Library drivers ‘endangering people’s lives’

USERS of a new library have been accused of endangering lives after failing to use its car park – despite demanding that it be doubled in size.

Locals and community councillors in Drumbrae say the car park at the area’s redeveloped library is often half empty, yet the surrounding streets are so full of vehicles they create a safety hazard.

The problem is understood to be particularly bad on Rannoch Terrace, where there are frequent deliveries to the street’s Scotmid store by articulated lorries.

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Now residents are considering running an information campaign encouraging drivers to make full use of parking facilities.

Reginald Kingman, chairperson of Drumbrae Community Council, said: “During the consultation period before construction work on the library began, it was suggested to the city council, based on what locals were telling us, that the car park should be about double what it is at the moment.

“But just now there are cars parked in the street when there are spaces in the car park. People are not using it to its full extent.

“At peak times, when there’s quite a number of cars, you could have a couple of dozen or so outside the library, the Scotmid and the Rannoch community centre.

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“Instead, you have people parked on the narrow road when big delivery wagons come to deliver to the Co-op.

“It seems that if people cannot get their cars closer to the building entrance in the car park, they will get them as close as possible by parking on the road rather than go into the car park itself.

“Safety is the big issue here. Any cars parked on a road where kids are playing is a concern.

“If there’s a row of cars and a kid jumps out suddenly then you could have an accident.”

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A Rannoch Terrace resident, who did not want to be named, said: “There are so many cars parking around here it gets choc-a-bloc.

“You have cars parked all around the corners at both ends of the street and you cannot see where you are going when you are turning corners.”

Mr Kingman said the situation was not “desperate” but would be monitored over the next two to three months.

He added: “If it doesn’t improve, we would consider an information campaign, involving public notices and whatever advice we can get from the city council’s traffic engineers.”

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A city council spokeswoman said: “There is allocated car parking for customers and users of the Drumbrae Library Hub.

“Staff are encouraged to use sustainable transport methods as far as possible, but those who need to drive to work are directed to park in the surrounding streets, which are not subject to parking restrictions.”

A spokeswoman for Scotmid said: “We were not aware of a parking problem at our Rannoch Terrace store, but we would be happy to support a community council campaign to make the street safer for our customers and local residents.”

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