Did the Fireworks Control Zones work? Or is there a better solution?
Did Glasgow’s Firework Control Zones reduce the annual Bonfire Night chaos – or just shift it to other neighbourhoods? Residents across Pollokshields, Govanhill and beyond share their experiences as the city questions how to curb noise, improve safety and balance long-held traditions.
Firework in the night sky by Dylan Lombard
By Devon McCole | Photo by Dylan Lombard
We recently wrote an article exploring the new rules implemented by the council and enforced by Police Scotland early November, which came to an end a week on the 10th.
We covered some residents' concerns surrounding the enforcement of the Firework Control Zones (FCZs), particularly where over policing of people of colour is concerned, following an incident that occurred on 1 November, when the rules came into effect.
We asked residents to reflect on the impacts it had, positive or negative, to find out how well these new rules worked, and if anything could be improved or reconsidered come next November.
If you live in the designated FCZs you’ll certainly know that whilst the rules were in effect fireworks were still being set off in and around those areas of Pollokshields and Govanhill. In the case of Allison Street, pub goers noticed some were being shot directly out of a residential window not far from Ryan’s Bar.
The rules were never going to be followed by everyone, but some residents in the FCZs did report that this year was much quieter than previous ones.
One Facebook user, Caroline Wylie, commented: “To be honest, last night was bliss compared to the carnage we’ve had over recent years…Well done to the police, community groups and all the volunteers…it had a massively positive impact.”
And Maria Kus, said Allison Street, despite some reports of fireworks being shot out of residential windows, was: “Not crazy like it has been for [the] last seven years, with folk throwing bangers at passing cars driving down the street.”
Lindsey Duncan agrees it seemed far better than previous years: “I hardly heard any fireworks at all in comparison to the usual relentless barrage.”
However, an unintended consequence of those following the rules meant a migration of people setting off fireworks in nearby areas, which were described as ‘like a warzone’ by some residents – a yearly description used across Glasgow to describe parts of the city at this time of year.
Jo Pagan, a former resident of Kenmure Street who has since moved said: “Sadly, it has meant that everyone congregated on my street, as it is where the restrictions stop.
“It went on for at least four hours directly outside the houses, and many of the faces were neighbours from when I lived on Kenmure Street.
“For our area, which has also always had issues, it is now 100 times worse.”
Jo reports that as a result her 10 year-old daughter had a panic attack and her pets were still visibly stressed the next day and refused to leave the home afterwards. Her car was also damaged, and while she can’t prove it was struck by fireworks, she did have to take it to the car wash because it was “covered in dust and bits of brown firework paper.”
When her husband approached the young people setting off fireworks the response was: “But we’re allowed to set them off here.”
Jo told us they weren’t disrespectful about it: “I understand they just wanted to enjoy themselves – but with these restrictions in place, it’s an impossible situation for us, as now they can freely use our street”
“They all came to us with thousands of pounds worth of fireworks and set them off directly outside the houses.” Jo says.
The FCZs were chosen because of their reputation for excessive fireworks use near residential areas and in parks but the FCZ rules have seemingly only moved the fireworks chaos from one place to another.
So whilst people are being policed in some areas for their use, others are using them all over the city without the same threat of consequence. It raises some genuine questions around how to control the use of fireworks to improve safety in residential areas, not just in these selected areas, but across Glasgow as a whole.
If the council aren’t going for an all out ban, some say they ought to reconsider punishing certain postcodes for the use of fireworks and instead should consider designating zones where they could be set off as well as setting reasonable hours for people to celebrate within.
Plenty of users responded to us saying they should be taken off the shelves altogether with the council approving licensed displays only so people can still enjoy them – although this isn’t exactly a solution, with young people able to get their hands on these rockets and fireworks online anyway if not in stores it’s hard to say how well this would work completely but it certainly has the potential to significantly reduce use of fireworks and noise pollution.
Bonfire Night is one of the busiest times of the year for emergency services, and has caused not just disturbances, but life changing physical injuries. It’s easy to see why the council and the community take such an interest in finding a way to better control their use and improve safety.
But it’s also a tradition for many more people. Yearly chaos and colour that marks the month of November. For a lot of Scots it carries memories of bonfires built by neighbours for community use, or children wrapped up holding sparklers and drinking hot chocolate under the watchful eye of parents.
It’s like commenter Johnny Shawlands says: “S’ only fireworks.”
“For a couple days a year your streets get loud and your evening sky is amazing. The 5th of November was not a cacophony…Wait til Hogmanay though!” he writes.
But even Johnny Shawlands acknowledges that fireworks do cause real distress and damage, extending his sympathies to the pets that suffer terribly from the noise annually. “My gosh – the pets: some whimper and bolt under the couch while my sister’s generally nervous dachshund just battered oot the back door, leapt on the decking and ferociously barked at rockets and Roman Candles.”
It’s clearly difficult to find the middle ground when it comes to fireworks. Mostly it’s the noise disturbance that bothers folk, or damage to property in residential areas, and of course the careless improper use of what is essentially a pretty explosive by some people who misuse them.
However, there is only so much that can be done to control the actions of certain individuals, but with the existence of noiseless fireworks it’s not unwise to advise the council to reconsider how it implements controls in the future. Surely there is a way to please those who desire peace and quiet and those who desire to celebrate with relative freedom with friends, family and neighbours.
GCC have come under scrutiny for cancelling big fireworks displays in the city too in past years. So they might also want to consider reinvesting in these events to allow for the community to come together rather than be driven apart.