Cycling in the Pedestrian Precincts of Glasgow

There appears to be some confusion as to whether cycling is permitted in pedestrian precincts in Glasgow. And with good reason. It would be nice if things were simple, but they are not. There are different laws, and some laws override others.

Usually restrictions on the use of roads are set out in Traffic Regulation Orders. These legal instruments are promoted by local or national roads authorities through a system of public consultation. If the order passes the consultation stage, then the restrictions contained in it come into force, and anyone flouting the rules leaves themselves liable for penalties. Restrictions in Traffic Regulation Orders apply to all vehicles, motorised or not, unless the restrictions are themselves restricted to certain classes of vehicles. It is possible local by-laws may also contain restrictions, particularly for paths.

However, under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, every local authority in Scotland has been required 'to draw up a plan for a system of paths ('core paths') sufficient for the purpose of giving the public reasonable access throughout their area'. These Core Paths help people to move around the path network on foot, by bike, by horse or any other non-motorised means. Importantly, if a road has been designated as a Core Path, cycling is allowed, even if there is a Traffic Regulation Order banning it! This also applies in both directions. It would be useful to remind people that all access rights provided under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act, including those associated with the use of core paths, are subject to their being exercised responsibly. So it's incumbent upon all users to proceed with care in pedestrianised streets.

In Glasgow, some of the pedestrian precincts have been designated as part of the Core Path Network. Some have been left out. Most pedestrian precincts in Glasgow have 'No Vehicles' signs, while others have 'No Motor Vehicles' signs and some 'No Entry' signs. And what of the roads that end onto pedestrian precincts, where a short length of road is pedestrianised on the approach to the junction? There is also the large pedestrian space in the centre of George Square, which is governed by the same rules that apply to the city's parks. Below I have attempted to make some sense of all this.

Street	Signs	Core Path	Result	Is Cycling Allowed?
Sauchiehall Street	No Vehicles & One Way	C55	Core Path trumps Traffic Regulation Order	Yes, both ways
West Campbell Street Cambridge Street Wellington Street (approaching Sauchiehall Street)	No Vehicles	No	Traffic Regulation Order applies	No Cycling
Buchanan Street	No Vehicles, One Way & No Entry	C55	Core Path trumps Traffic Regulation Order	Yes, both ways
Gordon Street	No Vehicles & One Way	C55A	Core Path trumps Traffic Regulation Order	Yes, both ways
Royal Exchange Square	No Vehicles	No	Traffic Regulation Order applies	No Cycling
St Enoch Square	No Motor Vehicles	C55	No prohibition	Yes, both ways
Argyle Street	No Vehicles & No Entry	C56	Core Path trumps Traffic Regulation Order	Yes, both ways
Miller Street Dunlop Street Virginia Street (approaching Argyle Street)	No Entry	No	Traffic Regulation Order applies	No Cycling
John Street	No Motor Vehicles & No Entry	No	Traffic Regulation Order applies	Yes, southbound only
Blackfriars Street	No Vehicles & No Entry	No	Traffic Regulation Order applies	No Cycling
George Square (in the centre part of the square)	None	No	Parks & Open Spaces rules apply	Yes, all ways