European Championships 2018: Travel warning over cycling event
- Published
Ellen Van Dijk of the Netherlands crosses the finish line
Road users have been warned to expect congestion and road closures as the European Championships cycling time trials take place.
The men's and women's events are taking place on Wednesday.
There will be significant road closures in place along the route, including closures around junction 15 of the M8 from early morning until late at night.
Heavy traffic is expected in Glasgow city centre, with travellers encouraged to consider using trains instead.
The route will take in a number of Glasgow and East Dunbartonshire's most famous sights on its northbound route towards Stirling.
Ukraine's Valeviya Kononenko competes in the Women's Time Trial
The road closures were phased in from 02:00. Temporary parking restrictions along the route will remain in force until 23:59 on Wednesday.
Glasgow City Council parking permit holders will be able to park outside of their designated zone until Thursday.
All roads will be fully re-opened by 21:00 on Wednesday.
European Championships Time Trial Route
Riverside Museum, Castlebank Street, Beith Street, Byres Road, A82 Great Western Road, Cleveden Road, Skaethorn Road, Cowal Road, Maryhill Road, A81 Milngavie Rd Main Street, Auchenhowie Road, Balmore Road, Glasgow Road, A81 Strathblane Road, A81 Milngavie Road, A81 Milngavie Road, A891 Strathblane Road, Glen Road, Whitefield Terrace, A891 Main Street (Lennoxtown), B822 Campsie Road, Main Street (Torrance), Torrance Road, A803 Kirkintilloch Road, A803 Springburn Road, Stirling Road, Cathedral Street, North Hanover Street, George Square, South Frederick Street, Ingram Street, High Street, London Road, Glasgow Green.
Glasgow 2018 European Championships spokesman Colin Edgar said the level of disruption would be outweighed by the benefits to Glasgow and Scotland as a whole.
He told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "People who are used to walking out their door, getting in their car and driving to work are not going to be happy when you say to them that they'll need to walk a little bit.
"But I think we are a city and a country that wants to do these big events and they have innumerable benefits - in terms of economic befits and the benefits of getting kids engaged in sport.
"It is a shop front and we are showing the world that, yes, we are great place for sporting events but also a great place to visit.
"It would be very expensive to buy the level of publicity we are getting across the world from this."
Ireland's Eileen Burns at the start of the route
Thousands of spectators are expected to line both the men's and women's routes to see 300 of Europe's best cyclists compete.
Colin Hartley, championships director, said: "In order to deliver this exciting event, we're asking the travelling public to play their part and help us to deliver this amazing event by planning their journeys in advance and encouraging employers to allow staff to work flexibly, where possible.
"Public transport or active travel are the best options, whether you're going to watch the day's sporting events or commuting to and from work.
"The local road network and motorways will all be very busy, so avoid using the car if you can."
Services suspended
Michael Matheson, cabinet secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity, said: "I'd urge people to visit getreadyglasgow.com where there is a raft of advice and links to resources to plan their journey in advance.
"The Traffic Scotland mobile site has travel information and advice, tailored for Wednesday."
Bus routes in and around the city centre will be altered, with some services suspended while road closures are in place.
Postal deliveries and collections are also likely to be affected.
A spokesperson for Royal Mail said: "We'll be making every effort to make deliveries, but these may be at a later time than usual.
"Any mail we're unable to deliver to you on Wednesday will be delivered on Thursday."
The next road closures will be on Sunday 12 August for the men's road race. However, the route is confined to the city centre and west end of Glasgow.
- Published26 July 2018
