbiertje (Fri 22nd Apr 2022 2:31pm)
  • I think they have their place in cities, usually only when they are incorporated as part of major transport hubs. Lots of European cities Glasgow's size have something like this: a large, high quality indoor mall, which direct connects the main train station to the main bus station close by for example. I think this format works, cause it has a constant flow of potential customers for the retailers. These are usually busy, perfectly enjoyable places to be. The trouble with the model used in Glasgow, around the centre in particular, is that these are large monolithic blocks, largely only accessible from one or maybe two sides max, not all sides. They're not permeable, and they don't invite pedestrian traffic to the other side, cementing blight and inhibiting the growth of nearby neighbourhoods (for St Enoch Centre this is everything south, towards the Clyde). I think Buchanan Galleries could have a reasonable future if incorporated more fully with the bus station, but then, you're still left with the impact on the area to the north east being completely cut off from the city centre. Hopefully most other shopping malls' days are counted too. Since all they succeed in doing is sucking footfall away from local town/neighbourhood centres, and the city centre itself. by eenbiertje (Fri 22nd Apr 2022 5:09pm)
  • You're right to raise online shopping. As bad as out of town shopping malls have been for town centres, online shopping is probably a much bigger problem. There's no way that on street retail can compete with what online retail offers, in terms of hardware, appliances, big purchases, clothes, electronics. A lot of stuff, but not everything. Fresh food, mini supermarkets, bars, restaurants, hospitality, etc, all these have a future on inner city streets, especially if there are more people living above the units. That's basically how it is in most continental European cities which retained a nice balance between inner town retail and malls. Their streets have adapted to be filled with retail/hospitality units catering specifically to the local residents. We can have this too. You can see evidence of this btw in how local neighborhood shopping streets have performed extremely well through Covid, as people have shopped for small, immediate purchases, and dined out, closer to home. A similar formula is needed for non-core streets across Glasgow city centre. > In addition I don’t think removing the car parks to somewhere outside the centre will improve footfall, rather people will just not bother going into the city to begin with. Yep with you there. Unless anything's done to make it more difficult to access out of town malls, they'll continue to drain town centres of footfall. Good news is though that the Scottish Government's latest National Planning Framework (NPF4) has a declared aim to hit parking at out of town shopping malls with several sticks (minimum parking costs, limits on space provided to car parking full stop, etc). Might sound scary to a lot of people now, but if these things happen together, it could really go a long way to repairing out towns and cities. by eenbiertje (Fri 22nd Apr 2022 7:31pm)
  • The proposed expanded pedestrianised zone to be in place by 2027 (between Hope Street and High Street) will mean absolutely tonnes of roadspace can be reclaimed for other uses. Plenty of space to create mini parks, added greenery, play areas, etc. I'm quite hopeful about the transformation we could see. Argyle Street and Saltmarket are getting Avenue treatment in the next couple of years too. by eenbiertje (Sat 23rd Apr 2022 2:03pm)
  • I think all you need to make St Enoch street a banging European style plaza is to ensure it has active frontage on all sides. This proposal would allow for that, so long as there are retail/hospitality units on the ground floor of the new buildings on the east side of the square. Currently, the west and south side do an okay job of creating some buzz, with a handful of pubs and cafes spilling out onto the street / square itself. If you do the same with the east side too, then you've got an almost fully enclosed square, with cafes, bars etc on all sides. With people actually living directly on and next to the square, I think its future would be very promising! by eenbiertje (Sat 23rd Apr 2022 1:59pm)
  • It's an extension to Leith (and then Newhaven). The first section was completed a couple years back. by eenbiertje (Sun 24th Apr 2022 8:22am)
  • Yep, we're about 40-50 years behind here in the UK. But it really feels like there's a huge energy or momentum in Glasgow and other UK cities to change things. by eenbiertje (Sun 24th Apr 2022 4:43pm)
  • That was my first thought too, but there's an existing path through the estate that more or less follows the path of Parliamentary Road. That said, looking at Google Maps, this one does follow the axis of a pair of existing streets on either side of the estate: St James Road and Dobbie's Loan, which are now disconnected with no formal pathway between them, but used to be the same continuous street. https://maps.app.goo.gl/SDcF9hM72dXRfiLX7 by eenbiertje (Wed 27th Apr 2022 12:07pm)
  • Where's Wallace yo by eenbiertje (Wed 27th Apr 2022 7:31pm)
  • Greens. No doubt about it. I want to see Glasgow maximize its potential and become a truly liveable city, especially the city centre, which needs to become a much more people-focussed place. We need an affordable and actually interconnected European-class public transport network, for the half of the population that doesn't drive a car. And the city needs to become somewhere you're not gambling with your life any time you jump on a bike. Rent control needs to be on the agenda within the next council term too. We need to explore many ways of reclaiming space for vehicles and turning it into space for people, in our neighborhoods as well as in the city centre. Not only with an eye to limiting local pollution and global climate change in what ways we can, but with the aim of improving quality of life for people across the city. More green councillors means more chance of getting urgent action on each of these things. by eenbiertje (Mon 2nd May 2022 11:10pm)
  • Do you know how council elections work? by eenbiertje (Tue 3rd May 2022 12:01am)
  • What the other person says. If you're keen on urgent change, vote Green first. Then SNP as your other choice in case the Green candidate doesn't get in. by eenbiertje (Tue 3rd May 2022 12:06am)
  • Getting the spiralling number of cars on the roads under control would certainly help manage road quality in the longer term. by eenbiertje (Tue 3rd May 2022 12:13am)
  • This is very fair. I'm quite open minded about *rent controls* as a specific policy tool to be honest. There's a school of thought that their implementation in the 20s (in response to Mary Barbour's successful campaign) led to the sudden collapse of tenement construction over subsequent decades. As suddenly there was almost minimal incentive for investors and land owners to build-for-rent, as had been the norm up til then. I'm agnostic about it as a policy, and would like to see more evidence about its impact in places that have recently introduced it, like Berlin for example. by eenbiertje (Tue 3rd May 2022 6:42pm)
  • Super basic service. Perfectly comfortable but you won't have a food cart. You'll get toilets in pretty much all scotrail services I think. In fact just a couple years back, a Canadian tourist went a little bit viral here because of how impressed they were with the toilets! https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/whats-on/vlogger-scotrail-toilet-review-video-18668738 Anyway, the service is quite low frills and quite long, around 3.5 hours I think , so take food with you. The scenery is spectacular though, especially as you leave Dumbartonshire and the Clyde estuary and approach Loch Long. There's a moment where up til then you've seen rolling hills and it's all very nice, but you enter a thicket of trees for five minutes or so, only to burst through and be presented with this epic view across Loch Long as the Arrochar Alps come into view. Make sure you sit on the left side of the train on the way up! by eenbiertje (Wed 4th May 2022 1:49pm)
  • Shawlands is one of the densest populated areas in Scotland. I don't think businesses in these units are going to suffer for lack of customers who can't reach the place by car. by eenbiertje (Wed 11th May 2022 7:14pm)
  • >Loss of privacy This is a strange complaint? There are tenements facing directly onto other tenements all around this area. I don't get why there should be a presumption that flat owners on the east side of Kilmarnock Road would never have a similar situation as other tenements dwellers on nearby streets. by eenbiertje (Wed 11th May 2022 7:12pm)
  • > parking permits which doesn’t fix the problem but makes them more money. Except this is the solution. Not every flat owner in Shawlands or Glasgow for that matter can have a parking space. If spaces are offered at cost, they will very likely only be used by people that absolutely do need a parking space. It's not about making money. It's about managing finite space in neighborhoods already overrun by (often) single-passenger vehicles. by eenbiertje (Wed 11th May 2022 7:18pm)
  • Cause the arse has fallen out of retail unit rental values. We've (thankfully, finally) passed the tipping point where landowners now see more value in building housing to rent out to people to live in, than to build or maintain shopping centres to rent to retailers. It's the same fundamental reason why there is simultaneous movement on St Enoch Centre and Buchanan Galleries. The landowners/landlords see the writing on the wall, and so are doing what they can with the structures they own. In some cases, this will necessitate full scale demolition and new construction. I wouldn't be surprised to see this trend extend to retail parks and other mall-like settings around Glasgow in the next five to ten years or so. by eenbiertje (Wed 11th May 2022 7:32pm)
  • I get that it makes sense from an entirely selfish, financially motivated point of view. That it represents a change in circumstances. I have a hard time caring it though, or feeling that the argument should carry any weight. If it did, nothing would ever get built, ever. by eenbiertje (Wed 11th May 2022 7:46pm)
  • Yes, entirely so. The side effect is we end up with significantly more housing stock at a time when it's desperately needed. On top of that, in an area with great transport links to the city centre and other parts of town. It's exactly the sort of area where we need more homes. by eenbiertje (Wed 11th May 2022 8:06pm)
  • Who cares? Parking is a nightmare now because there are too many cars, now, already. There's no justification to encourage even more car ownership than already exists in an area like Shawlands. by eenbiertje (Thu 12th May 2022 11:25pm)
  • A lot of cynicism here. Some of it fair, but a lot of it tired and misplaced. I'm cautiously optimistic for what this means for the city, especially given the alternatives. It's important to recognize that no council political grouping is omnipotent. A lot of the strategic work is done *over decades*, pushed and guided along the way by services departments and their leads. In some cases, there is clearly a lot of administrative and generational inertia behind the scenes, preventing more radical actions from being explored with any urgency. The previous council term featured a lot of promising stuff in the shape of reports, commissions, strategies and recommendations... but we've yet to see these be carried into action. Can the handful of green councillors wave a magic wand and make everything better overnight? No. But having Greens in a position to leverage their support is only a good thing as I see it, and an absolute minimum if we are to see radical policies being enacted around improving our local environment, public transport affordability and availability, housing, protection of our city's built heritage (which as we all know is under constant threat). For me, the best news is that the greens will have Convenor positions on three key committees (Net Zero and Climate Progress Monitoring Committee; Just Transition Working Group: Neighbourhoods, Housing and Public Realm Committee). These committees cross several critical workstreams and pipelines of council projects which are in the early stages now, but if done right, could transform the city dramatically for the better. Budget pressures and departmental inertia might not be going anywhere, but at the very least having some Green councillors who are energised deeply and (from my own perspective at least) seem to genuinely "get" these issues from a more practical sense than councillors from other parties, can only be good. by eenbiertje (Tue 17th May 2022 7:14pm)
  • This might (I say hopefully) change soonish though, given the big boost to active travel in the Scottish transport budget (up from 1-2% of transport budget spend at national level to a minimum of 10% over the coming years). £350m per year is a huge difference to the £30m odd which was the active travel budget of 2016ish. Fingers crossed anyway. by eenbiertje (Tue 17th May 2022 7:21pm)
  • Maybe I'm weird... but I honestly don't care about this, and wouldn't if it was a Labour, Green, Lib Dem or even a Tory Lord Provost that had this covered in their expenses. It's a ceremonial position, with ceremonial demands on the job - and that's on top of the Provost's regular job as a ward councillor. Councillors get paid a pittance for their role, so I have zero issue with the city covering costs for transport / clothing / extra expenses related to attending civic events or ceremonial work (i.e. looking the part). by eenbiertje (Tue 17th May 2022 9:39pm)
  • That is still a choice though. A significant choice. There's a massive massive difference in outcomes between having a Tory led GCC, a Labour one, or a SNP/Green one. Even minor differences in numbers of councillors has a big impact on potential coalitions and what issues are prioritised in the next council term. Not to mention the composition of committees which decide on all manner of things from planning approvals through to public transport. So, nah, I really really dislike this cynicism. by eenbiertje (Tue 17th May 2022 9:45pm)
  • 1. Geographically? Are you meaning hills? Cause, and I'm honestly flummoxed how this continues to be an argument against cycle lanes somehow... The majority of roads that cycle lanes are planned on aren't all that hilly. We have a tonne of relatively flat arterial roads connecting neighbourhoods and the city centre. The idea is not to build mass cycleways up the likes of Gardner Street or Montrose Street, but along Paisley Road West, Great Western Road, London Road and the like. All reasonably flat routes. It's a total straw man that I'm sick of seeing. 2. If you think bike theft is a problem here, you should see what it's like in the Netherlands! It's routine and entirely expected that a bike might last you a year, tops, before it's nicked. The thing is though, bikes are so stupidly plentiful, that it's not a big hindrance to uptake of cycling. The single biggest hindrance to the uptake of cycling is a lack of connected infrastructure. The Netherlands has that sorted. "We aren't the Netherlands". Quite! We don't have the infrastructure yet! There was a point in time, pre the 1970s revolution in road design and transport Strategy in the Netherlands, where even it wasn't *The Netherlands*, as we know it now. by eenbiertje (Wed 18th May 2022 12:40am)
  • Bit of a wonky reply this, but hope it makes sense and might be something you find interesting... I saw an interesting diagram thing on social media somewhere recently, comparing the average walking distances between the car parks and actual shops at: 1. a range of shopping centres across Greater Glasgow, and 2. Glasgow city centre itself. In almost all cases the median distance parking space in a given parking lot for Braehead or Silverburn or the Fort, is significantly further a walk than the equivalent walking distance from multistories and surface car parks across Glasgow city centre to retail hubs like Argyle Street, Sauchiehall Street etc. People are just weirdly conditioned to not realise this is the case. One of the biggest arguments often mentioned in favour of shopping malls here is the accessibility by car. And that by comparison Glasgow city centre is somehow harder to access, with car parking less conveniently located. The truth is, if anything, it's the other way round! by eenbiertje (Wed 18th May 2022 12:58am)
  • Just to follow your counter logic through for a minute... 1-2km is typically the max distance you'll get people walking to a given destination, such as work, before they look for alternative means of transport. Like a car, public transport, or a bike. Exploring your suggestion, would these new walkers (presumably former cyclists, or maybe former drivers tempted by the super safe ultra walkable pavements) be voluntarily walking their commutes? Presumably their commute distance won't have changed, unless somehow they're all suddenly working new jobs (located 1-2km from their home) that suit their new commute method of walking. More likely, is you have people working a mix of distances from their home, as they did before, but no longer having an option to cycle. People are unlikely to walk further than 2km, so you'll see an uptick in the number of car journeys from people who work >2km or so from home. Your two nice vehicle lanes are now filled with more cars than before, when there were cycle lanes. Traffic congestion is quickly as bad as it ever was. Congratulations, we're basically back in the same position we were before any improvements to active travel infrastructure were delivered. by eenbiertje (Wed 18th May 2022 1:13am)
  • I strongly suspect we wouldn't be gearing towards the implementation of a city centre LEZ and citywide cycling network and Workplace Parking Levy as political priorities. I suspect also during Covid we would have seen very minimal, or possibly zero delivery of any spaces for people measures under a different council leadership. On the other hand, a Labour led council may have meant bus franchising or full public ownership being explored, whereas the SNP is taking a more hands off approach. With the Tories, none of these things would be on the cards at all. by eenbiertje (Wed 18th May 2022 12:45pm)
  • Please, write to your councillor (and your MSP) about this. We all moan on this subreddit, on social media, to our friends and family about this. But it really needs to be front and centre of politicians' minds and kept there. **Email your councillor and MSP about it today**, and let them know this standard of public transport service is simply not good enough, and that measures to integrate transport across the city are not coming fast enough. by eenbiertje (Thu 19th May 2022 1:56pm)
  • Great, but Councillors and MSPs would be better! The council has powers (given to it by the Scottish Parliament in 2019) to better regulate transport, which they have not yet used. Contact details for each councillor: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/allMembers.asp?sort=0 by eenbiertje (Fri 20th May 2022 8:05am)
  • One of the disappointing aspects of the upcoming Avenues programme is the lack of north-south connector routes. As far as I know, only Hope Street (very steep) and Stockwell-Glassford Street are included. https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/avenues The council will argue that Buchanan Street is already a core path on the cycling network, but it's not ideal to cycle down with the volume of pedestrian traffic there. We really need another north-south Avenue style route somewhere around that area. Miller-West Nile Street would've been my preference, as it's probably the least steep of any street round there, and still quite central. Then again, if the city centre car-free zone (raised during COP last year) does eventually come to pass, that would make cycling and getting to routes on either side of the central core much easier, without much need for added infrastructure. by eenbiertje (Sat 21st May 2022 3:16pm)
  • Yeah though as u/Paritys says the links are already pretty much there. The works on Old Dumbarton Road and the area between the Riverside Museum and Patrick Cross we're finished recently. Byres Road works are meant to start very soon too. By lack of north-south connections though, I was more meaning in the city centre itself. Once the Avenues programme is completed, you'll have 7 or so east-west fully segregated cycling routes in the centre, but only 2 north-south. by eenbiertje (Sat 21st May 2022 11:42pm)
  • The relatively recent boom in bus ridership London since around the early 2000s, coincided with the introduction of the congestion charge. In a sense you're right that anti-car policies work (or at least are easier to implement) in cities with already good public transport provision... Although it's also something of a two-way street in terms of cause and effect. Good public transport systems are generally supported by simultaneous single-occupancy-vehicle limiting measures. Policies which limit congestion on roads, including congestion charges and road pricing, help make bus transit more efficient and more attractive as an option to commuters. London's a good example of this, where efforts to limit car traffic vastly improved bus performance, and so public perception of it as a mode of transit. https://www.ft.com/content/cce1749f-c50f-4ca6-af59-0cf33c2363b2 by eenbiertje (Sun 22nd May 2022 1:21am)
  • I tend to agree. At first it seemed like a nice idea when they introduced them 4 or 5 years ago. Easy to see what bus is approaching from a distance. But inevitably a combination of breakdowns, general maintenance and probably simple fleet management issues mean you see buses with different screen numbers and painted numbers all the time now. Seems pointless. by eenbiertje (Fri 27th May 2022 7:42pm)
  • It's been historically difficult because the land on both sides of the river from the city centre almost all the way out to Renfrew, is privately owned by the Peel Group. Nothing happens without them deciding to do something. Which historically has been parceling up little units at a time for things like the SEC or housing. But all in a very piecemeal way, as and when it's suited them to do so commercially. The council seems to have a good ambition to use the river more over the next 10-20 years or so, with an overarching plan for a series of linear parks running for 2km along the Clyde between Glasgow Green and Patrick. You can read more about it here, with a section about the River Park plan in the recent St Enoch District Regeneration Framework document: https://www.glasgowcitycentrestrategy.com/your-river-park-your-chance-to-comment-on-the-proposals-for-st-enoch.htm There are small things the council can control, which it is getting on with in the meantime. Such as making the roads which straddle either side of the river more hospitable for walking and cycling. Adding greenery where it can. I think some of the areas closest to the city centre are not privately owned, and so we might see some movement in areas like Tradeston, Clyde Street, and Carlton Place soon. But the unfortunate reality is the full river park plan will depend on the land owners of everything west of the squiggly bridge playing ball and buying into the scheme over the next decade or two. by eenbiertje (Sun 29th May 2022 12:25pm)
  • I've never seen so many cranes in Glasgow in my life. You probably need to go back to the mid-60s to have seen a similar level of activity across the city. The idea no investment or development is happening seems way off to me. It feels very much like we're in a rare golden period of growth for the city. * There's about a dozen massive housing developments under way across the city centre alone. * There is very definitely a housing boom going on in neighborhoods outside the city centre. Shawlands Arcade, the massive Meat Market site in Denniestoun, Laurieston Living, Govan Cross Masterplan... New Gorbals & Oatlands is also still growing. I never thought I would say it or see it with my own eyes but in some areas it's getting hard to find a gap site that doesn't have an upcoming development attached to it. * The big Sighthill redevelopment is nearly finished. * You've got major infrastructure plans in the works including Glasgow Metro, dedicated bus priority routes, and a riverside park. * City Centre Avenues and liveable neighborhood frameworks which will interweave with the incoming city wide cycling network. I get what you mean about things feeling run down. The city has long term issues which are still very visible, largely going back to terrible planning decisions of the 1950s/60s, which were not limited to Glasgow or even just Scotland, but were very keenly pursued here and are still felt decades later. But I do feel a big change is happening. We're only a few years into it, and to be fair, the local media does not do the best job of covering it in an overarching way. You should check out www.reglasgow.com and www.urbanrealm.com, both great sites covering all news related to the city's development. U/TheYardMill by eenbiertje (Sun 29th May 2022 12:56pm)
  • > I’m talking about peripheral roads. For example Maryhill and garscube road, they have always been 2 lane at parts but have been brought down to one lane to accommodate huge cycle lanes. So it’s backed up every single day while the cycle lane sits empty. To be honest, I want to see this on all peripheral roads in and out of Glasgow. There are far too many journeys of <2km which are done by car, where there is only one person in that car. The statistics are there. Take a look next time you walk past a queue of cars on these roads, and I guarantee 90%> of them have one driver and no passengers. It's an astonishingly bad use of limited road space, and it also affects bus journeys times. The Scottish Government has a target of reducing vehicle miles by 20% by 2030, as part of it's climate targets. To even have a chance of reaching this, we need to start making physical changes to our roads and streets to encourage cycling and discourage car use. by eenbiertje (Sun 29th May 2022 4:43pm)
  • Funnily enough someone asked this same thing in the big "what do you hate about Glasgow" thread yesterday. Copy/pasting my reply to that here: It's been historically difficult because the land on both sides of the river from the city centre almost all the way out to Renfrew, is privately owned by the Peel Group. Nothing happens without them deciding to do something. Which historically has been parceling up little units at a time for things like the SEC or housing. But all in a very piecemeal way, as and when it's suited them to do so commercially. The council seems to have a good ambition to use the river more over the next 10-20 years or so, with an overarching plan for a series of linear parks running for 2km along the Clyde between Glasgow Green and Patrick. You can read more about it here, with a section about the River Park plan in the recent St Enoch District Regeneration Framework document: https://www.glasgowcitycentrestrategy.com/your-river-park-your-chance-to-comment-on-the-proposals-for-st-enoch.htm There are small things the council can control, which it is getting on with in the meantime. Such as making the roads which straddle either side of the river more hospitable for walking and cycling. Adding greenery where it can. I think some of the areas closest to the city centre are not privately owned, and so we might see some movement in areas like Tradeston, Clyde Street, and Carlton Place soon. But the unfortunate reality is the full river park plan will depend on the land owners of everything west of the squiggly bridge playing ball and buying into the scheme over the next decade or two. by eenbiertje (Mon 30th May 2022 8:58am)
  • I mean this in all seriousness and not flippantly - it's best to get on to your MSP about that. The council's hands are completely tied on a whole range of areas, and this is one of them. A lot of the reason why nothing changes unfortunately is that councils are often good lightning rods for criticism, while the authorities that *do* have the power to influence and facilitate change are rarely brought into the mix. There really ought to be a public campaign to address the issue of land banking in Scottish cities, and bring in necessary legislation to counter it if needed. That would likely need to happen at Holyrood though. by eenbiertje (Mon 30th May 2022 12:49pm)
  • Agreed, but the good news is the council is planning to install zebra crossings on many more roads in Glasgow over the next couple years. I think the highway code change this year has really helped unlock things like this, which might've seemed completely barmy ideas to people in planning departments previously. by eenbiertje (Mon 30th May 2022 1:37pm)
  • > The shame about it is, it wouldn't even really need many new buildings or anything, just a bit of rethinking what's there, tidying up and a bit of landscaping. Clyde Street, Stockwell Street and Argyle Street (the full city centre length of it, from Anderston down to Trongate) are lined up for Avenues-programme works over the next five years. The western half of Argyle Street is progressing first (Anderston to Central Station), with the final designs being settled in this summer. Construction will probably begin next year, all going well. The eastern half of Argyle Street will come after this (Central Station to Trongate). Clyde Street is going to progress relatively soon too, as it's part of the Sustrans funded block of the Avenues programme (the part which basically has all of its funding guaranteed already), along with South Portland Street and Duke Street. They've begun local consultations on the ideas, with plans to follow this year I expect. In fact a pop up event sharing some info on this and to gauge local reaction was held at the suspension bridge on Clyde Street just last week. Stockwell Street renovations will come a little later, but the final stage of the South City Way cycle route is to run right next to it, along Bridgegate and King Street. Construction of this final section might begin later next year, once the Gorbals section is complete. I think the entire north bank of the river will be hugely improved in just five years or so once all this comes together. by eenbiertje (Mon 30th May 2022 8:57pm)
  • Great Western Road between the Botanic Gardens and St George's Cross is now almost entirely brunch spots. You'll find something there no bother. by eenbiertje (Wed 1st Jun 2022 11:29am)
  • Some good news... A fully connected network of segregated cycle lanes is planned to be rolled out over the next 10 years. Some of it is programmed in for the next year or two, including extensions to the South City Way, South West City Way, the completion of the East City Way, and a few other local (non "City Way") neighborhood projects. Connecting Woodside is the first of these, but similar ones are in the works for other parts of Glasgow. Once this first tranche is completed, we'll be getting much closer to a real City Network. I think within 5 years from now we'll be well on our way. Thankfully the Greens also succeeded in securing a minimum 10% spend all upcoming Scottish Govt transport budgets for active travel, meaning the pot of money being dished out to councils for this has jumped from something like £80million per year, to £320million per year. The South City Way was costed at £6.5m, so it's exciting to think what might be achieved within just a few short years with this new level of funding. https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/activetravel Check out the City Network and the Active Travel Strategy for more info. u/VroomVroomVeryBad by eenbiertje (Thu 9th Jun 2022 12:11am)
  • That lines probably gonna be used as part of the eventual Airport - City Centre metro line, at least between Braehead and the QEUH. by eenbiertje (Thu 9th Jun 2022 12:16am)
  • Simply, the idea of building a new fixed link rail line serving the airport but also Renfrew (largest town in Scotland without a train station), Braehead, the QEUH, Pacific Quay, Govan, and connecting to the city centre, is vastly more bang for your buck than squeezing in a rail station on an existing line. Adding a station to the line comes with costs to existing services on that line. Sure, you get to serve the airport, but it comes with worse journey times and a cap on trains per hour for services using that line. Adding a transit pod / shuttle / bus service between this new station and the airport is just an added headache for passengers, coming with no additional improvements for the rest of the network. The same can't be said for creating a brand new rail / tram line, which does appear to be the plan now. by eenbiertje (Thu 9th Jun 2022 12:24am)
  • Zebra crossings. by eenbiertje (Thu 9th Jun 2022 12:47am)
  • The proposed metro/tram line (running from Paisley to the Airport to Govan to Glasgow) is much more cost effective in the round, once you consider that it would also serve highly populated areas with poor existing transport options (Renfrew). The area around the north and east of the airport is also experiencing a massive amount of investment, with the development of the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District (AMIDS) and Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC), and along the Clyde there's a corridor of development between Renfrew and Govan involving Glasgow Uni. A tram line serving all these things, and interchanging with the subway at Govan, makes a lot more sense than simply moving St James station 600 metres closer to the airport. If you were to move the station closer to the airport, it'd be a challenge to increase the number of trains per hour, as there's a bottleneck in the network at Paisley Gilmour Street. You could try to increase services passing the airport (Inverclyde services), but you'd likely need to sacrifice some services from Ayrshire that go via Paisley Gilmour Street. Those serve a lot of people, so I think that's a non starter. So overall, building a new line - maybe not heavy rail, but a tram or light metro that runs on road in some places and on raised tracks in others - is the much better option all things considered. I reckon the prospects of this metro line happening are high. It was shortlisted in Transport Scotland's recent decade-long transport review options process (STPR2). Glasgow and Renfrewshire councils have also set aside protected budgets for the first stage of it, supported by money from the Glasgow Region City Deal. by eenbiertje (Thu 9th Jun 2022 9:56am)
  • * Join, follow, support, share **https://www.getglasgowmoving.org/**. They are the main campaign group for better public transport in Glasgow. Anyone who has an interest in this needs to follow them on social media, sign their petitions, attend their campaign events, etc. Even if you're not getting directly involved with them, remember them and share news of what they're doing next time you hear someone complain about the transport in Glasgow. We need to reach a critical mass of public awareness that the city does have options to improve the transport system which it hasn't yet explored. Part of that is people knowing there's a dedicated campaign group, and channeling their anger/energy through it. * Write to your ward councillor to complain. You need to do this. The 2019 Scottish Transport Act in Hollywood gave local authorities a range of new powers (for the first time since 1985) to better regulate and *even run* municipal bus companies once more, if they want to... * Currently, GCC is determined to go down the **"partnership"** route, where they offer yet more incentives to bus companies (bus prioritisation infrastructure and funding for electric buses) in return for their cooperation (slowly rolling out a unified ticketing system). This is easily the least ambitious of the possible approaches. * There is also the **"franchise"** model, like in Edinburgh or London or many other European cities, where the city mandates what the overall service is and puts that out to contract to be run by private companies. The buses would be Glasgow branded, and Glasgow in charge of key decisions (fares, timetables, routes, etc), but it would be run behind the scenes by private contractors. * Then there's the most ambitious, and most expensive model: **municipal ownership**. I don't know of anywhere in the UK that does this yet. This is what Get Glasgow Moving are campaigning for, but in my view I'm not sure we need to jump into it as a first option. Maybe in the fullness of time. In any case, a franchise system is a step up from where we are now, and arguably what GCC should do now they have the powers. People need to hold a fire to the feet of GCC to do the most it can. Whether that's using the threat of increased ownership/control to coerce better, faster action from operators, or actually moving ahead with franchising. Whichever, more people in Glasgow need to know this is the situation, and need to let their councillors know that they won't stand for a slow, passive approach to delivering better transport. by eenbiertje (Sat 18th Jun 2022 11:10am)
  • Get Glasgow Moving. by eenbiertje (Sat 18th Jun 2022 9:01pm)
  • [Write to your councillors.](https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/vf0thd/comment/ictfut4/) by eenbiertje (Sat 18th Jun 2022 9:00pm)
  • Genuinely he shouldn't have to know this. Granted this is a pretty big gap in knowledge (it's the biggest park in Glasgow... how do you have zero idea if your bus goes near it, even if you're just covering someone's shift...). But it shouldn't be the driver's job to know every landmark along their route, or even to sell tickets IMO. They should just drive the bus. There should be clear information boards at every single bus stop with maps of all available routes. It's normal in other countries. But not here. Another thing that's normal in other places is simple boards inside the bus, listing all stops or better yet, landmarks and attractions near those stops. Just simple stuff really, but we're so far down the minimal expense, minimal service necessary rabbit hole. Complain to your councillor and check out www.getglasgowmoving.com by eenbiertje (Sun 19th Jun 2022 7:40pm)
  • DELETED Yeah... would've been much better to let everybody get Covid at exactly the same time and fill up every single hospital and critical care unit in the country past breaking point. Clown. by eenbiertje (Thu 23rd Jun 2022 10:57am)
  • Short memories. You can look at Lombardia, New York, Rome, Madrid and central London in the first month of the pandemic as examples of the "what if". Infection was able to spread before lockdown controls came in. The result was hospital beds in those areas being literally filled with Covid patients needing emergency respiratory care, over the course of mere days. Doctors and nurses then began being sick (and taken out of rotation for a week or longer at a time) meaning treatment could not be provided. The result was thousands of people dying in hospitals. Not because the treatment didn't exist (intensive respiratory care), but because there was *not enough capacity* to treat everyone who needed it. This seems to be what people can't understand. Remember the images of hospital wards and corridors in those places, filled with people in body bags? The mass graves in public parks, because there were more bodies than the authorities could deal with? That's why lockdowns were necessary. by eenbiertje (Thu 23rd Jun 2022 11:21am)
  • The motorway itself was designed with 1990s traffic levels in mind (as predicted in 1979s era modelling). It's now dealing with 2020s traffic levels which have vastly surpassed design expectations. There are too many cars on the roads, but more specifically: too many people are making single-occupancy journeys by car. On the Glasgow motorway network, this issue is highly noticeable because of the history of its design and development. The western flank of the inner ring road (what we know today as the M8 Kingston Bridge corridor) was never designed to be the national / regional route. This was supposed to be the job of a much heftier southern flank motorway, which eventually was built in the form of the M74. That's why the motorway at the Mitchell Library is so thin, only 3 lanes. It was intended and built to be 2 lanes in each direction, with a third being added post-hoc to deal with traffic volumes which the route was never designed to accommodate. We are where we are, with the mad traffic levels and frustrating interweaving across lanes because of this astonishingly shortsighted approach to traffic management and transport planning, and the resulting car dependency it has created. To put it bluntly, and in a way that I know is not what everyday drivers usually want to hear: Things will not improve trafficwise until fewer people drive. It's as simple as that. by eenbiertje (Thu 23rd Jun 2022 3:59pm)
  • Are you talking individual, self-driving transit pods, or something along those lines? If so, I can see how that kind of innovation could bring some credible efficiency gains in terms of vehicles choosing optimal pathways, all in harmony with one another. Squeezing out marginal improvements in journey time for everyone as they weave around one another better than any human ever could. But you're still limited by the enormous inefficiency of moving individuals in single occupancy vehicles. That kind of thing might happen, eventually. But mass public transport (moving a lot of people, quickly, over medium-long distances in one vehicle) is the ultimate efficient transit form. That's where the investment has to be. Not in infrastructure that caters primarily towards single-occupancy vehicles, whether human driven or automated. by eenbiertje (Fri 24th Jun 2022 1:05am)
  • Think you've misunderstood this. This project would essentially be a city-block sized "cap", between the existing Charing Cross "cap", and Bath Street. The hump in the M8 caused by the railway underneath is further south, at Kent Road. The £100m project valuation is simply for this single city block sized motroway roof. That's what the feasibility study was for. No feasibility study has been undertaken on more ambitious options for covering or removing the M8, as [Replace the M8](https://twitter.com/ReplacetheM8) are campaigning for over on Twitter. To realign the North Clyde railway line and the build a proper roof garden extending a couple blocks further down, maybe to St Vincent Street say... you'd be looking at billions of pounds easily. by eenbiertje (Fri 24th Jun 2022 7:56pm)
  • The North Clyde railway line runs underneath the M8 at the southern end of the Mitchell, forcing the motorway to rise by a couple of meters there in a "hump". The clearance is so low (close to Kent Road) that you wouldnt really be able to cover the motorway directly in front of the Mitchell Library. Unless you factored in some sort of sloping linear park, which might be the way to go. by eenbiertje (Fri 24th Jun 2022 8:00pm)
  • Preach! by eenbiertje (Fri 24th Jun 2022 10:40pm)
  • The council is actually about to spend roughly a million pounds fixing pot holes across the city. Works are set to start over the summer. The money seems to have been sneakily allocated from a special funding pot assigned for "community projects". Unfortunately, a great many community projects will not happen because of this, but the pot holes will be fixed. by eenbiertje (Fri 24th Jun 2022 11:24pm)
  • The M8 is crumbling and has already entered what will undoubtedly be a decade of roadworks, while the aging viaduct structures around the St George's Cross, Cowcaddens and Townhead are repaired. At an astronomical cost dwarfing the price tag for a small tokenistic cap at Charing Cross. by eenbiertje (Fri 24th Jun 2022 11:30pm)
  • News story from the council website: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=29439 by eenbiertje (Fri 24th Jun 2022 11:39pm)
  • Council's about to spend roughly a million quid fixing pot holes: relaying road surfaces and pavements across the entire city. Works are to start over the summer. by eenbiertje (Fri 24th Jun 2022 11:41pm)
  • Well, yeah... to cover and/or replace the entire motorway from St Vincent Street round to Townhead say, with all the additional infrastructure spin off projects it needs (like lowering an underground railway line)? Billions easily. That's not a judgement on whether it should happen or not. I'm convinced it should happen and will happen eventually. by eenbiertje (Sat 25th Jun 2022 10:56am)
  • A huge chunk of the £23million of the city's Neighbourhood Infrastructure Improvement Fund, intended for local community benefit projects, is about to be spent on road surfacing and pot hole removal. by eenbiertje (Sat 25th Jun 2022 3:14pm)
  • Old Patrick cross? by eenbiertje (Sat 25th Jun 2022 5:07pm)
  • > City centres aren't for living though really Just because that's the way it is, doesn't mean it's the way it should be. by eenbiertje (Sat 25th Jun 2022 5:12pm)
  • \* [Taps the sign](https://old.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/vf0thd/transport_what_can_we_do/ictfut4/) * by eenbiertje (Sat 25th Jun 2022 8:31pm)
  • More likely that this will be used as leverage: * To coerce more cooperation from bus companies here in the short term * In the medium term, lead to full franchisation (effectively a TfL type model, where a "Transport for Glasgow" decides the bus routes, fare prices, has a unified TfG bus livery, unified ticketing, etc, but the service is actually carried out by private companies). The council clearly isn't keen to dive in with both feet and run citywide bus services. The costs and risks are so high. But armed with the threat of running bus services 100% as a last resort 'nuclear option', GCC can now strongarm the companies into a TfG model with much more ease than otherwise. Which would be a big win. by eenbiertje (Mon 27th Jun 2022 6:38pm)
  • You could always get the bus (First 9, 9A, 10, or McGills 38) or the subway (to Ibrox)? by eenbiertje (Wed 29th Jun 2022 10:13am)
  • I think in that situation you can use the first "tap on" panel to tap off. by eenbiertje (Sun 3rd Jul 2022 10:03am)
  • Stalks And Stems in Shawlands is great. Not overly expensive either. by eenbiertje (Mon 4th Jul 2022 6:29pm)
  • You won't gain any traction just by posting on YouTube. Share it here, or better yet set up a Twitter account for the purposes of sharing it. Sharing links to any videos on here is a good start though. I get the sense a lot local journalists trawl through this subreddit for stories. by eenbiertje (Wed 6th Jul 2022 12:18am)
  • You could always do an anonymous Wordpress blog? I do think you should set up a Twitter account if you're keen on doing this. Even a fully anonymous one. That's where you're most likely to reach politicians and journalists. by eenbiertje (Wed 6th Jul 2022 12:28am)
  • Best of luck with it! I really hope you're able to spread the word about the realities for people in your situation. by eenbiertje (Wed 6th Jul 2022 1:20am)
  • Learn how to navigate your way around the council website. Not the public-facing side, but the part that records all meetings minutes, agendas as documents brought before various council committees and planning groups. This is fundamental, and will in all likelihood give you a jump on local media outlets when you're formulating stories. https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/latestMeetings.asp There is an absolute gold mine of newsworthy material on there, barely any of which trickles out. News is largely driven by coverage of press releases and planned announcements, that includes local media news about Glasgow City Council. But if you learn how to navigate and understand that portal, you will find a treasure trove of story leads worth pursuing. Everything from what is coming before the planning committee, to spending plans, to discussion of big ticket items like funding bids for infrastructure projects and plans around neighbourhood regeneration. All the stories that end up in Glasgow Live, the Evening Times, etc. about the council spending X amount on Y, or launching a new policy initiative... They're all discussed in meetings long beforehand. You can use it to get a head start on existing media outlets when sourcing stories, and even pitch them as your own stories. by eenbiertje (Thu 7th Jul 2022 7:58pm)
  • Sorry, just saw this reply. No, sorry... we're possibly talking past one another here. A simple cap between the Mitchell Library and Charing Cross, which is what's being explored currently by the council, will cost around £50m. Because it is just a simple cap about a city block in size, with no additional works necessary to allow it to happen. Just a roof over one small section of the existing motorway. Easy. To cap the rest of the city centre M8 though, you'd have to factor in **1)** the railway line that runs underneath Kent Road next to the Mitchell. It's quite shallow, creating a hump in the motorway, meaning you couldn't have a flat "cap" at this section. You'd need to lower the railway to be able to lower the motorway, to then cap it. You'd probably need to lower and rebuild Charing Cross station too, as it's so close. And **2)** If you wanted to get rid of the motorway viaducts and bury the motorway in a tunnel instead between St George's Cross and Townhead, you'd need to figure out what to do with the subway line that runs underneath New City Road. It was built in the cut-and-cover style in the 1890s, and is very close to the surface (only 10 feet or so) in this location. You'd need to lower the subway here, or I suppose alternatively you could make the motorway dive underneath the subway line, but that would also come with costs. Might work out to be the better option though. Regardless, my point is just that there's more to the idea of tunnelling/capping the entire city centre M8 than just adding the roof/cap itself. You'd need to factor in these additional issues and figure out how to mitigate them as part of the overall plan. That's not to say the idea shouldn't be explored (I think quite the opposite, that it's something which very much should be explored). Just that the costs will be in the billions rather than the millions. That's just fact when you consider what's required. by eenbiertje (Sat 23rd Jul 2022 12:01am)
  • What road? by eenbiertje (Sun 21st Aug 2022 1:55pm)
  • Couple of possibilities: * A 267 had just left the bus station, and Google Maps thought you had a chance of intercepting it at Garth Street if you walked there directly on foot. The bus takes a winding route through the centre between the bus station and Glassford Street / Garth Street, so this seems a reasonable possibility. * It's possible Google Maps simply isn't up to date with First Bus timetables. I've noticed this is the case with some buses I use regularly, and so I tend to use the First App to find when the bus is scheduled. Less user-friendly than Google Maps, but it does feel like Google Maps has been out of sync with the frequently changing timetables over the last year or two. by eenbiertje (Sun 21st Aug 2022 4:24pm)