Parking campaign is off the ground

AN EXTRA petition urging Glasgow city council to review new parking charges for Shawlands is up and running.

As reported last week, the paper is fronting the Parking Mad campaign — supported by southside politicians and Shawlands Business Association — asking GCC to engage with the community over a 300 per cent increase (from 20p to 80p per hour) for parking on Kilmarnock Road.

The petition reads: “We call on Glasgow city council to a) review its on street parking policy in Shawlands and b) actively engage the opinions of stakeholders in Shawlands regarding future proposals.”

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A total of 72 have signed in week one, including Cathcart MSP James Dornan, who wrote: “A lot of good work is going on to make Shawlands once again the vibrant, bustling, successful town centre it used to be. This extra disincentive for shoppers and visitors flies in the face of all that.”

Supporter Derrick Watson commented: “Shawlands already has issues with empty shop units in the centre — this will reduce the footfall of people coming through and push them towards shopping areas with free parking.”

Phil McCafferty agreed that GCC should engage with the community, and suggests time limits for parking, to encourage short stays. He added: “Parking in Shawlands is, alas, key to keeping commerce alive.”

However, reader Joel Cooney offers an alternative argument. He told The Extra: “The charges issue is just a distracting sideshow.

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“The much bigger issue is the pollution, noise, and generally unpleasant environment generated by an over-abundance of traffic.

“I would suggest that it would be better directing efforts away from distractions such as parking charges, and focus on making Shawlands a pleasant and attractive place to visit.”

A spokesman for GCC maintained that the increase is in response to “inflationary demands”, as this is the first hike in parking charges for the street since 2004.

The petition is available to view and sign at Change.org.