Oppose Glasgow's parking charge changes
Oppose Glasgow's parking charge changes
The Issue
Musicians are already penalised by Glasgow City Council's Low Emission Zone. The propsed extension of parking hours and increased charges will further disadvantage both professionals (typically on low-level incomes) and leisure time musicians.
Many musicians have large heavy instruments to transport to rehearsal and concert venues. It isn't feasible either financially or time-wise, to move timps, double-basses, harps, tubas etc except by car or van.
Raising parking charges and extending the charge-times will make music-making financially impossible for many players in large parts of the city.
In the city centre, to attend a rehearsal and concert performance in the Glasgow Royal Concert Halls or the City Halls a player typically will have to pay for around 8 hours parking, at £6.40 per hour, a total of £51.20 which will rise even further over the following two years.
Outside the city centre, the problems are similar, and vocal groups as well as instrumentalists are equally affected. They meet in churches, school halls, etc, often chosen because of their accessibility and available parking. For an evening rehearsal of two and a half hours, a member will now have to pay £10-£12 per evening. For typically 40 weeks of the year, this will impose a charge of £400-£500 on top of membership fees. For many that will be unaffordable.
The Council's ambition to encourage people to more sustainable travel options is admirable, but people with heavy and unwieldy instruments cannot walk with them, nor cycle.
Even where musicians don't have large instruments to carry, they often have to travel across the city, without good transport infrastructure. And in two cases of renowned Church Choirs, there is even less availability of transport on a Sunday.
Music is for many a social lifeline and is well-proven to have a very positive impact on health and wellbeing. That Glasgow was the first Unesco City of Music in the UK and is following a course of action which may well destroy community music-making in large parts of the city is a tragedy.
362
The Issue
Musicians are already penalised by Glasgow City Council's Low Emission Zone. The propsed extension of parking hours and increased charges will further disadvantage both professionals (typically on low-level incomes) and leisure time musicians.
Many musicians have large heavy instruments to transport to rehearsal and concert venues. It isn't feasible either financially or time-wise, to move timps, double-basses, harps, tubas etc except by car or van.
Raising parking charges and extending the charge-times will make music-making financially impossible for many players in large parts of the city.
In the city centre, to attend a rehearsal and concert performance in the Glasgow Royal Concert Halls or the City Halls a player typically will have to pay for around 8 hours parking, at £6.40 per hour, a total of £51.20 which will rise even further over the following two years.
Outside the city centre, the problems are similar, and vocal groups as well as instrumentalists are equally affected. They meet in churches, school halls, etc, often chosen because of their accessibility and available parking. For an evening rehearsal of two and a half hours, a member will now have to pay £10-£12 per evening. For typically 40 weeks of the year, this will impose a charge of £400-£500 on top of membership fees. For many that will be unaffordable.
The Council's ambition to encourage people to more sustainable travel options is admirable, but people with heavy and unwieldy instruments cannot walk with them, nor cycle.
Even where musicians don't have large instruments to carry, they often have to travel across the city, without good transport infrastructure. And in two cases of renowned Church Choirs, there is even less availability of transport on a Sunday.
Music is for many a social lifeline and is well-proven to have a very positive impact on health and wellbeing. That Glasgow was the first Unesco City of Music in the UK and is following a course of action which may well destroy community music-making in large parts of the city is a tragedy.
362
Petition created on 13 March 2024