ROAD restrictions for a controversial new £40million Glasgow transport link have been announced.

Glasgow City Council plans to introduce a raft of traffic regulations to make way for the Fastlink Route from the city centre to the Southern General Hospital.

These include the west side of the Finnieston Bridge restricted to buses only and a bus lane running along Pacific Drive.

The bus lane will also run alongside Govan Road between Pacific Drive and Whitefield Road.

A council notice states that anyone breaking these restrictions will be subject to a penalty notice of £60, rising to £90 if unpaid after 56 days or £30 if paid within 14 days. The new route will also see a ban on waiting and loading at various points on Govan Road.

These include between Whitefield Road and Stag Street and Southcroft Street and Napier Street.

There will be limited waiting between Stag Street and Napier Street and on Govan Road at the junction with Golspie Street.

Bus lanes will be introduced along Golspie Street between Govan Road and west of Harmony Row. And several existing bus lanes will be limited to local buses only.

These include Govan Road between Summerton Road and east of Burndyke Court; along Govan Road from Burndyke Court to Stag Street; Govan Road from east of Napier Street to Stag Street; and Golspie Street west of Shaw Street to Govan Road.

The same fixed-penalty charges will apply for drivers breaking these rules.

This is the first time Glasgow City Council has announced the impact the Fastlink service will have on the route.

Locals have until Friday, January 24 to object to the plans, either in writing to the council's George Street offices or by email to brian.hubbert@glasgow.gov.uk

The Fastlink service will use specially-designed buses along the segregated bus corridor mapped out in the notices.

The scheme has proved controversial with Govan shopkeepers worried they will lose out on passing trade on the introduction of the new service.

Local councillor Stephen Dornan has previously said the service will "destroy Govan."

The £40m project has broad political support but Govan Tenants' and Residents' Association has protested against the scheme.

The groups had called for the new route, which is funded by the Scottish Government and backed by the city council and SPT, to be switched north of the river to the Expressway.

Fastlink is due to be partially complete before the Commonwealth Games in July next year.

After that, it will be extended to the new Southern General Hospital and become fully operational in 2015.

There had been fears in June that the project would be delayed after council bosses failed to deliver a city centre traffic plan, a key planning element for Scottish Government approval.