Taxi chief warns Glasgow city centre disruption is pushing businesses to breaking point
- Perry Richardson
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Glasgow’s fragmented transport infrastructure and prolonged road disruption are pushing businesses towards breaking point, according to a sharply worded intervention from a senior figure in the taxi sector.
Dougie McPherson, chairman of Glasgow Taxis Ltd, said widespread congestion, road closures and a lack of coordinated planning have moved beyond routine complaints and now represent a systemic failure affecting the city’s economy.
McPherson argued that while frustration is common across many professions, particularly in the taxi trade, the current condition of Glasgow’s city centre and surrounding areas is supported by daily operational experience. He described the city as disjointed, difficult to navigate and increasingly unattractive for commerce, with infrastructure decisions he said are lightly supported by public consultation and continue despite clear opposition.
In one example cited, a routine midday delivery from Glasgow’s East End to the Queen’s Cross area was abandoned after a series of diversions, closures and congestion around the M8, Craighall Road, Garscube Road and Maryhill Road made the journey unviable within a normal business window. The failed delivery, McPherson said, cost a full working hour and reflected challenges faced daily by firms reliant on predictable journey times.
Chairman of Glasgow Taxis Ltd says prolonged roadworks, congestion and city planning decisions are undermining economic viability across the city
A second incident involved a 25-mile round trip to Glasgow Airport during the evening peak. Despite much of the journey being motorway-based, the average speed fell below 10mph due to congestion through Govan and surrounding routes. The journey, which would historically be routine, extended well beyond normal expectations for both driver and passenger.
According to McPherson, these conditions are not confined to taxis but are endured daily by bus operators, delivery firms, tradespeople and couriers. He added that many residents have no realistic alternative to vehicle travel, including those involved in childcare transport, disability support, elderly care and other essential services. The cumulative effect, he said, is the inability to plan logistics with any certainty.
While acknowledging that repairs and maintenance are necessary, McPherson said the current scale and overlap of roadworks suggest a lack of foresight and coordination by Glasgow City Council. He claimed the prolonged disruption risks accelerating a decline in the city centre, with businesses closing and footfall reducing long before infrastructure projects are completed.
McPherson warned that at least three more years of disruption remain, with little confidence that the outcome will justify the economic cost. He questioned whether extensive cycle infrastructure and public realm schemes would deliver sufficient usage to offset the damage to trade, noting that only limited routes in the city have achieved sustained uptake.
He also criticised the council’s focus on capital projects while core urban issues persist, including cleanliness, vermin control, homelessness, drug misuse and street crime. In contrast, he said suburban communities are experiencing reduced services, less frequent bin collections and higher council tax, without corresponding improvements to public spaces.
