There is a problem with Glasgow’s streets. Every day, someone in Glasgow will die as a result of toxic air, and evidence shows our children are most at risk. Two children a week are hospitalised with asthma in Glasgow. 

Our streets are unsafe, with countless injuries and fatalities of pedestrians and cyclists reported in recent years. Local communities across the city are not being equipped with the necessary skills to travel actively - Glasgow has the lowest bikeability training rates of any Scottish local authority. 

This needs to change. We need a Glasgow where our children are confident to walk, cycle and play in safe spaces with safe air.

We, the undersigned, are calling on our elected officials to accelerate and strengthen active travel measures in the city, thereby protecting the health of our communities and our children.

Glasgow City Council should immediately seek to:

·       By the end of this year:

o   Extend the school streets programme to all viable schools 

o   Implement a 20mph speed limit city-wide 

o   Consistently enforce the laws on speeding, illegal parking and engine idling 

·       By 2027:

o   Create safe and efficient biking infrastructure through an acceleration of the City Network by 2027

To effectively tackle the scale of this public health emergency, national leaders need to prioritise active travel too. 

We are calling on the Scottish Government to fund, publicise and enforce by the end of this year:

·       School streets programmes, 20mph restrictions, the ban on pavement parking

A better active travel network means fewer private car journeys, the positive effects of which are wide ranging. These include: 

·       A reduction in exhaust pollution, and its contribution to the climate and health crises

·       Reducing road wear, thereby cutting maintenance costs for the council while also reducing vehicular particulate pollution – a major contributor to mortality rates in Scotland

·       Boosting the health of our communities, saving vital NHS money

·       Enhancing children’s educational outcomes and build community wellbeing 

·       Saving people money, since active travel is much cheaper than running a car

·       Freeing space on roads for those truly dependent on private vehicles and for emergency vehicles, and speeding up bus journey times.

Glasgow’s future is in active travel, but there is much work to be done. Despite the clear benefits, many people are reluctant to actively travel – or let their children do so – due to safety fears. This has trapped our city in a vicious circle of car use.

It is clear that Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government must act, now.

The city’s existing cycling infrastructure, liveable neighbourhoods projects, spaces for people, school streets programme and government pledges on active travel spending provide potential for active travel, and should serve as a springboard for much more ambitious and effective action. One child injured or killed on their way to school in Glasgow is one too many.

The climate crisis needs to be treated as the emergency it is, and toxic air must be tackled for a sustainable future, and to protect the health of our children. The regular deaths and serious injuries of pedestrians and cyclists on the city’s roads cannot continue. We implore our elected officials, local and national, to take our call seriously and deliver a better city for all citizens – young and old, today and in the future.