Greens urge council to reject SNP-backed cuts to Glasgow's active travel plan
The Scottish Greens warned that the SNP is taking Glasgow backwards on active travel, after a new committee report revealed that the city’s revised programme now prioritises just 55km of routes for delivery by 2032, compared with the 270km previously promised.
The Scottish Greens have urged Glasgow City Council not to accept a major scaling back of active travel plans, after the report to Glasgow City Council’s Environment and Liveable Neighbourhoods City Policy Committee links the change on Transport Scotland’s move away from multi-year active travel funding towards single-year allocations.
The report says this has disrupted long-term planning, increased delivery risk and forced a more limited, “deliverability-first” approach.
Scottish Green MSP for Glasgow, Patrick Harvie said:
“Walking and cycling infrastructure cuts congestion, improves public health, reduces emissions and makes our communities safer and better connected.
“This report, however, shows the scale of the retreat by the SNP, with Glasgow’s active travel programme now cut from the 270km network previously promised to around just 55km of routes prioritised for delivery by 2032.
“At a time when workers and families are being hit by high transport costs and the need to cut emissions, Glasgow should be expanding active travel, not watching years of ambition be watered down.
“Glasgow was supposed to be building a comprehensive network, but is now being told to settle for a far smaller programme, because the SNP Government has changed the funding model and made long-term planning far harder than it needs to be.
Patrick added: “It is especially egregious when there is still the prospect of huge sums being spent on a tiny stretch of motorway, while the infrastructure that would help people make everyday journeys more cheaply, safely and sustainably is being scaled back.
“Glasgow deserves better than a managed decline. The SNP should stop dragging its feet and start backing the active travel investment our city was promised and needs.”
Cllr Martha Wardrop, Greens active travel spokesperson in Glasgow added:
“Investing in active travel and cycling in Glasgow not only benefits individuals but also the wider community and the environment.
“It is very disappointing that the ability to deliver the Glasgow City Council’s commitment to deliver a comprehensive interconnected active travel network and people-friendly streets is curtailed by changes to funding programmes introduced by Transport Scotland.
“There is a shift from multi-year funding to an annual allocation model for designing and delivering active travel infrastructure which has created uncertainty. The need for the City’s plans to be revised to be put forward to Transport Scotland’s Active Travel Infrastructure Fund is a backward step.
“We call for a return to multi-year funding for large scale active travel projects in cities such as Glasgow as these initiatives are key to achieving the Council’s climate plan and enabling a just transition to a net zero city by 2030.”