Cowcaddens Avenues Project: Case Study
Cowcaddens Avenues Project
CASE STUDY
At the junction of Port Dundas and Cowcaddens, a data-led approach is being used to monitor the impact of ongoing public realm improvements
As part of the Avenues programme, CCTV infrastructure has been enhanced to observe how renovation works affect movement through the area. The system captures activity across four directions of the crossing, recording images every 30 minutes. These images are used to assess changes in pedestrian, cyclist, car, and public transport traffic before, during, and after construction.
A previous collaboration between Glasgow City Council and the Urban Big Data Centre at the University of Glasgow developed a process to pull data from Glasgow’s existing CCTV network and built an algorithm to analyses traffic data for use in understanding changes in movement. To support this work, Glasgow City Council’s Corporate Data Team developed a dashboard with this dataset, enabling project teams to view and analyse movement data at a greater level of detail.
At the junction of Port Dundas and Cowcaddens, a data-led approach is being used to monitor the impact of ongoing public realm improvements
As part of the Avenues programme, CCTV infrastructure has been enhanced to observe how renovation works affect movement through the area. The system captures activity across four directions of the crossing, recording images every 30 minutes. These images are used to assess changes in pedestrian, cyclist, car, and public transport traffic before, during, and after construction.
A previous collaboration between Glasgow City Council and the Urban Big Data Centre at the University of Glasgow developed a process to pull data from Glasgow’s existing CCTV network and built an algorithm to analyses traffic data for use in understanding changes in movement. To support this work, Glasgow City Council’s Corporate Data Team developed a dashboard with this dataset, enabling project teams to view and analyse movement data at a greater level of detail.
When approached to provide a data solution to monitoring traffic at Port Dundas and Cowcaddens, the team could reuse this existing framework, allowing the delivery of a new dashboard within a short timeframe. The result is a functional resource that supports the operational needs of the Avenues project without requiring significant new investment.
The dashboard is now in use by teams involved in the Port Dundas / Cowcaddens works with feedback being gathered to assess its utility and to inform future iterations. The project reflects a broader effort within the council to make use of available data in a practical and measured way, supporting infrastructure projects with tools that are both accessible and grounded in existing capability.
The Cowcaddens Road project had an urgent requirement to find a cost-effective way to monitor the usage of the carriageway in limited timescales.
The Corporate Data Team stepped up to the challenge and used the CCTV data to create a bespoke Smart Dashboard to monitor the current trends of the carriageway use by pedestrians, cyclist and motorist, with data updates every 30 minutes. The Smart Dashboard enabled to establish the baseline trends for this project on the limited timescales, which is an invaluable asset for any public realm project or regeneration project.
Finally, the Cowccadens Rd Dashboard project is an example of multidisciplinary collaboration, using effectively in-house resources, reducing the dependency on external companies, reducing costs and increasing efficiency. The Dashboard is a significant contribution and a transformational tool for the Avenues because in addition of monitoring the data trends pre and post-construction, it also allows to present the data in a friendly format to reach out a wider range of audiences.
Karina Mirza - Avenues Plus Project Manager
When approached to provide a data solution to monitoring traffic at Port Dundas and Cowcaddens, the team could reuse this existing framework, allowing the delivery of a new dashboard within a short timeframe. The result is a functional resource that supports the operational needs of the Avenues project without requiring significant new investment.
The dashboard is now in use by teams involved in the Port Dundas / Cowcaddens works with feedback being gathered to assess its utility and to inform future iterations. The project reflects a broader effort within the council to make use of available data in a practical and measured way, supporting infrastructure projects with tools that are both accessible and grounded in existing capability.
