Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston Active Travel Feasibility Study South Lanarkshire Council Project number: 60647222 April 2021 Aerial Map Source: ESRI, DigitalGlobe, Geoeye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGrid, IGN and the GIS User Community

Table of Contents

1.	Introduction	3

1.1	Aims of the Study	3

2.	Context and Current Situation	5

2.1	Study Area and Local Context	5

2.2	Deprivation Indicators and Transport Poverty	6

2.3	Commuting Data	8

2.4	Key Trip Attractors	16

2.5	Planned and Future Developments	17

2.6	Current Active Travel Network	19

2.7	Current Network Use	23

2.8	Policy Framework	26

3.	Engagement and Consultation	31

3.1	Initial Online Questionnaire Survey	31

3.2	Placecheck Online Map	39

3.3	Additional Feedback	41

4.	Public Life Survey	44

4.1	Uddingston Public Life Survey	44

4.2	Bothwell Public Life Survey	48

4.3	Blantyre Public Life Survey	52

5.	Proposed Network and Phased Delivery	56

5.1	Principles of Proposed Network	56

5.2	Proposed Networks	59

5.3	Proposed Cycle Network- Delivery Phases	64

5.4	Key Delivery Principles	66

5.5	Next Steps	68

Introduction

Aims of the Study

AECOM were commissioned by South Lanarkshire Council to undertake an Active Travel Feasibility Study for Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston. The aims of the study were to identify both the physical and perceived barriers to walking, cycling and wheeling (scooter, wheelchair, buggy/pram etc.) for everyday journeys in and around the areas; to help encourage more people to choose these active travel modes; and to promote Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston as Active Travel friendly towns. The Study will:

Identify key destinations and how well they are currently connected on foot or by bike;

Create a proposed cycle network map which connects those key destinations and shows what a complete cycle network for Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston could look like;

Identify early priorities and recommendations to make active travel a viable option for everyday journeys in and around the Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston areas.

A number of similar Active Travel Feasibility Studies have previously been undertaken for other areas across South Lanarkshire. This study will use the general approach established in those studies. The results of this Study and associated consultation exercises will be utilised to inform future funding applications to implement the recommendations identified.

Approach

The approach followed in developing the active travel network is outlined below.

Technical review:

A review of the current active and leisure travel routes, key destinations and barriers to active travel.

Review of the current policy at a National, Regional and Local level along with previous studies develop a greater understanding of the overall policy context.

Review of previous Active Travel Feasibility Studies undertaken previously across South Lanarkshire

Public and Stakeholder engagement:

Online Survey to collate public and stakeholder input and views

Use of the online platform Placecheck to gather views on potential desired improvements for specific locations.

A key stakeholder workshop to discuss proposals and identify priorities

Network development and recommendation:

Identification of a potential cycle network

Identification of other associated measures which will improve active travel and meet the needs of local communities

Identify opportunities for early implementation and proposed phasing for the network development.

Feedback from Stakeholders and the Public and proposed network and priorities:

A key stakeholder workshop to discuss the results of the surveys and proposals from the initial engagement phase

An online survey to collate feedback from the general public and share proposals

Figure 1 National Cycle Route 75 Signage by Bothwell town centre

Context and Current Situation

Study Area and Local Context

Figure 2: Map of study area including Uddingston, Bothwell and Blantyre

The study is focused on the area surrounding Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston in South Lanarkshire. Figure 2 above shows the study area and where the network is being developed. Connections beyond the network boundary were also considered alongside other proposed and existing active travel infrastructure to create a coherent and connected wider network.

Uddingston is small town on the east side of the River Clyde. It has a range of residential areas which surround the traditional main high street which features a range of small shops and businesses, pubs and restaurants. Uddingston has a variety of sports clubs including a cricket club, hockey club, golf club and rugby club and also features two primary schools and one high school. The Uddingston area has many walkways, greenery and well used parks located centrally in the town.

Bothwell, which lies to the south of Uddingston and is connected via the B7071, is a conservation village. Much like Uddingston the village has a range of residential areas surrounding a traditional main high street which features small shops, business and a handful of pubs and restaurants. Bothwell, also, has two primary schools. Bothwell has many walkways, nature trails, woodlands and greenery, along with Bothwell Castle which has Historic Environment Scotland Status. Uddingston and Bothwell have a combined population of 13,1871 Scottish Household Survey 2019. https://statistics.gov.scot/atlas/resource?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fstatistics.gov.scot%2Fid%2Fstatistical-geography%2FS13003110 .

Blantyre is another key settlement in the study area situated to the south west of Bothwell and the River Clyde. It has a population of 16,1272 Scottish Household Survey 2019. https://statistics.gov.scot/atlas/resource?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fstatistics.gov.scot%2Fid%2Fstatistical-geography%2FS13003109 . The town has a range of residential areas with a small local shopping area as well as a traditional main street which has several small shops, business and pubs. Blantyre has five primary schools and two secondary schools including Kear Campus for children with additional needs. In addition, the town has a variety of walkways, nature trails, woodlands, parks and is home to the David Livingstone Centre which has Historic Environment Scotland Status.

The three towns have the M74 situated to the east which acts as the main connection, via road, to Glasgow and the south towards England. There are also A-roads and rural roads to the west of the settlements which form connections towards Glasgow via East Kilbride. The rail stations situated at Blantyre and Uddingston provide direct links to Glasgow and Edinburgh as well as links south towards England. In addition, there is a regular bus service connecting the area to Glasgow. The National Cycle Network (NCN) connects the three settlements via Routes 74 and 75 by on road and off-road paths. The location of the M74 and River Clyde could act as a potential barrier towards cycling and general active travel permeability across the study are due to the restriction on the number of safe crossing points.

Deprivation Indicators and Transport Poverty

The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) provides an indication of the areas which are the most and least deprived based on a number of factors which show where people are experiencing disadvantage across different aspects of their lives. Figure 3 displays the SIMD (2020) for the study area. Uddingston and Bothwell have areas that are classed as being in 10% of the least deprived in Scotland, with small pockets of deprivation which is on average in the 3rd most deprived decile for deprivation in Scotland. Blantyre has areas that are part of the 10% most deprived in Scotland.

In addition, high levels of deprivation are associated with transport poverty, which considers a variety of factors such as income, car availability, access to services by public transport, and access to essential services by cycle as well as current levels of cycling. The areas that suffer from high levels of deprivation are often also likely suffer from low levels of accessibility to cars/vans and bicycles, whereas areas with low levels of deprivation will have high levels of access to cars, bicycles and public transport. The level of deprivation, and potential link to transport poverty, for the key areas within the study area will form an important part of the decision for the active travel facilities and improvements.

Figure 3: Extract from the SIMD for Uddingston, Bothwell and Blantyre3 SIMD 2020, https://simd.scot/#/simd2020/BTTTFTT/9/-4.0000/55.9000/

Commuting Data

Commuting data from the last census (provided by Data Shine Scotland Commute4 Datashine Scotland Commute, 2021 https://scotlandcommute.datashine.org.uk/#mode=allflows&direction=from&area=S02002401&zoom=11&lon=-4.2691&lat=55.8380 ) displays that Uddingston and Bothwell generates significant commuting journeys to Glasgow, Hamilton and Whitehill. For those residents of Blantyre commuting distances are shorter overall with a large number of residents commuting to Hamilton, High Blantyre, Uddingston and Viewpark. However, residents do commute to Glasgow but the volume is lower than that of Uddingston and Blantyre.

Significant numbers of commuter trips were made to the Uddingston area and the High Blantyre area. This reflects the high number of employers in these areas, particularly the Hamilton International Technology Park, the University of the West of Scotland and Bothwell Industrial Estate. These areas attract employees from across the wider region and therefore providing high-quality links between these links and transport hubs will help encourage people to combine active and sustainable travel modes for everyday journeys.

Enabling the use of sustainable modes of transport for these trips will mean providing good quality walking and cycling routes to rail and bus stations, focusing on making those modes the easiest way to access public transport.

Figure 4: From Uddingston and Gardenside

Figure 5: To Uddingston and Gardenside

Figure 6: From Bothwell North

Figure 7: To Bothwell North

Figure 8: From Bothwell South

Figure 9: To Bothwell South

Figure 10: From Low Blantyre and Bardykes

Figure 11: To Low Blantyre and Bardykes

Figure 12: From Blantyre North and Coatshill

Figure 13: To Blantyre North and Coatshill

Figure 14: From Blantyre South and Wheatlands

Figure 15: To Blantyre South and Wheatlands

Figure 16: From High Blantyre

Figure 17: To High Blantyre

Key Trip Attractors

Figure 18: Key Trip Attractors in Uddingston, Bothwell and Blantyre

The map above in Figure 18 identifies some of the key destinations and trip attractors within the Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston study area. As outlined in the previous section of this report, many of the key trip attractors within the study area attract trips from across the wider region. Transport hubs, key employment sites, schools, shops and supermarkets and are the main trip attractors in the study area. Other notable destinations include a number of parks, Blantyre Leisure Centre and health centres including Kirklands Hospital.

Planned and Future Developments

There are a number of major developments within the study area outlined below:

Development Framework sites5 South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan, South Lanarkshire Council 2015. https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200145/planning_and_building_standards/39/development_plans/6

Bothwell Road, Uddingston: Mixed development including residential, retail and business use which also ensures the provision of a green network.

Residential Masterplan sites6 South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan, South Lanarkshire Council 2015. https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200145/planning_and_building_standards/39/development_plans/6

Bellshill Road South, Uddingston: A residential masterplan for the site to demonstrate how the proposed land uses would integrate with adjoining land uses. It will look to resolve access and transport issues. The proposal is split in to 2 phases with phase 1 having in the region of 60 units and phase 2 having a potential further 30 units7 Bellshill Road, Uddingston Public Consultation, https://www.springfield.co.uk/assets/0000/3017/BELLSHILL_ROAD_UDDINGSOTN_PUBLIC_CONSULTATION_BOARDS_emr.pdf .

Bothwellbank Farm, Bothwell: A residential development that takes in to account the character of Bothwell and the setting of the adjacent uses. The development would also address access and transport issues.

Shott Farm, Blantyre: A residential development that takes in to account the character of Blantyre and the setting of the adjacent uses. The development would also address access and transport issues.

Other Key Developments:

South Lanarkshire is a key delivery partner of the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Green Network8 Glasgow and Clyde Valley Green Network: https://www.gcvgreennetwork.gov.uk/guide-to-the-gn/what-is-the-gn : The Green Network Plan aims to transform the lives of 1.8 million people making the Glasgow City Region more, vibrant, resilient and successful. It will provide well-connected, high quality, multi-use greenspaces through the region from cycle paths to allotments and wildlife habitats through a Strategic Access Network and a Strategic Habitat Network. The Blueprint shows a proposed Strategic Access Network through South Lanarkshire linking Hamilton and Larkhall via Chatelherault Country Park. South Lanarkshire Council will keep in close contact with other Green Network Partners to ensure best collaboration between the proposed active travel networks and those of the Green Network.

Active Travel Developments:

South Lanarkshire Council are currently developing proposals to provide on-road cycle links between the active travel facilities and bridges at Raith Interchange. The route being developed will link the NCN 74 at Raith to the NCN 75 in Uddingston. Proposed links will utilise the existing road network between Langside Road and the B7071 Hamilton Road.

Town Centre Trial 20mph Pilot

In February 2021, South Lanarkshire Council started trial 20mph speed limits in six town centres: Bothwell, Carluke, Lanark, Larkhall, Strathaven and Uddingston. Chair of South Lanarkshire Council’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee, Councillor John Anderson, said: “These 20mph cordons in six of our town centres will help encourage active travel as vehicles will be moving slower through the areas. The trials are currently being monitored and should the pilot schemes be considered successful then the Council will seek to undertake the Statutory Traffic Regulation Order and consultation process to make such changes permanent9 South Lanarkshire View, February 2021, Six town centres introduce 20mph limits https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/view/news/article/862/Six_town_centres_introduce_20mph_limits .

Current Active Travel Network

The existing cycle network, which is shown below in Figure 19, consists of: remote paths, shared footways, dedicated cycle lanes on roads and on-road cycle routes. The most notable routes that run through the area are NCN 74, NCN 75 and the Clyde Walkway. There are also a number of cycle parking facilities located throughout the study area. Contains OS data © Crown Copyright and database right 2020

Figure 19: Current Cycle Network for Uddingston, Bothwell and Blantyre

In addition to the cycle network the study area has a wide variety core paths, wider network paths, aspirational core paths and wider network (on-road paths) shown in Figure 20 overleaf. These paths provide an extensive network which supports the communities within the study area

Contains OS data © Crown Copyright and database right 2020

Figure 20: Existing Core Path Network for Uddingston, Bothwell and Blantyre

The Clyde Walkway runs alongside the River Clyde and through the heart of the study area. The Clyde Walkway is a partnership venture between South Lanarkshire Council, Glasgow City Council, North Lanarkshire Council and a number of other agencies and organisations. Figure 21 on the next page shows an extract from the Clyde Walkway Route Description from the Council website. The Walkway consists of a wide range of trails and paths running 40 miles between Glasgow and New Lanark. In the north of the study area the Clyde Walkway follows trails on the east side of the river to the Green Bridge by the David Livingstone Centre, connecting Bothwell and Blantyre. South of the Green Bridge the Walkway follows paths along the western side of the river before connecting to NCN74 by Bothwell Bridge. The Council have no statutory powers or obligations over the Aspirational Core Paths shown above. Whilst these routes may have been identified for a number of reasons, they have no formal designation and are largely out with Council control.

Figure 21: Extract from The Clyde Walkway - Cambuslang Bridge to Strathclyde Country Park Route Description10 South Lanarkshire Council, The Clyde Walkway – Cambuslang Bridge to Strathclyde Country Park Route Description, https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/downloads/download/258/clyde_walkway

Figure 22: Clyde Walkway Green Bridge

Figure 23: NCN74 through Uddingston

Current Network Use

In South Lanarkshire 73% of journeys were made by car or van either as a driver or as a passenger, with walking accounting for 17% and cycling 1%11 Transport Scotland, Transport and Travel in Scotland 2019, Local Authority Table 16, 2019, https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/transport-and-travel-in-scotland-2019-results-from-the-scottish-household-survey/ . The low uptake in walking and cycling as the main mode of transport in South Lanarkshire is in keeping with the national average with 22.1% of people walking and 1.2% of people cycling. Of those journeys made, in South Lanarkshire, 67% were of 10km or less with the top three main purposes for travel in South Lanarkshire being Shopping (26%), Community (24%) and Visiting friends/relatives (10%)12 Transport Scotland, Transport and Travel in Scotland 2019, Local Authority Table 17, 2019, https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/transport-and-travel-in-scotland-2019-results-from-the-scottish-household-survey/ .

In regards travelling to work in South Lanarkshire only 1.8% of adults travel by bicycle. For primary school pupils 3.8% travel to school by bicycle but only 0.1% of secondary pupils travel to school by bicycle. This is likely attributed to only 26% of households in the region having access to one or more bicycles for private use. These statistics are displayed on the next page in Figure 24 .

At the local level households in Uddingston and Bothwell with no access to a car/van is 23.9% and 20% respectively, with 47.1% of households in Blantyre not having access to a car. When comparing this to the Scottish Average which is 30.5%, it is notable that Uddingston and Both well are significantly below the national average while Blantyre is significantly above 13 Facts and Figures about South Lanarkshire. This source was a tool that pull together data sets from a number of different sources. https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200176/sharing_information_with_you/1895/facts_and_figures_about_south_lanarkshire/2 .

Census data shows that in Uddingston and Bothwell that 0.2% of residents travel to work via bicycle with 8% walking. In Blantyre, similarly to Uddingston and Bothwell, 0.2% of residents travel to work via bicycle with 15% traveling by foot. In addition, 25% and 42% of residents in Uddingston and Bothwell and Blantyre travel to work by either car or van14 Scotland’s Census 2011 Method of travel to work or study. https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/ods-analyser/jsf/tableView/tableView.xhtml .

Figure 24: Extract from Active Travel Trends in South Lanarkshire from the Annual Cycling Monitoring Report 2019 (Note, most data from 2017)15 Annual Cycling Monitoring Report 2019- Cycling Scotland. https://www.cycling.scot/mediaLibrary/other/english/6353.pdf

Hands Up Survey

The Sustrans Hands Up Survey results from 2018 and 2019 provide a further indication of the current active travel network use for those travelling to nursery / school. The results show a clear trend that as pupils progress through school, less of those pupils are driven to school by an adult, while the use of public transport increases significantly. The uptake in walking also increases while those choosing to cycle decreases. The results are displayed in Table 1.

Table 1: Hands Up Survey Results

Walk	Cycle	Scooter / Skate	Park & Stride	Driven	Bus	Taxi	Other
Nursery	23.1%	1.1%	3.8%	0.0%	74.8%	0.0%	1.4%	0.0%
Primary	27.3%	3.7%	5.8%	13.4%	33.0%	6.4%	5.1%	0.0%
Secondary	34.0%	0.6%	0.0%	8.2%	21.3%	31.1%	3.6%	1.4%

Strava Metro Data

South Lanarkshire Council has applied for a Partnership with digital activity tracker service Strava and their Strava Metro data. This platform shows data from people tracking their walking, running and cycling through smart phones or GPS devices.

The Strava dataset is the largest collection of human-powered transport information in the world. The Metro data service aggregated, de-identifies and contextualises this dataset to help make cities better for anyone on foot or by bike16 Strava Metro, 2021. https://metro.strava.com/ .

It should be noted, that while the Strava data is valuable in helping understand local activity, this data is limited to people tracking their own activities and therefore covers more leisure, recreation and fitness activity trips. This said, the app is increasingly utilised by users during daily commutes and it can therefore provide some insight into locally preferred routes which could be utilised should improved active travel infrastructure be provided.

Data for the whole of South Lanarkshire showed that in 2020 there were a total of 172,800 cycle trips recorded by 13,700 people including 7,100 visitors to the local area. Similar data for walking, running and hiking for South Lanarkshire over 2020 showed 16,500 trips by 6,000 people including 2,300 visitors to the local area.

The cycling data for the study area showed high levels of use across the study area, particularly on main roads and routes including the B7071 through Uddingston and Blantyre, The A724 through Blantyre and the B7012 through High Blantyre. There were also significant levels of use on routes such as Castle Avenue between Bothwell and Uddingston, the NCN74 and NCN75 and Blantyre Farm Road. The data showed strong use of links to and from the study area including significant use of:

Bothwell Bridge to the south of the study area and linking with Hamilton;

the B7071 north of Uddingston into North Lanarkshire;

Douglas Street in High Blantyre linking across the East Kilbride Expressway by the Hamilton International Technology Park; and

The B7012 in High Blantyre by Greenhall Park leading to East Kilbride.

Walking, hiking and running data for the area showed similar patterns with high utilisation of main road corridors, but also strong use of the path and trail network, significantly including the Clyde Walkway. The most strongly utilised routes included:

The B7071 through Uddingston and Bothwell and beyond the study area;

Castle Avenue between Uddingston and Bothwell;

The Clyde Walkway; and

The A724 through Blantyre and beyond to Auchinraith and Halfway.

Policy Framework

The Active Travel Network plan for Uddingston and Bothwell will support the delivery of the current policy and strategy objectives across all levels of government and will take in to account the current policy surrounding health and air quality. The following section will outline the key Policy documents that have been reviewed in accordance with the study.

Local Policy and Strategy

A range of policy documents were reviewed and these are outlined below.

South Lanarkshire Cycling Strategy, 2015-2020 which forms part of the Local Transport Strategy 2013-2023. The strategy outlines the progress of projects within the study area such as the Raith Interchange to Bothwell / NCN Route 74. The Council have provided an update to the Cycling Strategy showing progress against the actions and projects outlined in the 2015-20 Strategy.

Park and Ride Strategy, South Lanarkshire Council (2018-2027) sets out the Council’s strategic rail-based Park and Ride objectives. The overall aim is ‘to enable multimodal travel to become the more attractive transport option over car-only journeys by providing more options and greater accessibility for our rail network’17 South Lanarkshire Park and Ride Strategy 2018-2027. https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/13676/park_and_ride_strategy_2018-2027 .

Local Transport Strategy 2013-202318 Local Transport Strategy 2013-2023, South Lanarkshire Council. https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/7420/local_transport_strategy_2013-23 for South Lanarkshire outlines the strategy the Council wish to adopt in relation to transportation in the area over the next 10 years with the aim to provide an accessible and integrated transport network.

Local Housing Strategy 2017-202219 Local Housing Strategy 2017-2022, South Lanarkshire Council. https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/11758/local_housing_strategy_2017-2022 outlines the requirements and strategy in order to produce housing that is affordable, energy efficient, able to support independent living and the promotion of sustainable housing.

Promoting growth and prosperity, an Economic strategy for South Lanarkshire (2013-2023)20 Promoting growth and prosperity, an Economic strategy for South Lanarkshire (2013-2023) https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/8508/south_lanarkshire_economic_strategy_2013_-2023 acknowledges the challenges South Lanarkshire has experienced over recent years, however highlights that the area is still a base for world leading companies and is a major contributor to the Scottish economy. With this in mind the strategy sets out the vision that over the next 10 years that South Lanarkshire will have the one of the strongest and most dynamic economies in Scotland, where businesses, communities and residents achieve their full potential and prosper.

Sustainable development and Climate Change Strategy (2017-2022)21 Sustainable development and climate change strategy 2017-2022, South Lanarkshire Council. https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/12055/sustainable_development_and_climate_change_strategy_2017-2022 outlines South Lanarkshire Council vision for achieving sustainable development across the region in order to tackle climate change. The strategy makes specific reference to enabling and promoting the use of low carbon transport.

South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 2 (2020)22 South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 2, South Lanarkshire Council 2020. https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200145/planning_and_building_standards/39/development_plans/2 seeks to promote the continued growth and regeneration of South Lanarkshire, whilst at the same time protecting and enhancing the environment. The aim of The Plan is to guide future development to improve the quality of life for everyone in South Lanarkshire, following on from the vision set in the Council Plan.

Regional Policy and Strategy

The Clydeplan Strategic Development Plan 2 (SDP2), produced by the Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Strategic Planning Authority and approved in 2017, provides strategic context for the development in the wider Glasgow city-region. SDP2 aims to support economic competitiveness with a vision to support sustainable development through the creation of high quality places23 Clyde Plan: Strategic Development Plan 2017. https://www.clydeplan-sdpa.gov.uk/strategic-development-plan/current-plan/current-strategic-development-plan-july-2017 . The strategy is based around the four planning outcomes from the NPF3.

A Catalyst for Change 2008-21, which forms part of the SPT Regional Transport Strategy Delivery Plan, emphasise the need to increase modal shift to walking, cycling and public transport as well as facilitating and promote access to transport requirements for all uses24 A Catalyst for Change, The Regional Transport Strategy for the west of Scotland 2008-21, SPT. http://www.spt.co.uk/wmslib/Documents_RTS/catalyst_for_change.pdf . SPT is currently in the process of developing a new regional transport strategy.

National Policy and Strategy

The Active Travel Framework published by Transport Scotland outlines the desire to ‘bring together the key policy approaches to improving the uptake of walking and cycling in Scotland’ with the 2030 vision for Scotland to have Scotland’s communities shaped around people with walking or cycling as the most popular choice for shorter everyday journeys. The Scottish Government updated the 2013 Cycling Action Plan for Scotland in which they maintain the vision for 10% of everyday journeys are to be made by bike25 Cycling Actional Plan for Scotland: 2017-2020, Transport Scotland. https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/10311/transport-scotland-policy-cycling-action-plan-for-scotland-january-2017.pdf . The primary investment focus should be on enabling cycling through changing the physical environment for short journeys to enable anyone to cycle. This vision should be supported by local cycling strategies and delivery plans at Council and regional levels.

A similar vision is adopted through the Let’s Get Scotland Walking: The National Walking Strategy26 Let’s Get Scotland Walking: The National Walking Strategy 2016-2026. https://www.pathsforall.org.uk/mediaLibrary/other/english/final-walking-strategy-action-plan-10-sept-2019.pdf which has a vision for a Scotland where ‘everyone benefits from walking as part of their everyday journeys, enjoys walking in the outdoors and where places are well designed to encourage walking’.

Figure 25: Sustainable Travel Hierarchy (National Transport Strategy 2, 2020)

These national policy frameworks are informed by the National Transport Strategy 2 (NTS2)27 National Transport Strategy 2, Transport Scotland, 2020. https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/47052/national-transport-strategy.pdf which aims to improve the health and wellbeing for all by encouraging walking and cycling which places an importance on place. The NTS2 seeks to embed the Sustainable Travel Hierarchy (Figure 25 on the previous page) in decision making by promoting walking, wheeling, cycling, public transport and shared transport options in preference to single occupancy private car use. The National Planning Framework (NPF3)28 National Planning Framework 3, Scottish Government. https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-planning-framework-3/ also highlights the importance of place with the vision to build a Scotland that is a:

Successful and sustainable places: supporting sustainable economic growth and generation and the creation of well-designed places.

Low Carbon places: reducing carbon emissions and adapting to climate change.

Natural and resilient places: helping to protect and enhance the natural and cultural assets and facilitating their sustainable use.

Connected places: supporting better transport and digital connectivity.

Currently there is updated Strategic Transport Project Review under development with published Draft Case for Change reports which currently highlight the problems and opportunities associated with walking and cycling, not only Nationally but also in South Lanarkshire which is incorporated into the Glasgow City Region Report.

Engagement and Consultation

This section presents the findings from engagement and consultation activities undertaken with the stakeholders and the wider public. An initial phase of engagement was undertaken in January and February 2021. The aim of the first phase of engagement was to gather views on the barriers to active travel, information on the relevant on-going projects and activities, and ideas on local assets and opportunities to improve the walking and cycling and wheeling network.

The initial engagement programme included:

An online questionnaire survey, to collate information on local travel; and

An online map for location-based comments and ideas (Placecheck);

Key stakeholder workshops; and

Direct e-mails and phone calls with key stakeholders.

A second phase of engagement and consultation was undertaken between March and June 2021 where members of the public could view and download the Draft Active Travel Feasibility Study and provide feedback through an online survey.

The second round follow-up engagement programme included:

Draft Reports published and made available for download on Council website;

Online questionnaire survey requesting feedback on the Draft Strategy and the impacts of local travel following COVID-19 restrictions;

Key stakeholder workshops; and

Direct e-mails and phone calls with key stakeholders.

The engagement activities took part despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With this in mind, the engagement programme was unable to include a face-to-face workshop for key stakeholders however, key stakeholders were asked to take part in the other aspects of the engagement programme. The findings from each engagement activity are summarised in the remainder of this section of the report.

Initial Online Questionnaire Survey

The online survey had 147 responses which provided a great insight into the Active Travel infrastructure for Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston, existing issues, barriers and opportunities. It should be noted that findings within the surveys were generally in line with the other Active Travel Feasibility Studies previously conducted across other areas of South Lanarkshire. The full survey results are in Appendix A

of this document.

Respondents Profile

50% of respondents were female, with 48% being male and the other 2% preferring not to state their gender.

Figure 26 displays the age range of respondents. Over half of respondents were aged between 35 and 54.

Figure 26: Age Groups of Survey Respondents

Top Local Destinations

Survey respondents were able to select their top three destinations when they are travelling either to or within Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston. The top 15 recurring destinations and the percentage of respondents who chose those destinations were:

Uddingston (9.69%) Bothwell (9.20%) ASDA Blantyre (5.57%) Bothwell Castle (5.33%) Blantyre (5.08%) Lidl and M&S Uddingston (4.12%) Uddingston Rail Station (3.87%) Tesco Uddingston (3.15%)	Uddingston Grammar School (2.18%) Blantyre Rail Station (1.69%) Clyde Walkway (1.69%) David Livingston Centre (1.69%) Muiredge Primary School (1.69%) Blantyre Leisure Centre (1.45%) Strathclyde Country Park (1.45%)

Purpose for Travel to Top Local Destinations

Survey respondents were able to select a purpose for each of their top three destinations. The top three reasons for travelling to all the destinations quoted previously are as follows:

Shopping/Personal Business (34%)

Leisure purpose (33%)

Commute to work (12%)

Other notable purposes were transporting children to/from school and caring for dependents.

Please Note: The survey responses for purpose of travel to key destinations showed low numbers of commuting to work at 12%. While this may represent a majority of residents leaving the area for work as seen in the earlier commuter data, the surveys were undertaken in January and February 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant travel restrictions, during major disruption to regular travel and commuting patterns and with people advised to remain in their local area. It is therefore anticipated that this portion of commuting trips would be likely to rise following the lifting of travel and working restrictions.

Method of Travel to Top Local Destinations

Each person was able to select a travel mode for how they travel to each of their top three destinations. The top modes of travel were:

Walk (34.6%)

Car/Van, as driver without passengers (25.4%)

Car/Van, as driver with passengers (17.7%)

Cycle (14.4%)

Cycling and Walking Frequency

62% of respondents stated that they own a bicycle.

55% stated that they have used their bicycle in the last year.

Figure 27 shows that the survey respondents cycle more regularly during the summer months compared to the winter months which is as expected.

Figure 27: Cycling seasonal patterns

The walking statistics, displayed in Figure 28, show that seasonal variation does not impact the decision on residents to walk regularly. It may be worth noting that these numbers could be skewed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has placed restrictions on movement and outdoor exercise.

Figure 28: Walking seasonal patterns

Benefits of Cycling or Walking

Each person was able to select their top 3 perceived benefits from cycling. The top 3 benefits were as follows:

Health benefits / exercise (33%)

Pleasure/enjoyment (22%)

Better for the environment (21%)

Figure 29 details the percentage of responses for each perceived benefit.

Figure 29: Benefits to Cycling

Each person was able to select their top 3 perceived benefits from walking. The top 3 benefits were as follows:

Health benefits / exercise (33%)

Pleasure/enjoyment (29%)

Better for the environment (22%)

Figure 30 below details the percentage of responses for each perceived benefit.

Figure 30: Benefits to Walking

Main Barriers to Walking and Cycling

Each respondent able to select their top 3 main barriers to walking and cycling. The top responses were as follows:

Condition of roads, paths and cycling routes (including surfaces, lighting and overhanging vegetation) (18%)

Safety when cycling (15%)

Lack of off-road/traffic free cycle routes (15%)

Number/quality of road crossing facilities (12%)

Lack of on-road cycle lanes (8%)

Figure 31 on the following page details the percentage of responses for each barrier to walking and cycling.

Figure 31: Perceived barriers to walking and cycling in Uddingston Bothwell and Blantyre

Interest in Walking and Cycling More Often

Figure 32: Interest of Respondents in Cycling More Often

Figure 32 displays that of the 143 responses 56% stated they would be interested in cycling more. Respondents each stated which would convince them to cycle more often:

More dedicated off-road/traffic-free cycle routes (60%)

More on-road cycle lanes (18%)

Reduce number/ speed of cars (11%)

Figure 33: Interest of Respondents in Walking More Often

Figure 33 displays that of the 143 responses 66% stated they would be interested in walking more. Respondents each stated which would convince them to walk more often:

Better lighting of roads/ walking routes (44%)

Better pedestrian crossing facilities (21%)

Better information on walking routes (17%)

Additional Comments from Initial Survey

There are a number of additional comments taken from the survey. These comments provide an insight into the nature of the issues associated with active travel in the study area. The comments note a number of physical barriers, however there are number of comments which outline a number of soft measures that can be introduced. The comments displayed below provide an indication of the areas and the types of interventions respondents would like to have implemented. The full list will be presented in Appendix A.

“Cars and vans parked on pavements often means you have to step onto road.”

“Please just dont lump pedestrians and cyclists into the same small route since that can sometimes just cause conflict between pedestrians and cyclists.”

“Negotiating traffic is the main barrier to cycling. There is no safe way to walk or cycle from Blantyre to either Uddingston or East Kilbride.”

“Cycle lanes within Blantyre are very narrow and they are not regularly swept of debris buy the local council.”

“The main issue is the excessive volume of cars and in particular commercial vehicles on local roads making cycling and walking extremely hazardous.”

“I would like to feel safer cycling with more cycle lanes to encourage more cycling”

“traffic calming, ideally speed cameras, in Bothwell & Uddingston villages to reduce speed to max. 20mph to allow safer cycling”

“More traffic calming measures and traffic free streets, particularly around schools and ‘through roads’ of the villages. Shared spaces/road surfaces might be good, or tables to slow traffic down”

“Please maintain cycle lanes”

“teach cyclists how to cycle responsibly”

Placecheck Online Map

There were 132 unique comments that were added to the map which is displayed in Figure 34. The full list of comments and locations is available in Appendix B; however, some key words/phrases are displayed below to provide an indication of the views of the Active Travel facilities in the study area.

Figure 34: Placecheck map of comments made in the Stakeholder Engagement

Key Positives

Rosalyn's Brae: Great addition to the area allowing access to the Clyde

Nature Trail: new footpath/cycle access to Miller Homes development.

Bridge across M74: excellent connection

New lights on Bellshill Rd: Makes the route safer

Improve tarmac surfacing and cut back vegetation.

This missing section of the Clyde walkway should be completed.

Great footway link

Centre refurbishment

Key Negatives

Narrow road: Dangerous

Narrow bridge: Dangerous for Walker and cyclists

Traffic speeding

Lack of places to cross safely

Footpath missing

Underpass is overgrown and unsafe

Pavement in need of repair as uneven

Lack of maintenance

Dangerous condition of route

Remains of bollards pose dangerous obstacle

Unsafe for wheelchair uses

No Signage

Bad road surface

Path has a steep descent which is dangerous.

Additional Placecheck Feedback

There were also comments outlining potential improvements in the study area. Below is an indication of the type of words and phrases.

Missing Link

Improve footpath condition

Safe access to the area from David Livingston Centre

Bothwell Road cycle path possibility

Extend safe cycle lanes

Widen and smooth path

Additional Feedback

The Initial Draft Feasibility Study was made available online to members of the public between April and May 2021, where people could view or download the document and provide feedback. Key Stakeholder workshops were also hosted between April and June 2021. This feedback will then help inform the study, future proposals and final recommendations.

Second Online Survey

The online survey showed 78% respondents were either supportive or strongly supportive of the proposed network. Survey respondents were asked which of the proposals presented in the Draft Proposed Network should be top priority, why they should be top priority and if they had any other relevant comments, key responses included:

More dedicated, traffic-free active travel routes are required;

Segregated cycle routes on all main routes, reduction of vehicle speeds and narrowing of carriageways, priority to pedestrians at crossings, remove paint-only cycle lanes as they are more dangerous, vehicle speeds too fast between Blantyre and Halfway;

Shared paths over traffic calming measures;

North-south route through Uddingston and routes to River Clyde past Uddingston Grammar School;

Support proposed improvements, but they don’t go far enough, difficulties cycling between Blantyre and East Kilbride and major roads / junctions within East Kilbride deter everyday cycling;

Local link routes in Uddingston and Bothwell should be prioritised;

Bothwell Main Street Core Route should be prioritised;

North-South Core Route along NCN74 from Uddingston to Bothwell and into Blantyre should be prioritised;

Need to address the large vehicles and HGVs coming through the area;

Need to address parking for residents and around town centres;

Dangerous to cycle on road and recent accident encourage people to cycle on footways;

People cycling are safer sharing footways than sharing roads;

Prioritise main routes to provide a backbone to further provision;

Working with other areas to connect cycle routes such as residential areas in Newton;

Greater signage on shared use paths to let people know that they are shared routes;

Safer connections to local areas and for pupils to Grammar School;

Make some roads cycle and access only roads, clear broken glass on current routes and secure cycle storage at key destinations like supermarkets;

Fix current routes and improve maintenance before focussing on new routes;

Bothwell Main Street should become a shared surface, prioritising active travel and deterring private vehicles and HGVs;

Need to improve access to the NCN;

Prioritise improvements in Uddingston;

New connection between Blantyre and Uddingston required and removal of traffic going through Uddingston;

Should prioritise cycle paths like Glasgow;

Segregated cycleways on main routes with priority over side roads should be prioritised over shared use paths and should be well maintained;

Greater priority for pedestrians at junctions, crossings and side roads;

Improved pedestrian crossings across Bellshill Road, Uddingston and to local primary schools;

Udston Primary School banned bikes being left at school making it difficult to cycle children to school;

Making the people the focus for town centres, not vehicles and focussing on a green recovery following the pandemic;

Improve the NCN from Newton Station to Blantyre;

Greater enforcement of obstructive footway parking and vehicles parking on walking or cycle infrastructure.

70% of survey respondents were either generally supportive, or very supportive of the principle of making roads and streets more welcoming to walking and cycling, even if this meant less room for other traffic.

Survey respondents were asked about their average travel per week and whether their frequency of use of different travel modes had changed during COVID-19 restrictions.

62% of respondents stated that their journeys by car had either decreased or remined the same, 54% had decreased journeys by public transport, 69% had increased their journeys on foot and 42% had increased their journeys by bike.

Overall, 63% of respondents predicted they were very likely or quite likely to decrease their car use as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, 57% predicted to decrease their use of public transport. Conversely, 89% of survey respondents predicted an increase in walking journeys and 100% predicted an increase in cycling journeys as COVID-19 restrictions were progressively lifted.

Follow-up Stakeholder Workshops

Key Stakeholder Workshops were hosted between April and June 2021 in order to gain feedback on Draft proposals and to identify further opportunities and challenges.

Key Stakeholders provided feedback on the Draft Reports and highlighted a number of key points including:

Must accommodate for the uptake of electric bikes in the future and provide appropriate infrastructure;

Feedback has been received of potential conflict between different users on existing shared use paths;

Need to focus on local primary schools as a key asset and opportunity to encourage greater uptake of active travel;

There are currently works and public consultation exercises underway on a Blantyre Town Centre Audit following other similar exercises elsewhere across South Lanarkshire;

Parking and car use are big problems within Blantyre;

A Blantyre Community Action Plan has been developed with actions and concerns raised by local communities on a wide variety of related topics;

Blantyre Community Trust has a key aspiration to link students from the University of the West of Scotland at the Hamilton International Technology Park with Blantyre Rail Station;

Greenhhall Park is a major local asset and should have good quality connections;

An education policy on safe cycling and driving should be undertaken to help people walking and cycling;

Could major local employers such as Tunnocks in Uddingston potentially look to re-instate shuttle bus systems which have existed in the past; and

The lack of footways on Blantyre Farm Road is a major issue and has been raised by members of the public to Local Councillors.

Public Life Survey

A Public Life Survey was undertaken for Uddingston, Bothwell and Blantyre town centres as part of this study. The Public Life Survey Tool method utilised for this study was the Twelve Quality Criteria Method which was developed to as a ‘tool for researching how public spaces are experienced by their users’ and to assess if a space has features which are protective, comfortable and enjoyable, as without these functions the quality of public space is reduced and people are less likely to want to use the space. The Twelve Quality Criteria Method is part of a suite of Public Life Survey tools developed by Architects and Urban Designers: Gehl29 Gehl, Public Life Tools, 2021, https://gehlpeople.com/tools/how-to-use-the-public-life-tools/ .This section of the report summarises information and the findings of the Public Life Survey. The full Survey Report and results can be found in Appendix C of this report.

Uddingston Public Life Survey

Figure 35: Uddingston Public Life Survey Location, Uddingston

Figure 35 above shows the location of the Public Life Survey on Uddingston Main Street where the majority of local shops and businesses are located.

Uddingston Public Life Survey Observations

Figure 36: Typical Cross Section of Uddingston Main Street Survey Area

Figure 36 above shows a typical cross section of Uddingston Main Street within the survey area, key observations and approximate measurements.

The survey looked at the 12 criteria with the three themes of Protection, Comfort and Enjoyment. Each of the criteria were assessed and given a score of 1-3 depending on the criteria. The highest scores represent the qualities of the public space that are strongest. Figure 37 on the following page shows a summary of the scoring and Table 3 shows some of the key observations on site.

Figure 37: Summary of Uddingston Public Life Scoring

Table 2: Uddingston Public Life Survey Observations

Themes	Observations
Protection	The street has good natural surveillance and feels safe; however, the busy road corridor and speed of traffic reduces protection.
Comfort	Bellshill Road Greenspace adds to the overall comfort of the street by providing relief from the traffic, however on street parking, traffic and a lack of seating along the street reduce comfort.
Enjoyment	Historic buildings and the Bellshill Road Greenspace and trees within gardens/church grounds positively contributes to the enjoyment of the area, however aspects of the public realm treatment reduces the overall quality.

It should be noted that the physical survey was conducted on Wednesday the 27th of January 2021 during a period of national restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is likely that these restrictions will have had a strong influence on the public life activity observed during the surveys.

Uddingston Public Life Survey Recommendations

Overall, the speed of traffic and on street parking disproportionately focuses on high movement function.

The place function was judged to be medium. The imbalanced nature of the east and west footways sees commercial activity predominantly focused along the west which creates a disconnect.

Therefore, the main recommendation of the Public Life Survey was to unify the two sides of the street so that Main Street appears as one commercial area and increasing place function by;

Improving mobility and access across the street with better options for crossing.

Creating additional opportunities for sitting and opportunities for seeing between Bellshill Road Green Space and Uddingston Park Church; and

Developing a cohesive range of public realm materials, including planting/trees, which reflect the historic setting to increase the experience of aesthetic qualities and positive sensory experience.

Bothwell Public Life Survey

Figure 38: Bothwell Public Life Survey Location, Bothwell Main Street

Figure 38 above shows the location of the Public Life Survey on Bothwell Main Street where the majority of local shops and businesses are located.

Bothwell Public Life Survey Observations

Figure 39: Typical Cross Section of Bothwell Main Street Survey Area

Figure 39 above shows a typical cross section of Bothwell Main Street within the survey area, key observations and approximate measurements.

The survey looked at the 12 criteria with the three themes of Protection, Comfort and Enjoyment. Each of the criteria were assessed and given a score of 1-3 depending on the criteria. The highest scores represent the qualities of the public space that are strongest. Figure 40 on the following page shows a summary of the scoring and Table 3 shows some of the key observations on site.

Figure 40: Summary of Bothwell Public Life Scoring

Table 3: Bothwell Public Life Survey Observations

Themes	Observations
Protection	Protection scores less highly due to the exposed nature of the public realm within the town centre, both to the weather and also to road traffic
Comfort	Comfort is reduced by the exposed nature of the street and lack of options for seeing and for play, exercise and recreation.
Enjoyment	As highlighted above, the exposure of parts of the public realm limits its use and enjoyment at different times of the day / year.

Bothwell Public Life Survey Recommendations

Overall, the speed of traffic and on street parking disproportionately focuses on high movement

The central parts of the study area focus on vehicular movement function, which reduces protection, comfort and enjoyment of the public realm. Place function is higher at the outer extents of the study area. The main recommendations are to improve place function to offer relief and protection from unpleasant sensory experience from the busy road with improved options for sitting and lingering, by;

Incorporating planting within the streetscape to provide separation from the road corridor and to improve protection and comfort for pedestrians.

Enhance options for mobility across the street, including to important greenspaces - to better link them into the town fabric.

Investigate the feasibility of public (i.e. non-commercial) seating within central parts of the town to improve options for sitting, taking into consideration the need to make these places for seeing, talking, listening, and hearing.

Blantyre Public Life Survey

Figure 41: Blantyre Public Life Survey Location, Glasgow Road, Blantyre

Figure 41 above shows the location of the Public Life Survey on Glasgow Road, Blantyre where the majority of local shops and businesses are located.

Blantyre Public Life Survey Observations

Figure 42: Typical Cross Section of Glasgow Road, Blantyre Survey Area

Figure 42 above shows a typical cross section of Glasgow Road, Blantyre within the survey area, key observations and approximate measurements.

The survey looked at the 12 criteria with the three themes of Protection, Comfort and Enjoyment. Each of the criteria were assessed and given a score of 1-3 depending on the criteria. The highest scores represent the qualities of the public space that are strongest. Figure 43 on the following page shows a summary of the scoring and Table 4 shows some of the key observations on site.

Figure 43: Summary of Blantyre Public Life Scoring

Table 4: Blantyre Public Life Survey Observations

Themes	Observations
Protection	The scores for protection vary. The streetscape contains obvious measures for pedestrian safety, particularly pedestrian guardrails. Parked cars provide temporary buffers between the public realm and the carriageway. However, the public realm feels exposed and there are no measures that provide shelter from the weather, or that separate people from noise, dust, smells and other pollution.
Comfort	Comfort is reduced by the exposed nature of the street. There is a lack of options for seeing, and for play, exercise and recreation; although the extensive Stonefield Park is in close proximity to the town. The town centre is compact and legible, but the design of the street and street clutter restricts mobility.
Enjoyment	The scale of the street is intimate and enclosed. The relationship between the buildings and street creates a human-scale environment. The street appears very hard / urban and lacks a distinctive or consistent high-quality aesthetic. The public realm and seating spaces are incidental to the street layout and do not take into account different options for varied weather conditions.

Blantyre Public Life Survey Recommendations

Overall the street focuses on vehicular movement function, which reduces protection, comfort and enjoyment within the public realm. Therefore place function is judged to be low. The main recommendation is to increase the sense of enclosure and to also offer relief and protection from unpleasant sensory experience from the busy road with improved options for seeing, by;

Incorporating planting and green infrastructure within the streetscape to provide separation from the road corridor and to help to reduce the scale to a more human scale.

Addressing the quality of public realm materials to make the area feel better cared for and improve the experience of aesthetic qualities and improve perceptions of protection of harm by others.

Provide relief from the main road through spaces that offer opportunities to enjoy positive aspects of climate.

Improve options for sitting, taking into consideration the need to make these places for seeing, talking, listening, and hearing.

Proposed Network and Phased Delivery

Principles of Proposed Network

A complete network of walking and cycling routes has been developed using the results from the engagement process, alongside the other associated investigations and consultation work undertaken for the study area. The proposed network demonstrates what a coherent, direct and attractive active travel network in Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston would look like. The network will consist of existing paths and routes that will be upgraded alongside with a range of new connections.

The aim was to develop a plan and identify opportunities which:

Address the concerns raised, enabling walking and cycling as a convenient choice for all trip types;

Support local businesses and the economy;

Are aligned with best practice in designing people friendly streets and spaces;

Are in line with policy objectives at all levels of government; and

Are likely to attract funding and/or takes advantage of planned changes.

The focus has been on developing an active travel network for Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston that provides safety and access to those who wish to cycle. The needs of those walking and wheeling will be considered as an essential part of any active travel project.

Some key points:

At this early stage of development, the proposed routes are indicative connections and are not proposed alignments.

Where a proposed connection is taken forward, different alignments options will be assessed against feasibility criteria and cycle network design principles, the most suitable alignment will be taken to the next design stage.

When the design for a route is considered, connections to it and across it will be considered in addition to the route itself.

Stakeholder and public consultation will take place at every stage of the development process.

Design principles for a good cycle network reflect the issues raised during the consultation period. The first five core design principles shown in Table 5 below are taken from Cycling by Design guidance. While these were principally developed and applied to cycle networks and cycle infrastructure, the core principles are also highly relevant and applicable to walking infrastructure and networks.

In addition to the core design principles from Cycling by Design, the additional two core principles shown below at the bottom of Table 5 should be considered.

At this early stage of development, the most relevant principles are Cohesion and Directness. The other three principles become key criteria in the latter stages of the process through feasibility and design stages.

Table 5 - Cycling by Design Core Design Principles

Design Principle	Areas to Consider
Cohesion	Interconnections between routes (250-500m density) Interconnections between modes Connections to the wider network (regional and national)
Directness	Time Distance
Safety	Road safety Personal safety Health
Comfort	Easy to navigate Reasonable gradient Smooth surface
Attractiveness	Varied, busy environment Personal safety
Adaptability / Future Proofing	Proposals should take into account potential growth in walk and cycling and future expansion of networks.
Accessibility	Proposals should consider and cater for the needs of all types of users including those with a range of disabilities.

South Lanarkshire Council will work in partnership with funders Sustrans to develop and deliver active travel projects through the Sustrans: Places for Everyone framework and funding programme. In addition to the core design principles set out on the previous page, proposals must also consider the following Places for Everyone design principles which have been developed in order to ensure that projects receiving funding make the largest possible impact:

Develop ideas collaboratively and in partnership with communities.

Facilitate independent walking, cycling, and wheeling for everyone, including an unaccompanied 12-year old.

Design places that provide enjoyment, comfort and protection.

Ensure access for all and equality of opportunity in public space.

Ensure all proposals are developed in a way that is context-specific and evidence-led.

Reallocate road space, and restrict motor traffic permeability to prioritise people walking, cycling and wheeling over private motor vehicles.

All designs will be assessed against how well they achieve the design principles and will have to run through the following Design Stages:

Stage 0 – Strategic Definition

Stage 1 – Preparation and Brief

Stage 2 – Concept Design

Stage 3 – Developed Design

Stage 4 – Technical Design

Stage 5 – Construction

Stage 6 – Handover and Close Out

Stage 7 – In Use

More detailed information about the Sustrans Places for Everyone fund and project framework is available online including more detailed information about design stages, requirements and both stakeholder and community engagement30 Sustrans, Places for Everyone, 2021, https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/projects/2019/scotland/places-for-everyone .

Proposed Networks

The proposed networks have been split into the following three categories:

Core Routes – will include the proposed strategic cycle connections linking both within and beyond the study area along main arterial routes. The core routes could consist of fully segregated cycle infrastructure along main roads, improvement of existing traffic-free links or on-road links on streets with low traffic volumes and speeds. Generally, most communities within the study area will be within 500m of one of the proposed Core Routes.

Main Routes – will include further connections to major trip attractors such as schools, shopping centre and areas of employment and link to the wider and more strategic Core Routes. The main routes could consist of fully segregated cycle infrastructure along main roads, improvement of existing traffic-free links or on-road links on streets with low traffic volumes and speeds. Most communities within the study area that are not within 500m of the core routes will be within 200m of a proposed Main Route.

Local Links – will include additional links to local destinations and connect communities and local destinations that are not within close proximity to the proposed Core and Main Routes. The local links could consist of new and improved traffic-free links, on-road links on streets with low traffic volumes and speeds or quiet, rural roads.

The proposed links above could utilise a range of the following toolkit of infrastructure improvements which could be implemented:

Segregated cycle lanes

Shared use paths and traffic-free links

Traffic-calming and speed limit reduction

Cycle-friendly neighbourhoods and quiet streets

Filtered permeability and traffic management changes

Contra-flow cycle lanes

Improvement of active travel signage and wayfinding

Improvement of existing access controls and barriers

Secure cycle storage and parking

Accessibility and crossing improvements

Streetscape and urban realm improvements

The map below in Figure 44, displays what a comprehensive and coherent active travel network would potentially look like for Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston. It provides connections to key trip attractors and neighbourhoods in the study area. A large scale map of the proposed routes is provided in Appendix D of this report.

Figure 44: Proposed Active Travel Network for Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston

Proposed Network: Uddingston

Figure 45: Proposed Active Travel Network - Uddingston

The proposed Core Routes for Uddingston link north-south from the Council boundary through Uddingston to Bothwell; north-south along the NCN74 alignment from NCN75 to Bothwell and the Green Bridge across the River Clyde linking with Blantyre; and east-west along the existing NCN75 alignment between the Council boundary and the bridge over the River Clyde by Uddingston Grammar School.

Proposed Main Routes include significant links in the Castle Avenue area; links around Blantyre Farm Road; east-west links between the NCN74 and NCN75 junction through Uddingston; and linking NCN74 to Bothwell Road.

Proposed Local Links include the Clyde Walkway and local neighbourhood links in the Kylepark and Kirkfield areas linking with the M74 bridge at Bothwellpark Road.

Proposed Network: Bothwell

Figure 46: Proposed Active Travel Network - Bothwell

The proposed Core Routes through Bothwell include the main north-south links through the main corridors linking Bothwell to Uddingston in the north and Hamilton in the south. Core Routes are also proposed linking to the Green Bridge across the River Clyde to Blantyre by the David Livingstone Centre; to Raith Interchange and North Lanarkshire by Strathclyde County Park; and along the NCN74 alignment parallel to the East Kilbride Expressway.

Proposed Main Routes include links to neighbourhoods in southern Bothwell; Castle Avenue and around Bothwell Primary School; providing permeability into those neighbourhoods and connections to wider proposed Core Routes.

Proposed Local Links include links along the southern shore of the River Clyde between Blantyre Rail Station and Bothwell Bridge.

Proposed Network: Blantyre

Figure 47: Proposed Active Travel Network - Blantyre

The proposed Core Routes for Blantyre would operate; north-south following the NCN74 linking across the Green Bridge at the David Livingstone Centre around to Bothwell Bridge and Hamilton; along the new NCN74 connection between Blantyre and Hamilton through Auchinraith; through High Blantyre linking west to East Kilbride; and from Blantyre west along Glasgow Road / Hamilton Road linking to Halfway.

Proposed Main Routes include key neighbourhood connections within Blantyre, Auchinraith and High Blantyre; and wider connections including along Blantyre Farm Road and to Hamilton International Technology Park.

Proposed Local Links provide permeability within neighbourhoods and linkages to the wider Core Route and Main Route networks.

Proposed Cycle Network- Delivery Phases

In order to develop the existing and proposed network in a coherent and efficient way, key routes and areas have been identified as priorities for implementation. The following proposed delivery phases are not set proposals at this stage, but a demonstration of how a comprehensive network of routes could be developed over time. Many of the proposed routes utilise existing NCN routes or other existing cycle routes which will be reviewed and further developed where required. These proposed phases are intended to assist in discussions and decision making.

The following section of this report provides an outline of the proposed delivery phases and how these could build to create a cohesive and integrated active travel network in the study area. The proposed phasing order would help build a comprehensive network that provided increasing connectivity to all communities across the study area.

Phase 1

This delivery phase will include targeting many of the issues raised within the public and stakeholder surveys including looking at some of the smaller interventions which could be delivered sooner and some already planned works. Proposals could include

Review of existing NCN and cycle route conditions and improvements

Signage and Wayfinding improvements across study area

Minor area based improvements including smaller local traffic calming improvements

Delivery of signage only on-road routes.

Core Route: Hamilton Road, Bothwell to Raith Interchange (existing proposal)

Review of existing links to local schools

Development of a cycle parking strategy in partnership with local communities

Phase 2

This phase will focus on delivering Core Routes which will form the main spines of the Active Travel Network. These routes will take the longest amount of time to develop and will include stakeholder and community engagement and significant design works. This Phase will also look to incorporate some of the recommendations outlined in the Public Life Surveys. These Routes should therefore be programmed in earlier. Phase 2 includes:

Core Route: north-south through Uddingston and Bothwell from the North Lanarkshire border to Bothwell Bridge

Core Route: north-south along NCN74 from Uddingston to Bothwell into Blantyre and linking to Bothwell Bridge

Core Route: east-west link between Blantyre and Halfway

Core Route: east-west link between Blantyre and High Blantyre west towards East Kilbride

Core Route: link from Blantyre to Burnbank, Hamilton through Auchinraith along the new NCN74 connection.

Local streetscape and urban realm improvements recommended through the Public Life Survey.

Phase 3

Phase 3 will focus on delivering the Main Routes which will develop further access from the proposed Core Routes. Phase 3 will include:

Main Route: east-west link between the NCN74 / NCN75, through Uddingston town centre to the Clyde Walkway

Main Route: north-south link along Castle Avenue linking Uddingston and Bothwell with Bothwell Castle and Bothwell Primary School

Main Route: east-west link between NCN75 and Bothwell Road by Woodlands Gardens

Main Route: link between Raith Interchange and Bothwell Bridge

Main Route: Link between Hamilton Road, Bothwell to NCN74 through southern Bothwell

Main Route: north-south route alongside Blantyre Farm Road between NCN75 to Glasgow Road, Blantyre via Redlees and link to Newton

Main Route: east-west route through north Blantyre neighbourhoods between Blantyre Farm Road and Station Road linking with David Livingstone Memorial Primary School and to Glasgow Road via Thornhill Avenue

Main Route: Glasgow Road to Stonefield Road, Blantyre links via St. Blane’s Primary School

Main Route: Blantyre to Greenhall via Calderside Academy

Main Route: Blantyre to Auchinraith via Calderside Academy

Main Route: High Blantyre to Auchinraith via High Blantyre Road

Main Route: High Blantyre to Hamilton International Technology Park

Main Route: High Blantyre to Halfway via Flemington

Phase 4

Phase 4 will look at providing the Local Links which will provide permeability within communities including on-road links on streets with low traffic volumes and speeds and traffic free paths. Phase 4 will include:

Local Link: links through Kylepark, Uddingston and connecting to Uddingston Rail Station

Local Link: The Clyde Walkway between NCN75 and NCN74 at the Green Bridge by the David Livingstone Centre

Local Link: links north-east of Bothwell town centre linking the NCN75 and the town centre to the Bothwellpark Road bridge

Local Link: link between River Clyde and rail line through Blantyre connecting David Livingstone Memorial Park and Bothwell Bridge.

Local Link: Auchinraith Ballantrae Road to Glasgow Road link

Local Link: High Blantyre links between Main Street and Douglas Street

Local Link: Burnbrae, Blantyre links between Craig Street and High Blantyre Primary School

Local Link: St. Blane’s Primary School Link, Blantyre

Local Link: Greenhall Park link

Local Link: Links west of Blantyre Farm Road

Key Delivery Principles

For people in Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston to see active travel as a natural choice for short everyday journeys, the network of routes needs to be coherent and direct. Routes also need to be (and feel) safe, comfortable and attractive as highlighted earlier in the Core Design Principles. The development of the network should also incorporate the following principles and considerations.

People-focussed design

Community engagement and stakeholder consultation activities will continue to be undertaken to ensure that proposals meet the needs of local communities. Design proposals must seek to deliver benefits to all users in a balanced way and deliver people-focussed designs. In the context of a motorised traffic dominated town, this will mean prioritising the needs of people travelling on foot and by bike and in accordance with the Sustainable Travel Hierarchy set out in the NTS2 and shown earlier in this report in Figure 25. The design should aim to support the needs of all categories of users, across age groups, or journey purposes.

Neighbourhood permeability

Active travel networks must provide connectivity both to and within local neighbourhoods to facilitate journeys to local destinations schools, parks or local shops. These local journeys and local destinations which are often removed from key commuter corridors such as the school run have great potential to be undertaken through active travel. Walking, wheeling or cycling through a local neighbourhood should be easier, more direct and convenient than driving (if through traffic is allowed).

Multimodality

The proposed network and its design should facilitate connection and pay particular attention to interchange points with public transport, as well as considering the impact of any proposed changes on bus provision and journey times.

Information, promotion and behaviour change activities

Incomplete, missing or lack of signage and wayfinding along existing routes and local destinations has been highlighted by stakeholders as an issue within the study area.

Any proposed routes must be accompanied by a communications strategy to maximise their use and benefits. This could include engagement events during the design process, mapped information and signposting of the build route, and ongoing promotion and behaviour change campaigns to sustain growth in use.

Continued delivery of cycle training in schools, the Junior Road Safety Officer Programme and School Travel Plans across the area will also provide a key opportunity to provide information, promote proposals and deliver behaviour change activities.

The creation of dedicated cycle hubs within the local area could also be a valuable addition to promote active travel and provide opportunities for community-led initiatives.

Maintenance and enforcement

A lack of maintenance of the existing walking and cycling network was also highlighted as an issue within the study area through the public surveys and stakeholder input. The design of active travel infrastructure should seek meet good quality standards after initial construction including surface condition, cleanliness, lighting, tree root encroachment, dropped kerbs etc.

Encroachment by vehicles on dedicated active travel infrastructure ideally should be prevented through design features and street layout to prevent obstructions to people walking and cycling. Where this is not possible, ongoing enforcement requirements should be considered at the design stage.

Next Steps

It is recommended that South Lanarkshire Council review the proposals outlined within this report and engage with key delivery partners to begin delivery of those proposals.

It is recommended that proposals are grouped together where possible and applications are made through the Sustrans Places for Everyone Framework when possible for a majority of the larger or more challenging projects. Officers should review corresponding proposals that have been developed for the other Active Travel Feasibility Studies and identify where there are potential cross-study boundary routes and interventions that could be combined or delivered together.

While these applications are progressing and individual projects are developed through the Places for Everyone Design Stages, it is recommended that the Council continue to engage with the local communities, key stakeholders and key delivery partners identified throughout this study and seek opportunities to collaborate on the development of these proposals.

Appendices

- Additional Survey Responses

Question 14 of the online survey allowed respondents the chance to rate a number of walking and cycling facilities in the study area. The following graphs below display the percentages of responses for each of the following 11 types of facilities.

Figure A 1: Changing facilities (i.e. at your place of work/education/leisure facilities

Figure A 2: Amount of cycle parking

Figure A 3: Security of cycle parking (i.e. from vandalism/theft)

Figure A 4: Condition of the roads/paths cycle routes

Figure A 5: Lighting on roads/paths/cycle routes

Figure A 6: Number of walking / cycling routes

Figure A 7: Signage

Figure A 8: Widths of pavements/paths/cycle routes

Figure A 9: Pedestrian and cycling crossing facilities

Figure A 10: Ability to take bicycles on trains

Figure A 11: Walking/cycling routes to destinations I want to travel to.

Question 15 of the online survey allowed respondents the chance to rate the perceived impact traffic volumes, speeds or through traffic had on in preventing them from walking cycling or wheeling for their everyday journey. The results are displayed below.

Figure A 12: Perception of general traffic volumes, speeds or through traffic on residential streets in your local area preventing you from walking, cycling or wheeling for your everyday journey

Respondents were also asked to provide an additional comments they had about walking and cycling in the local area and how these could be improved. The following table outlines these comments

Please note, a very small number of comments received in the survey have been removed where personal data was recorded in order to protect privacy. Where possible, the rest of the comments which do not identify personal data have been retained.

Table 6 - Online Survey Results for Question 16: If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston, please let us know

Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston, please let us know
greater filtered permeability of neighbourhoods on foot and by bike desired
I travel from newton farm to uddingston at least twice a day in normal non covid times, I travel on the farm road and often see cyclists traveling on it too and think they are crazy it’s bad enough driving it in a car but to be on a bike with only a helmet to protect them they must be crazy. There is a cycle path that takes you from uddingston grammar to the farm rd then people have to cross and head to the part to take them to Blantyre or go over and onto road to go up to Newton. The road itself is barely wide enough for two cars and if meet a truck you are praying you make it past ok. Cars go way to fast and it’s unsafe to cycle there yet if they built a purpose built proper cycle lane from newton down to the Blantyre farm rd so many more people would use it. Ur would also encourage kids to cycle to school too weather permitting.
I'm terrified of cycling on Blantyre Farm Road, cars go past so fast. You're next to the metal fence on one side as well. I also get nervous walking with the dog on Bardykes Road. The pavement is so narrow and the bushes eat into it. I would love a lit gravel running track that would be easy to access. Pavement running is too hard on my joints, and places that have good paths tend to be not lit and I don't feel safe so cannot run in the evening especially in the winter. Redlees Urban Park is very nice but a lot of glass shards etc. Priory Parks is lovely. Down the Calder is great for walking. Same for David Livingstone's. These are the gems of Blantyre.
Cycle paths start and stop, often leaving you in areas of high traffic. Pot holes in the road, broken and uneven pavements are a disgrace and dog droppings are terrible all make walking an issue, especially if you have any kind of mobility issues.
In general we need more prioritisation on active travel, reduction in volumes and speed of traffic and more and improved cycle specific infra. Current network through Blantyre is very poor, multiple crossings, prioritising traffic. Link to Raith infra also very poor. Existing (limited) off road cycle infra poorly maintained (both surface quality and routine maintenance- wet leaves and ice) , often blocked by parked vehicles.
Unhappy with the lack of lighting on the David Livingstone bridge between Blantyre and Bothwell.
I have been walking a lot more frequently since March 2020 and I am appalled at the state of the pavements and walkways. The abundance of litter and fly tipping makes walking a very unpleasant experience
The small path/lane parallel to bardykes Road, between the Kear Campus and Bardykes Farm Nursery is very poorly lit and the top of the bushes are always cut down but never cut back from the path. With trees and a brick wall on the other side makes it very narrow and it is also very icy in winter. There is also no crossing for parents to get to the nursery with small children. This is very close to the very busy junction of bardykes Road and Glasgow Road.
You need to invest and protect cyclists and walkers. More and more people have to walk on the roads as pavements are poor. You need to feel safe when walking or cycling. All correspondence to the council has shown all they care about are far drivers.
Uddingston main street and lower Mill gate/old mill road is a nightmare in the morning when walking my daughter to school, ive had to start driving the short distance to muiredge primary school. Ive actually only been able to cross when cars come to a complete stop due to parked cars and speeding cars.
I'm on a 2school street and the volume.of traffic at drop off times has increased ten fold. Wouldn't feel safe letting my kids walk home.from school and there is only on road to cross. At StJohn the Baptist school.at these times it is an accident waiting to happen. My road has seen a significant increase in traffic passing that I cannot allow.my children out the front of the house.
Side streets are rat runs with no calming, I live near the grammar cars go down my road at excessive speeds, when yo7 speak to people about speeding they get really aggressive. Kyle park ave has a roundabout which is a potential death trap, it is ignored, if you are coming out of clydenuck drive turning right you nearly always have to give way to people speeding straight through the roundabout. At school times it is dangerous to cross some roads
Cars and vans parked on pavements often means you have to step onto road. Terrible parking outside schools makes it dangerous for both adults and children. Inconsiderate parking at schools which affects residents.
I would like to feel safer cycling with more cycle lanes to encourage more cycling
Parking on pavements is a problem for walkers and cyclists especially if you have a pram or are visually impaired and also if it’s at a corner . Sometimes have to walk into the road in my street as van is parked fully on pavement . In general traffic in residential areas is too much and too fast . Underpasses at b7102 Blantyre Main Street parkville drive area are scary dark and dismal even in the day light . Undergrowth overhanging path and path very mossy . Clyde walkway from David Livingstone bridge to bothwell castle and uddingston needs work on drainage ie addition of drainage ditches or raising level at worst parts as impassable in parts after rain snow or ice . Same applies to miners path from well hall Road to Meikle Earnock . Consideration to extending footpath on sydes brae beyond crematorium to allow pedestrians to get to Dykehead wood or calderglen park . Walking on road verge used to be ok but roads are now much busier with huge lorries using this route more frequently so pretty scary to walk or cycle . The pedestrian crossings at kirkton cross Douglas st main st and hunt hill road are not timed well for pedestrians . Gritting is big issue in winter especially this year . Yes people should and often do grit their own street but for example wester park avenue and hill house road cemetery area has no houses and no one is going to take a shovel out with them on their walk . The pavement in Blantyre village outside the village bar near the post box is in shocking condition needs priority repair
I don't cycle on the road as I dont drive so feel safer on the pavement but the state of the pavements are and absolute disgrace full of pot holes and very uneven pedestrian walkways. They are awful and need fixed it's a total disgrace.
Bothwell castle walkway could be attended to in a few areas this year. Very overgrown and not safe for females to see what’s round the corner. Lighting on Avon path should be fitted from Strathclyde park to Chatelherault. It’s too well used for dog walkers and cyclists in the dark. Something needs to be done with pedestrian crossing on old ferme road at redlees park. It is the main connection to reach the walkway towards uddingston grammar. You have the connecting path sitting on the junction going towards Newton. Something needs improved there for everyone’s safety.
There are some sections of good delineation of bikes and cars on commuter route into Glasgow but then they stop and you are exposed to fast moving cars on rough pot-holes roads. The section between Uddingston Main Street and the Daldowie junction is terrible and feels very unsafe. If this was improved then there is a good usable route the whole way from Uddingston to City Centre. Also, European style bike parking is desperately needed at Uddingston train station, with secure lockable cages/compartments. This is a relatively simple fix which would greatly reduce the number of cars trying to squeeze into the car park at the station and inevitably onto the surrounding streets when it is full.
Please just dont lump pedestrians and cyclists into the same small route since that can sometimes just cause conflict between pedestrians and cyclists. If they have to share a route then please indicate this clearly on the path so one knows where the other is likely to be. Encourage cyclists to use bells some distance away to make pedestrians aware that they are behind them so pedestrians dont get a fright - some cyclists might not want to do this in case the pedestrian thinks they are being cheeky.
I don’t think separating cyclists and other traffic is the totally the right answer. There are many roads some two lane roads in each direction that have been traffic calmed and made one lane that I no longer use as I don’t feel safe anymore. Make sure roads are safe - especially at the edge where cyclist travel. Try and join up the routes better and give us routes that are of benefit and not just for leisure. I commute occasionally by bicycle from Uddingston to dumbarton and the worst bit by far is cycling on the dual cartridge way out of Uddingston. I use the road as the cycle route is just a badly maintained pavement and even where there are cycle lanes towards the dogs trust are so muddy they are dangerous. Cycled this as a dual carriage way for years with our issue. Since the cycle route was installed I have crashed on it twice due to mud. It’s really disappointing to see our council tax spent so poorly. If you build cycle lanes next to roads they will get dirty from the traffic. They must be maintained.
Improved joint working with Glasgow and North Lanarkshire Council. Looking to introduce proper segregated cycle lanes. Current cycle route through Blantyre is through industrial estates with poor lighting, and poor signage. Suggest also liaising with industrial estates in area to improve awareness of cyclists in areas where there are high numbers of lorries etc. Utilise River Clyde more by improving path sizes and lighting. Free high vis vests/helmets for kids
Consider a journey by bike from the east of Glasgow to Uddingston, the only route is a dual carriageway with a 70mph limit. Even as an experienced cyclist I find it pretty scary. How many people just wouldn't bother and use the car instead
More dedicated cycle lanes
I use the NCR75 route to cycle between Bothwell and Uddingston train station and I have fallen off my bike twice because of ice. I think part of the problem is the drainage of the paths (ie puddles) and collection of leaves on path. Similar issues happen when I cycle from Bothwell to Blantyre over the David Livingstone Bridge. Better gritting of paths and removal of leaves would be great.
Juggernauts need to be removed entirely from Uddingston Main Street. All this heavy traffic to/from the nearby trading estates should be directed onto New Edinburgh Road (A721) which has very much less adjacent residential buildings and virtually no shopping and therefore pedestrians. The A721 connects very well to all the major onward routes (M74, M8 etc). Following that - then there should be traffic calming put in place in central Uddingston and much improved active travel facilities.
Negotiating traffic is the main barrier to cycling. There is no safe way to walk or cycle from Blantyre to either Uddingston or East Kilbride.
Considering high percentage of households own a dog, establishments do not allow
1. Upgrading of cycle route from Raith Inter. to Uddingston via Laighlands Road in particular segregation lanes req'd on Wilkie Rd.( NCR74). 2. Resurfacing of Bothwell Bridge footpath. Cycle dismount signs either end of footpath. 3. Removal of traffic islands ( dangerous pinch points ) on B7071 between Bothwell & Uddingston & Uddingston & Powburn Toll. Introduction of segregated cycle lanes. Onward "cross border" link to new Glasgow City Council cycle lanes on London Road. This is now a major cycle commuter route from Hamilton to Glasgow. Work is urgently req'd with NLC especially around Daldowie Motorway junction. 4.Proper traffic calming, ideally speed cameras, in Bothwell & Uddingston villages to reduce speed to max. 20mph to allow safer cycling. 5.Cycle link from Bothwellpark Rd. to Bothwell village via The Glebe.
To access a cycle route I need to travel along Castle Avenue which is hazardous due to vehicles travelling at high speeds. Average speed cameras should be installed.
I would like to see the cycle lane from Blantyre Farme Road connected to Uddingston cycle oath leading to Uddingston Grammar School, Im sure more people would use this, at the moment the road leads onto a 40MPH road with no oath for children!!
Much better than in and around Hamilton, but when you see how much is being invested in Glasgow and in areas of North Lanarkshire, it could be greater.
Too many cars on the main roads through Bothwell and Uddingston.
I am a British Cycling qualified cycling coach and help run a junior cycle club. The Council need to reduce the speed of traffic measures. Much more crossing spaces on Glasgow Road and cycling lanes on Glasgow Road to connect to Ex Glasgow Zoo
Although not resident in the area, my employers main office is in the Hamilton International Park. Whenever possible I bring my bike with me and cycle from central Glasgow along the Clyde to near Newton. The last part of the journey through Drumsagard, Blantyre and High Blantyre is horrible due to the density of vehicle traffic, often driven by impatient people.
Travelling between Bothwell and Uddingston, many cars will overtake a bicycle when passing the road islands, some signs pointing out that it is illegal to do so may help
Needs more gritting when it is icy
Please grit the pavements and footpaths?! Thanks!
Section of cycle/walking route from the junction of Laighlands Road and Langside Road to the start of the official route is in desperate need of repair. It is almost impassable in wet weather. The continuing section of the main cycle/walking route to the traffic lights on Bellshill Road is used as a vehicle short cut from Laighlands Road to Bellshill Road. Recently a bale of straw has been placed on the route, presumably to try to block the vehicles but this has been unsuccessful. The vehicles are churning up the grass borders causing mud and grass to spread across the route . This matter has been reported to AMEY and South Lanarkshire Council but both deny responsibility for installing suitable barriers. Action must be taken before an accident occurs on this section.
Have you seen the state of the roads, as for walking, where is safe ie lighting or facilities. Blantyre is a joke
Blantyre Farm Road - Dalcraig Crescent roundabout area needs a better pedestrian crossing. Priory Bridge is a big estate. Roundabout where Blantyre Farm Road joins into Glasgow Road needs better pedestrian crossing facilities. Currently these places are mostly designed with cars in mind but there are a lot of people walking and moving about. Could be made safer.
Yes as previously part of walking group we looked to find circular walks of around 8 miles. I did a walk from David Livingstone centre to the carvings at the Priory then to green bridge Uddingston along the Clyde then back along to bothwell castle and back to centre crossing the Livingston bridge. This would have been a great walk but for the dangerous paths around the priory. I think if this was improved and advertised as one the walks on walkinghighlands web page. It would create a lot of interest and with upgrade at the David Livingstone centre it would add business for them because most walkers like to finish walk with some refreshment outlet. And would bring more tourists to the area.
I am a regular cycle commuter, my weekly total is 100+ per week. some cycle lanes within Blantyre are very narrow and they are not regularly swept of debris buy the local council. The A721 and A4 are extremely dangerous and you need to look at reducing the speed of motorists on this dual carriageway, in both directions. Blantyre Farm road is also extremely dangerous for cyclists as it is very narrow and drivers become impatient and commit to unnecessary close passes.
Paths are a mess.
I walk more than 5 times a week and if I had the ability to walk more often where I felt safe with good lighting, safe crossing and decent paths my walking would increase and my enjoyment too.
The conditions of the road and pavement (walking) on routes that aren't in the main road are extremely poor. Farm Road in Blantyre is absolutely disgraceful, really deters you from walking anywhere, would take my car for the very short journey instead if walking due to the conditions.
Poor quality foot path to Uddingston. Diffilculty crossing the Blantyre Farm Rd due fast moving traffic. The volume of traffic on this road ought to be reduced. At night this road is full of boy racers which makes it dangerous to walk the dog day and night.
Number of dogs and fowling. Litter and dumping of rubbish.
Speed of vehicles on old Glasgow Road Uddingston, is used as a rat run to avoid main street. Pavement conditions off Uddingston main street are very poor. In poor weather walking routes off the Uddingston main street are never treated.
What does the verb 'wheeling' actually mean (presuming it is a verb)? Would anyone actually say I am away to wheel to the shops? Did you enjoy your wheel last night? If it means using scooters why not say so (scootering?)?
More traffic calming measures and traffic free streets, particularly around schools and ‘through roads’ of the villages. Shared spaces/road surfaces might be good, or tables to slow traffic down. Cars have such a priority in Lanarkshire, and this should change.
I don't drive and enjoy walking with my children. My youngest is still in a pram and my other son is age. Pavements are narrow and roads are busy. The number of vehicles parking on pavements means we have to walk on busy roads any time we are walking in Blantyre.
Blantyre has been ignored and time/cheap materials have made the nature walks a swim in the mud. I like to take my dog through but over the last 2 years I can't because of the mud, I would also like to take up running but can't because of lack of proper maintenance of nature paths in Blantyre. We pay a lot of taxes but don't get good facilities.
Please maintain cycle lanes
Ncn74 crossing south of redilees urban park is incredibly dangerous. The lights turned off for the length of Bardykes road is also dangerous. As an aside, this survey is ammaturish and embarrassing.
Walking routes (for pleasure purposes) are not well known or publicised
Really missing a safe cycle route from Uddingston to Cambuslang to join up with other cycle networks. Currently signposted to a very busy windy road through Newton which is tricky to drive never mind cycle!
Issues cycling from Hamilton into Bothwell - Hamilton (Bothwell Road) has off road cycle lane up to the Raith Junction. However, there is no off or on road cycle lanes going into Bothwell and through Bothwell and Uddingston main streets. The main road in Bothwell is quite narrow, so I feel a bit unsafe with cars passing me as they are usually too close. I have been cycling for more than a year now, but for beginners who are nervous on the road, this could stop them from cycling at all. Also the off road cycle lanes are not well advertised, I managed to locate them using Google maps but not everyone will have access to apps when out and about.
B7071 could have segregated cycle route, not shared with pedestrians, along its entire length, through use of raised rubber markers, wands, kerbs. No safe cycle route to new UWE in Blantyre from Bothwell, Uddingston, Blantyre or Hamilton
Far too many houses built without sufficient planning for the huge increase in traffic. Roads are far too busy to the extent that cycling is dangerous and getting around not safe for children to do independently
Speeding is an issue
if you want people not to use their cars then upgrade the safety of the paths. Additionally, teach cyclists how to cycle responsibly. Pedestrians do have the right away and they should not just wizz past without some sort of announcement or bell ringing. Serious accidents will happen due to cyclists not adhering to the rules
Both villages are overloaded with the amount of new housing and commuters now living here we either need more /better roads or additional train lines to connect easily with individual demands
I would love The main Rd from bothwell to Uddingston to have a cycle lane if they removed the islands to encourage simple everyday journey.
los of bins on pavements and too many cars
To many lorries unnecessarily cut through. I would limit the size and weight.
The main issue is the excessive volume of cars and in particular commercial vehicles on local roads making cycling and walking extremely hazardous. The volume of traffic through Uddingston and Bothwell has increased dramatically in recent years causing road chaos at peak times.
need for cyclable connection from Newton to Uddiongston need for cyclable connection between Bothwell Bridge and Mount Vernon need for controlled crossing on Wilkie road, Uddingston at Bellshill road/Wilkie Road junction need for continued NCR 74 cycle path along Wilkie Road, Uddingston need for safe connection on NCR 74 from Laighlands, Bothwell on to raith Interchange need for improved surface on The Glebe, Bothwell need for better cleaning and gritting when icy on the NCR 74 and NCR 75 and other walkable/cyclabe routes
Lack of cycle path between bothwell and uddingston stifles cycle traffic as the road is too busy and unsafe.
Traffic does not adhere to speed limits or no entry signs I have witnessed accidents involving cycling and cars
Traffic is required to sustain our village shops/cafes/bars. wouldn't like to see cycle lanes through main st, causing more congestion and pressure on parking facilities
It would be great if you could access from The Lido garden at Bothwell bridge to the big field that joins up with the Clyde walkway. This would allow me to easily walk a loop from the lido to David Livingston bridge and back through Bothwell. I saw that completing this stretch was on the core paths plan including a set of steps, but it has never been completed.
There is far too much motor traffic on our streets. Facilities for active travel need to be greatly increased and filters and low traffic neighbourhoods introduced to stop through traffic and rat runs in residential areas, and also encourage people to use their local areas more.
Need a walking/ cycle route from Uddingston to Newton for school children and general population Need a cycle route from Bothwell Bridge to connect with Mount Vernon and Velodrome in Glasgow Improved road surface on the Glebe Road Bothwell Removal of leaves and gritting of pathways when icy. Access to public toilets. Start a cycle scheme for this similar to disabled toilet scheme.
Parking of cars on pavement on the Fallside Road. This has been a long standing problem. Unable to get double buggy up to main street without crossing road or going on pavement. They told me they were not illegally parked. The area at St Brides School is dangerous, cars going to fast, its a bottle neck in the morning. Not enough play areas for teenagers need a skate board park.
The Cycle path I use to access the Strathclyde park is Dangerous because it is used illegally by Heavy Trucks. I have notified the Council about this problem , So far No action Taken The New Cycle path created By Scottish road Partnership is very good, But the litter problem and fly tipping is dreadful.
I am always a bit worried 're uneven drains at the side of the road and going over them on my bike. Do SLC check the condition of the drains to ensure cycling over them is safe? Swerving to avoid them is very dangerous.
Far too much general traffic on the roads throughout Bothwell and Uddingston. Particularly the large lorries that have to access their bases off Bellshill Road and Fallside. The roads are full of pot holes and on a Friday from about 11 am the whole area Uddingston/Bothwell main streets are terribly congested with traffic queueing down the main streets and that is in the middle of this pandemic, shocking. Also lack of parking in both villages the carparks are full and Uddingston Station cannot cope with the amount of cars driving from other areas to park and ride from Uddingston the whole street is full of parked cars. Bothwell simply just doesn't have any where enough parking spaces. All routes to all primary and secondary schools in the area are awful - people just park anywhere they can so that they can drop their kids at school and there is just no provision for this at all at. It causes frustration to drivers and local residents alike.
I think this is a disgrace and a complete waste of money.
I walk everyday in these areas and dog waste bins are almost non existent. Benches to rest and enjoy the surroundings would be nice too
Repairs to the section of A721 road between roundabouts would help improve cycling safety as well as reducing the speed limit to 40mph. The pathway is not suitable for cycling due to debris and broken glass leading to higher risk of punctures. Upgrading this section of road with cycling in mind would help to provide a safer and more practical option for commuting/leisure cycling to and from Glasgow city centre.
The traffic free sections of NCN routes in Uddingston, Bothwell and Blantyre are a lifeline in these areas. There's a lack of other safe cycling routes and Bothwell has very few off road east-west routes. In Bothwell, long-standing issues like the link to the Raith Interchange paths and mud at Olifard Ave filter need to be sorted out. More/improved off road routes would help increase active travel, like the path along the south edge of the golf course (if not, then continuous pavement/cycle path on Castle Ave instead of alternating). Also, if The Glebe could be filtered to make it safer for walking/cycling (so the craters in surface could be fixed without speeding up cars and making road safety worse). Improved paths off NCN74 like Ailsa Dr–Hornal St, Laighmuir St or to link to Old Mill Rd bridge. NCN74 through housing near St Bride's is convoluted/on narrow paths that should be widened as much as possible (Barbae Pl/the Shuttle/east of Knockburnie Dr). Need direct cycle routes on main roads like B7071 (remove hatching that wastes space – very well used walking route too during summer). Segregated cycleway towards A74/A271 is important for Lanarkshire as a whole, to hopefully link with London Rd (via whatever happens in NLC area). Blantyre's Glasgow Rd route should be widened into grass verges (and footways elsewhere like Stonefield Rd or Blantyre Farm Rd). The shops at the Main St are a barrier to cycling where the route crosses sides onto Station Rd. The EK Expressway, and its underpass, is also a barrier between Blantyre and Burnbank – some people walk around the edge of the roundabout to avoid it. The painted cycle route on Calder St is often blocked by parked cars and needs to be improved. Sections of Victoria Rd are wide enough for a segregated cycleway and could link to sections on Burnbrae Rd and the path to Anford Pl near Auchinraith Ave.
If walking with pram from Blantyre to uddingston via Blantyre ferme road just after redlees quarry there is no path to get to the crossing from one side of the road (junction to Newton back roads) to the walk/cycle path meaning having to take pram on a dangerous part of the backroad where it is a 40mph speedlimit this is a really good walk however would not risk again. If pavement was made on one side of road it would make use of this path easier or if the crossing was at the redlees quarry to other side of road this would also make this safer to cross.
The potential to improve the network is huge. There are some good parts of the NCN in this area but there are gaping holes linking Uddingston to Clyde walkway.

- Placecheck Full Results

Table 7 below provides the full results of the Placecheck online mapping where respondents could add: Things I like, Things I don’t like and Things we need to work on.

Please note, a very small number of comments received in the survey have been removed where personal data was recorded in order to protect privacy. Where possible, the rest of the comments which do not identify personal data have been retained.

Table 7 - Placecheck Online Map Full Comments and Comment Locations

Category	What is it?	Why am I adding it?	Latitude	Longitude
Things I don't like	Castle Ave	Pavement stops and starts should be continuous. Seems like there's space for a segregated cycleway too.	55.8069	-4.08766
Things I don't like	Hume Dr no drop kerbs at path	Could do with drop kerbs on either side of Hume Dr hardly any on whole street.	55.8105	-4.07052
Things I don't like	Steps on path	A shame there are steps as it could've been a handy link between Green St/Glebe Ave (though it is steep).	55.8042	-4.06214
Things I don't like	End of Olifard Ave	Have to trail through mud but only needs a short bit of path and drop kerbs to connect to the Glebe.	55.8067	-4.05958
Things I don't like	No safe crossing for pedestrians	No path to walkway on other side of road making it dangerous and off putting to walk this way	55.817	-4.10478
Things I don't like	Remains of bollard in middle of path	Hazard in the dark. Stump of melted bollard needs replaced with metal reflective one.	55.8143	-4.0719
Things I don't like	Path that always floods	Perpetual puddle on this path. I saw last time it had a drainage strip across it blocked and frozen with icy puddle on top. Drain strip probably better along edge (or just redo whole path properly).	55.7858	-4.08333
Things I don't like	Vehicle congestion problems	Several car accidents around this location with parents driving their children to St Brides primary school. Better access routes, one way system, pelican crossing, 15 mph speed limit or a combination of these suggestions.	55.8116	-4.0706
Things I don't like	ST Brides School	Drop off and collection of kids. Roads around school are congested, future planning perhaps some kind of one way system. Limit speed and cars. already in place for Bothwell primary,.	55.8121	-4.07114
Things I don't like	Parking on pavement of usually a row of cars	Been several accidents over the years. Really busy road not enough space left for double buggy to use pavement.	55.8069	-4.06812
Things I don't like	Uneven surface difficult to walk on	Some sections are maintained others are not. Difficult for wheelchair access.	55.8061	-4.06224
Things I don't like	Condition of the path	Not maintained difficult to walk on and very difficult for wheelchair users.	55.8088	-4.0695
Things I don't like	The flooded juntion to carpark at Douglas Arms	This area was dug up and re surfaced and afterwards a huge puddle covers the width of the crossing area. I would have assumed the contractor would have been responsible. A broad speed bump could be a quick cure to the issue.	55.803	-4.06854
Things I don't like	Overgrown and dangerous	This is a popular route but is in extremely poor condition to a point of being dangerous.	55.8087	-4.06824
Things I don't like	Main Street	Protruding kerb and bad road surface make this dangerous for cyclists	55.8235	-4.08502
Things I don't like	Bothwell Main Street	Parking of cars restricts cyclability	55.8026	-4.06767
Things I don't like	uncyclable connection of ncn 74	dangerous and getting worse	55.8007	-4.05813
Things I don't like	parking	inhibits cycling	55.8025	-4.06711
Things I don't like	Foot path	New residents have cut down trees for better view and left hanging and dangerous. Blocking footpath.	55.8005	-4.08069
Things I don't like	Under bridge	Teens have been using area for drugs and have trolleys down there as chairs	55.7993	-4.09079
Things I don't like	Dangerous crossing point	Have to cross from side to side as pedestrian to continue journey due to no footpath on one side and also then the other at gable . Line of sight and speed of traffic is concern	55.7925	-4.10776
Things I don't like	This junction is difficult to cross as a pedestrian. due to lack of paving sight lines especially in the dark big lorries turning and speed of traffic	Dangerous	55.7822	-4.08287
Things I don't like	Junction difficult to cross if you are disabled or slow or with children	Not safe	55.7838	-4.08589
Things I don't like	Underpass not safe too use too dark overgrown bushes obstruct path very missy slippy . Make route pedestrians actually use safer with paving and crossing	Not safe	55.7842	-4.08785
Things I don't like	Pavement needs repaired very uneven cracked potholes	Dangerous	55.7985	-4.08686
Things I don't like	Clyde Avenue	Unacceptable traffic levels in small narrow residential street caused by huge overdevelopment.	55.8003	-4.07522
Things I don't like	Public right of way closed	This public right of way was stolen as an access route between the glebe and glebe Wynd so someone could expand their garden. It was a great walking route that should be reinstated.	55.806	-4.06143
Things I don't like	Fallside Road	Speed of traffic and volume of traffic is terrible. Needs serious calming measures so it isnt treated like a main thoroughfare.	55.8086	-4.06717
Things I don't like	No crossing - lights , zebra etc for 1000 metres (approx)	From the East Kilbride expressway, there is no crossings until St Cuthberts Church im Burnbank ....Why is this? It is the same in the opposite direction. I fail to understand the lack of crossings for this part of Blantyre. Again especially as this is a School route	55.7831	-4.08299
Things I don't like	Large road crossing at Blantyre Industrial estate	Dangerous - far too open a crossing. No middle Island, lights etc. School kids, parents pushing pranks are expected to cross this.Far too risky, especially with the large vehicles with restricted vision that go via this junction .	55.7838	-4.08624
Things I don't like	Underpass going under EK express way - to Blantyre industrial estate	Dangerous - local people would rather walk on the roads edge or on the mucky 'path', across two slip roads than risk going via the double underpass. This has been the case for at least 40 years. The muck path needs to be turned in to a proper path and tragic lights need to be introduced - plenty of examples of this set up all over Scotland. I would anyone in doubt stand at the stairs for 30 mins and you would see this in action.	55.7851	-4.08895
Things I don't like	Play park	Park is ok but drainage is so poor that it remains waterlogged most of the time, could drainage be addressed?	55.7939	-4.08813
Things I don't like	Clyde walkway	Footpath lacking compared to Bothwell side upgrade to the same standard required	55.8026	-4.08794
Things I don't like	Only access to new support hub	This will cause traffic chaos, there was the chance to build a roundabout, or implement a one way system and bring a true high street centre to the town	55.7947	-4.09285
Things I don't like	Norrow road	Dangerous	55.8279	-4.10308
Things I don't like	Narrow bridge	Dangerous for Walker and cyclists	55.8293	-4.10095
Things I don't like	Kylepark drive	traffic speeding -need calming measures	55.8252	-4.09417
Things I don't like	Roundabout on Kylepark Road	Very dangerous driving at roundabout. Improved measures needed	55.827	-4.09547
Things I don't like	Glasgow Road	There is a lack of places to cross safely with a pram	55.8278	-4.08967
Things I don't like	Crossing for National cycling route	No signage- people often ge lost	55.8234	-4.08466
Things I don't like	The Junction N74 on Blantyre Farm Road	The cycling route is dangerous and needs improved	55.8171	-4.1046
Things I like	New lights on Bellshill Rd	Makes the route safer and seem to be automatic saves pressing button during pandemic.	55.8179	-4.07348
Things I like	Clyde Walkway	This missing section of the Clyde walkway should be completed. The present unofficial path has a steep descent which is dangerous.	55.7958	-4.08121
Things I like	Footpath to Stoneymeadow Road	Improve tarmac surfacing and cut back vegetation. This avoids the park and is a more direct route to/from East Kilbride.	55.7842	-4.121
Things I like	Rosalyn's Brae	Great addition to the area allowing access to the Clyde	55.798	-4.07367
Things I like	Footbridge	Great footway link between the 2 communities and to access woodland walkway to uddingston	55.8021	-4.08078
Things I like	Foot path to David Livingston bridge	Good footpath with nice views, not well known	55.799	-4.08415
Things I like	Centre refurbishment	Great to see it being upgraded, hope there is marketing support, and some local upgrades to support	55.8022	-4.08318
Things I like	Nature Trail	Coming soon - new footpath/cycle access to Miller Homes development.	55.7987	-4.07413
Things I like	Bridge across M74	Its an excellent connection across to the Old Mine park	55.8081	-4.05872
Things we need to work on	Muddy bit of path	Useful wee cut-through but often muddy as people cut across end of grass. Would be better with wider path in line with bits either side (add bollard if necessary to stop parking on it).	55.8105	-4.07099
Things we need to work on	Path between Knockburnie Rd/Fallside Rd	Very bumpy path due to plant roots. Wider, smoother path would help as route to school, church and Kirklands.	55.811	-4.06832
Things we need to work on	Ferry Rd	Like the Glebe, could be great walking/cycling link if it could be fixed up and filtered.	55.8021	-4.0682
Things we need to work on	Old Bothwell Rd corner	No drop kerb at corner of Old Bothwell Rd (it's on way to/from crossing to get to path to Raith). Other corner has drop kerb under mud.	55.7963	-4.05865
Things we need to work on	Path between Castle Ave and Bothwell Uddingston Main Road	Path very muddy in wet weather	55.8094	-4.08518
Things we need to work on	Path by golf course to Castle	Path very muddy in wet weather	55.8066	-4.08214
Things we need to work on	Path by Golf Course from Bothwell to Castle	Path very muddy in wet weather	55.8074	-4.08539
Things we need to work on	Area to locate garden allotments.	Blantyre has no allotments for a town this size.	55.8081	-4.0992
Things we need to work on	Display Map of Walks	To encourage visitor to take walks	55.8018	-4.08267
Things we need to work on	Road Sign	To warn that pedestrian crossing road	55.7916	-4.10782
Things we need to work on	Road Sign	Warning of Pedestrians Crossing the road	55.7929	-4.10762
Things we need to work on	55.808	-4.06979
Things we need to work on	Bothwell Rd.	Cycle path possible	55.8134	-4.08028
Things we need to work on	Blanyreferme Rd to Newton	NCN 75 is dangerous to cycle. Pupils from Newton cannot cycle to Uddingston Grammar. A dedicated cycle/walking path is essential	55.8182	-4.11032
Things we need to work on	footbridge over Clyde	Condition of Bridge very tatty looking	55.8227	-4.09557
Things we need to work on	M74 bridge and onwards	Link-in with N. Lanarkshire in creating continupous cycle path to join with development on London Road by Glasgow	55.828	-4.08992
Things we need to work on	Main Street	Cycle path required	55.8254	-4.08709
Things we need to work on	Main Street	Parked cars inhibit safer cycling - space to facilitate cycle path	55.8202	-4.08282
Things we need to work on	Greenrig Street	Poor surface and rarely gritted but often used by wheelchair users	55.8215	-4.08193
Things we need to work on	Old Mill Road	dangerous incline on pavement makes difficulty for chaired people or buggies	55.821	-4.0812
Things we need to work on	Old Mill Road	Controlled crossiong for children using the playpark	55.8205	-4.08125
Things we need to work on	Tunnel under M74	Requires regula sweeping of glass (perhaps shared with NLC)	55.8225	-4.0737
Things we need to work on	NCN 74	Requires more regular sweeping - leaves and glass - and gritting in Winter	55.8196	-4.07421
Things we need to work on	Wilkie Rd./Bellshill Rd.	Need for controlled crossing over Wilkie Rd to tie-in with new crossing on Bellshill Rd.	55.8177	-4.07311
Things we need to work on	Wilkie Road	No cycle path and inadequate pavement for a well-frequented road	55.8154	-4.07226
Things we need to work on	Wilkie Road/Cycle path	Dangerous junction for cyclists and pedestrians to cross	55.8144	-4.07197
Things we need to work on	Old Glasgow Road/Bothwell Main Street	Dangerous entry for cycling either way	55.7989	-4.06344
Things we need to work on	Sweethope estate connection with the Glebe	no connection for cyclists or walkers	55.8067	-4.0594
Things we need to work on	the Glebe/Crow Brae	very poor surface	55.8055	-4.0599
Things we need to work on	Bothwell Bridge	very poor surface for cycling	55.7958	-4.05788
Things we need to work on	Stoneymeadow Road	Improve main cycle route to East Kilbride from High Blantyre - at a minimum painted have paint cycle lanes	55.783	-4.12986
Things we need to work on	B7012 High Blantyre to Stoneymeadow Road	Extend safe cycle lanes towards Stoneymeadow Road and back to High Blantyre	55.7851	-4.11695
Things we need to work on	Right of Way from DL Bridge to Clyde Ave.	Hardcore resurfacing required to improve access for all.	55.8008	-4.07807
Things we need to work on	Train Station	A great spot for Bothwell Park and Ride Train Station	55.8148	-4.0523
Things we need to work on	Footpath missing	The path starts and stops requiring pedestrians to cross multiple times. The base layers were put in but covered in top soil. Bizarre	55.8187	-4.06815
Things we need to work on	Footpath	Footpath connecting Craighall viaduct to David Livingston Bridge	55.7969	-4.0778
Things we need to work on	Footpath	Connect footpath from David Livingston Bridge to the nature walk.	55.7996	-4.08119
Things we need to work on	Nature walk	Lack of pavement and area ignored by council works with the trash all over the hills	55.7987	-4.09146
Things we need to work on	Bad paths	People can't enjoy nature walk	55.8008	-4.09348
Things we need to work on	Green hall park paths	Parts of path badly eroded / land slip due to water erosion on slope needs repaired . Also some safety barriers needed at a few places at edge of gorge or signage to show where path is	55.7861	-4.11977
Things we need to work on	Continue footpath cycle way alongside expressway to sydes brae to join up walking route safer cycle route to East Kilbride	55.7827	-4.13309
Things we need to work on	Bothwell Cross	Pedestrian crossing timing takes ages to allow to cross, and too short a time frame when it does. Put pedestrians first over traffic.	55.8043	-4.06992
Things we need to work on	Glebe	Please make car free route and safe for walking and cycling	55.8055	-4.0655
Things we need to work on	Bothwell Main Street	Traffic reduction and speed slowing measures needed - shared raised surfaces may help. It should not be a through road between Hamilton and uddingston as a short cut - the village should be a community space where shops can have proper seating on street, with pedestrians given full priority over cars.	55.8026	-4.06728
Things we need to work on	Over grown/ untainted part of track	If upgraded could be a good part of a circular walk way with some good parts , Blantyre , Uddingston, Bothwell	55.8034	-4.09727
Things we need to work on	Over grown/ untainted part of track	If upgraded could be a good part of a circular walk way with some good parts , Blantyre , Uddingston, Bothwell	55.8034	-4.09727
Things we need to work on	Missing link to a circular route for walking and cycling	This is the missing path of what could be a great Clyde circular route , Blantyre, Bothwell, Uddingston	55.7955	-4.07023
Things we need to work on	Missing link to a circular route for walking and cycling	This is the missing path of what could be a great Clyde circular route , Blantyre, Bothwell, Uddingston	55.7955	-4.07023
Things we need to work on	Path from Glasgow road to station road	With some improvement to path and possibly lighting this cold provide a key route avoiding roads linking Blantyre and Bothwell	55.8013	-4.08894
Things we need to work on	Bus stops for walking route to David Livingston centre	Signage and promotion of these bus stops could be good for the best walking route to the upgraded tourist attraction would be good . Upgrade of walking route would be needed	55.7956	-4.09717
Things we need to work on	Bus stops for walking route to David Livingston centre	Signage and promotion of these bus stops could be good for the best walking route to the upgraded tourist attraction would be good . Upgrade of walking route would be needed	55.7956	-4.09717
Things we need to work on	A dead end trail.	There is an old bridge connecting Blantyre and Bothwell which was an ancient bridge which is long gone. There is then a steep drop you could make a continuation of the trail, leading to the Whistleberry Industrial Estate. Which would link nicely to the EK expressway going to Bothwell.	55.7957	-4.07393
Things we need to work on	Blantyre Train Station	This road is cracking in line with the bridge itself which goes over the rail line. The bridge brickwork is also see through in places with cracks running down it.	55.7977	-4.08768
Things we need to work on	David Livingstone Bridge	The bridge is corroding and it needs a maintenance check and paint or it will go faster than the last bridge. The lights on it were smashed along the top of both hands rails. It would be nice to have them reinstalled.	55.8019	-4.08212
Things we need to work on	Forrest st path	Continue path to walkway to EK bypass path which goes down to Bothwell bridge .	55.7958	-4.08247
Things we need to work on	Fermeroad	Need to replace dead trees & fill gaps with new trees	55.7999	-4.10496
Things we need to work on	Hoolets car park	A display map showing walks up to Greenhall.	55.7924	-4.10794
Things we need to work on	Entrance to The Dandy and path to David Livingston Centre.	Need for a Display showing the walk to David Livingstone Centre	55.7958	-4.09668
Things we need to work on	Path required to green bridge at Uddingston	Need a circular walk from David Livingston Centre along Clyde to Uddingston connecting up to Clyde walkway.	55.8176	-4.09558
Things we need to work on	Carvings & Priory	Safe Access to this area from David Livingston Centre	55.8103	-4.09756
Things we need to work on	Carvings & Priory	We need access to this area from David Livingstone Centre.	55.8026	-4.09395
Things we need to work on	Disused football changing pavilion	Poor state of repair - suggest demolition and formation of a good cycle/walking link between Appledore Cres. and Knockburnie Rd.	55.8107	-4.06939
Things we need to work on	B758 Blantyre Farm Road	A safe cycle/walking link and crossing from NCR74 to Redlees Park is required on a very busy road.	55.8167	-4.10473
Things we need to work on	David Livingston Bridge	Deck surfacing is showing signs of wear & tear - "a stitch in time" ??	55.802	-4.08164
Things we need to work on	A724 Hamilton Road	Quality segregated cycle lanes required from Blantyre to Cambuslang to encourage safe cycle commuting.	55.8022	-4.11384
Things we need to work on	Ferry Road	Badly potholed resurfacing required to form footpath.	55.8022	-4.06893
Things we need to work on	Entrance from Bothwell to Old Mine Nature Park	Serious flooding from Park under railway bridge making access difficult.	55.816	-4.05539
Things we need to work on	Calder Road NCR74	Safe route required to Newton	55.8174	-4.10642
Things we need to work on	NC74	The missing link of the whole network- needs complete. Dangerous for kids to cycle the road to Newton Farm Road	55.8277	-4.09907
Things we need to work on	river clyde walk way	improve footpath condition	55.8194	-4.09367
Things we need to work on	Raith intersection	Traffic light sequence doesnt work, the middle island is too narrow to have a bike on	55.8001	-4.05773
Things we need to work on	Sheepburn Road	Narrow uneven pavement and speeding. Consider homezone and remove path	55.8257	-4.09003
Things we need to work on	Nature Trail	Repair required to tarmacadam footpath at exit to Clyde Terrace	55.8013	-4.07364
Things we need to work on	Link to Olifard Ave.	Short length of path required to create formal path to link The Glebe to Olifard Ave.	55.8067	-4.05942
Things we need to work on	The Glebe	Terrific link to village but in a very poor state. Requires safe footpath/cycle path free from vehicular traffic. Unfortunately private lane with unknown ownership.	55.8054	-4.06525
Things we need to work on	End of Raith Inter. cycle path at Laighlands Road	Unfinished road/end of cycle path adjacent to Scottish Water Pumping Station now used as "rat run" by motor vehicles accessing Bellshill Road. Road resurfacing required together with "serious" bollards.	55.8006	-4.05794
Things we need to work on	Wilkie Road	NCR74 requires segregated cycle lanes. This road is used by heavy lorries as it serves Bothwell Industrial Estate. Unsafe for children walking or cycling to two local primary schools.	55.8159	-4.07244
Things we need to work on	B7071	Remove traffic islands and construct segregated cycle lanes to Powburn Toll. Work with NLC to link up to new cycle lanes on London Road.	55.826	-4.08775
Things we need to work on	Uddingston town Main Street	Reconfigure Main Street to allow for more pleasant walking/shopping experience & safer on road cycling.	55.8191	-4.08225
Things we need to work on	traffic islands on B7071	Remove traffic islands and construct segregated cycle lanes from Bothwell to Uddingston.	55.8076	-4.07418
Things we need to work on	Bothwell village	Speed cameras required to slow traffic through village to max. 20mph	55.8027	-4.06789
Things we need to work on	Bothwell Bridge footpath	resurfacing required	55.7959	-4.05805

- Public Life Survey

Uddingston Public Life Survey

Public Life Survey: Introduction and Method

AECOM has been commissioned by South Lanarkshire Council to undertake an appraisal using the Gehl ‘Twelve Quality Criteria’, to inform the Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston Active Travel Feasibility Study.

This report provides an appraisal of Main Street in Uddingston and the study area is shown in Figure C.1.

The report has been carried out by a Chartered Landscape Architect using professional judgement in response to the criteria. The structure is as follows:

Location plan;

Summary of analysis against the Twelve Quality Criteria, including scoring;

Annotated photo record;

Typical section;

Summary diagram of scoring;

Observations; and

Recommendations.

Public Life Survey: Twelve Quality Criteria Method

Gehl’s Twelve Quality Criteria has been developed as a ‘tool for researching how public spaces are experienced by their users’ and to assess if a space has features which are protective, comfortable and enjoyable, as without these functions the quality of public space is reduced and people are less likely to want to use the space (Gehl, 2021). It is part of a suite of Public Life Survey tools developed by Gehl.

The study area was decided on to reflect the main commercial area and area of public life within Uddingston and the boundaries were refined following the on site appraisal to focus on the main area of activity.

The AECOM Landscape Architect used the Gehl Twelve Quality Criteria to conduct an independent appraisal of the study area, looking at the three themes of Protection, Comfort, and Enjoyment. The appraisal took place on Wednesday 27th January 2021. The full Quality Criteria Assessment criteria can be found online31 Gehl 12 Quality Criteria Method Public Life Survey https://gehlpeople.com/tools/twelve-quality-criteria/ .

Each of the criteria have been scored as below.

1 = No

2 = In-between

3 = Yes

Therefore, the highest scores represent qualities of the public space that are strongest.

Figure C.3 illustrates the spread of the scores.

Uddingston Public Life Survey: Limitations

The findings of this appraisal are limited to observations at the time of the site survey. The survey was conducted on Wednesday 27th January 2021 and the weather conditions were as follows; 2-4°C between morning and mid-afternoon, light fog clearing to cloudy and light rain. There were light winds through the day.

The survey was also conducted during the COVID-19 global pandemic and at a time in which Scotland was under National Lockdown restrictions, which is likely to have had a strong influence on the public life activity observed.

The survey was conducted from publicly accessible locations and no technical or practical problems were incurred.

Uddingston Public Life Survey: Location

Figure C.1 Uddingston Main Street Public Life Survey Area

Uddingston Public Life Survey: Twelve Quality Criteria Summary

Table C-1 Uddingston Twelve Quality Criteria Summary: Protection

Criteria	Summary	Score
Protection against traffic and accidents	Traffic controlled crossings are located at regular intervals to allow safe crossing. The speed limit is 30mph and there are no cycle lanes, reducing the level of protection. Footways are wider to the west side of the carriageway and were observed as being busier with pedestrian movement.	2
Protection against harm by others	The area is busy during the day with commercial and residential land uses, creating footfall, in addition to the employees of the Tunnocks Bakery, which provides good natural surveillance. The area is well lit and there are a number of pubs and restaurants which help to make the area feel safe in the evening.	3
Protection against unpleasant sensory experience	The road is busy and generates noise and pollution smells, Bellshill Road Greenspace provides relief from the traffic. There is no shelter from the elements with the exception occasional shop awnings.	3

Table C-2 Uddingston Twelve Quality Criteria Summary: Comfort

Criteria	Summary	Score
Options for mobility	The width of both footways exceeds 1.8m, allowing for comfortable passing between two pedestrians/wheelchair users. Crossing build-outs assist with mobility across the street, although frequent areas of on street parking restricts pedestrian movement and visibility. The space has linear routes which are direct and easy to navigate.	2
Options to stand and linger	People tend to linger to the front of shops. Workers linger to the front of the Tunnocks Building and spill-out into the surrounding streets.	3
Options for sitting	There are a number of benches clustered at the greenspace (3 no.) and to the front of Park Church (2 no.). There is a small amount of commercial seating to the front of a few restaurants and pubs.	2
Options for seeing	There are pleasant views over Bellshill Road Greenspace from one of the benches in the greenspace, although all other benches face directly towards the road corridor with views of the street scene. From seating at Park Church looking north, there are elevated views towards hills in the distance.	2
Options for talking and listening/ hearing	There are opportunities for people to sit together to have conversations or to stop and have conversations in the street.	3
Options for play, exercise, and activities	Bellshill Road Greenspace offers the potential for informal play, activities and exercise, and the planting compliments these uses, however there are no specific features to promote this use. The covered bike stands encourage cycling within the area.	2

Table C-3 Uddingston Twelve Quality Criteria Summary: Enjoyment

Criteria	Summary	Score
Scale	The street is enclosed by predominantly 2 to 4 storey buildings. To the north of Spindlehowe Road many of the buildings are elevated above the street with tall retaining walls which creates inactive façades, although the scale of the walls is human scale with regular access points.	3
Opportunities to enjoy the positive aspects of climate	Seating at Bellshill Road Greenspace is located in areas which benefit from open sun light. Due to the north-south alignment the east side is shaded in the morning and the west side is shaded in the afternoon.	3
Experience of aesthetic qualities and positive sensory experience	Public realm materials are of higher quality to the west side of the street. Asphalt surfacing to the east side and low quality bollards reduces the quality of the space. Trees and ornamental planting within Bellshill Road Greenspace and within private gardens contribute to the character of the area.	2

Uddingston Public Life Survey: Photo Record

Table C-4 Uddingston Public Life Survey Photo Record and Summaries

C4 1: West side of the Street

This side has higher quality surfacing materials and feels like the ‘main’ commercial area, despite there also being many commercial businesses to the east side.

C4 2: East side of the street

The east side of the street has lower quality materials. Land use includes commercial business south of Spindlehowe Road and residential properties to the north.

C4 3: Inactive edges (retaining walls) and on street parking

The retaining walls often found to the north of the area, predominately to the east side, create inactive edges and reduce interaction between the street and surrounding buildings. On street parking reduces pedestrian visibility and mobility.

C4 4: Buildings

Buildings have a consistent red sandstone palette and there are several landmark buildings including Uddingston Park Church (above).

C4 5: Greenspace

There is a small greenspace next to Bellshill Road with mature trees, benches and ornamental planting.

C4 6: Cycle stands

There is a covered area for cycle parking within the Bellshill Road Greenspace.

Uddingston Public Life Survey: Typical Section

Figure C.2 Typical Cross Section of Uddingston Main Street Survey Area

Please note: all measurements are approximate

Uddingston Public Life Survey: Scoring Summary Diagram

Figure C.3 Summary of Uddingston Public Life Scoring

Uddingston Public Life Survey: Observations

Table C-5: Uddingston Public Life Survey Observations

Themes	Observations
Protection	The street has good natural surveillance and feels safe; however, the busy road corridor and speed of traffic reduces protection.
Comfort	Bellshill Road Greenspace adds to the overall comfort of the street by providing relief from the traffic, however on street parking, traffic and a lack of seating along the street reduce comfort.
Enjoyment	Historic buildings and the Bellshill Road Greenspace and trees within gardens/church grounds positively contributes to the enjoyment of the area, however aspects of the public realm treatment reduces the overall quality.

It should be noted that the physical survey was conducted on Wednesday the 27th of January 2021 during a period of national restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is likely that these restrictions will have had a strong influence on the public life activity observed during the surveys.

Uddingston Public Life Survey: Recommendations

Overall, the speed of traffic and on street parking disproportionately focuses on high movement function.

The place function was judged to be medium. The imbalanced nature of the east and west footways sees commercial activity predominantly focused along the west which creates a disconnect.

Therefore, the main recommendation of the Public Life Survey was to unify the two sides of the street so that Main Street appears as one commercial area and increasing place function by;

Improving mobility and access across the street with better options for crossing.

Creating additional opportunities for sitting and opportunities for seeing between Bellshill Road Green Space and Uddingston Park Church; and

Developing a cohesive range of public realm materials, including planting/trees, which reflect the historic setting to increase the experience of aesthetic qualities and positive sensory experience.

Bothwell Public Life Survey

Bothwell Public Life Survey: Introduction and Method

Public Life Survey: Introduction and Method

AECOM has been commissioned by South Lanarkshire Council to undertake an appraisal using the Gehl ‘Twelve Quality Criteria’, to inform the Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston Active Travel Feasibility Study.

This report provides an appraisal of Main Street in Bothwell and the study area is shown in Figure C.14.

The report has been carried out by a Chartered Landscape Architect using professional judgement in response to the criteria. The structure is as follows:

Location plan;

Summary of analysis against the Twelve Quality Criteria, including scoring;

Annotated photo record;

Typical section;

Summary diagram of scoring;

Observations; and

Recommendations.

Public Life Survey: Twelve Quality Criteria Method

Gehl’s Twelve Quality Criteria has been developed as a ‘tool for researching how public spaces are experienced by their users’ and to assess if a space has features which are protective, comfortable and enjoyable, as without these functions the quality of public space is reduced and people are less likely to want to use the space (Gehl, 2021). It is part of a suite of Public Life Survey tools developed by Gehl.

The study area was decided on to reflect the main commercial area and area of public life within Uddingston and the boundaries were refined following the on site appraisal to focus on the main area of activity.

The AECOM Landscape Architect used the Gehl Twelve Quality Criteria to conduct an independent appraisal of the study area, looking at the three themes of Protection, Comfort, and Enjoyment. The appraisal took place on Wednesday 27th January 2021. The full Quality Criteria Assessment criteria can be found online32 Gehl 12 Quality Criteria Method Public Life Survey https://gehlpeople.com/tools/twelve-quality-criteria/ .

Each of the criteria have been scored as below.

1 = No

2 = In-between

3 = Yes

Therefore, the highest scores represent qualities of the public space that are strongest.

Figure C.36 illustrates the spread of the scores.

Bothwell Public Life Survey: Limitations

The findings of this appraisal are limited to observations at the time of the site survey.

The survey was conducted on 20th July 2021. Weather conditions were fine and sunny, approximately 250C.

The survey was conducted from publicly accessible locations within the study area.

Figure C.4 Bothwell Main Street Public Life Survey Area

Table C-6 Bothwell Twelve Quality Criteria Summary: Protection

Criteria	Summary	Score
Protection against traffic and accidents	Traffic speeds within the study area are 20mph, which assists with a perception of safety. To some extent, the presence of on-street parking creates temporary separation between pedestrians and moving traffic. There are some narrow sections of footway to the north of Main Street, parts of which are enclosed by pedestrian guardrails. There is no form of dedicated or advisory cycle lane.	2
Protection against harm by others	The survey was conducted during daylight hours. The public realm was busy,and is well-overlooked by adjacent buildings. Adjacent buildings are mixed-use, which is more likely to encourage activity throughout the day. Public realm areas are well maintained which assists in a perception of protection against harm by others. There are regular lighting columns within the study area. Adjacent mixed-use buildings are more likely to encourage activity into darkness hours.	3
Protection against unpleasant sensory experience	The Butterfly Sensory Garden, ‘Colliery Corner’ play area, and parts of the Bothwell Parish Church grounds are set back from the street, enclosed by low hedgerows and containing trees that offer some protection and shelter. The exception to this is the linear parklet area south of Ferry Road.The streetscape itself is narrow and enclosed. There are no areas that offer shelter from the weather, or provide a permanent buffer (vegetated, or otherwise) from traffic. Road noise is very noticeable, as is pollution odour when traffic is held at lights.	2

Table C-7 Uddingston Twelve Quality Criteria Summary: Comfort

Criteria	Summary	Score
Options for mobility	Footways to the north of Main Street are narrow in places, which restricts mobility. Elsewhere, the placement of bins on the footway could present obstacles for some people. Kerbs have relatively low upstands. There is only one controlled crossing within the study area, which limits options. Uncontrolled parking was observed on footway areas, creating obstacle to mobility. Nevertheless, the space is legible to navigate. The church spire provides an obvious landmark that guides people towards the centre, and the sequence of views on the approach from the north and south opens up towards the commercial centre.	2
Options to stand and linger	There are varied options to stand and linger. Shop frontages to the north and south of the commercial centre - where the footway is wider - are more articulated than those at the core, and the recesses along frontages offer good opportunities to stand against and wait within. Some commercial frontages and residential plots have low stone or brick walls that people were observed leaning / standing against.	3
Options for sitting	There are plentiful options for sitting within greenspace areas. Within the streetscape at the centre of the town there are no public seating options. Seating is provided by commercial premises, which therefore limits its use to customers and only within opening hours. There is seating to the north of the town centre, near the memorial and ‘Colliery Corner’.	2
Options for seeing	Greenspace areas have some visibility to the surrounding town, but are generally inward looking. At ‘Colliery Corner’ adjacent benches allow for glimpses to the church spire. Benches near the war memorial focus on this landmark. Seating within the linear parklet south of Ferry Road face the road.	2
Options for talking and listening/ hearing	The narrow, enclosed streetscape and lack of ‘soft’ vegetated features can increase the sound and reverberations from traffic noise. However, the slow speed of traffic does help limit its influence. Within greenspace areas talking, listening and hearing is likely to be easier.	2
Options for play, exercise, and activities	Greenspace areas offer some options for children to play and be active. The linear parklet space is adjacent to the road and therefore is not suitable for play. There are limited options for adults to exercise or be active.	2

Table C-8 Uddingston Twelve Quality Criteria Summary: Enjoyment

Criteria	Summary	Score
Scale	Enclosure at street level is comfortable. The surrounding buildings are generally 2 storey, with some 3 storey buildings at corner plots. The overall scale of the streetscape, taking into consideration the height of the buildings and width of the road, creates a human-scale environment where it is possible to relate to people across the space.	3
Opportunities to enjoy the positive aspects of climate	As described above, shelter from the weather is variable. Greenspaces have tree planting that provides seasonal shade / cover. These spaces tend to be set back from the road, contained by low hedges, that would tend to create a more pleasant micro-climate. The orientation of the street varies, but is broadly orientated along a north-west to south-east axis. This allows for different sides of the street to get sun in the morning and evening.	2
Experience of aesthetic qualities and positive sensory experience	Within the study area the town has a distinctive and generally consistent aesthetic of red sandstone and light-coloured render. Public realm material quality varies. Footways tend to be asphalt with red stone chips that relate to the colour of buildings, albeit having a basic and functional aesthetic. Wide natural stone kerbs within the town centre help add quality to pedestrian footways. New bollards within the streetscape have a brushed steel finish that provides a modern contrast to the historic built environment. Heritage-style lighting columns add quality and distinctiveness to the town centre environment.	3

Bothwell Public Life Survey: Photo Record

Table C-9 Bothwell Public Life Survey Photo Record and Summaries

C4 7: Buildings

There are mixed architectural styles and materials, with the landmark church spire visible above the rooflnes of buildings.

C4 8: Public realm materials

There is a consistent palette of materials within the town centre. Footways are asphalt with red stone chips. There are wide natural stone kerbs. More recent bollards have a brushed steel finish. Street furniture is finished in black.

C4 9: Public realm materials

In and near to greenspace areas there are a wide variety of public realm materials, including natural stone setts, concrete paving slabs, mono-block paving, and resin bound gravel.

C4 10: Street Parking

On street parking provides a buffer to traffic on one side of the street but, as with the bins on the footways, can restrict options for mobility.

C4 11: Greenspace

Greenspaces tend to be set back from the street, enclosed by low boundaries and containing a variety of tree planting. They provide an important refuge from the ‘hard’ streetscape, but they are not immediately legible from central parts of the town.

C4 12: Greenspace

The ‘Colliery Corner’ is a good example of a pocket park. This image shows the close relationship to the adjacent road. A maturing hedge boundary will provide enclosure over time.

C4 13: Greenspace

The linear greenspace south of Ferry Road is close to the town centre. A wide footway provides a buffer to traffic. However, it lacks the enclosure and activity value of other green spaces within the study area

C4 14: Scale

There is a comfortable human scale to much of the street within the town centre. Three storey plots tend to be located at junctions, or where the road widens, which helps to address enclosure

C4 15: Lingering

Walls and recesses along some shop frontages were being used to stand against / lean on and linger.

C4 16: Lingering

To the north of Main Street, the footway is noticeably more narrow, which may limit mobility for some. It meant that space for standing and lingering was somewhat limited

C4 17: Commercial seating

Within the town centre seating is predominantly allocated by commercial premises. This limits not only who uses it, but when.

C4 18: Commercial seating

However, commercial seating adds vibrancy and activity to the street. It also adds to natural surveillance.

Bothwell Public Life Survey: Typical Section

Figure C. 5 Typical Cross Section of Bothwell Main Street Survey Area

Please note: all measurements are approximate

Bothwell Public Life Survey: Scoring Summary Diagram

Figure C.6 Summary of Bothwell Public Life Scoring

Bothwell Public Life Survey: Observations

Table C-10: Bothwell Public Life Survey Observations

Themes	Observations
Protection	Protection scores less highly due to the exposed nature of the public realm within the town centre, both to the weather and also to road traffic
Comfort	Comfort is reduced by the exposed nature of the street and lack of options for seeing and for play, exercise and recreation.
Enjoyment	As highlighted above, the exposure of parts of the public realm limits its use and enjoyment at different times of the day / year.

Bothwell Public Life Survey Recommendations

Overall, the speed of traffic and on street parking disproportionately focuses on high movement

The central parts of the study area focus on vehicular movement function, which reduces protection, comfort and enjoyment of the public realm. Place function is higher at the outer extents of the study area. The main recommendations are to improve place function to offer relief and protection from unpleasant sensory experience from the busy road with improved options for sitting and lingering, by;

Incorporating planting within the streetscape to provide separation from the road corridor and to improve protection and comfort for pedestrians.

Enhance options for mobility across the street, including to important greenspaces - to better link them into the town fabric.

Investigate the feasibility of public (i.e. non-commercial) seating within central parts of the town to improve options for sitting, taking into consideration the need to make these places for seeing, talking, listening, and hearing.

Blantyre Public Life Survey

Public Life Survey: Introduction and Method

AECOM has been commissioned by South Lanarkshire Council to undertake an appraisal using the Gehl ‘Twelve Quality Criteria’, to inform the Bothwell, Blantyre and Uddingston Active Travel Feasibility Study.

This report provides an appraisal of Main Street in Blantyre and the study area is shown in Figure C.17.

The report has been carried out by a Chartered Landscape Architect using professional judgement in response to the criteria. The structure is as follows:

Location plan;

Summary of analysis against the Twelve Quality Criteria, including scoring;

Annotated photo record;

Typical section;

Summary diagram of scoring;

Observations; and

Recommendations.

Public Life Survey: Twelve Quality Criteria Method

Gehl’s Twelve Quality Criteria has been developed as a ‘tool for researching how public spaces are experienced by their users’ and to assess if a space has features which are protective, comfortable and enjoyable, as without these functions the quality of public space is reduced and people are less likely to want to use the space (Gehl, 2021). It is part of a suite of Public Life Survey tools developed by Gehl.

The study area was decided on to reflect the main commercial area and area of public life within Uddingston and the boundaries were refined following the on site appraisal to focus on the main area of activity.

The AECOM Landscape Architect used the Gehl Twelve Quality Criteria to conduct an independent appraisal of the study area, looking at the three themes of Protection, Comfort, and Enjoyment. The appraisal took place on Wednesday 27th January 2021. The full Quality Criteria Assessment criteria can be found online33 Gehl 12 Quality Criteria Method Public Life Survey https://gehlpeople.com/tools/twelve-quality-criteria/ .

Each of the criteria have been scored as below.

1 = No

2 = In-between

3 = Yes

Therefore, the highest scores represent qualities of the public space that are strongest.

Figure C.39 illustrates the spread of the scores.

Blantyre Public Life Survey: Limitations

The findings of this appraisal are limited to observations at the time of the site survey.

The survey was conducted on 20th July 2021. Weather conditions were fine and sunny, approximately 250C.

The survey was conducted from publicly accessible locations within the study area.

Figure C.7 Blantyre Main Street Public Life Survey Area

Table C-61 Blantyre Twelve Quality Criteria Summary: Protection

Criteria	Summary	Score
Protection against traffic and accidents	Traffic speed is 30mph within the study area. Pedestrian guardrails dominate the public realm around cross-road junctions and controlled crossings. On street parking is another dominant feature of the streetscape. To some extent, the presence of on-street parking creates protection by separating pedestrians and moving traffic. There is no form of dedicated or advisory cycle lane.	2
Protection against harm by others	The survey was conducted during daylight hours. The public realm was busy, and is well-overlooked by adjacent buildings. Adjacent buildings are mixed-use, which is more likely to encourage activity throughout the day. Parts of the public realm appeared poorly maintained, including rubbish and scattered bins. This may affect a perception of safety. There are regular lighting columns within the study area. Adjacent mixed-use buildings are more likely to encourage some activity into darkness hours.	2
Protection against unpleasant sensory experience	The streetscape itself is narrow and enclosed. There are no areas that offer shelter from the weather, or provide a permanent buffer (vegetated, or otherwise) from traffic. Road noise is very noticeable, as is pollution when traffic is held at the lights.	1

Table C-17 Blantyre Twelve Quality Criteria Summary: Comfort

Criteria	Summary	Score
Options for mobility	Within the centre of the study area some sections of footway narrow, which restricts mobility. This is exacerbated by the placement of bins on the footway, guardrails, and some shop displays on the pavement that could present obstacles to mobility. Kerbs have relatively low upstands, with drop-kerbs at build outs on junctions. There are three controlled crossings within the study area. the space has a simple linear layout and is easy to navigate. To the east and west of the study area the set-back of residential properties behind front gardens clearly indicates the transition to the centre; buildings within the town tend to have no set-back from the footway. The church spire to the west provides an obvious landmark.	2
Options to stand and linger	As highlighted previously, some narrow sections of footway and guardrails make public realm spaces uncomfortable to linger in. There are no greenspaces or trees within the town centre.	1
Options for sitting	There is one public bench within the study area. There were no obvious commercial spill-out spaces	1
Options for seeing	The single public seating option is located against a blank facade with a view across the Station Road / Glasgow Road junction. Traffic, public and commercial bins, and guardrails detract from the views.	1
Options for talking and listening/ hearing	The narrow, enclosed streetscape and lack of ‘soft’ vegetated features increase the sound and reverberations from traffic noise.	1
Options for play, exercise, and activities	There are no obvious areas within the study area where any form of play, exercise or activity would take place. Nevertheless, the Stonefield Park is a short distance from the south of the study area. This large greenspace area provides recreation and amenity options.	2

Table C-18 Blantyre Twelve Quality Criteria Summary: Enjoyment

Criteria	Summary	Score
Scale	Enclosure at street level is comfortable. The surrounding buildings are generally 2 storey, with some 3 storey buildings at corner plots. The overall scale of the streetscape, taking into consideration the height of the buildings and width of the road, creates a human-scale environment where it is possible to relate to people across the space.	3
Opportunities to enjoy the positive aspects of climate	The orientation of the street varies but is broadly aligned on a north-west to south-east axis. This allows for different sides of the street to get sun in the morning and evening. The one seating area in the study area is located in a small, recessed area that faces south-east, thus getting sun generally before midday. It does not have any other shelter.	2
Experience of aesthetic qualities and positive sensory experience	The public realm is considered to have a functional appearance. Footways are asphalt. There is a decorative natural stone sett edging that picks out the threshold to building frontages. Wide, natural stone kerbs add quality. The quality and appearance of guardrails detracts from the quality of the public realm. They also add to the appearance of a cluttered streetscape. Public realm areas at the end of Priory Street, and at the seating area, use a light grey paving that complements the kerb materials. Lighting columns are distinctive. Modern bollards are finished in brush steel. Both have a contemporary appearance. The public realm is not considered to have a distinctive aesthetic.	1

Blantyre Public Life Survey: Photo Record

C4 19: Buildings

There are mixed architectural styles. The Livingstone Memorial Church is a prominent landmark to the west of the town.

C4 20: Public realm materials

There is a consistent palette of materials to both sides of the street

C4 21: Public realm materials

Larger areas of public realm use a different, basic material palette that complements the tones of the natural stone kerbs.

C4 22: Pedestrian guardrails

In the centre of the town the guardrails create visual clutter and have low aesthetic value.

C4 23: Pedestrian guardrails

To the west of the town, extensive lengths of guardrails segregate the street and create large areas of underutilised public realm space

C4 24: Seating

The single bench within the town centre is located on the Station Road junction, overlooking the road. It is located against blank facades, thus is poorly overlooked. It is also sited next to bins on both sides.

C4 25: Mobility

Street clutter including street furniture, bins, and shop displays on footways can combine to present obstacles for mobility. Pictured is the north side of Glasgow Road.

C4 26: Mobility

On the south side of Glasgow Road, railings around a parking bay, and an advertising sign cause similar issues restricting mobility.

C4 27: On-street parking

On-street parking provides some segregation between pedestrians and traffic. However, it also makes lines of sight difficult for pedestrians, and detracts from the amenity of the street scene.

Blantyre Public Life Survey: Typical Section

Figure C. 8 Typical Cross Section of Blantyre, Glasgow Road, Main Street Survey Area

Please note: all measurements are approximate

Blantyre Public Life Survey: Scoring Summary Diagram

Figure C.9 Summary of Blantyre Public Life Scoring

Table C-19: Blantyre Public Life Survey Observations

Themes	Observations
Protection	The scores for protection vary. The streetscape contains obvious measures for pedestrian safety, particularly pedestrian guardrails. Parked cars provide temporary buffers between the public realm and the carriageway. However, the public realm feels exposed and there are no measures that provide shelter from the weather, or that separate people from noise, dust, smells and other pollution.
Comfort	Comfort is reduced by the exposed nature of the street. There is a lack of options for seeing, and for play, exercise and recreation; although the extensive Stonefield Park is in close proximity to the town. The town centre is compact and legible, but the design of the street and street clutter restricts mobility.
Enjoyment	The scale of the street is intimate and enclosed. The relationship between the buildings and street creates a human-scale environment. The street appears very hard / urban and lacks a distinctive or consistent high-quality aesthetic. The public realm and seating spaces are incidental to the street layout and do not take into account different options for varied weather conditions.

Blantyre Public Life Survey Recommendations

Overall, the street focuses on vehicular movement function, which reduces protection, comfort and enjoyment within the public realm. Therefore, place function is judged to be low. The main recommendation is to increase the sense of enclosure and to also offer relief and protection from unpleasant sensory experience from the busy road with improved options for seeing, by;

Incorporating planting and green infrastructure within the streetscape to provide separation from the road corridor and to help to reduce the scale to a more human scale.

Addressing the quality of public realm materials to make the area feel better cared for and improve the experience of aesthetic qualities and improve perceptions of protection of harm by others.

Provide relief from the main road through spaces that offer opportunities to enjoy positive aspects of climate.

Improve options for sitting, taking into consideration the need to make these places for seeing, talking, listening, and hearing.

- Detailed Mapping