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6 September 2022
Glasgow's Bike Bus given the green light

Riding a bike to school in Glasgow just got safer thanks to an innovative device that allows the Shawlands Bike Bus to control the traffic.

The Shawlands Bike Bus escorts students travelling by bike to Shawlands Primary School along a safe route on Friday mornings and its popularity has seen the group size grow to up to 60 students.

To assist the convoy navigate to school, a remote-controlled wireless transmitter has been developed for the Glasgow City Council that sends a signal to control traffic lights. The lead rider of the Shawlands Bike Bus can send a signal to hold traffic for 45 seconds, allowing the entire group to safely cross at busy intersections on their route.

The wireless transmitter, created by Sm@art Technology, allows the lead rider to send an encrypted signal to control traffic lights. Image: Colin Mearns

The Ultra-Smart Cycle System, developed by Sm@rt Technology, only accepts the signal during a certain period on a scheduled day, so works perfectly for the school group who travel on Friday mornings between 8:00am and 9:00am.

Glasgow’s Convener for Climate Angus Millar said: "We are always looking for new and innovative ways to provide safe, active travel routes for everyone and I am delighted that council colleagues were able to offer a solution to this problem in a very short space of time, during the school break.

"Making cycling a safe, easy and attractive option for people and especially young people is at the heart of our efforts to promote sustainable transport.

"This bit of kit is a fairly simple solution to a road safety problem that is probably experienced in cities up and down the country and I hope that what we've developed for Glasgow can be replicated to help similar bike bus schemes."

Gareth Johnson, who first organised the Shawlands Bike Bus with his with wife Jo Wright, said: "Ultimately we'd like safe segregated cycle infrastructure so all children in Glasgow that want to can safely cycle to school, but in the interim, we are extremely grateful to the council for providing this new bit of technology.

"The junction is really busy and with a lot of young children on our bike bus giving us that little bit of extra time to safely navigate the junction is a game-changer for us."

Images: Colin Mearns

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