The car parking services contract at a major Dundee retail outlet has been put out to tender following a Courier campaign highlighting motorists’ complaints.
Gallagher Retail Park’s new bosses have ordered an urgent review into its car parking facilities after admitting they had come under fire from frustrated shoppers in recent months.
Managing agents Cushman &Wakefield (C&W), who were appointed by British Steel Pension Fund who bought the popular retail park in November, told the Courier that big changes are going to be made to the car park.
They added that a number of leading car park operators have been invited to tender for a new contract to run the car park.
The agents said they expected that both repair work and a new operating system would be in place as soon as is practical.
C&W’s associate in property and asset management, Kate Bruce, said: “We areasking the public to bear with us for just a little bit longer until we get the parkingsituation sorted out properly.
“Our clients inherited the currentsystem when they purchased the park, and unfortunately it isn’t working as well as they would like.
“Working closely with the retailers we are looking at the best ways to improve parking at the retail park and are confident that we will find a solution which will enhance the shopping experience for local people and visitors.”
Gallagher Retail Park’s parking services are currently operated by UK ParkingServices (UKPC), who took three motorists to court late last year for improperlydisplaying tickets there, but laterabandoned the cases.
C&W said it was planning a number of improvements to the car parking system, including new ticket machines, repairs to potholes and clearer road markings.
Ms Bruce said changes including the introduction of traffic marshals over the busy Christmas trading period to reduce congestion had produced positive results.
She said: “We are also in talks with the current car park operators to ensure thata fair system is implemented and onlygenuine offenders are fined.”
UKPC did not respond toThe Courier’s request for comment.Readers ticked offWhen the Courier launched its investigation into private parking charges last year, Dundee’s Gallagher Retail Park was quickly identified as a hotspot.
Frustrated motorists contacted The Courier in their droves with complaints about what they saw as unfair ticketing practices.
Aidan Canavan and his wife Kate received a £60 fine from UK Parking Control after Mrs Canavan parked in the Gallagher Retail Park to go shopping after visiting her mother.
Documented evidence, seen by The Courier, showed that she took a pay-and-display ticket at 11.05am, entitling her to two hours’ free parking.
Despite this, a parking charge notice was issued against her at 11.57am less than one hour into her two-hour stay.
Assuming UK Parking Control had made an honest mistake, the “bamboozled” couple sent their valid pay-and-display ticket to the company, but were amazed to receive a response asking them to pay a compromise fine of £15 within seven days “in consideration of the information” they provided.
UKPC cancelled the charge once The Courier got involved but refused to provide any further information as to why the ticket was issued in the first place or why the couple should have to pay a £15 fine despite providing evidence that the original penalty was invalid.
Jen Clark was ticketed while getting her disabled daughter out of the car at the Gallagher Retail Park.
And in January, a Fife woman was left distressed after being threatened with court action by the company despite not being a driver and not having been in the Dundee car park when the ticket was issued.