Claims tragedy only a matter of time if parking not sorted at Cairngorms beauty spot
Local Highland councillors have agreed to watered-down parking restrictions and charges at the Cairngorms’ most popular beauty spot saying if they had not it was only a matter of time before there was a tragedy.
The Pay and Display parking bays are expected to be in place by Loch Morlich and in the wider Glenmore area for the start of next year’s main tourism season.
Members of the council’s area committee unanimously backed the measures at their latest meeting on Monday at Kingussie’s courthouse.
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Committee chairman Russell Jones said: “We have to remember that when we get the hot spells - such as the six weeks last summer - there are vehicles all over the road.
“I have a friend who runs a haulage business and he was taking materials up to Cairngorm Mountain and he was actually scared to be driving through the area with kids running in between cars and all the double parking.
“It was only a matter of time before there was going to be a tragedy.
“We had to do something.
“Local residents were also worried that at times if there was an emergency then 999 crews might not get through.”
Big changes were made by the council following a public outcry to the original proposals which attracted 83 objections:
The amendments approved by local councillors on Monday include:
• scrapping the ban on overnight parking in Pay and Display bays.
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• Longer parking periods in the parking bays.
• A discounted permit for local residents - a pass for £40 per year or £11 per month.
• Pay and Display restrictions will only be in force 1 March to 31 October and not year round.
The proposed charges now for the parking bays will be three hour (£3); six hours (£4) and 24 hours (£5).
The original parking charges were for a 12 hours maximum stay from 7am to 10pm and parking charges for one hour (£2); six hours (£4) and 12 hours (£5).
No waiting areas will be created along much of the rest of the ski road.
Councillor Bill Lobban told the meeting: “I do not automatically agree with some of the ways we have pulled back on the original proposals - in fact you know I don’t - but I believe this is the best we are going to get initially.
“Maybe the time will come in years to come that we will look again at this.”
He urged: “This needs to be up and running for spring.”
Council parking officers said spring was the target.
Councillor Muriel Cockburn said: “Looking at where the objections have come from, I think we realise that this area is a national treasure and it is important to recognise that.
“This is something that members have been looking at for a long time and it is now important that we move on.”
She commended council officials for taking into account Glenmore workers by providing a permit scheme.
Shane Manning, the council’s principal traffic officer, had earlier told councillors: “You will be all too familiar with Glenmore and the problems we have on the C1126 (ski road) lochside area which has been going on for many, many years but more so since stay-cations became a big thing.
“We are finally trying to look at wait and loading restrictions which address some of the more dangerous aspects of parking along Loch Morlich.
“We did introduce some proposals on a temporary TRO during the course of 2022/23 but these have now reached the end of their life and we need a permanent solution which is enforceable to deal with traffic parking in the area.”
He later said the hope is having the new restrictions will allow the lochside bollards to be removed.
And he added: “This is not done and dusted - it is a live exercise and we will monitor it and provide feedback and there could be adjustments in years to come - or even months to come.”
Glenmore attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
Paul Hibberd is regional visitor services manager for neighbouring landowners Forestry and Land Scotland who introduced parking charges several years ago at the beauty spot.
He said the pressures of high visitor numbers must be actively managed in such a special place.
“We believe that greater control of parking within Glenmore will be a significant help in managing unsafe and irresponsible parking by some of our visitors in recent years,” he said.
“Ideally we would have liked to see the full implementation of the proposed measures to tackle the issues at beach locations and continued with overnight parking in the higher hill walking suitable car parks.
“Overnight parking continues to be prohibited at all FLS car parks surrounding Loch Morlich and Glenmore village and there are no plans to change this.”
