A new Glasgow City Council strategy is to look into the steps required to generate new facilities and spaces for urban wheeled sports such as skateboarding and BMX.
The local authority said that the sports – alongside skating, push scooting, and mountain biking – should sit alongside cycling, as they too encourage greater levels of physical activity and help to create a lasting shift to more sustainable forms of transport.
Forming part of the new cycling and urban sports strategy, the blueprint aims to boost participation in all forms of urban wheeled sports in the city as a means of improving health outcomes, whilst also tackling transport-related carbon emissions that fuel climate change.
Devised by Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Life, it forms part of the city’s wider transport plans and seeks to build on growing interest in urban wheeled sports. The strategy will consider the steps required to create new facilities and spaces to foster involvement in the sports, as well as how to support coaches, mentors, and volunteers.
Immediate actions identified in the strategy include developing an urban sports map of Glasgow, supporting the growth of community sports hubs, and investigating the possibility of Glasgow hosting an international skating and BMX street event. The public point of view is also seen as ‘essential’ to the success of the strategy and residents are being urged to share their opinions through an on-line survey that is open for the next six weeks.
Councillor Angus Millar, city convener for transport, said, “Glasgow has a long and proud history of sport and culture and urban wheeled sports are rapidly taking their place in the sporting fabric of the city. It’s vital we harness the enthusiasm that exists for wheeled sports and ensure all those who want to take part can participate.
“We want to create the right environment for cycling and wheeled sports in Glasgow as so many benefits can flow from this kind of physical activity. Cycling, skating or scooting for sport and enjoyment is good for health and well-being but can also help to make active travel an easier choice for everyday journeys across the city.
“We need to reduce our reliance on cars and other vehicles if we are achieve our targets to reduce carbon emissions in Glasgow. Involvement in wheeled sports can play its part in securing a just transition to a net zero city but can also help to tackle Glasgow’s longstanding health inequalities at the same time. ”
An online survey on the strategy is available here.
