PEOPLE in Glasgow are potentially facing an extra 40 minutes being added to their travel times due to a new bridge not being registered with Google Maps.
The Govan-Partick Bridge officially opened last week with thousands of people travelling back and forth over the 377ft (115m) long structure which crosses the River Clyde.
The £29.5m project is one of the longest pedestrian and cycle bridges in Europe as it connects the Riverside Museum at Pointhouse Quay on the north of the river with Water Row in Govan on the south.
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However, the online mapping site and app, Google Maps, has yet to register the new bridge and is instead suggesting longer routes – with some taking more than 40 minutes.
Although the “Govan Footbridge” shows up as a point of interest on Google Maps, a red pin can be found floating in the River Clyde, it doesn’t seem to register as an option for people walking or cycling when it calculates journeys.
Instead, the digital mapping service directs people around the river via the Bell’s Bridge and the Millenium Bridge to the East, which adds an extra 11-minutes cycling or 47-minutes walking, according to Google Maps.
Dan Hutchison, Green Councillor for Govan, has called on Google to urgently address the situation so people are not impacted by the omission for long.
He said: “The opening of the Govan-Partick Bridge saw thousands of people walking and cycling over the new bridge on Saturday but now they won’t be able to use functions like Google Maps to utilise the bridge.
“I’m hopeful that Google will act to add it today and the core walking and cycling route that it was designed to be will be fulfilled.”
To celebrate the official opening of the bridge the Clydebuilt Festival took place at the weekend beside the Riverside Museum.
The free festival included a ceilidh, performances from the Glasgow Folk Music Workshop, sea monster storytelling sessions, and face painting.
The project is part of the Glasgow City Region Deal and was funded by the Scottish and UK governments.
Google has been approached for comment.
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