Bridge of Allan have slammed university management after blaming them for parking chaos in Bridge of Allan.
Multiple residents have complained to the community council about the number of cars that are parking there during the day.
The cause of the problem was said to be the lack of car parking space at the university as well as the cost of parking permits for students and staff, which is causing them to park in the village.
“It’s clear that we have to put pressure on the university, because it’s the university that are causing the problems,” one resident said.
“For as long as it’s been there, the university has been a good neighbour to Bridge of Allan, but in recent years that has been slipping,” another added.
Bridge of Allan Community Council have said that they have previously met with a member of university management, who walked around the problem spots in the village, however they said that they were told that there was “very little” the university can do to stop students and staff parking in the area.
They also added that the university did not accept the offer of parking at Strathallan Games Park.
Councillor Douglas Dodds has expressed his serious concern over the issue and has put the blame entirely on the university,
“Ever since they cut parking at the university and started charging for parking, streets in Bridge of Allan are absolutely full of cars that do not belong to residents.
“What we need to do is to get someone from the university to attend the community council meetings regularly, so that we can work to get it sorted.”
Members of the community council have agreed with Dodds and are all in support of a regular university presence at the meetings.
A University spokesperson said:
“We are aware members of the university community have been parking off-campus. While we cannot enforce parking regulations outwith University property, we do regularly remind our staff and students to be considerate of residences and other road users.”
A public consultation about parking in Bridge of Allan is due to take place this Tuesday (Nov 19) at the Royal Hotel in Bridge of Allan.
Stirling Council’s Chief Operating Officer, Environment and Infrastructure, Brian Roberts said: “The provision and management of parking is a key element of community planning and it is important to get the balance right between providing parking for residents, business and visitors while enhancing our community environment.
“We are keen that the community are fully involved in the process of developing the parking plan for Bridge of Allan and we would encourage residents and business to come along to the event on Tuesday 19 to give their views.”
Stirling Council made an assessment of parking in Bridge of Allan earlier in the year.
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