Glasgow | River Clyde | News & Developments

[GlasgowMan]

Within the last hour a tug has sank in the Clyde with so far one casualty removed from water.

Source: Glasgow Airport ATC

EDIT: Story now on BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/...st/7152965.stm

[gweilo]

http://www.futureglasgow.co.uk/

Gleegie's just posted new images of Wilson Bowden's proposals for the Broomielaw on Future Glasgow. Check them out... Looks suspiciously like a BDP job to me. Distinct whiff of Festival of Britain about it. Interesting lamella roof. Sophisticated though. Does Glasgow have the technological capability and skills to pull that off? Lets hope it doesn't fall prey to the curse of value engineering...

[crusty_bint]

Hmmm. Really don't like this direction Broomielaws headed. The only nice thing about the way it is now is when its a nice day you can go over and sit in the sun with a breeze coming off the river and the traffic (mostly) shielded by the embankments and planting and it looks like they are tring their hardest to get rid of this aspect.

[milton]

Anyone else notice hat the flats near STV had bits blown off them last night?

I do like to see well-built property going up in the city..

[M_Riaz]

DISSING+WEITLING

Pedestrian and Bicycle bridge
Glasgow, UK
2009

Competition: First Prize 2006

Client: Glasgow City
Architect: DISSING+WEITLING
Engineer: Halcrow

[mr moto]

tradestone bridge ? have i missed something ? has tradeston street been spelt wrong all these year,s . but on a more positive note it will be well worth however many millions it end,s up costing , just to save the long dangerous and exhausting walk of around five minutes to use THE ALREADY EXISTING BRIDGE !

[gweilo]

I think this is a really great idea (though it should be borne in mind that the ecosystem with Loch Lomond has unique attributes that might be threatened by this).

What's a shame is just how trashed are the villages and towns in the Vale of Leven between the Clyde and Loch. If anyone's seen images of them before the 60's they were pretty cohesive communities particularly Dumbarton, a great Scottish burgh (with medieval layout still intact) which was comprehensively wrecked by Strathclyde's road department.

The Vale of Leven was kind of a compact Scottish analogue for the small towns strung along the trans-pennine route in Yorkshire. There were a series of good mills up the Leven which would have made fantastic lofts and well within commuting distance of Glasgow. Not a lot left except incoherent sprawl now. The 60s and 70s well and truely stripped this valley of its rural / industrial charm.

From today's Herald:

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news...rs_by_boat.php

£80m plan links loch and rivers by boat

It would connect two parts of the West of Scotland steeped in a proud maritime heritage, and help revitalise one of the country's most deprived areas along the way.

And now an ambitious multi-million pound proposal to link, by boat, the rivers Clyde and Leven with Loch Lomond moved a step closer yesterday.

A feasibility study has been conducted into the Lomond Canal project which, if given the go-ahead, could be a major catalyst in regenerating some of West Dunbartonshire's most blighted areas and encouraging tourism, according to British Waterways Scotland.

With the organisation and its partners, West Dunbartonshire Council and Scottish Enterprise, looking to the Scottish Government to part-fund the project, John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, undertook a fact-finding mission of the area.

In a government policy document six years ago, British Waterways Scotland was asked to explore the viability of forming a navigable link between Loch Lomond and the Forth and Clyde Canal.

The organisation has now drawn up a technical framework which, it says, could offer safe and attractive access for boaters and visitors between the Clyde and Loch Lomond.

The frameworks also allows for comprehensive prevention measures in areas at risk from flooding, such as the Leven valley, as well as adding to the long-term sustainability of the wider community. Iain Robertson, leader of the council, said that, while the project could cost up to £80m of private and public money, the return in regeneration terms - based on similar projects elsewhere - could be around £400m.

Suggesting that initial building work alone could provide vital employment for at least 10 years, he added: "It is a terrible irony that around here there are so many of the country's wonderful natural assets within some of Scotland's most poverty stricken areas."

The partners will now conduct further studies, including environmental and economic appraisals, before funding is put in place to take the proposal forward.

The provision of facilities along the River Leven and Lomond Canal will be key to attracting individuals, events and businesses to the area, say the partners.

Jim McAloon, operations director of Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire, described the tourism potential of opening up Loch Lomond to the Firth of Clyde as "enormous".

The project is also geared towards "reconnecting" existing communities to the waterside, say the partners.

If it goes ahead, mooring points will be developed at locations along the waterway to encourage boaters to disembark and explore riverside communities, thus contributing to the local economy.

Mr Swinney, who toured Bowling basin and Dumbarton harbour - proposed starting points for the waterway - said: "This is an ambitious and innovative project with exciting potential for the area in terms of economic, social and environmental benefits."

12:34am today

By ALISON CHIESA

[legslikeaspider]

Jamestown, Alexandria, Bonhill. They really are very sorry places with some of the worst deprivation in Scotland. I've got figures that show that the life expectancy in Vale of Leven area is the 2nd lowest in Scotland. If it wasn't for the presence of Glasgow hogging the headlines 10 miles or so to the East, this area would be the worst area in all of Western Europe (and most of Eastern Europe) for population health and social deprivation. As such, I welcome the news that large scale investment is being touted for the area as I think it gets largely ignored, in fact with the A82 bypass, I think a lot of people would be surprised at the size of these towns because one is really only aware of some sprawl in the middle distance. As always with these sorts of projects, one wonders if it will actually make much of a difference for the current population. There could easily be 10,000 incapacity benefit claimants in West Dunbartonshire and it is speculative whether or not this will make any difference to their quality of life.

In addition, I'm fairly certain that the re-opening of the Forth and Clyde canal has been an incredible waste of money. In the ten years or so since the project was completed, I might have seen 20 boats and precisely 0 kayaks on the stretch near where I lived, so I'm skeptical about water based regeneration projects; I don't think making the canal navigable again has made one iota of difference to the residents of Lambhill. However, the Clyde around Dumbarton and Loch Lomond are very popular with sailors of dinghies and ribs so I can forsee this link becoming well used.

[M_Riaz]

Actions speak louder than words GCC!! what was wrong with saving the pride o the clyde? you never came to the aid of a very dedicated service to the clyde, when they came with a proposal and funding to further expand their service for the city and its river you sent them away with a flea in their ear.

100k on a proposal when you couldnt even donate 20 k to the P.O.C for repairs and simple things to keep the service running...shame on you GCC

I hope this service comes to fruit although i have my doubts.i'll believe it when i see it.

Glasgow looks at splashing out on a taxi for the Clyde

GLASGOW commuters could soon be able to travel to work in the city on a New York-style waterbus.
Transport experts have been brought in to see if regular commuter services on the River Clyde are feasible.
The £100,000 study, by MVA Consultancy, has been commissioned by Glasgow City Council on behalf of four other councils.
One expert said the plan could bring Clyde ferries "out of the Victorian era and into the 21st century
As well as commuter services, the firm will also study ways of introducing modern routes to small Clyde resorts which have declined over the years.
It is hoped these could increase tourists to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Loch Long, Loch Goil and Rothesay.
Project director Neill Birch said: "Our job is to look at the Clyde from Glasgow City Centre to the Inner Firth - towns like Gourock, Dunoon and Kilcreggan.
"We want to look at the potential for running improved or new ferries in that area. The type of service we have now grew up in the 19th century and life has moved on since then.
"Where there was once heavy industry we now have people living - and they will want transport from their homes to their places of work.
"We will be identifying areas where there is enough demand to make a ferry service commercially viable or sufficiently attractive for central and local government funding."
Mr Birch added that there had to be a balance between providing enough stops and a quick journey.
He said Braehead was an obvious stopping point as was Glasgow Harbour, Clydebank, Erskine and parts of Inverclyde.
His company has already looked at similar services in Amsterdam, Sydney, New York, London and Hamburg, where thriving waterbus or water-taxi networks operate.
Mr Birch said: "With congestion and overcrowding on roads and trains, the Clyde seems an obvious traffic corridor.
"We are talking about smaller, faster and more lightweight ferries that would use smaller, easier to build piers and landing areas.
"If we combine a commuter service with something for tourists then we have a product which is attractive for funding.
"We are trying to take a 21st century approach to it all."
The four other local authorities involved are Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and Argyll and Bute, with an initial report expected by the end of this month.
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: "There are a number of potential benefits in this - beyond the continued development of the Clydeside.
"These include the improvement of the city's transport infrastructure links and the use of the Clyde Estuary to further develop the tourist industry."

Publication date 03/03/08

[The Boy David]

Hmmmmm. They'll have to break out some pretty damn fast boats for this to become a real possibility. I'd be massively surprised if there was enough demand for a service like this to become economically viable...

[GlasgowMan]

If the Clyde Fast Link is to run along the river, north and south bank then how do they expect people to use the boat? Surely people will pick the much faster “tram on wheels” cough bus cough?

Still, would like to see it happen and build up a really busy river.....

[legslikeaspider]

the problem with this sort of scheme is the tidal weir at Glasgow Green. correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that an insurmountable obstacle for any craft going upriver and all craft apart from kayaks going down river? There goes connections with Dalmarnock, Rutherglen, Uddingston and beyond for starters. Therefore, you're left with the westernmost portion of the conurbation, but areas like Scotstoun, Yoker, Clydebank, Old Kilpatrick and Dumbarton on the North side are already very well served by a 15 minute frequency train service into town. On the South Side, Govan, Renfrew, Braehead, Langbank, Erskine and Bishopton have fewer public transport options but have a dirty great motorway connecting them with the city centre. Can't see this happening, I'm afraid.

[Boards]

Originally Posted by legslikeaspider

There goes connections with Dalmarnock

Thank f*ck for that!

By the way, that's a quality new interchange and upgrade of the expressway at the harbour, meets with my official appoval. Now if we could just the a grade seperated dual-carriageway ( at the very minimum ) all the way out to the Erskine Brige I'd be very happy.

[maccoinnich]

Assuming stops are on either side of the river though, it would help connectivity significantly though. I remember reading a guy complaining somewhere (HG?) that although he could see Braehead from his house (in Scotstoun) it takes a bloody age to get there.

In Copenhagen they have a pretty good river bus service, and I noticed that quite often people were just using it for one stop, as a way to cross the water where there weren't many bridges.

[legslikeaspider]

yeah, that was something that I should have put in my post: getting across the river on public transport is a bit of a mare at the moment (case in point: yesterday one of the circles on the subway was out of use and I had to go the long way round from Hillhead to Ibrox). If you look at old-time pics of the river there are loads of wee ferries scooting to and fro and it seems such forms of public transport have been totally overlooked in recent generations.

One problem that I see is that there are not so many areas where the residential zone comes right down to the river front - the river is quite cut off from many of the communities that it sustained in the past. Consider Govan: the sites of the shipyards actually form a significant barrier to the river and its the same story at Whiteinch and Scotstoun. If the river is inaccessible, who is going to use it?

[M_Riaz]

PDF for the final proposed CFL Route.

[crusty_bint]

The weir at the Green is an issue but not insurmountable as it could be replaced or modified with a lock and gate but even then you would only get as far as Carmyle where another weir exists and the bends and loops upstream would take an age to navigate. Also, I'm pretty sure the new Tradeston bridge (piling seems to have started - finally!!!) will not allow river traffic under it due to its height, or lack-thereof.

A lower harbour riverbus could work with stops at the Science Centre/Secc, Govan/Kelvin/Glasgow Harbour, Braehead, Clydebank then Dumbarton. I dont see that generating enough business however so for any service to be practical or (more importantly) profitable it would have to be able to offer an island connection, say Rothesay or Arran with a max one-way journey time of 90mins. Having said all that, I still don't think it would be feasable.

Connecting communities across the river is a different matter entirely I think and could only really be achieved by bridging as I just don't think there would be the demand to justify a return to the old style cross-river ferry services.

PS Mo, totally agree that its scandalous for GCC to spend £100k on a study when they wouldn't support the old Pride o the Clyde. I don't understand the logic. Are GCC intending to operate such a service by themselves. Jebus only knows.

[GlasgowMan]

I think the best option for increasing river traffic is Loch Lomond Seapleanes, there Oban route is working well and they are adding another route, so thats a total of 8 departures a day from the Clyde.

[gweilo]

I dunno Crusty I think there is a real opportunity for a revived ferry between Govan and the Riverside Museum as it could be run both as a link into whatever happens retail and commercial wise with Glasgow Harbour there and be operated as a tourist attraction (or labour of love) from the museum by the Mercantile Trust.

If the slipway at the museum is built, and as the Water Row harbour is still sitting there, it seems a no brainer as one way to start regenerating the burgh.

I worked as part of a team on a community focused masterplan for Govan last year and the last I heard through the grapevine (so I can't confirm this officially) GCC were looking favourably on it rather than the McInally one thats been touted for a while.

I can supply a couple of sketch perspectives if anyone is interested though haven't a clue how to upload them. They've been lurking around as banners on the A+DS site for the last 4 months or so i.e. they are already in the public realm.

[crusty_bint]

Actually Gweilo, I have to agree! I think the Govan ferry would be the only cross-river service that could prove sustainable and perhaps even turn a decent profit. I do still think a bridge would be the best option, I suppose thats completely off the cards now after the debacle from a few years ago.

To post images, sign up to either photobucket.com or flickr.com (both free). Photobucket will resize everything automatically to 800x600 so if the images you have are quite large (or best viewed large) I would us flickr. Drop me a pm if you need any assistance, or send your images to me and I'll upload them