A new shared use path is set for a busy section of Greenock Road in Bishopton.
Councillor for Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank, Natalie Don has confirmed that the road between Bishopton and the Red Smiddy roundabout will see works which will increase the footway to provide a shared surface for both pedestrians and cyclists.
These works are a permanent feature and independent of the Spaces for People programme of works which is seeing temporary infrastructure projects to aid social distancing.
The project is funded by Cycling Walking Safer Streets (CWSS) funding that the Scottish Government allocates to local authorities.
The first phase will run from the end of Bishopton to the Barrangary Roundabout with similar works then scheduled between the new M8 slips to the Red Smiddy Roundabout.
Phase 1 is expected to begin on the 10th August and is expected to last for roughly 4 weeks with Ohase 2 beginning immediately after that.
SNP Councillor Natalie Don is thrilled with this progress and told Renfrewshire News: “This is great news for Bishopton. Following a request from a constituent, I arranged a site visit along this route at the end of 2019 and requested that a cycle lane be installed to provide a safe link on either side of the new sliproads.
“This was obviously held up due to the pandemic but after I raised the matter again recently, I was very pleased to be told that work is expected to begin very soon.
“When the new M8 slip roads were created it made such a huge difference to the area but there was still a real lack of connectivity along this route. This shared cycle path and footway will provide a safer, accessible link from Bishopton right up to the Red Smiddy roundabout with plans to link into other routes in the future.”
She added: “This is an extremely busy road and I am sure both pedestrians and cyclists will feel much safer once this is in place. Active travel and connectivity between our towns and villages has always been a priority for me but with social distancing in place this is now even more relevant. We need to ensure that people who choose to walk or cycle are able to do so safely.”