November 8 2022

The heart of Glasgow's West End is to be given a major makeover with the go-ahead for MacLay Civil Engineering to deliver a range of public realm improvements to Byres Road.

Designed by the council's technical services team the new look is centred on a one-way gyratory system at Partick Cross, a 20mph speed limit and removal of on-street parking to accommodate a widened pavement and cycleway. Step-free crossings will also be introduced to side streets and 'key corners' will be accentuated by landscaped rest areas.

John Turner, chair of the Byres Road & Lanes Business Information District (BID) said: "We are very pleased that, after the considerable delays caused by the pandemic, the planned improvements to Byres Road will finally be getting underway early in 2023. We are eagerly awaiting the completion of the works and trust that they will enhance Byres Road in its position as a top visitor destination."

Phase one works from Partick to University Avenue will get underway in January and take a year to complete, before attention turns to the northern section stretching to Great Western Road.

Separately Stantec, Threesixty Architecture and Kevin Murray Associates have been appointed by the council to develop a new vision for Buchanan, Sauchiehall and Argyle Street’s to adapt an evolving retail and leisure economy.

12 Comments

#1 Posted by pooka on 8 Nov 2022 at 16:19 PM

Lets make some more town centre shops unviable by removing parking

#2 Posted by fooka on 8 Nov 2022 at 22:12 PM

Byres road is dying a death right now. Astonishingly, parking does not seem to be helping to reverse that trend.

Amusingly, the very first image on the story does actually show parking bays...but anyway, this'll be a good, well-needed transformation, hopefully bringing some life back to the street and making it feel less like a traffic sewer.

#3 Posted by Gandalf the Pink on 8 Nov 2022 at 22:55 PM

Byres Road is on several main bus routes into the city. It has two subway stops (Hillhead and Kelvin hall) and its 8 minutes walk to Partick train station.

Byres Road is the centre of a heavily populated student boosted urban area.

Those who think losing a few parking spaces are going going to kill Byres Road have no idea what they are talking about.

This is a great scheme.

#4 Posted by inspiring on 9 Nov 2022 at 10:55 AM

I see no major makeover.

I see two bike lanes and a reconfigured traffic system. Where is the landscaping to enhance one of Glasgow's most important streets? Please don't just put it in some timber box seating at the 'key corners' as you did near George Square.

#5 Posted by Sue Pearman on 9 Nov 2022 at 11:06 AM

I can see the point with regards the parking. Byres Road is a bus route and has rail links and students and lets not forget a local resident population - that is not changing in this proposal. Car spaces are being removed from the street and this will undoubtedly have an effect on passing trade - it'll certainly be less attractive to nip down to Byres Road to buy that item in the car, and not get parked, than a little further to the peripheral shopping centre. However, the real struggle most small retailers are having is competition with online shopping and this proposal can't obviously have any effect on that. More cafe's, hairdressers and nail shops and charities is where things are heading for the high street and parking can be further away from these.

#6 Posted by Really? on 9 Nov 2022 at 12:01 PM

We shouldn't be in the mindset that it's okay to just 'nip down' to Byres road in a car. It's simply not sustainable.

#7 Posted by Heidfirst on 9 Nov 2022 at 12:06 PM

Having spoken just last week to one of the business owners at this end of Byres Rd. whom I have known for decades:
a) they feel that they are/have been treated as the "poor end" of the street & don't get consulted/benefit as above University Place
b) they don't see a benefit to them from this proposal
c) they are being charged towards funding this (but there may be a withholding protest)

#8 Posted by Jog-on on 9 Nov 2022 at 12:40 PM

#6 That obviously depends how nippy you are and how far you're nipping. A couple of miles on foot is more than most are willing to give. Hipsters can scooter but my hip replacement gran from Kelvinside is going to take the car every time. If she can't park on Byres Road to get her shoes repaired she will go on to Dumbarton Road and even Braehead. That's just the practical reality of things.

#9 Posted by Pook-off on 9 Nov 2022 at 12:59 PM

And there will be access and parking for people who are unable to get there by public transport or on foot or by bike/wheeling.

The problem is not people who need cars to get around such as your hip replacement granny, the problem is other people who use them as an excuse as to why we absolutely cannot make our towns and cities more pedestrian and active-travel friendly.

#10 Posted by Gandalf the Grey on 11 Nov 2022 at 10:45 AM

And in a few years there will be a competition for ideas to revive Byres Road. Never mind - I see that the contract for a 'Vision and Plan for the Golden Z' (Argyle, Buchanan and Sauchiehall Streets to you and me) has just been awarded to well known Glaswegian design heroes Stantec (UK) Limited, headquartered in Edmonton Canada. You couldn't make it up.

#11 Posted by DJ on 11 Nov 2022 at 12:12 PM

Gandalf, you clearly have no imagination if you couldn't imagine that scenario happening.

#12 Posted by Raymond Conley-Smith on 11 Nov 2022 at 14:27 PM

While not perfect, and it's hard to get a full sense of it from the images here, this is certainly a step in the right direction.

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