WE'RE in a climate emergency. However, Glasgow City Council is still clinging on to a 1960s plan to build a giant road through the East End.

Greens voted against the new road at every turn. On October 28, we’re calling for  councillors to scrap the planned four lane flyover, known as the EERR3, from the Forge roundabout, through Hogarth Park and under Cumbernauld Road.

Instead we can transform the old Riddrie railway line alongside Alexandra Park into a new route for walking and cycling.

Glasgow Times: Hogarth Park Hogarth Park

We want to invest in neglected Hogarth Park instead of building a road through it. The route of the railway line can change from a fly-tipping magnet to a better way for people to get to the Forge, the new Parkhead Health Hub and beyond.

1960s car-centric design has failed Glasgow - it's time to move into the 21st century and tackle the climate crisis. Next week, councillors can support the Green proposal to cancel the EERR3.  

This was Labour’s project to ‘regenerate’ the east end by building a road right through it. Phase 1 and 2 have already happened - the huge four lane road from the M74 to the Parkhead roundabout, with dangerous cycle lanes - so this means Phase 3 actually still has planning permission and could be built at any moment, with no community consultation.  

Glasgow Times: The M8 goes through the East End The M8 goes through the East End

In 2016/2017, the council under Labour control spent £500,000 to prepare a full Business Case on the flyover. Greens voted against this and for the money to be used for active travel instead but Labour overruled. No business case has been presented to a council committee since.

In 2021, SNP Council leaders revived the flyover idea by including it on a list of projects for UK Government funding. Greens voted against, but the SNP said more work is needed before we know enough to cancel it.

We already know there’s a climate emergency. We also already know that transport is Scotland’s biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions; that car and van use accounts for over half of these emissions; and we know that building new roads creates more traffic.

We also know enough of the impact of motorway-centric design in our city. In the north east, people already live with increased noise and air pollution from the M8. But it’s also a physical barrier that’s hard to get around - the underpasses feel unsafe to use, they’re impossible for buggies and wheelchairs and they’re hotspots for fly-tipping and broken glass.

 

We don’t want to bring more traffic in the part of the city with the lowest car ownership rate.  We do not need another massive road cutting our communities in half. What the east end actually needs is safe ways for people to get around.

The 2020 Transport Consultation by the council showed that Glasgow’s residents want to see better environments for walking, more restrictions on traffic, more segregated cycle tracks, safer places to cycle, better access to cycles and cycling support.

Making our city greener is also a chance to make it better for everyday life.