Celtic and Rangers fans face fresh parking restrictions on match days

Event day parking restrictions could be introduced around two major Glasgow stadiums by the new football season.

Glasgow City Council officers say they are hopeful that event day parking (EDP) at Celtic Park and Ibrox will come into force as further discussions on the proposals are lined up with local communities for the new year.

There have been several attempts for EDP around Celtic Park and Ibrox with the council now revisiting the idea and addressing some of the previous issues.

EDP means that parking restrictions are enforced in designated zones on days with major events to manage traffic and ensure access.

Residents and businesses within an EDPZ can apply for a special permit to park during event days, as general street parking is restricted or prohibited for non-permit holders.

It comes as an update on the Glasgow transport strategy was presented to elected members on Tuesday afternoon.

Speaking on Tuesday, councillor Kieran Turner said: “I noticed that there is a big football match tonight [Tuesday] at Hampden which does have an event day parking zone.

“I [have also] noticed that there was quite a definite statement that you intended to introduce event day parking at Ibrox and Celtic Park by August 2026.

“What is your confidence level that this will happen? And secondly what engagement have you had around alternatives for supporters – be that park and ride set ups, working with bus operators or working with clubs.

“Presumably, we don’t want to get into a scenario where the problem just moves further and further away from the stadium and people just park in neighbouring wards by solving the problem immediately, but just pushing it a mile or two out.”

A council officer confirmed that there is an event day zone around Hampden Park that has been in operation for a number of years.

He said: “There have been several attempts over the last 13 years to take forward event day parking at zones at Celtic Park and Ibrox.

“This is now something we are revisiting, and we have had dialogues with football clubs to understand the issues and what the challenges may be.

“You’re quite right about what the alternatives to vehicle use are, how we do that and how we think about our travel planning for match days.

“In the new year, we will be working on taking forward more discussions with the communities. The event day parking zones are to manage parking around the stadiums, but it’s about the communities that every other week have an event in their area, and they have to put up with the social issues that come with that.

“We will be taking forward more consultation on proposals in the coming year with a view to implement them in the new football season at both stadiums.”