Signing up to improve parking

Ken Morton and Robert Paterson from Bearsden West Community Council have started a petition about the parking problem outside their houses.

Glasgow University staff and students are taking away their parking spaces and causing a hazard in the area have started a petition.

Ken Morton, from Switchback Road in Bearsden, believes that the cars, which are often left all day, belong to the staff, students and visitors from the University of Glasgow’s nearby Garscube Estate.

The university charges staff and students £12.50 a month to park in the campus and Mr Morton believes that many of the drivers park in the streets nearby instead.

His online petition, which gathered 103 signatures in just a few days, urges Glasgow University to reverse their parking charges.

He said: “They are clogging up our narrow residential streets, taking up every available parking space in the area. Our streets are choc-a-bloc.

“Neighbours tell me that they suffer daily as it narrows our streets to one lane, makes it awkward to negotiate our driveways, makes deliveries very difficult.

“When friends and family visit they cannot park in the local area.

“We’ve also seen an increase in litter in the area.”

He also claims that some drivers park illegally on bends or at junctions which forces drivers to come round the corner on the wrong side of the road and causes gridlock when the lights are at red.

Mr Morton is going to send his petition to the University of Glasgow Principal’s Office.

To sign it visit: www.change.org/p/university-of-glasgow-garscube-estate-visitors-parking-in-residential-areas-complaint

A University of Glasgow spokesperson said: “We are aware of parking issues in and around Garscube. Staff and students have been encouraged on numerous occasions by the University to leave their cars only on University property when visiting the Garscube Estate, and to use public instead of private transport wherever possible.

“We recognise that visitors to the Garscube Estate may choose instead to park lawfully on residential streets. The University of Glasgow has no jurisdiction to remove vehicles or instruct anyone to move their car when they choose to park outside the Garscube boundaries.

“However, an official review of parking management both on the main campus and at Garscube Estate is currently underway at the University and recommendations are expected to be delivered in 2017.”