BRING THEM BACK
Traffic wardens are set to be back on the streets of Wishaw this summer after North Lanarkshire’s new parking plans received Scottish Government approval.
It will see mobile teams patrol town centres to enforce yellow- line restrictions such as prohibited parking and waiting and loading periods, plus cracking down on misuse of disabled bays and overstaying maximum time limits.
Eight staff members are currently being recruited, and the local authority is working to reach agreement with Glasgow City Council for the operation of the required support functions.
The intention is to “discourage dangerous, inconsiderate parking, enhance the local economy by ensuring a high turnover of parking spaces in town centres” and deter all-day commuter parking.
Councillors from across the chamber showed their support at this week’s infrastructure meeting, with Labour depute provost Tom Castles asking: “How quickly can we get this started? Parking in this council is totally out of control.
“I’ve never seen so much selfish parking in any other area – parking in disabled bays, engines left running – so this has to come in as soon as possible as it’s absolutely necessary and something that’s been missing for a number of years.”
He was told by council officers at the meeting that it will be “as soon as” the trained staff and administrative support are in place, which “should be late spring, early summer”.
SNP group leader David Stocks said: “I agree 100 per cent – it can’t come quick enough. This group is 100 per cent behind Decriminalised Parking Enforcement; but what we’re against is car parking charges.”
Council leader Jim Logue said: “We need to make progress on this for all the reason Tom Castles and David Stocks have highlighted; it’s in all our interests to get DPE to areas that are adversely affected. There’s cross- party support ; David Stocks and I have talked about this numerous times over the years, and [Shotts MSP] Alex Neil has been assiduous in making representations to the cabinet secretary – credit where it’s due.”
Conservative councillor David Cullen called for a full report on the associated costs and income, saying: “I wholeheartedly agreed it needs to be introduced but it needs to act as a deterrent not a money-making scheme.”
Members were told that parking enforcement will initially cost £ 133,000 for equipment, uniforms and computers, but will then be selffinancing.
They also agreed a series of updates to traffic regulation orders, including various streets in Wishaw, Ravenscraig and Motherwell, to be indicated by yellow lines and road signs and enforced under the scheme.
Wishaw councillor Fiona Fotheringham raised the issue Shotts had not been specifically mentioned and was told: “Officers will be working across North Lanarkshire, wherever there’s a need for DPE.”
Enforcement of current restrictions has declined since the police warden service was withdrawn in 2011, with councillors being told: “This has resulted in a rise in indiscriminate parking. DPE would improve traffic and public transport flow, road safety and use of parking spaces for shopping to support the local economy.”
Members were told wardens will not be deployed to residential areas, despite the council receiving “frequent requests” to resolve “lack of parking which forces residents to park inappropriately”.
“DPE will not be able to resolve these since lining within residential areas is rarely appropriate [ and] the enforcement resources need to remain focused on achieving improvement to identified town centre issues.”
Infrastructure convener Michael McPake, the Glenboig representative, said: “Across our town centres we have thousands of parking spaces but we still regularly see illegal parking on pavements, in disabled bays and people parking all day in shortstay areas.”