That it's an unambiguously good thing to be connecting around 500 homes - relatively cut off from routes to the centre and shops - to East Kilbride's existing cycle network.
...is this good
View down Union Street with an arc of water from a fire hose at one end.
Just walked past Union Street in Glasgow and it looks like firefighters are still firing water into the building even now (I assume as a precaution at this stage).
View looking west along Gordon Street towards the junction with Union Street in Glasgow city centre, with ornate Georgian and Victorian era commercial buildings on all sides. The domed building to the left was destroyed yesterday evening in a devastating fire. Glasgow Central Station is just out of view, behind it. Image taken from Google Street View.
I never heard it spoken about in these terms, but for me, this is/was as strong a gateway to the city as you'll find anywhere in Europe. Devastating.
Don't have much to say that's not already been said, but it's dreadful to think of the businesses & people affected directly.
It's also a miracle it didn't spread further and for that we should be very grateful. Like others, I went to bed last night fearing the absolute worst for the station.
The current view along Renfield Street. It seems like the flames have been quelled, although I'd really love to have it confirmed that Glasgow Central is out of danger.
This is no longer about saving the corner building. It's lost. All the SFRS can do is try to prevent what would be a catastrophic spread to Glasgow Central Station.
π· Vyro Media
Photo of a woman standing with her bike on the pavement by a city read. Traffic lights and a bus are in the background. To the right, a male cyclist is parking his bike at a stand.
It's time to tackle the cycling #GenderGap βοΈ
On #InternationalWomensDay we want to raise awareness of the barriers that stop women getting on bikes.
Our upcoming #WalkingCyclingIndex for Scotland reveals the number of women cycling in our cities is still half that of men π΄ββοΈ
Another fantastic look at new Glasgow cycle infrastructure being built by @glasgowcycles.bsky.social Well worth a watch to see the progress. youtu.be/WvFggBmxsr8?...
M8 motorway, acres of it, with primary school, with children playing, right beside it
Clydeside expressway, around 8 lanes, with primary school playground right beside it.
A knock on effect of Glasgow's former obsession with the motor car is primary school playgrounds with around 13 (Thirteen) lanes of pollution, particulate, noise and all just metres away. These schools separated by about 500m.
Mum and 2 kids cycling on the pavement outside Hnps Hackney where the road was improved but no safe cycle lanes were added
3 kids cycling on pavement outside HNPS Hackney
For every family cycling on the pavement outside my kidsβ school, there are many more who just feel too unsafe to cycle at all. Really βsolving the school runβ means being much bolder. @solveschoolrun.bsky.social
Landscape ecological restoration. It can be done but we need to get a move on. This is Carrifran where the sheep were removed to allow this native woodland to take over.
Every newspaper from the Express to the Guardian is using βexpatsβ to talk about British immigrants in UAE. Every last one. These people do not need a special word.
My gravel bike, morning sun rising in the back left to cloudless blue skies. Itβs against a bollard with a bicycle lane indicator. The stone setts forming the new separated cycleway over the Sandport Bridge on The Shore form the ground cover curving up with the Shoreβs buildings in the background. Golden light everywhere. The crankset is not level, nor are the valves perpendicular to the ground - an obvious omission in which the photographer says is due to the fact that this is actually a decently busy cycle way at times, and he didnβt want to impede anyone with the photo op.
Some morning zen, brought to you by Leith Connections.
Another wee explainer on what happens next RE Glasgow M8 plans @heraldscotland.bsky.social
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2589968...
Asked about cycleways supposedly slowing buses. Bus speed data fished out by @maxsullivan.bsky.social (my graph) shows the biggest change to bus speeds was during the pandemic, when people drove their cars less. NB Camden's bike lanes didn't go away too... movepeople.substack.com/p/do-cycle-l...
In 2025, there were 1.5m daily cycle journeys in London, equivalent to nearly half of daily Tube journeys.
Evidence shows that London-wide, cycling infrastructure is effective in reducing risk exposure: ο Protected cycling infrastructure reduces injury risk to people cycling by 40-65%. ο Around 33% of all cycling in London occurs on Cycleways, but only 15% of cycle casualties. ο 76% of people cycling feel safe on Cycleways compared to 40% feeling safe on other roads. ο 70% of Cycleway users felt safer after the introduction of the Cycleway.
Road safety factors are more likely to be attributed to the driver of (recorded in 2024) the other vehicle than people cycling, with three of top five factors relating to behaviour of other drivers. β’ People cycling undertaking an illegal turn and/or not complying with traffic lights is a factor in only 3.7% of all collisions resulting in a cycling fatal or serious injury (same prevalence as drivers undertaking illegal turns and/or not complying with traffic lights).
A 2023 analysis showed that in the 2016-22 period, we saw a greater reduction in risk in boroughs where the Cycleway network expanded the most. Conversely, risk increased most in boroughs with no or limited investment in Cycleways.
Some interesting London cycling stats in this TfL FOI, if that's your thing tfl.gov.uk/corporate/tr...
New: British/Danish couple tell of stress of not knowing if their children will be allowed board flight home from holidays tomorrow. They are angry there was no effective communication about new rules affecting dual national kids: they learned about when away.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Closing the M8 has gone from out there idea to something apparently being considered by policymakers! Well done to @andrewhoolachan.bsky.social and everyone else whoβs made that happen. www.scotsman.com/news/transpo...
It's official. Among the official options being considered for the future of the M8 motorway in the centre of Glasgow:
1) repair
2) replace
3) removal (!)
The window for that serious rethink has opened. Consultation materials on the options: www.pinpointcloud.co.uk/M8WoodsideVi...
This is super interesting.
The last one I can read fluently is 1600.
I can then still read it and figure out (almost) every word, with some puzzling, but then lose it almost completely at 1200.
www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/how-far-ba...
We've had questions from three broadcasters so far, and they have all been about the practicalities and costs. None has asked about the legal/moral issue of retrospectively changing laws so huge numbers of people who have made their lives in the UK will be expelled.
π amazing
What a great photo in this Grauniad piece.
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
Screengrab of the last paragraph of an article by Marissa MacWhirter in The Herald, published 21 February 2026, on the severe problems facing - and caused by - the M8 motorway in Glasgow. The article concludes: "Nearly a decade on from the extension, traffic levels have nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, and congestion is once again just part of the M8 experience. When you add capacity to busy urban roads, vehicle-kilometres travelled rise to meet the new space, especially where congestion is already a problem. Such is the Iron Law of Congestion β when you expand motorways, traffic increases to match the new space."
π A real detailed history of the motorway, its impacts, limitations & partial extension in the mid-2010s: it's especially good to see a piece in a broadsheet end with this vital point on the reality of #InducedDemand
"When you add capacity to busy urban roads, vehicle-kilometres travelled rise" πππ
Great piece from @marissamacwhirter.bsky.social on the problems facing (and caused by) the M8 motorway, which cuts through Glasgow.
With spans of the 1960s infrastructure now needing costly replacement, might it be time for a more serious rethink about how it fits in with the city.
Everytime I see pictures of the South City Way I think "wow look at that, that must be some new top notch cycleway in Utrecht or something" before realising "oh shoot that's my route into town just from another angle" lol
an advert for a curry served in a garlic naan bowl
unbelievable things are happening in glasgow cuisine
