CALLS to make Glasgow’s parks safer with lighting and stop “no-go areas” for women and children at night will go before the council next week.

Councillors will be urged to back demands to install lights on key routes after a police diversion during COP26 forced locals to walk through Kelvingrove Park late at night.

Hundreds of people are set to gather in Kelvingrove next Friday to demand action from the council as part of a campaign launched by Radio Clyde.

Council bosses have previously said they don’t encourage people to use parks at night, partly because lighting would disrupt nocturnal wildlife.

But at a full council meeting on Thursday, two councillors hope to gain support for motions which call for an investigation into installing lights.

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Labour’s Jill Brown will ask councillors to instruct council staff to put together a report on the “necessary infrastructure to provide sensitive lighting solutions.”

She said: “I refuse to believe that Glasgow’s parks and open spaces should be written off as ‘no-go areas’ for women and children.

“Why is it that we can light up the Botanic Gardens when people have paid for tickets, but not if they want to go for a run, walk or cycle past 4pm at the height of winter?”

Councillor Brown wants the ‘Dear Green Place’ to be “welcoming, accessible and safe” all year round. “We can see great examples of how this is done around the world — all it would take in Glasgow is some imagination and a little courage.”

A council spokesman said public safety is “an absolute priority” and it is “actively looking at the experience of other places” as well as academic research.

Conservative councillor Thomas Kerr is planning to present a motion which calls for a public consultation on the issue and a report on the “feasibility of implementing additional lighting in city parks.”

He also believes the council should apologise for the tone of messaging which “appeared to indicate that women and vulnerable residents should be excluded from accessing public spaces after dark.”

Councillor Kerr, the Conservative group leader, said: “Glaswegians were rightly outraged to be told by their council that parks and green spaces are no-go areas after dark, which at this time of year is as early as 4pm.”

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He added while “we will all appreciate the importance of preserving the habitats of nocturnal animals,” urban planners have made it “clear that technological solutions exist to both protect wildlife as well as provide reassurance to women and vulnerable residents.”

Lighting in parks has been a long-running issue, with women’s groups and runners calling for improvements, and generator powered lights were put in place in some areas during COP26.

The council spokesman said the issue is “complex” with “competing priorities” but “ensuring personal safety in public spaces is an absolute priority”.

“We want people to feel secure and safe when moving around the city and we are aware this can be a particular issue for women, LGBTQ+ communities and those from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.”

He added a draft active travel strategy focuses on “safe routes” for walking, wheeling and cycling and there is also a “responsibility to protect and promote the city’s biodiversity.”

He said: “It is crucial that we fully understand the potential for unintended consequences by changing lighting patterns in these natural spaces.

“Careful consideration of possible measures must be undertaken to properly understand the potential impact on the city’s flora and fauna, but also whether any changes will create a safer environment for people to use.”

The demonstration in Kelvingrove Park will take place at 6pm on Friday, December 10 at the Stewart Memorial Fountain.