Glasgow City Council given extra £4m to encourage physical distancing
By Drew Sandelands
An extra £4m for physical distancing measures to help suppress Covid-19 has been awarded to Glasgow City Council.
Work to widen footways in busy areas and introduce pop-up cycle lanes will continue alongside new measures, such as developing Park and Pedal and Park and Stride facilities at satellite car parks.
Pedestrian priority measures at traffic light-controlled junctions will be rolled out and overhanging vegetation cleared from narrow footways.
The expansion of car-free zones outside schools will move forward, with 21 new zones planned.
The Spaces for People programme is delivered by Sustrans Scotland and funded by Transport Scotland.
Councillor Anna Richardson, Glasgow’s convener for sustainability and carbon reduction, said: “Throughout the city we have been repurposing our roads and footways to provide extra space for walking, wheeling and cycling and to help people maintain physical distancing during the Covid-19 emergency.
“The breadth of measures we’ve delivered so far shows our clear commitment to creating the safer spaces necessary to help people get on with their lives and accelerate our recovery.”
She added: “These changes can also encourage more and more of us to consider sustainable travel as a viable long-term choice that not only benefits our environment but also our well-being.
“I’m delighted that our second Spaces for People bid to Sustrans Scotland was successful meaning we can build further on the infrastructure we’ve created so far.”
Glasgow Green councillors have called for “urgent action” to create safer streets around the city’s schools, following reports about “concerns over social distancing at school pick-up and drop-off times”.
Councillor Martha Wardrop said: “This is a huge opportunity to tackle the Covid and climate emergencies at the same time.
“This week parents have reported difficulties with social distancing around schools at pick-up and drop-off times.
“It’s disappointing that plans for 21 new car-free schools weren’t put in place for the start of term.
“We’ve also heard from communities who’ve developed their own proposals to reduce traffic around schools. The council must address this urgent need for safer school streets.”
This latest funding grant takes the total amount received by Glasgow City Council through Spaces for People to £7.5m.
The funding award will need to be officially accepted by a council committee at a later date.
John Lauder, deputy CEO of Sustrans and executive director for Scotland said: “The huge interest and demand in our Spaces for People fund over the past few months, has made it clear that people recognise the importance and benefits which come with travelling actively and sustainably for everyday journeys and exercise.”
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