A GB Olympian has backed a new cycle route in the East End of the city. 

Jack Carlin, double medallist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, today joined Councillor Angus Millar, city convener for transport, and other cyclists as they marked the completion of the ‘with flow’ cycle lanes on London Road between Fielden Street and Canmore Street.

The new section provides two miles of safer cycling in both directions along London Road and allows for easy access from the East End to other safer routes in Glasgow.

Glasgow Times:

Jack, who regularly trains at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and will be competing in the Glasgow 2023 UCI World Championships in August, believes the safer lanes can make a huge difference for people thinking about getting on a bike to get about Glasgow.

He said: "With Glasgow hosting COP26 in 2021 and now the UCI Cycling World Championships, there is a real focus on the importance of active travel and the role that cycling can play in addressing climate change, as well as improving health and physical activity, which is fantastic.

"It’s brilliant that people coming along to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome at the Emirates to watch the Track World Championships, or to work on the event, will now be able to safely cycle here and to connect on to other World Champs venues and I hope people take full advantage of it.

"It also creates a real legacy for all the users of the Emirates Arena, not to mention the hundreds of cyclists in the local community using bikes to make their everyday journeys.

"Feeling safe on the roads is key to giving people the confidence to go out on their bikes and these new cycle lanes have incorporated some great safety features that will help address this."

Glasgow Times:

As part of the construction of the new cycle lanes, five junctions along the route have been upgraded with sensors that ensure cyclists receive priority during traffic light phases.

In total, 800sq m of plants have also been included in the design to assist with traffic calming along the route, which is a major part of plans for a City Network for active travel that aims to add 270km of cycling infrastructure to over 300km of existing safer routes in Glasgow. 

Councillor Millar believes Glasgow City Council’s £2.5 million investment in the route will have a lasting impact on cycling in Glasgow.

He said: "The UCI Championships will be a great showcase for cycling in Glasgow and its safer, protected routes like East City Way will encourage and inspire people to see cycling as a real choice for getting about the city.

"One of the biggest barriers to people getting on a bike is perceived safety, but it is also the case that the number of people cycling in Glasgow is growing year on year.

"What we see is that if we built it, they will come and use the active travel infrastructure we are putting in place.

"Fantastic infrastructure as we have with East City Way can also become the exemplar for our City Network for active travel that we are planning to have all over Glasgow by 2030.

"By having safer, segregated infrastructure throughout the city, we can make active travel a realistic choice for everyday journeys and help create a more sustainable transport network in Glasgow."