Clyde St Pop-Up Cycle Lane Sees Surge in Cycling

One of the first pop-up cycle lanes created through our Spaces for People project is proving exceptionally popular - boosting the number of people cycling along Clyde Street by almost 200% in August this year, compared to the same period in 2019.

The cycle lane which runs westbound for 1.5 miles between Saltmarket and the Clyde Arc, utilises a stretch of the Fastlink bus lane and was implemented in May at the height of the lockdown to ease physical distancing on the shared space Clyde Walkway.

Figures from Cycling Scotland released on 23 September 2020 and based on data from 46 automatic cycle counters, show a 33% increase in the number of people cycling across the nation in August 2020 versus August 2019. Six locations across the country saw increases of more than 100%, with the counter on Clyde Street showing a 199% rise compared to 2019.

The information was collected as part of the National Monitoring Framework, managed by Cycling Scotland and funded by Transport Scotland, to monitor cycling rates across the country.

Councillor Anna Richardson, City Convener for Sustainability and Carbon Reduction said: "We installed the pop-up cycle lane at the height of lockdown as one of our first Spaces for People measures to make it easier to maintain physical distancing in this popular area when out walking, wheeling and cycling. We have received lots of positive feedback about the lane and it's fantastic to see that this, along with other measures in place to encourage active travel, has seen the popularity of cycling increase considerably in this area, and also across the city.

"We are very keen for cycling to be seen as a convenient, viable way to get around, particularly for those everyday journeys and we'll continue to build upon the progress made with projects and initiatives that encourage the practicality of this mode of travel."

Spaces for People

Supported by funding from the Scottish Government and administered by Sustrans Scotland, Spaces for People is seeing temporary infrastructure measures introduced across Glasgow to provide extra space for people to walk, wheel or cycle as COVID-19 restrictions remain in place.

So far we have created pop-up cycle lanes at Broomielaw, Dumbreck Road, London Road (Phase 1 and Phase 2), Great Western Road (Duntreath Avenue to Lincoln Avenue), Gorbals Street, Cumbernauld Road, Provanmill Road, Bilsland Drive, Hawthorn Street and Kelvin Way.

We have also added soft segregation to existing cycle lanes on Corkerhill Road.

The pop-ups aim to increase the practicality and attractiveness of active travel for everyday journeys, especially commuting, and encourage those who haven't previously considered cycling to give it a go.

Nextbike Free Cycle Hire Offer

Don't have access to a cycle? Why not consider Glasgow's hugely popular cycle hire scheme? Operated by nextbike on behalf of the council, now is the ideal opportunity to try this popular mode of travel, with a promotional offer of 30 mins free standard hire for every rental.

Until March 2021, for casual users of the scheme, every rental under 30 minutes duration is free of charge, and for existing subscribers, this has been extended to the first 60 minutes of any hire. There is no limit on the number of times the offer can be used by a person. Find out more here.