SCOTLAND'S most used motorway should be scrapped and replaced with a people-friendly green zone, activists are urging.

The campaigners want the M8 to be removed from Glasgow city centre and transformed into an area that will promote walking, cycling and public transport.

Opponents of the motorway are calling for the "concrete desert" to be turned into a "green corridor" to make the area more accessible to all - and more environmentally friendly.

Speaking to STV News, Scott Galloway from Replace the M8, said: "There’s nothing accessible about this space, it just feels like a completely sterile environment.

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“I’d love to see a green corridor that exists all the way from the river, all the way up to the north of the city.

“That would include boulevardisation, lots of street trees, making it a very accessible and friendly environment for people to use.”

The campaign group is calling for an independent study to take place into how the motorway could be removed from Glasgow

According to Transport Scotland, the M8 was used by more than 90,000 vehicles a day last month.

Activist Peter Kelly said while Replace the M8 didn't want to completely stop vehicles coming into the city centre as some people need to drive to work, he said it was one of the most polluted parts of the city.

He told STV News: "The question has never been asked before about whether this motorway should be here forever, particularly now that we’ve got the M74 as an alternative.

“We just don’t think that bypass traffic, that’s contributing nothing to the city centre, should be coming right through the city centre.

“So, we have asked for a study to just investigate whether Glasgow would be better off with something different here.”

It's hoped any possible removal of the motorway, and transforming high-pulling areas into green spaces more generally, will help Glasgow in its ambitious targets to net-zero carbon emissions. 

But there are warnings that the scrapping of the M8 could hurt the city's economy, with the cost of goods already rising.

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There are fears closing the motorway would drive up prices if goods travel through a less cost-effective route as a result.

Asked by The National about the call to scrap the M8, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We recognise that noise and air pollution from major roads can impact quality of life, as well as our natural environment, and are working to tackle both issues.

“The Scottish Government, with its partners, is implementing a range of actions to reduce transport noise as outlined in our Transportation Noise Action Plan, including the consideration of specific noise management measures at problem areas on the trunk road network.

“Our approach to managing and improving air quality is also set out in the Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 Strategy and is backed up by our commitments to phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030 and reducing car kilometres by 20% by 2030.”