Next steps for Glespin – Douglas pathway project

Residents in Glespin and Douglas are being asked to take part in a consultation for a proposed pathway between the two communities.

The consultation is available online at Glespin to Douglas Path Survey (surveymonkey.co.uk), or by picking up and dropping off paper copies to Crossburn Kitchen Café, before Monday 21 February.

The consultation is taking place as part of the Make Your Way project, focussing on progressing sustainable travel priorities in Crawford and Elvanfoot, Glespin, and Rigside and Douglas Water before April 2022.

It follows an initial survey in June this year, where Glespin residents voted for the progression of a Feasibility Study for a path to Douglas, as a priority project which would enable them to walk, wheel and cycle more in the villages. Crawford and Elvanfoot residents voted for a Speed Reduction and Pedestrian Safety Feasibility Study, and Rigside and Douglas Water residents voted for the provision of new benches.

Questions in the consultation include perceptions of safety when walking and cycling locally, barriers to active travel, preferred alignment and characteristics of a new path, and any other considerations around traffic and pedestrian / cyclist provision that should be taken into account.

Community responses will be collated alongside landowner and stakeholder discussions to form an Options Appraisal and Feasibility Study which may be used to apply for funding to progress the proposed pathway through subsequent design phases.

Make Your Way is supported by Paths for All’s Smarter Choices Smarter Places, Strathclyde Passenger Transport and South Lanarkshire Council’s Renewable Energy Fund. It is managed by Rural Development Trust’s Community Action Lanarkshire programme. It is part of a year on year programme, running since 2016, which targets sustainable travel in rural Lanarkshire and has included community mapping and the development of Sustainable Travel Action Plans to date.

Pathway proposals between Glespin and Douglas align with strategic plans to link the River Ayr Walk and Clyde Walkway, by East Ayrshire Council and South Lanarkshire Council.

Ashlay Smith, Glespin Community Group, says, “something about encouraging as many people as possible to take part in the survey and help propel the project forward, which would make a huge difference to the lives of people in Glespin.”

The Make Your Way programme has also included Bikeability levels 1 and 2 in Crawford, Douglas and Rigside Primary Schools, as well as the installation of Make Your Way active travel maps and wayfinding, the development of sustainable travel information packs and Community Cycling Days in Rigside Playpark (23 October), Glespin MUGA (6 November) and Crawford Playpark (20 November).

Anyone wishing to discuss the proposals in more detail can contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 01555 880 551.