Glasgow 2014 travel update
Published: 3 June 2014
The Glasgow 2014 XX Commonwealth Games are just weeks away. Campus eNews and our Information for Staff pages will keep you updated with travel and transport advice.
The XX Commonwealth Games are just six weeks away!
It will be a massive sporting and cultural celebration with more than 6,500 athletes and team officials expected to be converging on the city. The Glasgow 2014 Games run from Wednesday 23 July to Sunday 3 August. The University of Glasgow has been involved in the Games from the outset, and you can find out more on our Commonwealth Games 2014 web pages.
Travel to and from the University’s Gilmorehill campus will take longer at busy times and Campus eNews and the Information for Staff pages will keep you updated.
The University sits right on the doorstep of one of the venues, the Kelvingrove Bowls and ‘Live’ site. There will be nine days of bowls competition and during this time the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum will remain open as a major visitor attraction. The bandstand in Kelvingrove Park will be hosting a Festival 2014 Live Zone throughout the Games time. Spectators will be arriving by the subway to Kelvin Hall, Kelvinbridge and Hillhead or by bus to Argyle Street. On Monday 21 July the Queen's Baton Relay will visit the West End, taking in venues including the SECC and Hydro, the Finnieston Crane, the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, University of Glasgow, the Botanic Gardens and Maryhill Burgh Halls.
Be flexible!
Kelvin Way is going to be closed to traffic throughout, from 26 June to 8 August. The stretch of Sauchiehall Street past the bowling venue will also be closed. University staff and students are likely to find travelling in the West End challenging at times! The advice from the City Council and the Games organisers is to check to see if your regular journeys could be affected and then to try out temporary changes over the Games period. They say that by making small changes in the way you travel such as making your journey at the right time, using public transport, cycling or walking you will be best placed to avoid disruption.
"The Commonwealth Games will touch the lives of everyone in the city, in some way shape or form. The event will also change how the city functions and operates for its duration." Get Ready Glasgow
Christine Barr, the University’s Human Resources Director, said: “Everyone at the University of Glasgow is looking forward to the Commonwealth Games with great excitement. We will be welcoming Games visitors to Gilmorehill and we wish all University staff and students who are involved in the Games the very best of luck. It will be an unforgettable experience.
“For those of us who are working as normal during the Games period, there’s no doubt that daily life and the commute to work may require alternate travel plans due to road closures and parking restrictions. The University will be receptive to flexible working requests from staff affected in this way with regards to normal start and finish times for instance. I would encourage staff who are anticipating having to alter their normal travelling arrangements in getting to and from the University to talk to their immediate line manager in the first instance or to contact their local HR team. We’ll be there to help.”
Travel updates
Glasgow City Council has established a website Get Ready Glasgow with information about the expected impact of the Commonwealth Games and associated events and detailed information about the impact on areas of the city with Games venues.
The latest guidance from Get Ready Glasgow suggests the following:
- Remode: could you walk or cycle for all or part of your journey?
- Retime: could you start earlier or later to avoid the busy times?
- Reduce: could you reduce your business travel by postponing meetings or making a conference call?
- Re-route: could you use a different station if yours is likely to be busy or avoid driving around venues at competition times?
You’ll find a PDF map of the Kelvingrove area on this page which shows road closures and other changes. There may also be travel updates on the websites of the major transport operators:
www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/glasgow/
First published: 3 June 2014
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