Meeting – 4th April 2023
Partick Free Church of Scotland Hall
6.30pm – 8.00pm
NOTES OF MEETING
Attendees
Elected Members
Shaun Conroy (acting chair)
Jamie MacBrayne (acting treasurer & acting secretary)
Ailie Hunter
Dora McManus
Colin Price
Lana Reid-McConnell (Green Party)
PC Andy McKay (Police Scotland)
5 members of the public
Public
Duncan Speirs
Collette Speirs
Geraldine Ross
Stevie Marshall
Alison Kerr
- Welcome, Apologies and Matters Arising (Shaun Conroy)
Chair welcomed three new attendees.
Asked if anyone had any other business to add to tonight’s agenda.
Sought consensus on what is a reasonable length of time for each meeting, with an hour to an hour and a half being suggested.
Minutes from previous meeting on 7/3/23 were approved
1a) TCC email account and website access (Jamie MacBrayne)
Jamie had agreed to contact Steven Dowling of GCC regarding issues with TCC’s email address and website. We had a period when we were unable to access our email account as only one member had the password, and that member was unavailable. Jamie had asked if GCC could provide an email address administered by them, or at least provide us with an email address which we could use for password recovery if we were unable to get access to our gmail address, but both requests were denied. We will need to come up with a solution which does not involve GCC in any way, as TCC is an independent body unaffiliated with GCC.
Jamie has been able to contact the member with the email password, so we now have access to our gmail account again, which will also allow us access to our website. - Area Partnership Report (Ailie Hunter)
Funds have been approved for work around the area of Thornwood roundabout.
Glasgow City Council need to assess the impact of any changes on traffic flow.
The traffic report will need to be discussed by TCC, then TCC will need to report back to the Area Partnership.
Suggestions are: narrowing of road at on/off ramps for Expressway, introduction of crossings, lights, road adjustments.
Question was asked by member of public – how do locals know what any future plans are?
Shaun highlighted that we have become accepting of high traffic levels in our area and we should be continually applying pressure to attempt to reduce traffic levels.
There was also a request for volunteers to water the planters in the area, which some attendees responded to. - Police Report (PC Andy McKay)
Apologies for absence from previous meeting – this was due to being placed on other police duties at the time.
There have been a number of issues at Glasgow Harbour:
– Youths congregating in the area and climbing on the scaffolding there. The company overseeing the site have been contacted.
– Increase in vehicle vandalism & theft. Particularly 4×4 vehicles. Keyless ignition cars are a particular target. The advice of Police Scotland is to use a Faraday pouch to store the vehicle’s electronic fob, as this prevents the equipment from being able to relay the signal from the fob to the vehicle.
– Police Scotland have an increased presence in the area in response to these issues.
There has been an increase in shoplifting at the Crow Road retail park. It is thought that much of this crime is going unreported by retailers. Police Scotland have requested that retailers report all shoplifting crime.
There is a police report due on safety at and around Thornwood roundabout. This will be delivered by Police Scotland in the near future.
There was mention of the localised flooding at the west-bound off ramp from the Expressway to the roundabout being a persistent problem, which is a recognised safety issue. Colin pointed out that GCC don’t adhere to their commitment to clear the drains.
Shaun highlighted the issue of poor parking in the side streets in Thornwood, particularly cars being parked on corners and blocking access for larger vehicles. There was significant discussion about this matter. The outcome was that Police Scotland have little power to remove any cars which are inconveniently parked, and GCC have no power to impose a penalty charge on vehicles which are inconveniently parked if there are no road markings or signage. A vehicle parked on a corner, which is blocking access for longer vehicles, does not necessarily constitute dangerous parking, even if it prevents emergency vehicles from being able to get round the corner. Whilst it is a safety concern for local residents, it does not present a danger to traffic. In summary, if there are no road markings or signage then there is little that can be done to penalise drivers for parking inconsiderately on corners. The suggestion from some members was to try to highlight the issue to the wider community and to rely on appealing to people’s conscience. TCC could possibly play a role in this. - Western Road Action Group (WRAG) (Colin Price)
Nothing new to report.
Colin suggested we should be holding local government to account re targets for buses all becoming electric. It seems that the targets are not currently being met. We need to be putting on pressure to deliver on things that have already been promised. - Bins
Members of the public highlighted issues with provision of sufficient bins by GCC. Glasgow Harbour is a particularly problematic area. Lana said she is happy to be contacted re bins.
Burger King and Starbucks were contacted by residents of Glasgow Harbour re their commitment for local litter picks, which have not been taking place as promised, but they have not responded to these communications. - Thornwood Coat of Arms (Shaun Conroy)
The initial cost would be £2000. We would need the backing of the community in order to proceed with such an expensive project.
The local school have been in discussion regarding this and appear to be on board with the idea.
We would need to know what we plan to do with any coat of arms. How would it be put to use? Where would it be visible? - Any Other Business
Jamie proposed that TCC cash a cheque for £50 to act as a petty cash fund for small expenses. This was seconded by Colin and approved by TCC
Colin highlighted the mess being left by CityFibre due to the current installation of fibre infrastructure throughout the area.
A member of the public highlighted that there are only 5 of the 11 community councillors present at the meeting.