Consultations on Bears Way 2

Residents are being invited to get involved in designing the next phase of the A81 Bears Way at a series of public meetings.
Public forums will be held on 1 and 7 September in Milngavie Town Hall to inform future work on the cycleway - which offers protected space for people of all ages to cycle in safety and comfort.
Phase 1 of the Bears Way - funded by delivery partners Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and Sustrans - runs from Burnbrae roundabout to Hillfoot.
However, it will not be fully functional until all phases are complete - providing a traffic-free route from Milngavie to Glasgow.
The proposed Phase 2 will run from Hillfoot to Kessington and one of the goals is to address issues which have been identified through engagement to date.
Public forums will be held on:
·        Thursday 1 September, 6pm – 8pm in Milngavie Town Hall
·        Wednesday 7 September, 7pm – 9pm in Milngavie Town Hall
Three other 'drop-in' information events will be held in the Allander Leisure Centre to complement the public forums.
Please note these will be informal and a chance for the public to access information ahead of the public forums.
Drop-in information events will take place on:
·        Thursday 1 September, noon - 2pm
·        Saturday 3 September, 11am - 3pm
·        Wednesday 7 September, noon - 2pm
Leaflets are being delivered to properties in Bearsden and Milngavie - giving people information on how they can get involved and help shape the future of the Bears Way.
In addition a Business Forum will be held on Thursday 18 August and a Design Forum is scheduled for Thursday 25 August - including stakeholders and representative groups. Both of these forums are invite only.

Parking Charges

Parking charges will be brought in at certain car parks in Bearsden, Kirkintilloch and Milngavie from 4 July 2016 - but only for people who leave their vehicles longer than two hours.
Seven Council car parks will be affected, with 21 remaining free to park all day, every day.
The charges are being introduced to help pay for Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) locally, but crucially they will also help to support town centre businesses by encouraging turnover and freeing up spaces for shoppers.
Before the Council took over responsibility for enforcing parking restrictions from the Police, the Scottish Government required that the DPE scheme be self-financing.
The approved business case made it clear that enforcement fines would not be enough to cover costs and - as a result - charging for some council-owned parking spaces would be needed in town centres.
However, it will only affect a limited number of car parks and parking will remain free for the first two hours in every Council parking space across East Dunbartonshire - with parking free in the evenings and at weekends.
Residents living in domestic properties with no allocated parking within town centres - who are considered to be detrimentally affected by the introduction of charging - will be eligible to apply for a parking permit.
This will be limited at the moment to one per property and there will be a charge to cover administrative costs.
As detailed previously, it is not intended to provide separate permits for town centre businesses in the first phase of delivery.
Charges will be brought in for the following car parks - which have been upgraded and capacities increased where possible:
·        Milngavie - Douglas Street, Mugdock Road, Stewart Street (North) and Woodburn Way
·        Kirkintilloch - Barleybank and William Patrick Library
·        Bearsden - Roman Road.
The first two hours are free, with a sliding scale thereafter, up to a maximum of £5:
·        0-2 hours - free
·        2-4 hours - £1
·        3-4 hours - £2
·        over 4 hours - £5
All of the car parks will be monitored. Any additional income accrued will be ring-fenced for parking projects.
Charging will be introduced for 460 spaces, while 749 will remain free of charge at all times in Milngavie, Kirkintilloch and Bearsden. The free car parks include:
·        Milngavie - Mugdock Road (east), Riverside, Stewart Street (South), Ellangowan, Kersland, Milngavie Station, Milngavie Town Hall and Milngavie Library
·        Kirkintilloch - David Donnelly Place, High Street, Catherine Street, Rochdale Place, Peel Park, Shamrock Street, Freeland Place, Oxford Street and Southbank House
·        Bearsden - Brookwood, The Glebe, Bearsden Burgh Hall and Bearsden Station.

Big Bike Fest

People of all ages and abilities are gearing up for an out-of-this world celebration of cycling in Bearsden and Milngavie.
From pedal-powered cinemas and extra-terrestrials to African adventures and local history rides, there's something for everyone at The Big Bike Fest.
There will be a host of spoke-tacular events from 28 May to 5 June, culminating in The Big Bike Fest Gala near Allander Leisure Centre.
The free family gala includes an exciting stunt show, ‘funny’ bikes, cycle lessons, a skills track, bouncy castles and more. 
Other events during The Big Bike Fest include:
·         An Evening with Mark Beaumont: Africa Solo (1 June at Milngavie Town Hall) - join the celebrated cyclist as he recounts riding the entire length of Africa. Free, but book tickets now to avoid disappointment.
·         Family Night Ride and Cycle Cinema (3 June - meet at Bearsden Primary) - help power the cycle cinema and enjoy a screening of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'
·         Belles on Bikes: Ladies Night Ride (31 May)
·         Midweek Meander for people over the age of 60 (31 May) - taking in local cycle routes and areas of interest
·         Sunday Cycle Skool (29 May at the Allander) - calling all mums, dads and mini-cyclists - come along and spend the morning learning to cycle, topped off with a group ride in the afternoon with Sustrans Sunday Cycling Skool. Free, but booking essential.
·         Bike Breakfast with Dr Bike (1 June) 
·         Mr Chipping’s History Ride (4 June) - join the Victorian headmaster for an historic tour of Bearsden by bicycle
·         And much, much more - visit www.thebigbikefest.org.uk for the full list and to book.
The Big Bike Fest is being delivered by The Bike Station Glasgow - supported by the Council and Sustrans.
For more information, visit www.thebigbikefest.org.uk , www.facebook.com/thebigbikefest and follow @BigBikeFest on Twitter.

Impending roadworks - from an email from Councillor Manjinder Shergill

Neighbourhood Services is to carry out resurfacing works on the A81 Maryhill Road between its junction with Coronation Way and a point northwest of Rannoch Drive at the access to Garscube Gatehouse, Bearsden.

In order for the works to be carried out in a safe manner, East Dunbartonshire Council will require to close the southeast carriageway of the A81 Maryhill Road from its junction with Coronation Way southeastwards to a point 40 metres or thereby northwest of its junction with Rannoch Drive, Bearsden, from 09.00 hours on Monday 29 February 2016 until 18.00 hours on Sunday 27 March 2016.

The alternative route for vehicles will be by way of the northwest carriageway of the A81 Maryhill Road.

In addition, East Dunbartonshire Council will also require to close the northwest carriageway of the A81 Maryhill Road from its junction with Coronation Way southeastwards to a point 40 metres or thereby northwest of its junction with Rannoch Drive, Bearsden, from 09.00 hours on Monday 29 February 2016 until 18.00 hours on Sunday 27 March 2016.

The alternative route for vehicles will be by way of the southeast carriageway of the A81 Maryhill Road.

Please note that only one carriageway of the A81 Maryhill Road will be closed at a time.

Furthermore, two gaps in the central reservation of the A81 Maryhill Road between its junctions with Coronation Way and the A81 Milngavie Road, Bearsden, will require to be closed from 09.00 hours on Monday 29 February 2016 until 18.00 hours on Sunday 27 March 2016.

In addition, one gap in the central reservation of the A81 Maryhill Road between its junctions with Coronation Way and Rannoch Drive, Bearsden, will require to be closed from 09.00 hours on Monday 29 February 2016 until 18.00 hours on Sunday 27 March 2016.

Furthermore, during the works, Coronation Way, Bearsden, will also require to be closed from its junction with the A81 Maryhill Road, Bearsden, southwards for a distance of 10 metres or thereby, from 09.00 hours on Monday 29 February 2016 until 18.00 hours on Sunday 27 March 2016.

Access to the closed section of road will only be maintained for emergency service vehicles and vehicles engaged in the works. 

The latest newsletter from East Dunbartonshire Council's Land Planning Team has been published on the Council's website at http://www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk  The newsletter gives an update on the Local Development Plan.

The association spoke with the Council recently about street litter bins and bins in local parks. These bins are emptied now only as and when required; all of the Council's waste disposal staff are meant to empty these bins as they go about their jobs. We will need to be vigilant and if there is a bin which needs emptied we should all feel free to contact the Council and let them know.

We can expect to see accumulations of leaves in the estate being cleared over the next few days and into next week.

A public consultation meeting on Phase 2 of the Bears Way Cycle Way is being held on Thursday, 19th November from 03.00 pm to 08.00 pm. It is being held in Kessington Hall. It is a drop-in session.

A consultation meeting on Improving People's Services in North West Glasgow is being held on Tuesday 17th November in Yoker Community Campus from 06.00 pm to 08.00 pm. Proposed changes in service provision are likely to have implications in the longer term for GP Out of Hours Services at Drumchapel Hospital; the provision of such services is the subject of a national and local review.

A81 congestion

A member of the committee took part in the EDC workshop regarding the A81 transport strategy.  Those of you who use this route will know that it can become severely congested at times. It is understood that EDC intend to introduce a two way cycle lane along this route called Bearsway.  However, many feel that cycling needs to be taken off the road completely and less than 1% of the population cycle.

EDC also wish to encourage more use of public transport and it was emphasised that an Allander Rail Halt is required with provision for Park & Ride.  This would hopefully ease the parking congestion around the village caused by commuters and provide long stay parking for workers in the village and those visiting/walking in the area.  With the introduction of the new charges for parking next year it is hoped that shoppers will be able to get parked more easily to shop locally. Bearsden Community Council have had a Report carried out into the feasibility of the Rail Halt and this has been submitted to EDC who say they will include this in the draft Local Development Plan which will be available early next year.

Bears Way Cycle Corridor

Information on the proposed plans for 'Kessington Travel Hub' and phase 1
of the 'Bears Way Cycle Corridor' is now available online at:
http://www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/content/council_and_government/consultations,_complaints_and/consultation_and_engagement/current_consultation_activity/bears_way.aspx

This is a proposed cycle corridor and transport hub at Kessington as part of the A81 cycle link.