GLASGOW'S transport chiefs yesterday ruled out introducing road tolls, but said they were pressing the Government to introduce a national system of taxing non-residential parking.
They warned that they would continue to increase public parking charges to deter commuters from driving to work in the city centre, and hoped to introduce new charges on Sundays to combat the shopper chaos.
As a carrot to counteract the stick of parking charges, the council would improve public transport services, said council depute leader Councillor Charles Gordon and roads and transportation convener Councillor Walter MacLellan.
Their comments came at the launch of Keep Glasgow Moving, a document laying out Glasgow City Council's transport policy into the next millennium.
The document highlights the need to cope with rapidly expanding car ownership by making alternative transport more attractive, including the Route Action Plans giving priority to buses and taxis already implemented in some parts of the city.
Mr MacLellan said that in preparatory discussions with one South Side group, Irate, about 90% of their requirements had been met.
''I think there has been a considerable over-emphasis of the problems that are being experienced. From the first day ever that a local authority put a yellow line down on a road, traders have said, 'This will kill business.'
''Pedestrianisation was going to kill business in Buchanan Street - and now it is one of the most sought-after sites in Europe.''
Mr Gordon said the council had been pressing the Government to include taxation measures for business car parking in its White Paper. It was reluctant to introduce such charges itself because of fears that such a move might force developers to move elsewhere where such charges did not operate.
Mr David Spaven, a spokesman for the public transport lobby group Transform Scotland, said that, despite being described as a sustainable transport document, Keep Glasgow Moving referred only to a sustainable road network. He also called on the council to carry out a fundamental reappraisal of its support for the extension of the M74 corridor.
Mr Spaven said that, while Transform Scotland was very supportive of the philosophy of Route Action Plans, the city council was not giving enough priority to pedestrians' needs.
Ms Sue Nicholson, a spokeswoman for the motoring organisation RAC Scotland, described the document as ''quite a balanced report'', but said RAC Scotland wanted to see three things: investment to make sure choices were available for people; integration to make sure the public transport systems worked together and not independently of each other; and information and education for people.
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