Have your say on next phase of Bears Way A81 project

Public forums will be held on September 1 and 7 in Milngavie Town Hall to inform future work on the cycleway - which offers protected space for people of all ages to cycle in safety and comfort.

Phase 1 of the Bears Way - funded by delivery partners Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and Sustrans - runs from Burnbrae roundabout to Hillfoot.

However, it will not be fully functional until all phases are complete - providing a traffic-free route from Milngavie to Glasgow.

The proposed Phase 2 will run from Hillfoot to Kessington and one of the goals is to address issues which have been identified through engagement to date.

Public forums will be held on:

· Thursday, September 1, 6pm - 8pm in Milngavie Town Hall

· Wednesday 7 September, 7pm - 9pm in Milngavie Town Hall

Three other ‘drop-in’ information events will be held in the Allander Leisure Centre, Bearsden, to complement the public forums.

Please note these will be informal and a chance for the public to access information ahead of the public forums.

Drop-in information events will take place on:

· Thursday, September 1, noon - 2pm

· Saturday, September 3, 11am - 3pm

· Wednesday, September 7, noon - 2pm

Leaflets are being delivered to properties in Bearsden and Milngavie - giving people information on how they can get involved and help shape the future of the Bears Way.

In addition a Business Forum will be held on Thursday, August 18 and a Design Forum is scheduled for Thursday, August 25 - including stakeholders and representative groups. Both of these forums are invite only.

Councillor Alan Moir, convener of development and regeneration, said: “I would encourage as many local residents, businesses and interested groups as possible to get involved and help shape the future of the A81 Bears Way.

“This is an ongoing project and we are working hard to ensure that it works for everyone - residents, traders and visitors - whatever mode of transport they choose.

“The Bears Way provides protected space for children and families to cycle. People who previously would never have dreamt of being able to cycle on the A81 are now doing so and that is great to hear.

“Even though it is only partially complete we are seeing an average of over 1,000 cycle trips a week (November 2015 - June 2016) with 24-hour automatic counters installed to monitor usage.

“Providing a connected, traffic-free route will give people the opportunity to cycle safely and comfortably to local destinations or into the city centre.”

Phase 1 of the Bears Way was recently recognised for ‘Achievements in Cycling’ at the Scottish Transport Awards.

If you have any ideas, comments or want to join the mailing list please e-mail [email protected]. For more information visit www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/bearsway