Glasgow is two cities: one for the middle-class and one for the rest

However, the Winter Gardens are a gaunt ruin, the bowling greens are rewilding, the Rockery Garden is derelict and its pond is full of rubbish... bottles, an old tyre, a supermarket trolley. There is no cafe, there is no toilet. A metaphor almost for the fact that this city is two cities, an increasingly affluent middle-class West End and an increasingly marginalised collection of former working-class industrial areas whose inhabitants seem to have moved far down the spectrum of our attention and concerns, now directed elsewhere.

Ian R Mitchell, Glasgow.

Please, listen to the people

HARDLY a day goes past without hearing about Glasgow City Council’s Avenues and active travel projects, costly initiatives meant to modernise and enhance our city, which have instead become an overwhelming eyesore and a monumental waste of public funds. Far from revitalising the city centre, such projects have created chaos and confusion, leaving behind a legacy of disruption and disillusionment for the people of this beleaguered city.

One need only look at the mess of Sauchiehall Street and Cambridge Street to see the scale of the destruction and incompetence. Once-vibrant areas are now marred by incomplete works and nonsensical designs that serve little practical purpose. This is no longer about promoting active travel or creating greener spaces; it’s about enduring the fallout from misguided urban planning that’s left the city gridlocked and in disrepair. Garscube Road is another example where the new infrastructure has done little more than generate endless traffic jams and confusion, while adding to the frustration of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike.

And what’s next on the council’s agenda? The planned redesign of George Square, another top-down project no one voted for. We can only hope it won’t follow in the footsteps of the Avenues Project, but the writing is on the wall. Unless serious lessons are learned from the failures of those streets mentioned, this beloved civic space could be the next disaster in a long line of botched schemes. Once again, millions of pounds are being spent, but there seems to be little concern for how this will impact the people who actually use the space.

I would urge council leader Susan Aitken and Karen McGregor, the director of the quango Sustrans Scotland, to step outside of their cosy offices and cars and take a walk through the streets they have "improved". The so-called cycle lanes are now a disconnected network going nowhere, largely unused by cyclists, beyond Deliveroo employees, and neglected by the council responsible for their upkeep. This isn’t sustainable urban design: it is an abomination that has caused more harm than good.

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The people of Glasgow deserve better than this half-baked, poorly executed plan. These projects have left the city with a broken system and crippled its core, with little to show for the millions of pounds spent. Glaswegians will not forget this mess when the next set of council elections come around. We need real leadership and accountability, not grandiose projects that go nowhere.

Glaswegians deserve humble apologies from Susan Aitken and Karen McGregor for what they have done. It’s time for the council to rethink its approach; properly listen to the people who live here and stop using sham online consultations to push the agendas of the very few on the majority. The council must put an end to this farcical waste of money before it does any more damage to our city and its already tarnished reputation.

Susan McLeod, Glasgow.

Back to basics on road safety

MAY I compliment Stewart Carle on his excellent letter (October 10) regarding the carnage on our roads. The sad but true fact is that he is whistling in the wind. The Holyrood politicians who could make a real difference ignore individuals who really know what they are talking about.

Further back than I care to remember I have written numerous similar letters to The Herald. I was even privileged on one occasion to write an Agenda article about the A9.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel. A number of years ago in Greenock they had zero tolerance to speeding and inconsiderate driving. From memory I think they went some three years without a serious road traffic accident.

Dan Edgar, Rothesay.

One of Glasgow's new cycle lanes (Image: Colin Mearns)

10 per cent is plenty for a tip

IN Canada this year, when a bar or restaurant bill was presented, we were given a choice of gratuities starting at 15 per cent then upwards. One server claimed that his wage was only six dollars per hour and he had dogs, insurances and tax to pay from that wage plus gratuities. Further, his employer claimed part of the gratuities.

At Glasgow Airport recently my breakfast bill had the same gratuity offer, albeit starting at 12.5 per cent As we have better employment conditions than Canada, why is this enlarged billing necessary? Surely the old 10 per cent rate is adequate for standard service?

JB Drummond, Kilmarnock.

Impertinent imperatives
I DO wish that your correspondents would stop telling me how to run my life.
Today, Neil Mackay ("Like a divorced couple, Bojo and Nicola still can’t resist a dig", The Herald, October 12)  begins with " You have to wonder". No, I don't. 
Mark Smith, in four successive sentences, instructs me either to look how or to look at ("Yes, they really do exist: Scots who love Jenrick, Badenoch and their ilk", The Herald, October 12).
Fortunately, I am reading today's Herald after not having to choke over my cornflakes.
David Miller, Milngavie.