THE Evening Times campaign to Get Glasgow Moving will result in more than £1million being spent improving one of the most congested areas of the city.

THE Evening Times campaign to Get Glasgow Moving will result in more than £1million being spent improving one of the most congested areas of the city.

Every day thousands of buses and cars inch their way through the shopping heart of the city resulting in accidents, congestion and high levels of pollution.

Earlier this year, the situation got so bad the Evening Times launched the Get Glasgow Moving campaign and demanded roads bosses come up with solutions for the hotspots causing the biggest problems.

It asked readers to identify areas of particular concern and have now responded with the first phase of measures aimed at easing the flow of traffic and improving safety for pedestrians.

Over the next few months, action will be taken to improve the Renfield Street/Union Street/Jamaica Street corridor, Gordon Street between Hope Street and West Nile Street and the Oswald Street/ Hope Street corridor.

The biggest problem in the city centre is at the junction of Argyle Street, Union Street and Jamaica Street which has twice the number of casualties of any other junction.

Three of the top five injury accident sites are in Renfield Street/Union Street, the main north to south route for buses travelling through the city centre.

Around 230 buses travel along Renfield Street and Union Street every hour of the day and at some bus stops, up to 65 buses stop to load and unload passengers every hour - more than one a minute.

Roads bosses also say narrow pavements along some section of the route result in crowded conditions for pedestrians.

In a bid to solve some of the problems, it is planned to remove the area of pavement which juts into Renfield Street at the Gordon Street junction.

That will mean buses which stop at the bus stop north of Gordon Street could stay in the inside lane and travel unhindered to the bus stops on Union Street - hopefully easing congestion in the process.

Because of the high number of pedestrians using that junction, it is also planned to pedestrianise Gordon Street between Renfield Street and West Nile Street.

In order to maintain access to the Mitchell Street multi-storey car park, West Nile Street will be made two way between St Vincent Street and Gordon Street.

Roads officials say this will have the added advantage of reducing traffic travelling south on Renfield Street approaching Gordon Street.

A new pedestrian crossing will also be built on Union Street at the side entrance to Central Station.

Changes will also be made in the section of Gordon Street directly in front of the main entrance to the station.

Taxis parked at the rank will no longer be able to exit the street into Renfield Street but will use a new turning circle and return to Hope Street.

Buses running between Queen Street and Central stations and goods delivery vehicles would still be able to enter Gordon Street from Renfield Street.

The pedestrianisation and changes for taxis have been welcomed by Glasgow Taxis.

Chairman David Mackie said: "Glasgow Taxis were represented at the consultation meetings for the City Centre traffic management proposals and are in support of the initiative, especially as access for taxis to Union Street has been agreed between 10pm and 5am to accommodate the Nite Zone."

Changes are also planned for the Oswald Street/Hope Street corridor which is used by 120 buses an hour and is used by a large number of cars travelling across George V Bridge - one of the main routes into the city centre from the South Side.

A section of Oswald Street, north of Midland Street and the Arches, will be reserved for buses only, meaning private vehicles heading further into the city centre, will have to travel along Broomielaw as soon as they cross the Clyde and up York Street and West Campbell Street.

Pavements will be widened in the west side of Hope Street at bus stops south of Bath Street and Sauchiehall Street which are often congested with pedestrians.

The final work in the first phase will be either to make Jamaica Street one way southwards or to build an island in the middle of the road for pedestrians.

City council roads director Robert Booth said: "We ran a campaign with the Evening Times about hotspots in the city centre and asked for feedback from the public about what they thought the problems were."

Scottish Traffic Commissioner Joan Aitken welcomed the council's bid to cut congestion. She said: "Modern cities need modern solutions to moving people about because congestion and delays frustrate everybody."

A spokesman for bus company First said: "First in Glasgow wholly supports any efforts to improve traffic flow in Glasgow city centre and continues to work very closely with Glasgow City Council in this respect.

"The removal of the pinch-point' at Gordon Street, for example, is something we have campaigned strongly for and something we feel will be very beneficial for bus users.

"Allowing buses to proceed through the city centre as smoothly as possible is a first step in achieving a shift to public transport."

			Robert Booth's plan will lead to a pavement in Renfield Street being removed, taxis will face changes in Gordon Street at Central station and a new crossing in Union Street