Glasgow pop-up transport hub hailed for boosting active travel rates

National shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) unveiled the temporary hub on West Prince’s Street in Kelvinbridge at the end of October.

Figures gathered by the organisation show that over a period of less than seven weeks, the hub’s shared bike station operated by nextbike was used almost 150 times.

Mobility hubs bring together a range of transport options and community services in a single, attractive place, making it easier for people to travel without using private cars.

Placed strategically in key travel corridors, they seamlessly connect schemes such as shared bikes, e-scooters and car clubs with public transport and other active travel options.

The mobility hub concept is already widely applied in many European and North American cities and is growing in popularity in the UK.

Housed in what would usually be a parking bay, the Kevinbridge pop-up mobility hub occupies a space the size of 1.5 cars and gives local residents a range of useful services.

As well as the nextbike hire station, it includes an accessible seating area with plants and shrubs, a free bike repair stand with tools and a pump, and also provides a meeting point for people to take part in community activities.

Since it was installed, residents have taken advantage of free activities including guided bike rides and walks, a bike maintenance class for beginners, bike health check-ups, and a drop-in balance bike session for children learning how to ride.

People living in nearby addresses are also being offered £10 nextbike vouchers to encourage more people to take advantage of the service, which operates across Glasgow.

Figures from the Kelvinbridge hub nextbike station show that between October 31 and December 18, it was used 140 times by people either starting or ending their journeys.

The mobility hub closed on December 18, with the space it occupied due to become a parking bay once again.

The project was financed by Paths for All’s Smarter Choices, Smarter Places Active Nation Fund, which aims to encourage more people to take up active travel.

Laura Wright, head of programmes at CoMoUK, said: “It’s great to see that the pop-up mobility hub we installed in Kelvinbridge in the autumn has been so well used by residents in the short time that it has been in place.

“These small, simple and flexible pieces of transport infrastructure have proved very successful in other parts of the world and there’s every reason to roll them out here too.

“Mobility hubs reclaim space for sustainable, green and convenient modes of transport that is usually taken up by private cars, helping to cut traffic congestion and carbon emissions in the process.

“They also make it far easier for people to get around by creating seamless links between public transport and schemes such as shared bikes, e-scooters and car clubs.

“We would be delighted to talk to local leaders in other towns and cities across Scotland who want to improve their urban environments about installing their own mobility hubs.”

Cllr Angus Millar, Glasgow City Council’s convener for transport and climate, said: “The practicality and convenience of mobility hubs encourages more people to travel actively, and I am delighted that the pop-up at Kelvinbridge has proved to be so popular.

“These highly visible, safe and accessible spaces are the kind of interventions we are committed to exploring, as they can increase the attractiveness of cycling for everyday journeys, meaning less reliance on private car travel.

“In a city where almost half of all households have no access to a car, there is a basic fairness in making it easier to access the other types of transport that people rely upon.

“It is also essential we do everything we can to limit the transport-related carbon emissions that contribute to climate change, and supporting access to sustainable transport through initiatives like this are a great step in the right direction.”