Latest news with #Transport(Scotland)Act2019
Daily Record
02-06-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Record
Scots drivers warned over new parking rules coming into force today
Drivers who are caught breaking the rules will be issued with warning notices from Monday, June 2. Drivers in parts of Scotland are being warned of new parking restrictions that are being phased in from today. Motorists who park on pavements, dropped kerbs or are caught double parking in East Ayrshire 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. Motorists who are caught parking on pavements 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 Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 prohibits pavement parking and double parking and the new regulations came into force in Scotland in December 2023 which handed councils the power to slap drivers with fines up to £100 for inconsiderate parking on pavements. 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. Councillor 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.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 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
Daily Record
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Record
Hundreds of warning notices issued in Renfrewshire before start of pavement parking ban
A total of 269 advisories were handed out in a bid to raise awareness of the new rules in the local authority. Hundreds of warning notices were issued in Renfrewshire ahead of the beginning of the enforcement of a ban on pavement parking. A total of 269 of the blue adhesive envelopes were handed out in a bid to raise awareness of the new rules in the local authority. This took place during a two-week public notification period before the distribution of fines for non-compliance started from April 1. The law – which also prohibits double parking and parking at a dropped kerb pedestrian crossing – is designed to create safer and more accessible streets. Culprits can land a £100 penalty, however, this is reduced to £50 if paid within a fortnight. An update to the council's communities and housing policy board on Tuesday said the warning notices were "well-received" by drivers who were "largely happy" to be educated on the matter. The report explained: "In advance of enforcement activities commencing, officers issued warning notices to vehicles which were parked in contravention of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019. "The warning notices were applied to vehicles in blue adhesive envelopes to raise awareness of the introduction of the new legislation and were well-received by motorists who were largely happy to engage and be educated. "Enforcement of the act commenced on April 1 with this being driven by community intelligence, in addition to community support officers dealing with incidents which they come across during their regular patrols." At the meeting, Councillor James MacLaren, a Conservative representative for Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank, asked how many of the warning notices had been circulated. He said: "Under pavement parking, it talks about blue adhesive envelopes being stuck on cars as forewarning notices. I haven't seen any myself and I'm just wondering how many of these were actually issued?" Gerard Hannah, head of climate, public protection and roads, responded: "The warning notices were applied during the first soft launch of the enforcement period with pavement parking, so in total there was 269 of the warning notices issued in that initial two-week period. "Since then we obviously then moved into the formal enforcement period and that's where we're at just now." Exemptions can be granted at specific streets where there's not enough space for emergency vehicles to achieve access without vehicles parking on the pavement or where there is at least 1.5 metres for pedestrians when a vehicle is parked on the pavement. Any area under consideration for dispensation will not be subject to enforcement while it is under review, it is understood. Once an exemption order is approved by the board, it will come into effect and the locations will have relevant signage and road markings.
Scottish Sun
27-04-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Scottish councils rake in nearly £1m in fines from drivers breaking new parking rules
Check the full list below to see how many fines were collected in your area KERB YOUR ENTHUSIASM Scottish councils rake in nearly £1m in fines from drivers breaking new parking rules SCOTTISH councils have made nearly £1m in fines from motorists breaking new parking laws. Local authorities were handed the power to fine people for a full range of bad habits that have become common on the roads. Advertisement 5 Scotland's councils have made nearly £1m in fines from new parking rules Credit: John Kirkby - Commissioned by The Sun 5 The new regulations have been rolled out across some parts of the country Credit: John Kirkby - Commissioned by The Sun 5 They were brought in to stop pedestrians, wheelchair users and people with prams from being forced onto the road Credit: Alamy MSPs passed the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, which gave councils the power to issue penalties to drivers who break new rules. It makes it an offence to park with the wheels of the car mounted on the pavement. The new regulations also gave parking wardens the power to fine motorists for parking in front of dropped kerbs and double parking. The new rules were brought in to stop pedestrians, especially people in wheelchairs and those pushing buggies, being forced on to the road by vehicles on the pavement. Advertisement Councils were given the option whether to enforce the new rules since January last year. Several areas announced the new regulations would be rolled out while lists of streets given exemptions were also issued. Many warned residents the new rules were coming, with a grace period where drivers were only warned about their parking and told when the rollout started they would be facing fines. Motorists are fined £100 for violations, but have this halved to £50 if they pay within two weeks. Advertisement New figures obtained by The Scottish Sun by Freedom of Information request has revealed the number of fines from January 2024 until March 2025 have added up to a whopping £941,045.41. Traffic wardens have slapped 24,158 tickets on windscreens of cars double parked, in front of dropped kerbs or that are mounted on the pavement. I can't walk on my own street because of 'selfish' drivers blocking pavement The City of Edinburgh Council was the first to roll out the new rules, and leads the way in terms of fines. The capital has collected £441,469 in fines from pavement parking, 47 per cent of all fines collected across Scotland. Advertisement Officials said their year's worth of enforcement has seen drivers ditch their bad habits and keep their wheels off the kerbs. Councillor Stephen Jenkinson, Transport and Environment Convenor said: 'The City of Edinburgh Council was the first local authority in Scotland to issue parking tickets for footway parking, pedestrian dropped-kerb parking and double parking, with enforcement starting in the city in January 2024. "As such, we have been issuing tickets for parking on pavements for longer than any other Council in Scotland, so it isn't surprising to see the proportion of penalties collected by the Council against the overall figure. 'Since the start of enforcement, we have seen many residents and visitors to the city changing their parking habits, with our pavements now safer and more accessible for everyone.' Advertisement Pavement parking dominates fines PAVEMENT parking dominated the fines handed out under the new rules. Motorists leaving their motors mounted on the curbs was the most common offence that saw drivers ticketed. Enforcement officers handed out 18,259 tickets for pavement parking. Only Aberdeen, Angus and Perth & Kinross councils were able to offer specific breakdowns on what motorists were fined for. From these councils, £133,447 was paid by drivers who parked on the pavement. The second most common fine was parking on dropped kerbs, which saw 3,283 motorists fined across Scotland. And 2,616 people were fined for double parking. Edinburgh was followed by North Ayrshire, which has had £126,450 paid to them in fines. Dundee took third place with £118,450 and Aberdeen came fourth with a total of £85,697. While Angus Council has been paid ££53,601 and Midlothian Council raked in £35,100. Glasgow City Council, the country's biggest local authority, collected just £2,277 under the new rules. Advertisement The low figure was blamed on a delay in rolling out the new rules as they assessed the city's streets for potential exemptions. Glasgow officers began doling out fines in January, one year after Edinburgh. Other councils, such as Renfrewshire, East Ayrshire, and Argyll and Bute revealed they currently aren't enforcing the new rules. Clackmannanshire and the Western Isles council hadn't collected any money from the fines as their parking enforcement is handled by the police. Aberdeenshire Council replied to our request saying they had collected no cash. Advertisement 5 A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: 'Prohibitions for pavement parking, double parking and parking at dropped kerbs were introduced by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 and are aimed at promoting, supporting and advancing the rights of pedestrians to ensure that our pavements and roads are accessible for all. 'The last of the secondary legislation to support this came into force in December 2023, giving local authorities the tools to enforce these prohibitions by issuing Penalty Charge Notices of £100 (reducing to £50 if paid within 14 days). "Local authorities also have powers to exempt certain areas of pavement from the national ban, should they feel it necessary and if certain criteria are met. Advertisement 'Local authorities are at various stages of readiness to enforce. Some local authorities have also been issuing warning notices ahead of actual enforcement commencing to help instil behaviour change against inconsiderate parking.'
