Latest news

You can read our latest News Update on our Spaces for People Design Feedback Hub erspacesforpeople.commonplace.is/news

We will no longer be posting news and updates via our Heatmap News site, so please make sure you subscribe to our new page for future updates.

Thanks

As previously reported the last few months have been both busy and challenging with a lot of work going on behind the scenes to maintain services while also planning our response to, and how we transition from, COVID. We can announce that work on a temporary protected “bike & roll” corridor on Ayr Road and Fenwick Road – South (A77) will commence Monday 7 December 2020.

To support this (and other measures in the area), we have launched our new Commonplace design feedback website

Here you can find out more information and comment on temporary measures currently in progress across the area, so please subscribe to have your say.

We will be adding more projects and updates to this site over the next few weeks and months. Please come back regularly and read what other residents have to say.

In addition to this, we have undertaken a significant amount of planning and engagement to support our Transport Response to COVID-19 to better understand issues and investigate potential solutions as lockdown restrictions ease.

As with the delivery of any large scale project, especially during a pandemic, there are challenges and limitations, however we remain committed to plans and are exploring a number of delivery mechanisms using the £1 million funding provided by Sustrans through the Spaces for People programme.

We have been able to deliver a number of temporary measures in Thornliebank, Barrhead, Stamperland, Busby and Giffnock. In addition, through our ‘Safer Streets, Healthy Business’ approach, businesses have been provided guidance and resources on safe trading during COVID. This includes support for businesses to find creative ways to re-imagine public space outside their premises should they wish to do so. We have also expressed interest in the recently announced Bus Priority Rapid Deployment Fund through involvement with the Glasgow City Region Transport Transition Plan to help keep East Renfrewshire moving.

Where do I find out more information about East Renfrewshire Council’s plans?

Further information can be found via our COVID Safe Streets Storymap and on our website . The Storymap has recently been updated to keep you informed on the status of proposed schemes, with further proposals in the pipeline.

Announcements on delivery of Spaces for People response measures will be made via social media once timescales have been confirmed.

Please note, areas where issues have been identified but opportunities for temporary interventions are not feasible, these will be considered as part of longer term strategic plans to be developed early 2021.

What happens next?

It is clear from the responses received through the Spaces for People Commonplace that there are a number of opportunities to help residents move around safely during COVID. As well as delivery of existing plans, we hope to expand our plans to include further active travel links as well explore opportunities for schools and neighbourhood streets where greatest need has been identified.

We also hope to support local economic recovery through a ‘ Better Points ’ scheme to encourage residents to ‘shop local’ while encouraging more sustainable everyday journeys. Further to this we will shortly launch an authority wide ‘ Beat the Street ’ programme to encourage more young people and families to travel actively to school and explore their local neighbourhoods.

Based on feedback received, we are investigating development of an upgraded cycle facility from Malletshaugh roundabout to the existing A77 cycle track, which will link with the temporary ‘pop up’ facilities planned for the A77 and eventually link to Shawlands in Glasgow. In addition, there is a commitment for a new path facility linking Maidenhill Primary School with existing residential neighbourhoods in Newton Mearns.

Looking into the future, we have secured an additional £80,000 through the Places for Everyone programme to support development of a refreshed Local Transport Strategy and Active Travel Action Plan. This will commence in late September 2020 with a draft strategy planned for April 2021.

Welcome to the final Commonplace news update from the Sustrans team (you may see future updates from East Renfrewshire Council). This week, we are sharing the final data from the Heatmap, and outlining what the next steps will be for the Spaces for People project in East Renfrewshire.

Last week, we shared the results for East Renfrewshire as a whole. There were some differences in the issues and solutions suggested across different areas however, and these can be seen below.

Levern Valley – Final Report

Covering Neilston, Barrhead and Uplawmoor, this image summarises the key issues and solutions proposed on the Heatmap. Narrow footways appear to be of particular concern here, with many suggestions that extending pavements would be useful. The perception of safety is almost identical across both areas, with a majority having a poor opinion of safety.

Eastwood – Final Report

Comparatively, vehicle speed and quantity of traffic is of larger concern in Newton Mearns, Giffnock, Clarkston and Eaglesham. Narrow footways were identified here too though, and in both areas there is a clear desire for measures that will help to reduce the speed of traffic. This may go hand in hand with reallocating space for safer, physically distanced walking, wheeling and cycling.

What will happen next?

Thanks to your help over the last few weeks, East Renfrewshire Council now have a large amount of data to work with. This has been collected via the Commonplace site, the “Suggest a Route” mapping tool and additional engagement on ‘neighbourhood zones’ that has been undertaken. All of this information will be considered in line with the Transport Response to COVID-19 in order to inform where both temporary and more permanent measures should be installed.

There has been considerable interest from schools who are keen to make the school run as smooth and safe as possible for pupils and parents. Parking restrictions are being considered, which has been raised frequently via Commonplace, and was a key theme in conversations held with the school communities.

East Renfrewshire Council have been awarded an additional £1million of funding to help deliver this work in the coming months.

The response to all of the engagement tools over the last couple of months has been fantastic; thank you to each and every one of you who contributed to this project. This has been a time of unprecedented change and considerable uncertainty, so we really do appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences with us.

East Renfrewshire Council and Sustrans are analysing the data that has been collected, and will decide what measures will be implemented in line with the Council's Transport Response to Covid-19 . We will soon share details here of the first projects that will be implemented.

Space to Move

Space to Move is a UK wide mapping tool hosted on the Sustrans website. It aims to record temporary interventions that local authorities are delivering as a response to Covid -19, and provides the opportunity for public feedback on these measures. The East Renfrewshire interventions will be added to this site in due course.

Details of Glasgow's initial Spaces for People projects are already listed, so if you are travelling into the city soon, be sure to keep an eye out for them.

Sustrans Scotland, with input from numerous partners, have curated a set of design guidance for temporary infrastructure intervention s. Hosted on the Sustrans Showcase website , the guidance will be used by Local Authorities to help shape their projects, but it may also be of interest to others who are keen to see what sort of changes could be made. There are also some examples of live changes that have already been put in place, both in Scotland and further afield. There are also numerous case studies of other Sustrans projects around Scotland, news updates and opinion pieces.

Last week, we promoted East Renfrewshire’s Active Travel Routes map . This resource allows members of the public to suggest routes that they would like to see form a network for safe and accessible walking, cycling and wheeling.

Top Suggestions

There are now around 40 suggested routes listed on the site. These are the most popular suggestions so far, with supporting comments that have been posted.

Langrig to Maidenhill Primary School – 130 votes

By far the most requested route, seeking an extension to an existing off-road path to allow access to Maidenhill Primary School. This would provide an alternative to using the busy Ayr Road.

“Would be a well-used route and essential to maintain safe passage to the school.”

Ayr Road/Kilmarnock Road (Giffnock to South City Way) – 17 votes

This suggested route would look to provide a transition from Strategic Cycle Corridor 2 to continue along the A77, across the Glasgow City Council border, to join the ongoing South City Way project at Queen’s Park.

“To have a safe cycle route all the way from Fenwick into town would be fantastic and would remove a massive barrier to cycling.”

Clarkston to Cathcart – 12 votes

Similar to the previous suggestion, this route looks to continue Strategic Cycle Corridor 3 to the north, into Cathcart. This route would look to utilise Netherlee Road from its junction on Clarkston Road, providing a link into Glasgow’s Southside while avoiding the busier Clarkston Road.

“In my mind this is an absolutely key route to encourage people onto their bikes etc.”

Clarkston Toll to Eastwood Toll (Eastwood Mains Road) – 9 votes

This suggestion would link three of the four proposed Strategic Cycle Corridors , joining Corridors 2, 3 and 4 together. This connection between Clarkston and Giffnock experiences heavy, fast moving traffic with a number of pinch points.

“This is an essential route for protected cycle infrastructure - it's direct, connects key local amenities like the train stations, health centre, sports clubs, parks, etc., and would add enormously to the usefulness of the other strategic cycle corridors.”

Clarkston Toll to Williamwood High School – 9 votes

This suggestion looks to provide a route along Busby Road and onto Eaglesham Road, to provide easier access to Williamwood High School to the south.

“Virtually no children cycle to Williamwood, mainly because the Busby Rd/Eaglesham Rd is not safe. This addition to the Clarkston/Netherlee corridor would allow kids to cycle from Netherlee, reducing car volume and bus demand.”

Please keep your suggestions coming

The map is open for further contributions until Friday 24th July. Please share this information and the link to the map with anyone you think would be interested in contributing.

‘Suggest a Route’ to East Renfrewshire Council

Looking Ahead

The response to the Commonplace site has been, and continues to be, excellent. Your help in identifying problem spots and suggesting potential solutions is invaluable, and the data will be used by the Council to help prioritise temporary changes to the streets and paths. This week, we are looking slightly further ahead; once these measures are in place, where else would you like to see new active travel routes implemented?

Strategic Cycle Corridors

The Council have already identified four Strategic Cycle Corridors , along main routes, which will undergo temporary changes to improve accessibility and safety. These are;

Suggest a Route

Although feedback on these routes is welcome, we are mainly seeking your input to identify opportunities to develop a supporting network. This could utilise quieter streets and identify useful links to/from key destinations. This may also include off-road sections, such as paths through parks or other greenspaces, which could become part of the network with some simple changes.

Around 20 potential routes have already been plotted on the interactive map , covering much of East Renfrewshire. You can vote and comment on these suggestions, or propose your own ideas by drawing directly onto the map. The map is open for contributions until Friday 24th July.

Please share this information and the link to the map with anyone you think would be interested in contributing.

Finally, a reminder that the full details of the Council’s Transport Response to COVID-19 can be found here: https://bit.ly/C19TransportResponse

East Renfrewshire’s Spaces for People heatmap has been live for three weeks now. Up to 22/6/20, there's been;

What have been the most popular posts?

These are the top three posts with the most agreements so far:

"We need better crossings for pedestrians, less waiting time and removal of barriers which trap pedestrians." - Junction of Clarkston Rd/Busby Rd/Eaglesham Rd (34 Agreements)

"The streets surrounding Carolside Primary School, and in particular Mansefield Road, Mansefield Crescent and Greenfield Road all experience high volumes of road traffic and parking during the school drop-off and pick-up times…dangerous manoeuvres and speeds at these times make it unsafe...There needs to be an exclusion zone for cars placed around the school so that when children return in August there is the space required to not only distance adequately, but also to be able to travel to and from school safely by walking/cycling/wheeling." Clarkston, (29 Agreements)

"This is a really difficult route between Waterfoot and Millerston. The footway is narrow with no space to properly physically distance. It involves stepping out onto the road, which is often busy with traffic. Despite this, it's a popular route for walkers and runners. I cannot see that there's space to extend the pavement...I have no suggestions other than to rigorously enforce the 30 mph speed limit…though there's an argument for reducing the limit further to 20 mph on this narrow section. I feel that it's only a matter of time before we have a serious injury here." Eaglesham Road, (29 Agreements)

Do these issues concern you too? There’s still time to add your ‘agreement’ thumbs up on the heatmap, on these and any other comments that you feel need particular attention drawn to them.

Next week

We will explore some of the data in a little more depth. We are starting to see how the Council’s ‘Phase 2’ Strategic Cycle Corridor projects match up with reported issues on the heatmap, and where else temporary measures may be required.

We hope you can spend some time outside this week, whether you are walking, wheeling or riding a bike – keep safe and enjoy the sunshine.

Please visit the Spaces for People map or the Transport Response to COVID-19 webpage to have your say.

Please visit the Spaces for People map or the Transport Response to COVID-19 webpage to have your say.

The Council have laid out their plan for implementing these measures in their Transport Response to COVID-19 . The plan consists of four phases with a number of links that you can click on to provide feedback on specific measures within each phase:

Phase 1

There are a number of key locations that need an immediate response. Whilst the council have already identified appropriate temporary measures for these locations, your feedback is valuable.

Phase 2

The council have several proposals for measures that need to be installed in the short term . These proposals are still being worked on and will continue to be updated as the designs are progressed and risk assessments are carried out.

Phase 3

Measures being considered in this phase need more input from you before they can be decided. In addition to engaging with local businesses to find out their needs (for example space for outdoor café seating), the council needs you to flag issues and suggest solutions. You can use our Spaces for People map to highlight where you think more space is needed to enable people to safely walk, cycle and wheel for essential journeys or exercise and avoid unnecessary journeys by car.

Phase 4

Your input is needed to help the Council shape the future of transport in East Ren as the area recovers from the effects of the pandemic.

Please visit the Transport Response to COVID-19 webpage and have your say : https://bit.ly/C19TransportResponse