Scots drivers face fines for breaking new parking rules from this month

Daily Record

5 days ago

Drivers in parts of Scotland will now be fined if they are caught flouting new parking restrictions. From, Monday, July 7, motorists who park on pavements, dropped kerbs or are caught double parking in East Ayrshire will be slapped with parking tickets - also known as Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs). Drivers will be expected to pay £100 which is reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days.
The ban applies to parked and stationary or idling vehicles on private and public roads, where one or more wheels are on the footway. The restrictions were phased in from Monday, June 2, when warning notices were issued to drivers who were caught breaking the rules. During that period, 900 warnings were handed to drivers in the area.
Legislation introduced by the Scottish Government in 2019 introduced a ban on pavement parking and gave local authorities more power to enforce it. Local authorities were given permission to decide if the measures would be implemented and when. So far they have been enforced in areas including Stirling, East Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, Glasgow, and Perth and Kinross.
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.
Councillor Jim McMahon, cabinet spokesperson for housing, transport and communities, said: 'The council has a duty to enforce these parking regulations and we hope that bringing the enforcement into full effect will help to create a safer and more accessible environment for everyone, especially those with sight impairments, mobility issues or anyone pushing buggies or prams.
'It's every driver's responsibility to park their vehicle considerately, and in a way that will not cause an obstruction to the pavement or road.
'We will continually monitor the effects of the enforcement to ensure compliance with the Act and the continued promotion of road safety across East Ayrshire.'
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Ayrshire Road Alliance warned drivers of the changes on social media on Sunday, June 2.
Posting alongside details about the enforcement, they wrote: "Help us make East Ayrshire a safer and more accessible place for everyone by parking responsibly."
According to Ayrshire Road Alliance there is an exception in the rules that seeks to support some traders to continue making deliveries.
This only applies to activity in the 'course of business' so does not apply to personal activities like unloading shopping or lifting young children out of a car.
Delivery drivers can only park on the pavement when the following conditions apply:
there must be no reasonable place to park fully on the road
there must be 1.5m of pavement width between their vehicle and any wall, fence or bush.
If these conditions apply, then the maximum length of time for that the delivery driver can be parked on the pavement is 20 minutes.