Permit plans for parking
The introduction of parking permits for town cent re residents affected by new enforcement of parking regulations is to be considered by councillors today.
A proposal to bring in annual permits costing £60 for motorists living on 12 affected roads in Wishaw will go before members of North Lanarkshire’s environment and t ra n s p o r t a t i o n committee.
It follows the introduction of council traffic wardens to the area’s streets five months ago – enforcing yellow-line and time-limit restrictions for the first time in several years – impacting residents who need to use on-street parking outside their homes.
Affected motorists living on Belhaven Road and Terrace, French Street, Glasgow Road, Hill Street, Kirk Road, Main Street, Miller Street, Roberts Street, Station Road, Stewarton Street and Young Street would be eligible to apply for permits to park in spaces near their homes.
The proposal would also apply to parts of Station Road in Shotts and to 14 streets in Motherwell.
If approved by councillors, the new scheme would see permits cost £60 for the first vehicle at a property, and only be issued to residents proving both that they live and that the vehicle is registered at an affected address.
An increasing fee scale of £90 for a second permit, £120 for a third and £180 for a fourth at the same address is proposed “recognising that there is a limited number of spaces available and to encourage distribution of permits across different households”.
The report for today’s committee meeting notes that councillors resolved a month after traffic wardens took to the streets “to begin work to introduce permits for areas where limited-time parking bays are in force, to allow residents to park near their homes without the risk of fines.
“A number of residential properties in our towns have no access to parking facilities [ and this] has become problematic for residents since enforcement was reintroduced.
“The £60 cost of the first permit will cover [ the council’s] costs and this would rise in line with other council fees and charges each year.
“Given the limited number of parking places available and the large number of potential permit holders, it should be noted that the purchase of a permit does not guarantee that a space will be available for use, only that no penalty will be issued for parking with a permit in a limited-waiting bay.”
Any permit system would initially be paper-based but will ultimately move online; the report for councillors noted: “The lead time to introduce such a system is prolonged and although this will be our final model for permits, a paper-based system in the interim [will] deliver benefits to residents as quickly as possible.”
It adds: “The aims of the enforcement regime are to encourage drivers to park correctly and safely and ease traffic congestion; make it easier for shoppers to find short-term spaces in towns [and] for businesses to receive deliveries; [and] support local businesses by encouraging more people into town centres.”