Cycling into Glasgow

[Butterbeaninjeans]

Was thinking about this for my commute but I'm to scared to cycle in the city centre, I come in from South side. Is there anywhere to store your bike quite near the city centre?? I'd be coming along cycle path.

It's possible to cycle in to the city centre from the south side pretty much separated from traffic all the way.

There's the South West Cycle route, fully separated down Shields Road (and quiet routes to it), along Scotland Street and down West Street to the Zig Zag brindge (don't know its real name ). There is also a route down Victoria Road.

Once across the Zig Zag bridge, there is a quiet road up to Waterloo Stteet, where there is again a separate cycle path. You can go through bus gates/bus only lanes on your bike and along Gordon Street (and West Nile Street? against the traffic) Alternatively, there is a cycle path along the north side of the Clyde/the Broomielaw.

There is an app called Bikehub which you can use to look for quietest/flattest/quickest routes.

As to where to "park" your bike, I'm not sure. There are plenty of proper cycle racks/supports (the nose in ones aren't as good as they can bend your wheels if the bike gets knocked over) but do get a good lock, preferably two, one a D-lock, if you're going to leave it there all day.

I cycle regularly from Pollokshields to the West End, over Bells Bridge and then the overpass from the SECC and there are only a couple of places where I come across traffic: crossing Argyll Street and Sauchiehall Street. Rest of the way is all quiet back roads.

Thanks pretty bird, there's actually bike racks at my work but I'm not a confident cyclist so was scared but your route would actually suit as I work at Charing cross. I will defo get on that site and see what I could do 😁

When I worked in the Charing Cross area (Berkeley Square), I would cycle along Maxwell Drive, over the pedestrian bridge beside Bellahouston Academy, turn right along the wee back road and then first left, cross Paisley Road West past Cessnock subway, right along Brand Street, then left down on to Govan Road, through the Premier Inn car park onto Bells Bridge, past the Armadillo (I prefer to go past the front of it) to the pedestrian overpass (it helps if you have a bell, as lots of the pedestrians seem to be obliviously unaware that half of it is for cycles), up the road to Argyle Street (if going to Berkeley Square; if going to the West End I turn left at St Vincent Place and then right up to Argyle Street and from there through Kelvingrove Park), then left onto Argyle Street and then right onto Berkeley Street. But there's been a lot of cycling infrastructure built around there since I was cycling to work, so there may be an easier route.

It's a flatter route to get to Charing Cross than via the zig zag bridge. I didn't like using the squinty bridge as there was more traffic on that route.

it would take me 2 hours to cycle to work so that's a no fro me, even if I wasn't disabled, which the new guidelines do not take into account. Not everyone drives and those with children could not get up that early to cycle. When it rains or becomes winter - what then?

Wrong thread?

Think so 😁 IV been all day looking at maps, just scary taking the first steps, such a wimp, most of my journey would be on the cycle path as well so I'm really lucky but just not confident at all.

I've been cycling since l was wee, and started commuting over 20 years ago so it helps me be confident.

One bit of advice I'd give it to try to be assertive. There has been research that suggests that women cyclists are more at risk of accidents because they don't "claim" their space on the road.

It might seem counter-intuitive, but squeezing in to the side of the road is actually less safe than taking a position further out in the road. That's because cars think that they can squeeze past you and don't give you sufficient space rather than treating you as a "vehicle" in your own right.

Thanks prettybird that's really helpful. I'm hoping to pluck up the courage as I think I'd love it rather than car/train.