Petition calls for better lighting around Glasgow park

A petition to improve the lighting around Kelvingrove Park in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard has gathered nearly 8,000 signatures.

It was started by 21 year-old student Kalli Stewart, who did her dissertation on the safety of women in the city.

She says it's been an issue since a series of sexual assaults in the area in 2019: "In light of the tragic news of Sarah Everard, more attention needs to be paid to issues surrounding female fear of violence.

"Kelvingrove Park and Kelvin Way are routes home for many people, including many young students, yet these spaces still lack adequate street lighting.

"The park and surrounding area has unfortunately been linked to a number of sexual crimes, the most recent occurring in 2019. Many women are undeniably fearful of gender based violence and although increasing street lights cannot prevent these crimes, it can make women feel more secure when walking alone at night.

"We need to listen to women in order to implement meaningful security measures that allow women to move through space more freely.

"We urge Glasgow City Council to increase street lighting in these spaces so that we can allow women to feel safer when they are walking home."

A University of Glasgow spokesperson said:

“The security of our students and staff is our top priority. We work closely with local authorities and actively encourage them to regularly review the safety of the neighbourhoods surrounding our campuses.

“We also continue to improve security measures on our own sites, including better lighting, public access points and an increased security presence.

"Last year we introduced the free SafeZone app, which puts students instantly in contact with our security team, who will attend not just on campus but in the local vicinity.”

A spokesman for the council said: “We have an established petitions process that allows Glasgow residents to raise issues of concern directly with the council.

“Work has previously been undertaken with Glasgow University to ensure that lighting around their campuses and halls of residences is fully operational, including on Kelvin Way and parts of Kelvingrove Park.

“The lighting along Kelvin Way has a distinctive design to fit with the trees lining the street, but our view is that these lights provide a suitable level of illumination for all road users.

“It is not common practice to provide lighting within any of our parks due to environmental considerations and to ensure as natural a habitat as possible for local wildlife.”

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