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Perth and Kinross pavement parking ban set for ‘soft launch’ within weeks

Drivers will face £100 penalties for parking on pavements when the council starts enforcing the new powers.

woman with pushchair squeezing past car parked on pavement
Perth and Kinross could be the next area to ban pavement parking. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson.

Perth and Kinross drivers will face £100 fines when parking on pavements is outlawed this autumn.

The council has confirmed it is planning a “soft launch” of the policy in the next few months.

Councils were given powers to ban pavement parking in December last year.

The legislation also covers double parking and parking at dropped kerbs.

And it gives councils the authority to issue £100 penalties to offenders.

But the take-up of those powers has been patchy.

Dundee street with line if cars parked on pavement
Perth and Kinross will follow Dundee and Angus in introducing the pavement parking ban. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson

Stirling introduced its pavement parking ban last Monday, July 15.

Dundee has been enforcing the rules since February.

Angus followed suit in May.

And Fife Council said this week it would likely be 2025 before it is ready.

Perth and Kinross Council says it is putting the necessary measures in place now.

A spokesperson said: “We are currently assessing all streets in Perth and Kinross to see where the ban on pavement parking should be enforced and where exemptions will be made.

“We are also undertaking significant work to upgrade our ticketing system.

Perth and Kinross Council logo on wall of council HQ in Perth
Perth and Kinross Council may have to borrow significantly more. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

“We expect to begin enforcement this autumn, initially through a soft launch, and will be advising motorists and residents when this will start closer to the time.”

Will Perth and Kinross pavement parking ban run into opposition?

Perth and Kinross Council and other authorities were given the powers under the Scottish Government’s Transport (Scotland) Act.

It allows parking attendants to fine drivers whose vehicles are found to have one or more wheels touching the pavement.

Scotland is the first country in the UK to declare pavement parking illegal nationwide.

And a Courier survey showed 52% of respondents were in favour of it being introduced.

Not everyone has been in favour.

Residents in one Dundee street have complained their cars are being damaged by passing vehicles because the road is too narrow to accommodate parking on either side.

Parked car with smashed wing mirror in Dundee
Residents say passing cars are damaging their wing mirrors because they can’t park on the pavements any more. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson

And a garage owner told The Courier he was the victim of a “witch-hunt” after locals complained to the council about customers’ cars outside his premises.

Fife Council’s leader says its delay is down to fears that bin lorries and fire engines won’t get through the region’s narrower streets.

Greens welcome Perth and Kinross pavement parking ban

The Perth and Kinross Council pledge comes after the Scottish Greens demanded action.

Green Mid Scotland Fife MSP Mark Ruskell in suit and tie
Green Mid Scotland Fife MSP Mark Ruskell. Image: Shutterstock

Mid Scotland and Fife Green MSP Mark Ruskell wrote to the authority this week, asking it to set a final date for implementation of the pavement parking ban.

He said people in Perthshire “should not be kept waiting for safer streets”.

Mr Ruskell said: “Parking on pavements, blocking dropped kerbs and double parking is not just dangerous, it also stops folks with prams or mobility issues from being able to walk or wheel safely.”

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