South-West cycle route unveiled at Scotland Street

Cyclists can travel from Pollokshields to city centre in 12 minutes...no matter how old the bike. Picture by Martin Shields.

The 2km South-West City Way starts at the junction of Shields Road and St Andrew’s Drive, taking in Scotland Street and West St before linking with the Tradeston footbridge.

From there, it’s across the Clyde to the city’s financial district, where the new pathway joins the National Cycle Route 75.

Councillor Alistair Watson, Glasgow City Council’s executive member for sustainability and transport, said: “We want to make cycling in Glasgow as safe and enjoyable as possible. Using kerbing and islands to segregate cycle tracks from heavy traffic flows will help achieve this.

“We know cycling is increasing across the city and having high quality infrastructure with attractions along the route, like the Scotland Street School Museum and two SPT Subway stations, will hopefully encourage more people to get on their bikes.”

Glasgow City Council consulted Cycling Scotland on early designs, as well as seeking advice from the Dutch Embassy for Cycling.

The result is a two-way cycling system for the majoirity of the route, segregated from traffic by a concrete islands.

A dedicated cycling phase has also been installed at the traffic signals at West St — as well as floating bus stops, where the cyclists travels past the rear of the shelter.

With the South-West City Way completed, Pollokshields Community Council will host a Cycling Celebration Day on Saturday (October 24) at Scotland Street School.

Head there from 1pm for cycle-themed activities — see the Facebook event page for more info.