Glasgow set for improved bus lanes through £3m funding boost

Glasgow is set to benefit from improved bus lanes and new transport hubs thanks to over £3 million of public funding for infrastructure and road safety across the city.

Members of the city administration committee are being asked to note that £88,000 of bus infrastructure “tier one funding” has already been accepted by the council, which will be primarily used for bus stop accessibility improvement work.

On Thursday, councillors are expected to approve a further £1.3m of “bus infrastructure tier two funding” which has been made available to voluntary bus partnerships.

Part of the money will be used to create an artificial intelligence pilot on Pollokshaws Road, where traffic signals will be adjusted using real-time and historical data to give buses priority at key junctions.

The rest of the funding will be used to design the Pollokshaws Road bus corridor between Eglinton Toll and Glasgow City Centre, the Paisley Road West bus corridor between Paisley Town Centre and Glasgow City Centre as well as the Glasgow City Centre Hope Street Improvement design work.

The Bus Infrastructure Fund (BIF) is the Scottish Government’s primary fund for the development, design and construction of bus infrastructure in Scotland and aims to support the development and construction of a wide range of bus infrastructure projects across Scotland – from bus lanes and bus priority signals to accessible features and transport hubs.

These improvements are designed to shorten journey times, increase reliability, improve integration with other modes of transport and encourage more people to choose the bus over private vehicles.

Councillors are also expected to accept £1.4m of external funding from Transport Scotland for projects that align with Scotland’s Road Safety Framework for 2030.

Projects may include improved safety aspects of the road, its surrounding environment, vehicle technology and education of all road users.

Officers have identified a priority list of projects which align with the condition requirements stipulated by Transport Scotland and will contribute to the council’s safety objectives.

So far projects include but are not limited to supporting traffic calming measures speed cushions at Lyoncross Road, Willowford Road/Wiltonburn Road and Greenfield Avenue / Inveresk Street.

Road Humps are also planned for Barnton Street / Silverburn Street and Hermitage Avenue.

Councillors will discuss the plans later in the week.