Crunch talks on Croy station parking

Angry politicians are demanding answers in regard to the lack of parking at transport superhub Croy Station.

Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Stuart McDonald, MP for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth, and Kirkintilloch East, and Councillors Alan Masterton and Mark Kerr are calling for action to resolve issues relating to the lack of parking at the busy station.

The Scottish Nationalists met with ScotRail managing director Alex Hynes at Croy Station to discuss the parking issues that many locals are facing.

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The station has had ongoing issues with the availability of spaces, especially at peak times, for some time leaving local residents and commuters alike frustrated.

And constituents have been upfront with politicians about the continuing problems they have faced.

During their visit the group discussed potential solutions including increased capacity for, better integrated bus transport, as well as new strategies to incentivise use of other nearby stations.

The SNP representatives argue that this issue has been brought to the attention of Scotrail - but to no avail.

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Mr Hepburn said: “As someone who is a regular user of Croy Station, I fully understand the hassle that people go through when trying to use the station, especially at peak times.

“This isn’t of course only impacting commuters but also local residents dealing with on-street parking.

“The meeting was encouraging and I’m hopeful that there are several ways to progress the issue towards resolution

“However, it is now up to them to ensure that paths forward that we discussed are acted upon.”

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Stuart McDonald MP added: “I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to build on this meeting and move towards providing locals with a much-needed solution. I expect updates to follow in the near future.”

Councillor Alan Masterton has also received complaints from residents in his ward

He added: “The parking situation at Croy Station has been a growing issue for quite some time now.

“This is also having a significant adverse impact on nearby communities in Smithstone due to the displacement of cars which are unable to park in the station car parks.

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“I hope that along with Network Rail they will now look seriously at potential solutions to alleviate the pressure on these car parks.”

Meanwhile Councillor Mark Kerr said his own constituents were being inconvenienced.

He added: “Croy station is an important local asset, and it is encouraging that more people are using rail as a way to travel.

“The increased use at the station is causing some challenges with on-street parking in the village itself so this was an important opportunity to discuss improvements.”

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A ScotRail spokesperson said: “Mr Hynes found the meeting with the elected representative very beneficial.

“We’re now looking forward to working with industry partners to develop a parking strategy, and will consider Croy as part of any future investment.”