An end to parking problems in sight
Progress on Cambuslang community plans
Long-running parking battles in Cambuslang could soon come to an end, according to South Lanarkshire Council and local councillors.
Parking across the area will be discussed by a council committee next week; but a local authority official confirmed Cambuslang issues surrounding parking durations and commuter parking are already being addressed.
Ahead of Tuesday’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee meeting, Gordon Mackay, head of roads and transportation, said: “We have met with Cambuslang community council and they have suggested a number of options they feel would improve parking.
“It was agreed that the council would consider increasing the waiting time on the Main Street parking bays from 30 minutes to two hours. This requires the promotion of an experimental traffic regulation order and the statutory process has begun that will take this forward.
“Also at this time, we are engaged with the community council over a study into the extent of commuter parking associated with the railway station.
“No other matters are currently being taken forward by the council until we see the outcome of the above options.”
However, some Cambuslang traders said they were only asked to comment on parking improvement plans hours before the consultation period ended.
And residents have spotted a parking lot being built just for council workers near James Aiton primary school, while drivers in the area still have to fend for themselves.
Daniel Lowe, SLC’s executive director of housing and technical resources, confirmed the new council parking site.
He said: “It is being created on the council’s unused ground at Monkcastle Drive. This is to accommodate employees and vehicles being relocated to Cambuslang Gate and to minimise any impact on local residents.”
In response to additional allegations of an excessive number of parking tickets being issued in Cambuslang, Mr Mackay added: “The council’s parking attendants undertake regular visits to Cambuslang, as with all towns, and take enforcement action where necessary.
“Action is only taken where vehicles are parked illegally.”
Cambuslang West councillor Margaret Walker confirmed that: “Suggestions made by the community and the community council are due to go before the committee in the next few weeks.”
John Bachtler of Cambuslang community council also told the Reformer that discussions on resolving the town’s parking problems are indeed underway but added the solution remains far from simple.
He said the community council and many shopkeepers have been lobbying SLC for two years regarding problems with parking due to the lack of overall capacity in the town centre.
Many spaces in car parks or local streets are being filled up with commuter parking as use of Cambuslang station has expanded by an additional 400,000 passengers a year.
Mr Bachtler added: “After a meeting with council leader John Ross last autumn, and cross-party support from our three Cambuslang West councillors, SLC agreed to discuss possible solutions to the town’s parking problems.”
Members of the community council and one of the Main Street shopkeepers met with senior SLC officials last autumn and again in January, with a further meeting set for next Wednesday.
They discussed a park and ride study, commissioned by SLC, to examine the problems of lack of capacity and possible solutions through the creation of a park and ride. The study is currently underway and expected to report by the end of March.
The experimental traffic order to increase parking time on the Main Street was also discussed.
Mr Bachtler said: “We have had positive discussions with officers of the local authority on the parking issue, but all of us recognise that solving parking problems in the town is not as straightforward as extending parking periods. We need an increase in overall capacity.
“However, in response to requests from shopkeepers for longer parking times, we are pleased that the experimental traffic order will be tried for a period to gauge business reaction and whether it improves matters for local shopkeepers.”
We have had positive discussions with officers of South Lanarkshire Council on the parking issue