A leading charity for people with impaired vision has called an independent third-party review of a project designed to create more space for cyclists and pedestrians in our cities before they are made permanent.
The Royal National Institute for the Blind said changes made to footpaths, road, and segregated cycle lanes as temporary safety measures during the height of lockdown to help reduce the risk of covid transmission through the Scottish Government’s Spaces for People should be fully assessed.
Their comments came as Glasgow City Councillors debated the impact and speed of a recommendation to retain some measures which were introduced in 2020.
Read more: Covid Scotland: Glasgow installs new seating and decking to help boost spaces for people
The City Administration Committee yesterday voted in favour for the majority of Glasgow’s Spaces for People measures to become permanent.
Decking and wooden seating built along St Vincent Place in Glasgow. Photo by Gordon Terris.
Catriona Burness, RNIB Scotland policy manager, said: “We and other Scottish sight loss charities have sought assurance from the Scottish Government that there should be an independent third-party national review of Spaces for People before any changes are made permanent. This should take place before any decisions on permanent alterations are made. We have also raised concerns over pavement clutter and the increasing number of proposed floating bus stops and bus boarders alongside temporary cycleways.
“The covid pandemic has already had significant consequences for blind and partially sighted people and new street layout arrangements may effectively extend lockdown for them.”
Recommendations in a report to the committee that will now be taken forward include the permanent retention of all Spaces for People segregated cycle lanes which offer around 40km of additional dedicated cycling space; to keep footway widening measures and urban greening around George Square and Merchant City, as well as infrastructure that supports physical distancing around city centre transport hubs and bus stops, and the ‘People Friendly Streets’ measures at Dennistoun, Shawlands and Pollokshields East should be made permanent.
The removal of all footway widening measures within city neighbourhoods, except for the road closure and associated infrastructure on Kelvin was recommended.
Decking and wooden seating built along St Vincent Place in Glasgow. Photo by Gordon Terris.
More than 3,700 responses were received during a public consultation period on what should be retained.
Councillor Anna Richardson, City Convener for Sustainability and Carbon Reduction said: “These schemes were introduced at pace and at the height of the pandemic to support physical distancing however it’s clear that they have proved popular and if made permanent can offer longer-term strategic benefits to our transport network as well as being advantageous to our health and wellbeing, and to the environment."
Tory Councillor Kyle Thorton proposed to exclude a number of installations on account of a lack of local support saying that when the consultation data was broken down to a local level that seven pop up cycle lanes had majority support for their removal and claimed communities had been snubbed.
Labour group leader Councillor Malcolm Cunning said they were concerned about making temporary arrangements permanent before legitimate questions could be and called for the issue to be continued. However, following a vote it was agreed to proceed.
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