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Glasgow 1980
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05-08-2011 8:32pm#1
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It was Summer 1984 when I first went to Glasgow as part of a group outing - I was just 11 at the time. We stayed in a nice 'hall of residence' in the Kelvindale area which is along the A82 Great Western Road - also a nice area I must say. Before the trip however, I fell for the stereotype that Scotland was all about Cobblestones, Kilts and Bagpipes!
I really had no idea about Scotland - when we arrived at Glasgow Renfrew Airport, we were taken by bus along the M8 Motorway to as far as the A739 for the Clyde Tunnel. Once through, it wasn't long till we arrived at Kelvindale, after which it wasn't long before we went swimming.
Now, I think it was the next morning in the foyer (of the residential hall) that I saw this map of Central Glasgow on the wall - this is a moment I'll never forget - at that point, Glasgow had be hooked - the map had all these very futuristic white streams representing the M8 - it was like no road I've ever seen before - we certainly had nothing like it in Ireland then. When I first saw the central section of the M8, I had a sense of being somewhere in North America - something like what you'd see in 'CHIPS', especially the elevated section at Port Dundas with its fresh concrete appearance at the time. During our stay there, every time I saw the M8, it seemed very futuristic with its traffic streams gliding freely under and over the city while there was heavy traffic on other roads. This road has hardly changed since then and I'd love to drive it some time - there are newer motorways feeding into the M8's central section (M77 towards Ayr and M80 towards Cumbernauld), but the M8 still pretty much the same as I remember it when I last visited Glasgow in 1987.
Now having looked at the video, it gives a very interesting insight into the thinking back in the 1960's and 1970's - it was so progressive and yet seemed very balanced. In fact, I think the plan was really good, but from what I heard over the years, parts of it seemed very badly executed - in some cases, residential towers were put up before there were any community facilities - bad mistake IMO. Also, some of the construction quality was poor - dampness, leaks etc. When we talk about the 1960's in terms of urban space and planning, was it really bad planning or was it bad execution of the plans. After all, the video demonstrated very clear objectives for Glasgow: More space, more light, more nature and more freedom for its people. The plan was clearly not just about Motorway and Residential Towers, but was also about Railways, Parks and River Walks. The planners also did strive to keep the best of the old architecture - they were conscious that some of the old city should be kept. Another key part of the plan was that pedestrians were king in the city centre, not cars - much of that objective was realized at quite an early stage. For example, Sauchiehall Street was pedestrianized and part of the old London Road was literally removed - all by 1984 - I think this was on foot of the M8 completion.
About the M8 itself, there are some nice parts (around Jct 17/18 for example) and some ugly parts (around Jct 19) IMO. Also, having see old pictures (pre M8) of Glasgow, it seemed depressing - tired urban spaces with no reprieve or sense of space. I feel that the M8 in places has brought with it a better sense of space as well as a lot of trees etc to the city centre - I don't think that would have happened without the Motorway. The other interesting thing is that without the developments of the 1960's and 1970's, the centre of Glasgow would have simply continued in decline according to some people. To me, there are clearly advantages and disadvantages to what happened in the redevelopment of Central Glasgow.
For me, the M8 is a classic in terms of road infrastructure!
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