But what has been done and what are the plans for the future to alleviate these problems. There have been many unsuccessful attempts at reducing the traffic in Glasgow such as new roads and better junctions. However they attracted more cars, and congestion has just got worse. As a result buses became slower discouraging people to use public transport but encouraging them to use their cars.
One way of reducing people from using their cars is to increase the quality of public transport services. For example they have increased the attractiveness of buses by making sure no area of the city is beyond 300 meters away of a bus stop. 18 of the routes that go into the centre of Glasgow have a bus every ten minutes. They have increased public knowledge about public transport by delivering a bus map with showing routes and connections. Many roads have become wider with more bus lanes due to the Route Action Plan. Through this system buses, cyclists and taxis can overtake traffic. With the newly established bus gates, junctions that only allow buses through, many more people have began to use buses.
Another attempt to increase the amount of people using public transport, specifically trains, is to expand. A prime example of this is the introduction of a railway line to Glasgow airport and a link with train services north and south of the River Clyde. The aim is to make every area of the city within 500 meters away from a station both making it accessible to everyone and integrating it with other services such as buses. This has been helped by park and ride schemes which allow commuters to drive to stations in their cars, park them in the parking spaces provided and take the train to work.
Glasgow Underground System
A Clockwork Orange metro train stops at Kelvin Hall underground station, Glasgow. This is one of the most modern subway systems in the United Kingdom and carries several million passengers each year.
To discourage cars from entering the city centre the council have increased the cost of parking especially all-day parking which costs five times it did before. As a result more and more commuters park their cars outside the C.B.D and walk to work. The council have further encouraged this by increasing the amount of parking spaces near to the inner zone( just outside the CBD).
The “Healthy Transport Makes Sense” campaign has encouraged people to walk to work or cycle. This not only reduces congestion but has the added advantage of keeping people in Glasgow fit.
Many large lorries use Glasgow’s roads to transport goods. However they slow traffic down because they are slow and take up a lot of road space. To restrict these lorries the council have adopted the rule that no lorries are permitted in the city centre during the working day. This reduces congestion and fees up space.
