TRAFFIC PROBLEMS IN GLASGOW

Lesson starter:  You have a piece of poster paper in front of you.  You must draw a line down the middle of it.

Lesson starter:  On one side write down all of the changes that have happened in Glasgow’s CBD.  On the other side write down all of the changes that have happened in Glasgow’s inner city.

TRAFFIC PROBLEMS IN GLASGOW

Lesson Aims  To look at the problems that traffic congestion causes in settlements.  To find out how we can stop traffic congestion.

Task 1  Turn your poster paper over and draw a line down the middle again.  On the left side answer the following question:  “What sort of traffic problems can major cities face?”  Can you think what factors cause these problems?

The Problem!  Many people working in the C.B.D. which may have narrow streets. This means that there are potentially many cars travelling into a busy area on a daily basis.  Shortage of off-street parking which means people park on the roads and so increase congestion.  People not using public transport - either because it is less convenient, too expensive or not available.  More people own and use cars. Copy

The Problem!  Many people travel into the CBD at the same time (rush hour) and this can cause massive traffic jams.  Many people now commute and this means that the motorways are often very busy during rush hour.  Glasgow has many bridges that are crossed daily. This can result in bottlenecks  The CBD is the oldest part of the city and was built before cars were invented. Roads are narrow and straight Copy

What do you think are the solutions to the traffic problems?  You have 4 minutes to come up with as many solutions as you can think of. Write them on the right hand side of your paper.

General Solutions  Parking Restrictions eg double yellow lines, parking metres to limit the number of cars in the city centre and to limit the length of stay.  Flexi-time – helps to reduce congestion at rush hour by giving people more flexible working hours.  Roundabouts – help traffic flow better at junctions than traffic lights.  Increase and improvement of public transport

Solutions Specific to Glasgow  Park and Ride schemes – commuters leave their car at train / underground station and take train / underground into CBD, and so easing congestion in the CBD.  Glasgow Underground – reduces the amount of traffic above ground.  One way systems in CBD helps traffic flow better and reduces congestion at junctions.

 Bus Lanes – help make journeys by bus faster and therefore encourages more people to use public transport.  M8 – goes right through the CBD and therefore reduces journey times.  New motorway construction – M77 and M74 extension.  Cycle lanes and Cycle to Work scheme – both of which encourage cycling in the city

Glassford Street Bus Lane Glasgow City Council made £700,000 from fines on Glassford Street between April andDecember 31 st 2013

M77 Joining M8

 Two pedestrian bridges and one road bridge (Clyde Arc) have been built over the Clyde  In the inner city, traffic calming measures have been implemented e.g. speed bumps which slows the speed of the traffic  / stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&news=1&bbcws= / stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&news=1&bbcws= 1

London  Congestion charges in the centre of London making people pay a lot of money to drive through.  Boris bikes – electric bikes that can be hired for the day and returned to charging points later.

Value of Motorways?  Improves accessibility and attracts investment  They become congested at rush hour  Costly to build and maintain  Encourages car usage  Increases CO2 emissions

Example past paper question  “Traffic congestion is now a major problem facing many cities in developed countries”.  Describe and explain schemes which have been introduced to reduce problems of traffic management in any named city you have studied in an developed.

 “Traffic congestion is now a major problem facing many cities in developed countries”.  Describe and explain schemes which have been introduced to reduce problems of traffic management in any named city you have studied in an developed.

Video clips  traffic-congestion/4725.html traffic-congestion/4725.html  congestion-in-cambridge/529.html congestion-in-cambridge/529.html  controlling-traffic/6059.html controlling-traffic/6059.html

Starter: 1. What are some of the traffic management problems faced in a named city that you have studied? 2. What are some of the traffic management solutions that are in place in a named city that you have studied? 3. What changes have taken place in the CBD of a city you have studied in recent years? 4. Explain the changes that have taken place in Glasgow’s inner city in recent years.