In 2014 Glasgow will be hosting the Commonwealth Games and one of the aims of the games is to inspire the people of Glasgow and to leave a lasting legacy. With Glasgow often described as the sick man of Europe part of that legacy is to encourage Glaswegians to become more active.

Cycling is unique in that not only is it a sport in the Commonwealth Games, but it also a viable, sustainable and environmentally friendly form of transport. It is therefore not surprising that Glasgow City Council (GCC) have said that they want cycling within the city boundaries to increase from its current miserly 1% of all journeys. However, despite these kind words and the appointment of a 'cycling czar', there is little evidence that Glasgow is taking the right steps towards making Glasgow a cycle friendly city. Recent cycling infrastructure projects such as access to Cathkin Braes (shared use paths), Fastlink (shared use paths and tortuous routes), and routes to the New Southern General Hospital (painted lanes where cars park), all demonstrate that GCC has not learned from past mistakes. Money is being wasted on infrastructure that no-one will use, few will want and that will only lead to more conflict.   We call on GCC to provide a real legacy for Glasgow from the Commonwealth Games by following Edinburgh's lead and committing a significant percentage of its transport budget to future spending on cycling infrastructure.  We call for GCC to invest 5% of its transport budget initially, and to promise to raise that percentage as cycling levels increase. We also call on GCC to stop planning and building infrastructure on an ad-hoc basis, with minimal consultation, but develop a proper city wide plan with costings, time-lines and targets to ensure that the money committed from the transport budget is wisely spent.

We call on Glasgow City Council to invest in properly designed, funded and connected cycle infrastructure.

(Photo courtesy of Cycling Embassy of Great Britain)