Glasgow City Council is proposing to spend £6m in a bid to become the country's most cycle-friendly city.

It will help create more traffic-segregated cycle paths, increase traffic calming schemes and develop other safer routes for cyclists.

The council's executive committee pledged the funds as it approved a new cycling strategy which aims to almost double the number of cyclists in the city to 15,000 a day by 2025.

The most recent figures show the average number of people cycling each day in Glasgow was 7636 in 2012-14.

Bailie Elaine McDougall, the council's executive member for transport, environment and sustainability, said: "This new strategy outlines our plans to transform Glasgow into the most cycle-friendly city in Scotland.

"To achieve this will require substantial investment and it is our intention to invest £6m over the next three years if we can get the Scottish Government and other stakeholders to do the same."

A 2010 article in Cycling Plus magazine had Glasgow ranked 18th out of the UK's 20 largest cities for cycle-friendliness.

Cycling advocates cite high levels of pollution and poor quality roads as particular problem areas, while the city's existing cycle lanes have also been criticised.

The council claims "considerable achievements have been made" in the city's cycle network since 2010, including an additional 50 miles of cycle paths and construction of the Connect2 route between the west end, city centre and the south west city way.

Meanwhile, Glasgow's Mass Automated Cycle Hire scheme has made 400 bikes are available for public hire at 43 locations across the city.

A spokesperson for campaign group Space for Cycling said: "Glasgow faces many challenges in the coming years with tackling congestion, air quality and chronic health problems.

"Providing high quality facilities for cycling is a proven way to tackle these issues and to make a real difference in people's lives.

"With that in mind, we welcome the revised strategy document; furthermore, we note the acknowledgement by the council that reallocating road space away from motor vehicles is the most effective way to enable more people to choose cycling as a viable means of getting about.

"We hope this change in direction signals the start of an ongoing commitment to space for cycling."