Glasgow City Council has unveiled plans to reduce car use by "at least" 30% over the next decade as part of its effort to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
The council's new transport strategy for the city, which has been in development for the past year, sets out a plan that "tackles poverty, supports economic success, creates thriving, liveable neighbourhoods and plays a central role in the fight against climate change".
It was revealed that vehicle emissions account for around a third of Glasgow's total carbon output, and thus the council said that changes to the city's transport system were a "vital component" of its carbon neutrality goal.
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According to the Department of Transport, around 1.7 billion vehicle miles were travelled in the Glasgow city area in 2020, marking a significant drop from the pre-covid 2019 figure of 2.25 billion — which up until then had been steadily growing.
Councillor Anna Richardson, City Convener for Sustainability and Carbon Reduction, said: "A great many trips in vehicles across the city are short and could realistically be achieved by other means. Our task as a council is to ensure there are viable alternatives that support walking, wheeling or cycling or public transport to help reduce car use.
"Cars and other private vehicles will clearly continue to be part of Glasgow's transport future. But time and again people indicate they would cycle more if it felt safer to do so or the way that public spaces are designed can deter active travel in local communities.
"Initiatives such as our Active Travel Strategy and our Liveable Neighbourhoods programme are all about creating a better balance on how Glasgow's streets are used and encouraging people to leave the car behind wherever possible."
She continued: "Making in-roads on our car use is essential if we are to bring down the carbon emissions that drive climate change. But supporting sustainable transport choices also means we can make city streets safer and more attractive places to be, which in turns helps to improve quality of life for local residents.
"The new transport strategy fully recognises how important transport is to our daily lives and the overall success of the city. The far reaching policy objectives in the strategy create a vision of a healthy and thriving city but also a sustainable Glasgow that is prepared for the challenge of climate change."
Here is a summary of some of the ways in which the council is aiming to reduce car use in Glasgow by 30% before 2030.
Active Travel Strategy
Glasgow City Council's Active Travel Strategy is a plan to promote active travel options such as cycling and walking in order to reduce overall car use in the city.
Included in the plans are the development of a 270km city-wide network of high-quality segregated cycling infrastructure, and the improvement of footways along main roads.
It is hoped that these will support a city-wide shift to walking and cycling, with active travel becoming the first choice for everyday journeys.
According to the council's website, the strategy consists of three policy areas:
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Connectivity: people and place: rebalancing our streets and spaces - with a focus on networks and infrastructure in our street environments.
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Unlocking Change: enabling everyone to walk, wheel or cycle - focussing on training and education and working collaboratively.
- Thinking Differently: encouraging, motivating and sustaining change - focussing on communication and promotion and inspiring people through larger events and other activities.
Liveable Neighbourhoods Plan
Alongside the Active Travel Strategy, the Liveable Neighbourhoods Plan is part of the council's plan to "create a modern, resilient and sustainable transport system for Glasgow" and "to help transform the city into a more inclusive, liveable and attractive place for residents, businesses and visitors".
It aims to rebalance the way streets are designed and used, in order to make them more people-friendly and better for socialising and commercial activity.
Under the initiative, there would be 27 ‘liveable neighbourhoods’ in the city that would allow people to meet their daily needs within 20 minutes of their homes by walking, wheeling or cycling.
Like the Active Travel Strategy, the plan aims to reduce dependency on private cars by improving access to local centres and the range of services people rely upon on a daily basis.
Clyde Metro
A major project that the council hopes will cut the city's carbon output is the development of the Clyde Metro, a multi-billion pound metro system that would connect outlying and poorly serviced communities.
The project, which would target areas where connections are currently poor — including places where there is deprivation — has recently received backing in the Scottish Government's Strategic Transport Projects Review.
The Strategic Transport Projects Review outlines the Scottish Government's transport investment priorities for the next two decades.
Around 1.5 million would be better connected to employment, education, and health services in and around the Glasgow city region after development of the metro.
Increased bus priority
The council also stated that increased bus priority on roads across Glasgow were a priority.
It said that it aimed to "provide a world-class public transport network that draws people from their personal vehicles".
