Maybole neighbours threatened with fines over 'ludicrous' pavement parking law

Daily Record

02-05-2025

Residents on Hutchison Street in Maybole have been left with a parking dilemma as South Ayrshire Council crack down on pavement parking.
Residents in a narrow Ayrshire street have been left with a parking dilemma after being threatened with fines.
South Ayrshire Council have warned motorists on Maybole's Hutchison Street that they face £100 fines for parking on the pavement.
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However, homeowners have appealed for common sense as the street isn't wide enough to accommodate parked cars fully on the road and allow access for other residents and emergency services.
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One Hutchison Street resident, James Harper, is worried that parking problems could spill onto adjacent streets if residents are forced to move their cars to avoid fines.
Although there are exemptions to the new pavement parking rules, South Ayrshire Council have not applied any to Hutchison Street meaning motorists could be liable for the fines when enforcement of the policy in the town begins.
Speaking to Ayrshire Live, 85-year-old James said the council shouldn't be causing problems when there aren't any.
He said: "We discovered our cars had been adorned with a notice to say that pavement parkers would be subject to a £100 fine in line with the Scottish Government's new enforcement of the law.
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"We had all parked with two wheels on the pavement as we always have done - not through choice but by necessity. Our street is not wide enough to allow us to park on the road and still leave room for other vehicles to pass.
"Hutchison Street is a cul-de-sac so there is no through traffic. The trouble is, and has always been, the narrowness of the road.
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"One vehicle, if fully parked on the road, blocks access further into the street. This means there is no room for residents' cars, ambulance, fire brigade or anyone requiring access.
"One bit of good news - through the kind heart and consideration of the operators of this draconian piece of legislation, we will get a discount on our fines if we stump up in less than a fortnight.
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"Where the hell are we supposed to park? Every driver and effected person in the street has signed a petition asking that, out of necessity, we be allowed to park with two wheels on the pavement as we have always done without any complaints.
"This law will have a knock on effect as we all would new have to park further afield and inevitably cause parking problems in adjoining streets.
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"The streets adjacent to Hutchison Street are all fully parked, there's not a space left in them. If we can't get into Hutchison street, we've got to find somewhere else to park.
"We'll jump in whenever there's a vacancy round the corner and that could cause trouble.
"It is ludicrous, it really it is.
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"I don't when they are going to enforce this but there is nothing we can do.
"What makes it more difficult is that on the other side of the road from where we park, the steps into the houses encroach onto the road which further narrows the street."