Barrhead

There are options for travelling around East Renfrewshire using bus and rail. The nearest train station is Barrhead. Use the Traveline Scotland journey planner to plan the most convenient route. There are different options for public transport fares, including:

• Travelling for free on buses in Scotland with a National Entitlement Card (e.g. under 22s or over 60s). McGills Route 51 stops on nearby Manse Court and connects Barrhead with Paisley town centre. Shuttle Bus Route 395 stops on Darnley Road and connects East Kilbride with Barrhead.
• ScotRail train tickets can be purchased at the station or on the ScotRail app. You maybe able to buy a railcard or eligible for other discounted train tickets. Visit the ScotRail website for more information.
• Better Buses Barrhead is operating a trial route that will be free until the end of the year. The circular route will connect Main Street, Balgray Station, Barrhead High School, Barrhead Station and Stewart Street. The No. 13 Bus will operate a “hail-and-ride” service. To use, stand in a safe spot on the pavement along the route and ‘hail’ the bus. To find out more information, visit Better Buses Barrhead.

You can walk or wheel around Barrhead. Main Street is a 5 minute walk away and Barrhead Train Station is a 20 minute walk away.

There are several groups running welcoming and free ‘health walks’ to help build your walking confidence and meet other people. Visit the Walking Scotland website to find a local group.

You can travel around Barrhead with a bike. Barrhead Station is a 5 minute cycle away and Balgray Station is a 10 minute cycle away. You can plan your cycling route using the Cycle Streets website or app.

Cycling Scotland lists cycling trainers that operate in the local area – see the Cycling Scotland website for more details.

The project aims to work out how more people in Scotland can be supported to walk, wheel and cycle for short local journeys. The hub therefore needs to be near where people live, work or visit, or a combination of these things.

The site at Cowan Park was chosen after an assessment process and site visit that looked at things like:

• Existing sustainable transport options (e.g. bus, train, cycling, walking)
• Proximity to amenities (e.g. shops, parks and schools)
• Potential for more people to take journeys by public transport or walking or cycling
• Site gradient, pavement height etc.

No, the council is not funding the pop-up mobility hubs project. The funding for the project comes from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport’s People & Place initiative, which is a grant fund of Transport Scotland. The aim of the funding is to make it easier for more people in Scotland to walk, wheel or cycle for short, local journeys.

The hub will be in the area from 12 October for 6-8 weeks. The space will then revert to its usual function.

We are testing different areas of Scotland to see what works well and what does not to help people to walk, wheel and cycle more. Keeping pop-ups between 6 to 8 weeks means that we can try different types of location and also gives more people the benefit of having the pop-up in their area.

The hub features:

• Accessible seating to allow those with mobility needs (or anyone else) to rest while walking
• Bike repair stand and pump
• Bike parking
• Colourful planting and greenery
• Free walking and cycling events for the community while the hub is in the area

We have installed over 20 pop-up hubs across Scotland and none so far have resulted in any major issues relating to antisocial behaviour or littering for residents. However, we will respond to any issues raised (see below for how to contact us) and our team will check on the hub regularly.

If you have an urgent concern to report about the hub, you can email scotland@como.org.uk or call 07553 355519 between Mondayto Friday, 10am-4pm.

If you would like to share your opinion on the hub, positive, negative or neutral, you can fill in our survey, which can be accessed at https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/barrhead/.