Renfrewshire Council

About the cycle routes

Cycling and walking are so important for our health and wellbeing and good for the environment too.

Through funding from Spaces for People we are introducing temporary cycling routes in Renfrewshire as we look to enhance active travel opportunities for local people as part of our response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The routes we have chosen will help people to cycle for essential journeys to and from work and school, for exercise and to visit shops and businesses and spend local.

We engaged with residents, businesses, communities and schools on each route to shape their development and, once in place, will continue to monitor them and consider community feedback to make adjustments and improvements wherever possible.

Take a look at the routes online here: Spaces for People - Temporary Cycle routes or use the attached pdfs.

While these are temporary measures, if the cycle routes prove popular with the local community, there is the potential to make them permanent if desired.

Bridge of Weir to Houston cycle route

This route creates a safe cycling option between the villages of Bridge of Weir and Houston and is being introduced following a request from Houston Community Council, complementing a route they are developing with Sustrans.

Less than a 10-minute cycle along Houston Road, between the two villages, the route will start as you leave Bridge of Weir at the park and will see the existing pavement resurfaced and adapted into a shared use route for pedestrians and cyclists. A new crossing point will be introduced on Old Bridge of Weir Road and the route will finish at Gryffe High School.

If this route proves popular, there is the potential to extend it further into Bridge of Weir.

See this online here - Bridge of Weir to Houston.

Howwood to Paisley cycle route

Following engagement with the local community, including local businesses, community groups, schools, elected members and residents, we have agreed the final route to be implemented in the area.

Using feedback from the engagement process, we have maintained both existing lanes (left and straight on) at Glenpatrick Road and there will be no change to Main Road, near Elderslie Post Office, to ensure that we can maintain parking in this area.

Work to create the 35-minute, 10km cycle connecting the village of Howwood and Paisley town centre will begin on 14 June 2021 and will last approximately 10 weeks.

Starting on Midton Road, Howwood, close to the junction with Bowfield Road, cyclists travel along a scenic stretch with painted bicycle markings on the road, passing Howwood Park and St Anthony's Primary School and connecting onto Beith Road via Linnet Avenue, Martlet Drive and Hallhill Road.

On Beith Road, the route is initially a shared path signposted for cyclists and pedestrians before becoming a two-way cycle track near Cochrane Castle Primary School, the route segregated from road traffic with bollards. Cyclists travelling toward Paisley will use Overton Road and then a crossing on Thornhill before continuing on Main Road. Cyclists travelling in the opposite direction toward Howwood will use a shared path and then onto Broom Terrace for a length before moving back to Beith Road via a path link.  

The cycle route continues passed Johnstone Train Station and onto Main Road, Elderslie, becoming segregated cycle lanes on both sides of the road between Beith Road and Glenpatrick Road. It then connects onto National Cycle Route 7 via a new zebra crossing just before Elderslie Golf Club, the route continuing to Paisley Canal train station on the existing traffic free route.

See this online here: Howwood to Paisley

Work began on Monday 14 June and is expected to last around ten weeks.

Contact us

You can contact us about the Spaces for People temporary cycling routes by email to: Environment and Infrastructure or write to us at: Environment and Infrastructure, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1BR.