Byres Road transformation given expected start date

Plans to improve Byres Road have taken a step forward.
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It has been confirmed that work is due to start on the Byres Road Public Realm project in January 2023, with the contract award scheduled for November 2022.

The plan will see improvements made to the active travel landscape, with segregated cycle infrastructure installed along the length of the road.

The plans for Byres Road.The plans for Byres Road.
The plans for Byres Road.
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Other changes, some of which have already been made, include reducing the speed limit to 20mph, reducing the width of the carriageway, and introducing step free crossings on some of the side streets.

The development of the street is a long time coming - it was in early 2017 when Glasgow City Council first approved plans to ‘rejuvenate the quality of Byres Road streetscape and public realm’.

The aim is to improve the pedestrian experience, promote social interaction and dwell time, enhance the economic vibrancy of the shops, and improve its cycle-friendliness and environmental performance.

The consultation process was carried out throughout 2017 and into 2018, with a concept design approved the following year.

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However, Covid-19, Brexit, the energy crisis and the conflict in Ukraine have played a role in the project being delayed.

It was decided that the project would be split in two, with the first phase focusing on the southern part of the road (Partick Cross to University Avenue) and the second phase on the northern part (University Avenue to Great Western Road).

The reasons for this decision were that the northern half of the road will be included in the UCU World Cycle Championships road race route in 2023, that Scottish Water are investigating flood water issues, and that additional time can be given to working on detailed schemes for areas including the Great Western Road junction.

Phase two works should commence in Autumn 2024, upon completion of phase one.

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