Plans to enhance sustainable travel options across Glasgow have received a significant boost with a £10.6 million funding award. The substantial investment will facilitate a wide range of measures aimed at expanding active travel infrastructure and improving public spaces for pedestrians, cyclists, and those using mobility aids.

The funding, drawn from four separate Scottish Government-backed schemes through Transport Scotland – the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund (ATIF), the People and Place Programme (PPP), Local Authority Direct Award (LADA), and SPT's Capital Grant Fund – will drive forward multiple construction and improvement projects.

A significant portion, £3.8 million from ATIF Tier 2, is allocated to four major active travel infrastructure projects, with construction commencing in the coming months:

• Connecting Woodside (St George's Road): This project involves creating a two-way cycle lane linking Charing Cross and Garscube Road, alongside upgraded traffic signals, improved pedestrian crossings, and enhanced footways.

• Connecting Yorkhill and Kelvingrove (Phase 1): While specific construction details for Phase 1 are still being finalised, previous consultations have focused on improving Kelvinhaugh Street, Derby Street, Parkgrove Terrace, and Kelvingrove Street with upgraded pavements, step-free crossings, and segregated cycle paths. Construction on Radnor Street, Haugh Road, Yorkhill Street and Sandyford Street (part of this wider project) was scheduled to begin earlier this year.

• Flourishing Molendinar (Phase 1): This project aims to improve walking, wheeling, and cycling connections around the Molendinar Burn in Glasgow's north-east, including upgrades to cycle lanes on Provanmill Road and extending them along Royston Road.

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• Dumbreck Road Active Travel Link: This link is part of a broader network aimed at providing safe connections, with discussions previously focusing on dedicated segregated cycle lanes.

Further £4.9 million from ATIF Tier 1 will support a range of smaller-scale, localised projects designed to enhance the appeal of active travel. This includes the advancement to construction of Phase 5 of the East City Way, which will complete a 3-kilometre segregated cycle route between Victoria Bridge and Trongate. Design work for Connecting Greater Govan – a project to provide approximately 20km of high-quality cycleways, widened footpaths, and upgraded crossings – along with future phases of Flourishing Molendinar and the East City Way, will also be progressed.

Other initiatives benefiting from the funding include the continued rollout of high-visibility cycle counters and school cycle shelters, as well as upgrades to traffic signals and pedestrian infrastructure at various city locations.

Over £1 million in PPP funding, administered by SPT, will support third-sector organisations such as Women on Wheels and Bike for Good. These projects aim to reduce barriers to active travel through initiatives like learn-to-ride sessions, subsidised bike access for low-income individuals, and support for cycle-friendly workplaces.

An SPT Capital Grant Fund award of £435,000 will encourage greater use of public transport through bus route priority upgrades, improved access to bus and Subway stations, and enhancements to the Paisley Road West bus corridor. Additionally, £341,958 from LADA award funding will be used for the Staff Travel Plan, road safety initiatives promoting active travel to schools, and winter gritting of cycling routes.

Councillor Angus Millar, City Convener for Transport, welcomed the funding, calling it a "vote of confidence in Glasgow's efforts to support walking, wheeling and cycling across the city." He added: "Some of these funding streams focus on construction-ready projects and I am delighted that the efforts we have made to develop designs for potential new infrastructure are being recognised. Major infrastructure projects such as Connecting Woodside, the East City Way and Dumbreck Road Active Travel Link will all make vital connections to other routes that make it easier to move around the city by bike."

Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop reiterated the Scottish Government's commitment: "I'm pleased that this £10.6 million award from the Scottish Government to Glasgow City Council will help realise their ambitions for better walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure, alongside projects which encourage more active travel. Through this investment we will make it easier for more people to choose sustainable transport." She confirmed that in 2025-26, the Scottish Government will invest over £188 million in active and sustainable transport nationwide.