Work to improve Glasgow city centre junction where cyclist was killed by lorry begins

Work to upgrade cycle routes in Glasgow, where a 22-year-old was killed after being hit by a lorry, has begun.

Emma Burke Newman was killed after being involved in a collision with an HGV at a set of traffic lights on the Broomielaw near the George V Bridge on January 27, 2023.

The 22-year-old was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital following the incident but died a short time later.

From Issy-les-Moulineaux, in Paris, she was an aspiring architect and a keen cyclist who travelled to many cities on her bike.

Lorry driver Paul Mowat, 69, admitted causing her death by careless driving and was given a community sentence in April 2024.

Her family and friends called for improved safety for cyclists, and Glasgow City Council started a series of works to expand and improve cycle lanes across the city.

Visualisation of the redesigned junction on the George V Bridge Glasgow City Council

The project on the riverside will be part of a 13-week overhaul including new protected cycle paths and upgraded pedestrian crossings.

The road layout will be reconfigured to reduce the number of live traffic lanes from five to three, freeing up space used to install segregated cycle lanes on the bridge deck.

Becca Thomas, a friend and colleague of Emma’s, representing the Waiting to Happen campaign, which aims to improve road infrastructure, told STV News: “The worst thing that happened after she died here was people saying that was just an accident waiting to happen.

“Why do we wait? Why do we need a tragedy, the loss of a wonderful young life taken far too soon, to make the changes we know should happen?

“This junction has always been really challenging, you have a lot of road space and a lot of different ways to be on a bike, but no one really knows where you’re supposed to be.

“You can be vulnerable, you can be on the road or on the pavement with pedestrians…all junctions should really simple.”

The area will also benefit from new, soft landscaped areas and the addition of street trees.

North of the bridge, new cycle lanes will connect with the upcoming Broomielaw/Clyde Street Avenue, which will offer east-west active travel connections, while the south side will link to the South City Way.

Advanced signage will be installed at key locations to redirect pedestrians and road traffic.

While every effort will be made to minimise disruption, road users are being warned that increased traffic flows on alternative routes are anticipated, which may impact journey times.