Glasgow parking control zones expansion 'won’t stop people using cars', councillor warns

Parking controls in Glasgow have been described as “a tax on residents”, as plans to expand controlled parking zones (CPZ) were discussed.

Councillor Stephen Docherty criticised the impact of the CPZs on residents and said the only way to reduce parking problems is to make public transport more accessible and appealing.

His comments came during the most recent Environment and Liveable Neighbourhoods Committee.

An update was presented on plans to increase the number of controlled parking zones (CPZs) by 50% over the next two years as part of a significant clampdown on illegal and inconsiderate parking.

The expansion will see strict parking controls introduced in twelve additional areas, and residents will be required to obtain permits to park on their streets.

Council officers have also been working to complete and update the council’s parking permit system, which will now be operated through RingGo.

It is hoped that pricing parking permits based on a vehicle’s level of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and the number of permits per household will reduce car emissions and car ownership.

The current annual permit prices are £328 for the city centre and £98 for outside the city centre.

However, following a review, the pricing structure has been revised, and the cost of all permits, apart from the lowest category, as that was already a reduction to existing prices, has been reduced.

During the meeting, councillor Stephen Docherty said: “It strikes me as a tax on hard-working constituents of people in Glasgow.

“You can go to out-of-town shopping centres, Silverburn and Braehead, where there is free parking.

“However, if you go there on a Saturday, you can’t find a space while Glasgow City Centre is being hollowed out.

“I understand that there is a balancing act, and you have to mitigate the number of cars that are in the city centre, but it is getting to a stage where people can’t park even half a mile from their own house.

“Where I live, I have found that areas down the side of Queens Park are all gone, so it is about getting that balance.

“No one is going to give up their car until there is good public transport and that is the obvious thing going forward.

“There are areas where there were no cars and now they are crammed with cars because they have moved from one area to another.

A council officer confirmed that the general environment improves with the introduction of parking control schemes.

They said: “When people live in areas that are burdened by parking issues and when we formalise these areas and introduce parking control schemes and introduce the associated charges and permits – the general environment is a lot tidier, is a lot cleaner, it is a lot safer for pedestrians to move around.

“So that is the benefits the community should be seeing as we introduce these things.”