Glasgow architects campaigning to make the city's junctions safer
Architects take action following death of a colleague in a crash with a lorry on the Broomielaw
Staff at a Glasgow architecture firm say they're determined to make Glasgow's roads safer in honour of their colleague Emma Burke Newman who was killed at the start of the year.
Emma, 22, was knocked off her bike in a collision with a lorry at the intersection of Broomielaw and Oswald Street at King George V Bridge while heading to university.
Becca Thomas, creative director and architect at New Practice says the ‘Waiting to Happen’ campaign was started to prevent fatal crashes like Newman’s from happening in the future.
She said: “We’ve come together as a practice, as colleagues, and as friends, in grief and to try to think of a positive outcome and impact that we could have on the city in Emma’s name.”
“We are looking to identify the places where incidents are waiting to happen or places where cycle infrastructure or pedestrian infrastructure is waiting to improve with the campaign.”
She says that as urban designers they are looking to find practical solutions and make feasible changes to dangerous junctions in the historically “car centric” city.
So far, they have identified three junctions that pose a risk to the public: the Casino at king George V Bridge, the Clutha at Gorbals Street x Clyde Street and the Court at Glasgow Green, at Crown Street/Saltmarket x Clyde Street.
Near misses
The campaign is also looking to feedback ‘near miss data’ they have collected to the active travel committees in Glasgow City Council.
Thomas said: “There is no one in Scotland recording near misses. We record fatalities, we record serious incidents and injuries, but we don’t record near misses, we don’t record things that make people feel anxious, worried or concerned.
“We’re looking to gather data from citizens, cyclists, pedestrians and people who get around the city centre by any means to try to understand how short term, small changes can be made that would be a solution to these problems.”
Active travel investment
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “We were deeply saddened by the death of Emma Burke Newman and continue to extend our condolences to those grieving her loss.
“The police investigation into this tragic incident is on-going and it would be inappropriate to comment on any aspect of the circumstances surrounding her death.
“But supporting active travel is a top for priority for the council and a wide range of measures is being implemented to improve road safety for those who walk, wheel or cycle.
“As the UK’s fourth largest city, we constantly strive to improve the environment for walking, wheeling and cycling in the city.
“Over the past five years we have invested £42.5m in safer, segregated infrastructure for cycling.
“Plans are being put in place to create City Network for active travel that will add a further 270km of safer, segregated routes to existing cycling provision.
“This includes the completion of the South City Way by extending the route from Victoria Bridge to Trongate, which will incorporate a fully protected junction for cyclists at the junction next to the Clutha Bar.
“We are aiming to complete this work by the end of this financial year.
“The junction at Clyde Street and Saltmarket forms part of the National Cycle Network and includes a signalised crossing to allow safe passage for walkers, wheelers and cyclists.
“We have met with the campaign group already and will engage with them once they have gathered data further data.”