Parking meters appear overnight at Cairngorm beauty spot
Free parking in Glenmore has been ended by Forestry Commission Scotland, sparking concerns about the impact on tourism and congestion on one of the busiest roads in the strath.
Parking meters charging £2 a day have just been installed at the small and larger car parks by Allt Mor and at the nearby Hayfield site.
Aviemore walker Gordon Chalmers (59) is one of those shocked by the new charges, which were not advertised ahead of their appearance.
He said: "I have an arthritic knee which can seize up if it doesn’t get regular exercise. I drive out to Glenmore to walk, as do a number of other local people. If I do that seven days a week it could cost me £14.
"These charges are not only detrimental to people who want to get fitter and healthier but also to tourists. This doesn’t benefit anyone apart from the Forestry Commission."
There is now no free parking at beauty spots in the Glenmore area as there are already meters at the Forestry Commission Scotland’s Glenmore Visitor Centre, and their main parking sites by Loch Morlich and by the yacht club.
There are claims that charging throughout Glenmore is likely to encourage more people to park along the main Cairngorm Ski Road in the area.
It already becomes clogged up with vehicles when the car parks and road is busy particularly in winter.
It could also cause major headaches during this weekend’s annual Siberian Husky Club Aviemore Sled Dog Rally, which attracts thousands of mushers, dogs and spectators.
The Mountaineering Council of Scotland said they are disappointed by the lack of detail about how the money raised by the new car parking charges will be spent.
A spokesman said: "It would add more credibility to the Forestry Commission Scotland case if they were able to state clearly what new ‘recreation services’ they intend to provide and what their ‘considerable investment’ might mean in terms of additional benefits for the public."
The Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) defended the new charges yesterday (Tuesday).
A spokesman said: "Like other public organisations, we need to raise income in a tough economic climate in order to keep supplying recreation services, and at Glenmore we’re focusing on places where there has been – or will be – considerable investment."
