Bus routes upgrade in Glasgow will make buses 20 per cent faster - affected buses include the 90, 121, 1D, 184, 3, 400, and 4

Consultants are looking at 16 traffic and road changes to fast track buses travelling around the city corridors on Dumbarton Road, Maryhill Road, Great Western Road, Pollokshaws Road and Paisley Road West.

The plans aim to make “bus travel quicker, easier and more reliable than using the car whether you’re heading into the city centre or just to your local high-street” according to a document on the Glasgow Bus Partnership plans.

Bus only streets, a variety of different types of bus lanes, and traffic lights favouring the movement of buses are among measures being considered to boost the mode of public transport. The transformation bid was presented to the Anderston, City, and Yorkhill Area Partnership last week.

Following the meeting, Angus Millar, SNP councillor for Anderston/City/Yorkhill who also serves as Glasgow’s convener for transport, said: “How we get to and about the city centre is vital for the future of Glasgow, and the council’s work to bring down bus journey times throughout the city and create a more people-friendly city centre are crucially important.

“By looking at key bus corridors and identifying ways we can improve bus priority, the Council is looking to improve the efficiency and reliability of buses in the city and support connectivity to the city centre.”

The route transformation plan is being developed by consultant Jacobs Steer as part of work being led by the Glasgow Bus Partnership (GBP) to improve bus travel around Glasgow.

The partnership is made up of the eight Glasgow City region councils, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, bus firms and passenger representative groups. The Glasgow City Region Bus Partnership has been awarded £3.655 million from Transport Scotland.

A document from Jacobs Steer presented to the area partnership said: “Glasgow City Council will submit bid(s) to the Bus Partnership Fund on behalf of the GBP and has commissioned us, Jacobs Steer, to develop the evidence-base to allow the first funding bid during 2023.

The report said Jacobs Steer is “working to develop a set of proposals which will transform bus travel within the Glasgow city region, starting with these five corridors.”

It added: “We have ambitious targets for 20 per cet bus journey time reduction on each corridor, and 50 per cent bus journey time reduction within Glasgow city centre during peak periods. We will deliver these targets with strategic interventions along these corridors, drawing from a suite of measures such as upgrading traffic signals, improving junction design and addressing congestion hotspots to reduce journey times and improve journey time reliability.”

Details of the five bus routes to be transformed are:

1 Paisley Road West; (Glasgow Central Station to Paisley Gilmour Street Station)

2. Dumbarton Road; (Clydebank Railway Station to High Street Station)

3. Maryhill Road; (Bearsden Cross and Boclair Road via Canniesburn Toll to Glasgow)

4. Great Western Road; (Kilbowie Roundabout to High Street)

5. Pollokshaws Road; (Glasgow Central Station to Shawlands, then Pollockshaws Road to Thorniebank Railway Station and Kilmarnock Road to Eastwood Toll