Backlash over new Glasgow parking charges: “We don’t think it’s fair.”
Proposed emission based parking permit charges are “mugging” residents, a community council meeting has heard.
The new costs came in for criticism at a meeting of the Yorkhill and Kelvingrove community council for hitting the pockets of people living in high traffic areas.
One community council member pointed out that visitors from elsewhere park in the area at weekends – when visitor parking is free – in order to use public transport to travel into the city centre, raising emissions in the west end neighbourhood.
However, local residents said they have little choice other than to park in their streets and pay the increased charges.
The member said: “We just don’t think it’s fair.”
The tabled increases will see the highest emission cars pay £300 for an annual permit, while the average emission level for a car in the UK would be met with a £180 yearly cost.
The current cost of a permit in the Kelvingrove area is £98 per year, so this would be an almost twofold jump for a median emitting car.
Another member of the group added: “We’re mugging people who cannot escape.”
Glasgow City Council’s Christy Mearns attended the meeting and defended the plans, saying that the changes were justified when accounting for the need to improve air quality in Glasgow.
She added: “The cost of paying for parking at the moment is actually very low. You are getting a public piece of land for less than £100 per year, and that is negligible in terms of the value of public space.”
The council’s struggle for funding was also cited as a justification for the rise, as Cllr Mearns said they are having to fill “extremely significant budget gaps.”
Public consultation on permit changes closed on November 4.
