20 October 2006
Shields Road car park opens
A new state-of-the-art multi-storey car park at Shields Road Subway Station will open on Tuesday (24 October), providing commuters with 800 parking spaces and a five-minute Subway journey into the city centre.
The £4.6million project has been developed in partnership by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Glasgow City Council, with funding from the Scottish Executive, and will be officially opened by SPT Chair, Councillor Alistair Watson and Councillor Willie O'Rourke, Glasgow City Council Executive Member for Roads and Lighting.
Contractor Barr Construction and designers Keppie Design have created a multi-storey car park, over four levels, with room for 800 vehicles, which SPT and Glasgow City Council hope will encourage commuters to Park and Ride on the Subway, rather than drive their cars into the city.
Councillor Watson said: "The opening of Shields Road car park is a major step forward for SPT as we strive to persuade more and more people to use public transport. Parking and riding is growing more and more popular and we are delighted to be able to facilitate it by building this new car park, with the help of our partners Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Executive.
"There is full CCTV coverage in the car park, parking is very reasonably priced and the opening hours are designed to suit commuters as well as other users so I hope this will prove to be a very attractive proposition for people travelling into the city.
"It will take the stress out of driving in the rush hour and the inconvenience out of trying to find a parking space in the city centre."
Councillor O'Rourke added: "I am delighted this project is completed. Glasgow City Council is committed to providing a range transport options for people commuting to the city centre. The Shields Road car park is just one example of how to reduce traffic congestion by promoting splendid park and ride facilities like this and it is a prime example of how partnership working can successfully deliver integrated transport infrastructure projects to serve Glasgow into the future."
Transport Minister Tavish Scott said: "Many Scots drive to work without being aware of the alternatives. This devolved government is committed to promoting travel choice and helping people switch to better environmental options like public transport, walking and cycling. New car parks like these are important, as they give people that choice. That means less pollution and less congestion on Scotland's roads."
Barclay Chalmers, managing director of Barr Construction, commented: "The new Park and Ride facility at Shields Road is a major addition to the city's transport infrastructure and we're proud to have been responsible for its design and construction.
"We worked closely with SPT and Glasgow City Council throughout the course of this project to help them realise their vision for the new facility which will play an important role in easing city centre congestion."
As well as the new multi-storey building, the development of the car park also involved redesigning the existing surface level car park and adding new cycle racks. In total, there are now double the number of spaces that were previously available.
ends
Notes to Editors
Parking is available at Shields Road Car Park from 7am until 11pm in the multi-storey area, and between 6.30am and 11.30pm in the rest of the car park.
To find the car park, when travelling along Scotland Street from the West, take the first left hand turn. When travelling from the East, pass the exit barriers after the junction with Carnoustie Street and take the next right hand turn into the car park.
Subway users can park all day for £1.50 and, depending on the Subway ticket purchased, unlimited parking and riding can cost as little as £2.50 per day.