‘The new infrastructure is exemplary’: Major road upgraded

A fully segregated design was developed, and pedestrians and cyclists now have separate facilities on both sides of Ayr Road, minimising conflict with each other and with vehicles.

A public consultation exercise undertaken in 2020 revealed that many users felt the section between the Hunter Drive Roundabout and the M77/A726 interchange was sub-standard – people had to cross busy roads with little assistance, and the on-road cycle lanes were narrow and in poor condition.

Patrick Harvie MSP joined representatives from the council to see the results of the work carried out during phase two.

Lay-bys have been created for drivers travelling in either direction and a pair of bus stops are located close to the access to the new Maidenhill housing development.

The roundabout junction with Hunter Drive has been replaced with a signal-controlled crossroad which incorporates advance detection for cyclists.

A toucan crossing has been provided at the point where southbound cyclists and pedestrians need to join the shared-use facility built on the opposite side of Ayr Road previously in phase one.

All road and path surfaces in the project area have been resurfaced.

Councillor Danny Devlin said: “This project is an important step forward for active travel in East Renfrewshire and marks the completion of an upgrade to a key section of an active travel route.

“The new infrastructure is of exemplary quality, with signal-controlled crossings and full separation between people walking, cycling, and driving, improving comfort and safety for everyone. This project will particularly benefit young people, and anyone who feels nervous about the idea of cycling on the road.

“The route sets the standard for what the Council would like to achieve along the entire length of Ayr Road. Work to design future phases all the way to Glasgow is now underway, which will also greatly improve local transport options within Newton Mearns, Giffnock and beyond.”

Funding for phase two was one of the first in the country to be awarded funding through Transport Scotland’s new Active Travel Transformation Fund.

Grants were also provided via Transport Scotland’s Cycling Walking Safer Routes fund and from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).

Mr Harvie said: “I’m delighted to see the real difference our Active Travel Transformation Fund is making here in East Renfrewshire, supporting our ambition to make walking, wheeling and cycling the most popular choice for short, everyday journeys.

“By funding local authorities directly, we’re enabling them to deliver infrastructure projects which have the most impact for their own areas at pace. This is a new delivery model, making it faster and more straightforward for councils to realise their ambitions for active travel.

“This government continues to invest record amounts in active travel for our health, wellbeing and climate. I hope to see many more projects like this delivered right across Scotland in the coming months and years – helping to make cycling safer, easier and more inclusive for everyone.”