THE M8 slicing through the city centre is holding back regeneration in Glasgow and needs to be re-thought and possibly even replaced, according to a senior councillor.
There have been suggestions of a ‘cap’ over the section at Charing Cross but more ambitious longer-term plans are being considered.
The M8 has been a main artery through Glasgow city centre since the early 1970s.
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Angus Millar, city convenor for transport and city centre recovery, says however, the motorway should be “re-imagined”.
He said talks are needed with Transport Scotland to look at the impact the road has on the city centre and what could be achieved, while keeping the transport needs of the wider region in mind.
Millar said: “We need to re-imagine the future of the M8 and ask if is there a different transport solution.”
He said the council’s transport plan includes looking at “the potential for future engineering solutions to reduce the impact on the city centre”.
When it was built through Charing Cross the M8 wiped out communities, like Anderston.
Millar said: “The road has had a catastrophic impact on the communities that were demolished to make way for the M8.
“It is now holding the city back in regeneration opportunities.”
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He said the ‘cap’ was one idea the council is keen to take forward but that more action is needed.
He added: “The M8 is a deeply damaging presence impacting on communities, holding back regeneration in those areas.
“We need to address the impact of transport on the wider city region. And rethink the city centre stretch.”
The stretch identified, is from the intersection at the Royal Infirmary to the Kingston Bridge over the River Clyde.
Millar said: “Can we replace the M8 with another infrastructure like a major boulevard instead?
“Or extend the cap further. We must consider if Glasgow wants or needs a motorway through the heart of the city centre.
“We need to start a conversation now for the future and decide what can be taken forward.”
Glasgow is unusual but not unique in having a motorway running through the city centre and other cities have moved to replace similar infrastructure.
He said: “Is a 1960s solution appropriate for the 2030s?
“We could replace it with a boulevard like Boston, or downgrade it and make it more pleasant and create a more vibrant area.
“We need to do serious work on the wider transport impact supporting the economy and we need Transport Scotland to be engaged in that.”
“Glasgow was at the vanguard of the motor vehicle infrastructure. As a city transport solution, it is a model we wouldn’t devise today, so why not think of alternatives?”
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