Glasgow lays out £1.5bn green transport vision

Date: 1/2/2010

A new network of trams, along with congestion charge zones, could be installed in the centre of Glasgow under plans to make Scotland's biggest city more eco-friendly.

Under the proposals drawn up by experts at the University of Strathclyde in partnership with Glasgow City Council, some £1.5 billion worth of private sector investment would be ploughed into cutting the number of cars on the city's roads and instead boosting the popularity of green transport schemes.

The Sustainable Glasgow plans have a new tram network, allowing passengers to travel through the city's main commercial areas, at their centre, while they also call for the construction of several renewable energy schemes, including turbines in canals and rivers, and the introduction of trees in unused brownfield sites.

Explaining how the plans are likely to win public support, lead author Richard Bellingham said: "If they perceive public transport as being high-quality, safe and reasonably priced, they will be more open to the idea that we are wanting to reduce cars in the city centre."

At the same time, however, the plans have already been called into question by local businesses, who believe that barring cars from the city centre could be damaging to Glasgow's economy.

This comes soon after the think tank Policy Exchange stated that the River Thames could prove to be a crucial new green transport link for London over the coming years.