East Ayrshire Council announce "phased" plan for pavement parking enforcement
Motorists in East Ayrshire will no longer be able to park on most pavements from July after the council announced plans to begin enforcing the new law.
East Ayrshire Council are set to begin enforcing new pavement parking restrictions from July.
Motorists who park on pavements or dropped kerbs or are caught double parking will be issued with warning notices from Monday, June 2.
Parking tickets - also known as Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) - will start to be issued from Monday, July 7, when the full enforcement begins.
Drivers caught parking on pavements will be liable to pay £100 which is reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days.
Legislation introduced by the Scottish Government in 2019 introduced a ban on pavement parking and gave local authorities more power to enforce it.
The goal behind the legislation is to ensure that pavements and roads are safer and more accessible to all as parking on pavements prevents people from walking safely down streets.
Pavement parking can also prevent access to pavements for people with disabilities or those pushing prams or buggies and it can cause damage which is expensive to repair.
Double parking makes it more dangerous for vulnerable people or people pushing buggies or prams to cross the road safely as well as causing traffic congestion.
Cllr Jim McMahon, East Ayrshire cabinet spokesperson for housing, transport and communities, said: 'We're hoping that by starting with a phased approach to the enforcement, we will give people some time to get used to the upcoming official enforcement measures.
'Every driver is responsible for parking their vehicle considerately and in a position that will not cause an obstruction to the pavement or road.
'We want to provide a safe and accessible environment for everyone, especially those with sight impairments, mobility issues or anyone pushing buggies who will no longer need to walk on the road.
'I'm looking forward to seeing our streets becoming safer and more accessible as a result of the new enforcement work.'
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