Full marks to ScotRail for its initiative to achieve increased station car parking by introducing modular units as a cost- effective way of meeting the growing demand for rail travel ("ScotRail in extra car parks plan", The Herald, January 25).
Much potential growth in rail travel, especially at off-peak times, is discouraged and frustrated by the hopeless inadequacy of existing station car parks, many of which are often full to capacity before 7.30am.
Installation of modular car parking technology will, it is to be hoped, resolve not only today's problem of suppressed demand for more rail travel but also undo damage caused by British Railways Property Board's vicious policy of selling-off railway land and goods sidings at stations.
The use of such easily installed modular technology, using appropriately sensitive design, could give a major boost to the case for a new Allander Halt line (between Hillfoot and Milngavie), currently being pursued by East Dunbartonshire Council and local community groups in response to growing pressure for a significant increase in park-and-ride capacity.
There is potential for 300 to 400 park-and-ride spaces which could now be integrated into the massive Lower Kilmardinny development site, alongside this electrified line. It would offer a coherent and acceptable alternative to intrusive and objectionable car parking now choking adjoining residential roads in Bearsden and Milngavie, and the main A81 Milngavie Road being used as an all-day linear car park serving Hillfoot station.
Such initiatives could be replicated throughout Scotland at existing stations and would reinforce the case for more new and re-opened stations.
Ken Sutherland,
12A Dirleton Gate, Bearsden.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article