Bridge to nowhere

Moderators: John, Sharon, Fossil, Lucky Poet, crusty_bint, Jazza, dazza

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby RDR » Tue Nov 27, 2012 8:00 am

Boxer6 wrote:
The Egg Man wrote:The Hilton staff don't exactly encourage guests to leave the place at night, either.


They've got to get people in the restaurant somehow - and if it means scaring visitors into not going out, well …….


The prices in the restaurant would scare anyone into going out...
He advocated for the weak against the strong, the poor against the rich and labour against capital.
User avatar
RDR
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1648
Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2010 9:58 pm
Location: West Coast

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby RapidAssistant » Tue Nov 27, 2012 9:22 am

Boxer6 wrote:
The Egg Man wrote:The Hilton staff don't exactly encourage guests to leave the place at night, either.


They've got to get people in the restaurant somehow - and if it means scaring visitors into not going out, well …….


Maybe an inspired decision given that area's legendary reputation for the 'ladies of the night' - not sure if this is still the case.
RapidAssistant
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 587
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:22 am

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby Vinny the Mackem » Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:39 am

Couple of random pics of the works going on, first couple form when work had just started at the end of August 2012, the others from 26 November 2012.

Image

Image

Image

Image
User avatar
Vinny the Mackem
Second Stripe
Second Stripe
 
Posts: 399
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 11:11 pm
Location: Glasgow

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby RapidAssistant » Wed Nov 28, 2012 2:14 pm

I guess my overall point here in highlighting how difficult it is to reach the Glasgow Hilton on foot, is that this area of the city has suffered from one planning disaster after another for decades. It is interesting when you read TripAdvisor reviews of both the Hilton and Marriott from foreign visitors, and one of the criticisms that comes up again and again, is that they are not accessible by foot, the area is uninviting etc etc.

It stems from GCC's obsession with allowing shiny new office blocks to get built around there - they are away to allow the building of St Vincent Plaza in front of the Britoil/Santander building - in doing this they are just compounding the labyrinth of buildings even more. The Bridge to Nowhere might be getting connected up, but is it worth connecting up to anything??

How about: -

Demolishing Dial House (a hideous 1960s eyesore)
Probably getting rid of Bothwell St telephone exchange as well.

This would re-establish the connection between Bishop Lane and William Street, and you could do something nice to that whole space in terms of "public realm" (a hideous modern term, but I'll use it...), maybe landscaping, or some sort of public space with better ameinities. If the Bothwell Plaza development gets resurrected, and if they eventually get rid of the remains of the Anderston Centre's shopping precinct, you could eventually have one big continuous landscaped area with a combination public/private housing and a centrepiece international "hotel cluster"of sorts in the middle that you can freely walk around and has good links to the city centre - all reunited with the rest of Anderston through both the Bridge to Nowhere's completion, and all the regeneration work going on within the old 1960s schemes on the western side of the motorway.

All sounds too good to be a sensible idea on the part of city council planners. They'd just rather allow more and more soulless glass and steel office blocks to be built in the area, as collecting rates is better than improving the built environment.
RapidAssistant
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 587
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:22 am

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby The Egg Man » Wed Nov 28, 2012 3:28 pm

RapidAssistant wrote:...........

It stems from GCC's obsession with allowing shiny new office blocks to get built around there - they are away to allow the building of St Vincent Plaza in front of the Britoil/Santander building - in doing this they are just compounding the labyrinth of buildings even more. The Bridge to Nowhere might be getting connected up, but is it worth connecting up to anything??

...........................


St Vincent Plaza seems to have stalled. I'm not sure for how long. I believe objections are still within time against the proposed Scottish Power building mooted for the foot of India St.


Leaving aside the Sustrans/ cyclepath aspect of the Bridge to Nowhere, a major part of the purpose in completing the connection is to provide a route to the city centre for (mainly) wheelchair user residents of the Margaret Blackwood housing complex on Argyle St whilst avoiding the complex and dangerous junction around Anderston train station.

The Sustrans bit provides a route from central station to Kelvingrove Park/ Gilmorehill and allows a hook up with other cycle paths in the city.
I hear the people sing.
The Egg Man
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 2702
Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2010 6:07 pm

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby Dexter St. Clair » Wed Nov 28, 2012 10:08 pm

RapidAssistant wrote:How about: -

Demolishing Dial House (a hideous 1960s eyesore)
Probably getting rid of Bothwell St telephone exchange as well.



MI5 may possibly object on sentimental grounds.
"I before E, except after C" works in most cases but there are exceptions.
User avatar
Dexter St. Clair
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 6252
Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2004 9:54 pm

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby RapidAssistant » Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:18 pm

Dexter St. Clair wrote:
RapidAssistant wrote:How about: -

Demolishing Dial House (a hideous 1960s eyesore)
Probably getting rid of Bothwell St telephone exchange as well.



MI5 may possibly object on sentimental grounds.


That's related to a wider point - just think of all the unused Government buildings not just in Glasgow, but all over the UK - there was a story on the BBC not that long ago about the taxpayers' millions that are wasted on paying rent on empty office space. What a scandal. Some of these buildings will be worth saving (and will be converted to Premier Inns and Travelodges)....the rest flattened.
RapidAssistant
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 587
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:22 am

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby stilldontknow » Sun Dec 02, 2012 2:37 pm

Dial House is far from empty though. Around 500+ BT staff working in it currently. Agreed it is one of many 60's monstrosities though that deserve to see the fat end of a wrecking ball. . Consort House at Queen Station being another I'd like to see pulverised. Having worked in both I can assure you they're as bad inside as they are outside.
stilldontknow
Just settling in
Just settling in
 
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 4:17 pm

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby RapidAssistant » Tue Dec 04, 2012 5:06 pm

stilldontknow wrote:Dial House is far from empty though. Around 500+ BT staff working in it currently. Agreed it is one of many 60's monstrosities though that deserve to see the fat end of a wrecking ball. . Consort House at Queen Station being another I'd like to see pulverised. Having worked in both I can assure you they're as bad inside as they are outside.


Is Consort House not going as part of the Queen Street redevelopment?
RapidAssistant
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 587
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:22 am

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby RapidAssistant » Wed Dec 05, 2012 12:29 pm

Well here I think is the definitive answer to the question - over what the intended route was......

Image
Bridge to Nowhere by RapidAssistant, on Flickr

This is a screengrab from the "Glasgow 1980" film (made in 1971), showing the scale model of the Anderston Centre, and it clearly shows the unbuilt part where the Marriott hotel currently stands, and the Bridge to Nowhere linking directly into it. Note also the propsed housing tower standing where the Glasgow Hilton now is.
RapidAssistant
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 587
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:22 am

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby RapidAssistant » Thu Dec 20, 2012 10:12 am

I couldn't resist this little bit of Photoshoppery - not the BTN specifically, but I merged the artist rendering of the area compared to how it looks today.

Frighteningly similar isn't it.....!

Image
Glasgow Inner Ring Road - Planned vs Actual by RapidAssistant, on Flickr
RapidAssistant
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 587
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:22 am

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby Vinny the Mackem » Thu Dec 20, 2012 1:42 pm

A little sign, which I'd not noticed before.

Not the best quality for either, but I couldn't be bothered hanging about in the rain!

Image

Image
User avatar
Vinny the Mackem
Second Stripe
Second Stripe
 
Posts: 399
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 11:11 pm
Location: Glasgow

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby joemaxi » Sat Dec 22, 2012 7:22 pm

Wonder when the first motorist will get their windscreen caved in, by some bams on the footbridge?
joemaxi
Just settling in
Just settling in
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2012 6:41 pm

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby RapidAssistant » Sun Dec 23, 2012 3:05 pm

Was staying in the Hilton at the weekend, so I took a wee excursion up to the 20th Floor fire escape window to take this shot:

Image
M8 Bridge to Nowhere, Anderston, Glasgow. by RapidAssistant, on Flickr

The new pillars are being built to the left, I have another picture further along, will post it soon.
RapidAssistant
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 587
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:22 am

Re: Bridge to nowhere

Postby RapidAssistant » Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:40 pm

Not the best picture in the world - this was taken from the lift lobby on the 17th Floor of the Hilton....a bit of bounce back (no comments please about my shirt or my jeans...) onto the lens but you can see the course the extension will take judging where the piers are being built in the Marriott car park. Still puzzled where the end is going to go given that the corner of the upper parking deck of the Anderston Centre seems to be in the way. Unless, they are intending to construct a ramp or something.

Image
Anderston Pedestrian Bridge Completion, Glasgow by RapidAssistant, on Flickr
RapidAssistant
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 587
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:22 am

PreviousNext

Return to Hidden Glasgow Projects

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 46 guests

cron