By Rebecca Kerr 

Concerns have been raised about a lack of bike parking spaces at Stirling Train Station due to ongoing renovations.

The £5m makeover began in July and has caused disruption to commuters who cycle to and from the station, as many bike racks have been removed.

Lindsay Hammond, digital marketer and teaching assistant at the University of Stirling, cycles to the station most days a week and has found it “impossible” to park her bike.

She took to social media to share her frustration, tweeting: “There are hardly any available and secure bike racks at Stirling station due to ongoing works. They [barred] one section off now completely removed it, meaning the other one fills up quickly.”

Lindsay has complained to Scotrail, as well as staff at the train station, but feels as though her words are falling on deaf ears.

She told Stirling Standard: “This has been an ongoing issue for ages, with the majority of staff at the station unsympathetic to those who question the situation.”

Fourth-year history student Connor Liggett commutes to Glasgow three times a week for work and shares Lindsay’s frustration at the lack of available bike racks.

He said: “It’s a joke – I’m having to fight for a space at 8 o’clock in the morning.

“It has reached the point where I’m having to get a taxi or bus to the station most mornings, which is starting to burn a hole in my pocket and defeats the purpose of even buying a bike in the first place.”

The renovation project includes plans to create 150 cycle parking spaces, in line with Stirling Council’s ‘Walk, Cycle, Live Stirling’ scheme which promotes more sustainable transport options in the city.

It is also expected to make a positive contribution to the Scottish Government’s target of net zero emissions by 2045.

Minister for Transport, Jenny Gilruth MSP, has welcomed the station makeover, saying it is part of the Scottish Government’s vision for “attractive, efficient and passenger-focused” rail services.

She added: “Our aim is to encourage more people from the Stirling area to want to travel by train while also choosing more sustainable ways to get to and from the station whether that is by bus, walking, wheeling or cycling.”

However, cyclists are expected to face disruption and limited bike parking spaces at the station until renovations are complete in Spring 2023.

ScotRail and Stirling Council were approached for comment but neither have replied.