Glasgow man left scared to leave home due to cyclists on pavements

Mohammed Ishaq, who has lived in Anderston for more than 40 years, says he no longer feels safe walking in the local area because it is "too busy" and cycle lanes have made crossing the road "confusing".

The 84-year-old said: "There are too many barriers when going out like works going on and rubbish everywhere and people cycling on pavements.

"It’s very hard now to walk around the area safely.

"Even crossing the roads is strange with some roads divided into separate areas for cycling which is confusing."

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Mohammed says he believes part of the reason for the increase in cyclists in the area in recent years is due to food delivery companies.

He continued: "I think there are more bikes around in the area now because of people doing deliveries and they are not all using the roads.

"They also go too fast and annoy people.

"I don’t think some of those riding bikes care about their own safety or anyone else’s.

"Some of the bikes look very big and can be quite scary."

It comes after we previously reported city centre residents are calling for a crackdown in e-bikes in pedestrianised areas, with some Garnethill residents saying they avoid Sauchiehall Street due to them number of them.

In a meeting organised by Garnethill Neighbourhood Watch in August residents said they wanted e-bikes to be classified as motorised vehicles, for the bikes to have a registration plate, and for all cyclists to be better educated.

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Mohammed’s son Dr Abid Ishaq says he believes cycle lanes in the Anderston area are underused and a "danger to pedestrians", particularly on Elderslie Street and Berkeley Street.

However, a spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said it was working on a wide range of initiatives to make travel on foot as safe as possible.

Dr Ishaq said: "The cycle lanes are a danger to pedestrians crossing the road because they don’t understand the layout of the cycle lanes and the fact is a lot of cyclists are not stopping when it’s a red light.

"There are also cyclists going through red lights even when there’s no cycle lane and basically endangering themselves and causing chaos for drivers."

Dr Ishaq, who grew up in Anderston, also says some cyclists are riding on the pavement on roads where there is a cycle lane and that he believes those cycling responsibly are "in the minority".

He says he feels "angry" that his father no longer feels safe walking around and feels more needs to be done by local authorities to tackle the problem including adding signage or getting rid of some of the cycle lanes.

He added: "We live in a country where we should be able to walk about freely in a safe environment and there are elderly and disabled people who are finding it difficult.

"They have to walk across a pavement, and they don’t know if they’re going to get hit by a cyclist.

"It makes me really sad, really angry, not just with the behaviour of cyclists but also with the failure of law enforcement agencies and the council to acknowledge the problem and put measures in place to tackle it."

Road Policing Inspector Hugh Niccolls said: "We have been carrying out joint patrols with officers from the local Problem Solving team in Glasgow city centre in response to complaints and incidents relating to e-bikes and e-scooters that are not road legal.

"Our focus is on educating riders on safety and legislative requirements, as well as using enforcement action where necessary.

"Road safety remains a priority and I would encourage anyone with information or concerns about potentially illegal e-bike or e-scooter activity to speak to officers on patrol in Glasgow City Centre or call Police Scotland on 101."

A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: "We are fully committed to improving the city’s environment for active travel, whether that be walking, wheeling or cycling.

"Pedestrians are recognised as the most vulnerable road users and we are working on a wide range of initiatives that will make travel on foot as safe as possible.

"Concerns over safety are also the single biggest barrier to people cycling and this why we are currently delivering a significant expansion of the city network of cycling infrastructure.

"When safer, segregated cycle ways are introduced the number of people cycling along these routes has been shown to increase significantly.

"Use of the West City Way, which runs through Anderston, almost doubled in the previous three years and a further rise in use is expected for 2023.

"Before a cycle way can be formally opened for use, the new infrastructure will be subjected to an independent safety audit that considers the safety of all road users.

"All road users are expected to follow the Highway Code at all times to ensure the safety of themselves and others.

"Where rules are breached, such as cycling through a red light, cycling on the pavement, or riding an unlicensed e-motor bike, enforcement is a matter for the police."