Introduction

The obligatory Intro

Hello readers, welcome. As the title suggests, this is an introductory post to what will hopefully be a repository devoted to mapping out the various stretches of tarmac, kerbs, paint, sign-age and  street furniture that make up Glasgow's cycling infrastructure.

Like a lot of people, I've had a bike since I was a child but, unlike most of the population of Scotland, I've kept my hand in ever since one way or another. In particular, I've been commuting to work by bike on and off  since about 2003 (with big gaps between 2005-2009), although only in the last four years has it been of any great intensity. I'm not particularly into the sport-y side of cycling (although I've done a bit of leisure cycling in my time) and tend to focus on the utilitarian, every-day aspect of using a bike.

Since about 2 years ago, I've been getting more and more interested and involved with cycle advocacy and activism - in particular, I've been inspired by the great work of The Cycle Embassy of Great Britain, who opened my eyes to the society-changing possibilities of a mature cycle culture, as well as the vital role infrastructure plays in engendering such a culture. I'm also a regular user of the City Cycling Glasgow Forum, which aims to bring some greater Glasgow-based (and beyond) cycle types together. Through interacting with people on there, I've felt a need to catalogue my impressions of the facilities we have here, hence this blog.

I'm not even going to pretend that this is going to be updated regularly, or even occasionally - if it gets updated at all, it'll be at my convenience when I have something to say. However, you never know - there might be the odd flash of inspiration! Anyway, if you are reading this, you probably know me, and I'll have probably let you know if another post is due, hence no absolute need to check back!

Joel