Latest news with #AngusMillar
STV News
3 hours ago
- Business
- STV News
Council considering Clyde Tunnel toll and congestion charge
Glasgow is considering bringing in a driver congestion charge and Clyde Tunnel toll as Transport Scotland suggests the city could take a 'leading role' in looking at a new scheme. The local authority has expressed interest in rolling out driver charges that would only apply to people who don't live in the city. But a regulatory check is to be carried out before councils can introduce the system – and that is not likely to happen until after next year's Scottish Parliament elections in May, a meeting heard. Councillor Angus Millar told last week's full council meeting: 'The council has no specific proposals to introduce any road user charging in Glasgow. 'However, members will be aware that the council has repeatedly stated its interest in further exploring possibilities around a boundary congestion charge and potential tolling at the Clyde Tunnel – both with exemptions for Glasgow residents.' The convenor for climate, Glasgow Green Deal, transport and city centre recovery added: 'Council officers continue to engage with Transport Scotland and COSLA, particularly in relation to national commitments to reduce car vehicle mileage and the potential roll out of road user charging as a travel demand management tool. 'Transport Scotland has expressed interest in Glasgow and Edinburgh taking a lead role in exploring road user charging and we anticipate further discussions with City of Edinburgh Council in establishing their interest.' Explaining how legal details are to be firmed up, the SNP councillor said: 'We welcome the recent commitment from Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government to undertake legislative and regulatory review to establish how the process can be clarified for local authorities to take forward and this is a matter I have engaged with officials and other councils on via COSLA.' He added: 'We will engage in the coming legislative review to ensure Glasgow is well positioned to consider any developments.' His comments came after Scottish Green councillor Blair Anderson asked for an 'update on proposals for road user charging in the city following the Scottish Government's recent commitment to empower councils to introduce schemes.' Welcoming the continued interest in the scheme, Councillor Anderson said the 'only way we can meet our climate targets is moving people from cars to public transport.' He added: 'A road user charging scheme would give us the money to make Glasgow's buses publicly owned, reliable, fast and free.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Glasgow Times
6 hours ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
This check will happen before Glasgow Clyde Tunnel toll charge
The local authority has expressed interest in rolling out driver charges that would only apply to people who don't live in the city. But a regulatory check is to be carried out before councils can introduce the system – and that is not likely to happen until after next year's Scottish Parliament elections in May, a meeting heard. Councillor Angus Millar told last week's full council meeting: 'The council has no specific proposals to introduce any road user charging in Glasgow. However members will be aware that the council has repeatedly stated its interest in further exploring possibilities around a boundary congestion charge and potential tolling at the Clyde Tunnel – both with exemptions for Glasgow residents.' The convenor for climate, Glasgow Green Deal, transport and city centre recovery added: 'Council officers continue to engage with Transport Scotland and Cosla particularly in relation to national commitments to reduce car vehicle mileage and the potential roll out of road user charging as a travel demand management tool. 'Transport Scotland has expressed interest in Glasgow and Edinburgh taking a lead role in exploring road user charging and we anticipate further discussions with City of Edinburgh Council in establishing their interest.' Explaining how legal details are to be firmed up, the SNP councillor said: 'We welcome the recent commitment from Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government to undertake legislative and regulatory review to establish how the process can be clarified for local authorities to take forward and this is a matter I have engaged with officials and other councils on via COSLA.' He added: 'We will engage in the coming legislative review to ensure Glasgow is well positioned to consider any developments.' His comments came after Scottish Green councillor Blair Anderson asked for an 'update on proposals for road user charging in the city following the Scottish Government's recent commitment to empower councils to introduce schemes.' Welcoming the continued interest in the scheme, Councillor Anderson said the 'only way we can meet our climate targets is moving people from cars to public transport.' He added: 'A road user charging scheme would give us the money to make Glasgow's buses publicly owned, reliable, fast and free.'
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Plans to promote sustainable travel in Glasgow given funding
This cash injection will be used to improve active travel infrastructure and make public spaces safer and more accessible for pedestrians. It will also support initiatives that encourage walking, wheeling, and cycling, especially for school commutes, and provide upgrades to bus stops and employer schemes to create cycle-friendly workplaces. It will also support initiatives that encourage walking, wheeling, and cycling (Image: Supplied) The fund draws from four Scottish Government-backed schemes through Transport Scotland - the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund (ATIF), the People and Place Programme (PPP), Local Authority Direct Award (LADA), and SPT's Capital Grant Fund. Councillor Angus Millar, city convener for transport, said: "These funding awards are really great news for active travel in Glasgow. Read more: Plans for one of UK's biggest green AI data centres in Ravenscraig revealed Man dies after police rush to Glasgow property amid incident "We want to create a roads network that encourages walking, wheeling and cycling across the city and it's great to see our vision being backed by the Scottish Government in this way. "Some of these funding streams focus on construction-ready projects and I am delighted that the efforts we have made to develop designs for potential new infrastructure are being recognised. "The funding will also enable us to invest further in organisations and activities that give people the knowledge, skills and confidence to use our growing infrastructure network, supporting them to walk, wheel and cycle more often. "Major infrastructure projects such as Connecting Woodside, the East City Way and Dumbreck Road Active Travel Link will all make vital connections to other routes that make it easier to move around the city by bike. "We know that as more and more safe, segregated routes begin to knit together across Glasgow, people will be more minded to choose active travel instead of having to depend on the car for local journeys." Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, said: 'I'm pleased that this £10.6 million award from the Scottish Government to Glasgow City Council will help realise their ambitions for better walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure, alongside projects which encourage more active travel. "Through this investment we will make it easier for more people to choose sustainable transport. 'To support the continued ambitions of our local authorities – and to keep making walking, wheeling and cycling easier for shorter everyday journeys – in 2025-26 the Scottish Government will invest over £188 million in active and sustainable transport.'
The National
5 days ago
- Business
- The National
New campaign to promote Glasgow city centre as a destination
Highlighting work going on to transform the city centre, including the redesign of George Square and the Avenues project, the campaign aims to promote what the city centre has to offer. The new marketing slogan "Get You in Town" aims to encourage people from outside the centre to get together for social and leisure activities in the city centre. Since the Covid pandemic, the city centre has suffered with more people staying in their local areas, fewer city centre office workers and a decline in retail. A media advertising campaign will promote the new slogan, which will be used together with the long-established People Make Glasgow. The aim is to promote the city centre as the number one destination to meet friends focusing on concepts like 'authenticity, and personality' of the city centre. The city centre's bars, cafes, restaurants, culture and architecture will be key to the campaign. A tandem campaign, Visit Glasgow, will be launched in key markets abroad, particularly the USA to bring visitors to the city. It wants to promote the city as the Gateway to Scotland and play on its 'unique' identity, character and personality. The new campaign is the effort of the City Centre Taskforce, a partnership between businesses and the council. Stuart Patrick, chief executive of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: 'Our city centre is pivotal to our future success; it's our economic heart and our cultural home. 'We are seeing improvements in visitor numbers and consumer spend with millions already invested and billions more in the pipeline. We are also deliberately designing our city centre for people by creating welcoming spaces where people want to live, visit and invest. 'There is a compelling vision for the city centre. If we all work together as Team Glasgow we will get the results that we want.' Councillor Angus Millar, city convener for City Centre Recovery, said: 'No-one should be in any doubt the city centre is a top priority for the council. 'As difficult as it's been in recent years, I genuinely believe that a corner has been turned. "Transformation of the city centre is taking shape and improvements are gathering pace. Our major investment in cleansing services will also make a big difference in the months ahead. 'It's in all our interests to get behind Glasgow city centre and I'm certain Glaswegians will respond positively to our call to Get You in Town.' READ MORE: Glasgow City Council hit by cyber attack as warning issued At a launch event for businesses, Ruairi Kelly, council convener for development, said "momentum is building' highlighting the M&S Sauchiehall Street site, Holland Park, JP Morgan and the Social Hub at Candleriggs, as some examples. He added that "on-street retail is more resilient than previously expected' and said talks with Princes Square, St Enoch were ongoing as well as Buchanan Galleries announcement of its plans. He added: 'The council needs to be more agile in processing planning applications.' He said the campaign would 'bolster the vision for the city we are striving to become'.
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Huge funding boost for sustainable travel routes across Glasgow
The cash boost draws on four separate funding schemes backed by the Scottish Government through Transport Scotland - the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund (ATIF), the People and Place Programme (PPP), Local Authority Direct Award (LADA) and SPT's Capital Grant Fund. Funding of £3.8m will be used to deliver four major active travel infrastructure projects – Connecting Woodside (St George's Road), Connecting Yorkhill and Kelvingrove (Phase 1), Flourishing Molendinar (Phase 1) and Dumbreck Road Active Travel Link. Work will start in the coming months to construct these new routes. Funding of £4.9m from ATIF Tier 1 will also be used on a range of smaller-scale projects that increase the appeal of active travel, including Phase 5 of the East City Way which will now advance to construction. Pedestrian crossings will be upgraded (Image: GCC) Design work to support the delivery of Connecting Greater Govan and future phases of Flourishing Molendinar and the East City Way, will also now be moved forward. High visibility cycle counters and the continued roll out of Glasgow City Council's school cycle shelters programme will now move forward, as will the delivery of upgraded traffic signals and pedestrian infrastructure at various locations across the city. PPP funding of over £1m, administered by SPT, will support a wide range of initiatives to be delivered by third sector organisations including Women on Wheels and Bike for Good. Projects include those that reduce barriers to active travel such as learn-to-ride group cycling sessions, subsidised bike access for people on low-incomes, and support for employers keen to encourage their staff to commute by bike. An SPT Capital Grant Fund award of £435,000 will encourage greater use of public transport through bus route priority upgrades, improved access to bus and Subway stations, and enhancements to the Paisley Road West bus corridor. While projects progressed through £341,958 of LADA award funding will include our Staff Travel Plan, road safety initiatives which encourage travelling actively to school, and winter gritting of cycling routes. Routes will be upgraded across the city (Image: GCC) Councillor Angus Millar, City Convener for Transport, welcomed the multiple funding awards as a vote of confidence in Glasgow's efforts to support walking, wheeling and cycling across the city. Cllr Angus Millar said: "These funding awards are really great news for active travel in Glasgow. "We want to create a roads network that encourages walking, wheeling and cycling across the city and it's great to see our vision being backed by the Scottish Government in this way. Some of these funding streams focus on construction-ready projects and I am delighted that the efforts we have made to develop designs for potential new infrastructure are being recognised. 'The funding will also enable us to invest further in organisations and activities that give people the knowledge, skills and confidence to use our growing infrastructure network, supporting them to walk, wheel and cycle more often. We'll also be delivering high-quality upgrades to pedestrian infrastructure across the city such as safer, step-free crossings, tactile paving, dropped kerbs, and wider pavements. "Major infrastructure projects such as Connecting Woodside, the East City Way and Dumbreck Road Active Travel Link will all make vital connections to other routes that make it easier to move around the city by bike. We know that as more and more safe, segregated routes begin to knit together across Glasgow, people will be more minded to choose active travel instead of having to depend on the car for local journeys.' READ MORE: I'm scared of cycling Edinburgh's city centre. Here's what happened when I did Emergency city centre road closure after sinkhole discovered 'Another significant step forward' for city centre transformation Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop added: 'I'm pleased that this £10.6 million award from the Scottish Government to Glasgow City Council will help realise their ambitions for better walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure, alongside projects which encourage more active travel. 'Through this investment we will make it easier for more people to choose sustainable transport. 'To support the continued ambitions of our local authorities – and to keep making walking, wheeling and cycling easier for shorter everyday journeys – in 2025-26 the Scottish Government will invest over £188 million in active and sustainable transport.'
