DEDICATED Inverclyde Coastal Cycle Route Could Lead To Tourist Bike Hire Scheme

A RANGE of improvements is proposed to make cycling and walking easier between Lunderston Bay and Port Glasgow — possibly leading to a cycle hire facility for residents and daytrippers.

Inverclyde Council has been given an increased annual award of £345,000 from Scotland’s Safer Walking, Safer Roads budget, and £585,000 from the Spaces for People fund for temporary projects to make it safer for people to walk, cycle or wheel for essential trips during Covid-19.

Officials state: “Bringing the two funding schemes together, officers propose to introduce a mixture of permanent and temporary infrastructure measures to enhance and improve the cycling walking and wheeling infrastructure through Inverclyde.

“The projects will deliver a dedicated route from Gourock to Port Glasgow and in turn this could lead to a tourist route.

“This may also lead on to dedicated cycle hire where people arrive on the train to Gourock hire a bike, cycle to Port Glasgow or Greenock leave their bike and get on a train again.”

Public consultation was held over what measures are needed and the following projects are proposed:

Lunderston Bay to Battery Park

• Remove/cut back vegetation

• Clearly define the cycle route with road markings (Permanent)

• Widen the promenade (Permanent)

• Create a temporary cycle route on the south side of Albert Road at the flats (Temporary)

• Clearly define cycle lane along Tarbet Street (Permanent)

• Improve access at Cove Road and Tarbet Street (Permanent)

• Clearly define cycle lane along Cove Road (Permanent)

Battery Park to Greenock

• Improve pedestrian and cycle access into Battery Park (Permanent)

• Create a dedicated cycle lane from Battery Park to the Esplanade (Temporary/Permanent)

• Clearly define the cycle lane along the Esplanade by road markings, widening and bollards (Permanent)

• Create a dedicated cycle/walking route along Campbell Street (Permanent)

• Create a dedicated cycle lane along Brougham Street and Grey Place from Campbell Street to Laird Street (Temporary/Permanent)

• Create a dedicated cycle lane on Laird Street and Container Way (Permanent)

• Improvements to the missing links through Greenock at Beacon, Victoria harbour (Permanent)

Greenock to Port Glasgow

• Investigate a dedicated cycle route from Cartsdyke Roundabout to Kingston Dock

• Clearly define the cycle and walking route through Kingston Dock and through to Coronation Park (Permanent)

• Dedicated cycle/walking link from Lady Octavia Park to A8 route