Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Pavement parkers in
Date warning: Drivers face £100 penalty from Monday
DRIVERS in Dundee will face fines of up to £100 for pavement parking from next week after the start date for the scheme was revealed.
Dundee City Council will start issuing fines to drivers who park on pavements, double park or block dropped kerbs from Monday.
The rules are designed to tackle problems caused by inconsiderate parking, especially for people with mobility issues and visual impairments.
Councils were given fresh powers under the Scottish Government’s Transport (Scotland) Act in December.
It emerged earlier this month that the city council was yet to start enforcing the rules – instead handing out warning notices to offending drivers.
However, from Monday fines will be given to anyone found with one or more wheels of their vehicle touching the pavement.
Parking on grass verges – either between the pavement and the road, or to the rear of the pavement – is also prohibited under the legislation.
The fine is reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days of issue.
The council says they will also apply to those who double park or block dropped kerbs.
The ban will include most streets in Dundee, but a small number have been identified as suitable for exemption from the rules.
A council spokesman said: “Before these exemptions are formally approved, the council must undertake a public consultation process and this will start shortly.
“If, following consultation, the exemptions are approved by councillors, the exempted section of pavement will be identifiable by new signage.”
An area of pavement can only be considered for exemption if the layout would allow 1.5 metres of the footway to remain clear even with a vehicle parked on it.
It can also be made exempt if the width of the road would mean parked vehicles could block an emergency vehicle.
Any area which is exempt from the rules will be clearly signposted.
In 2019 the Scottish Parliament passed the Transport (Scotland) Act, which introduced three new parking prohibitions – parking on pavements, at known crossings and in front of dropped kerbs. It also dealt with double parking.
Campaign groups have long supported an official ban, including disability charities such as the Dundee Blind and Partially Sighted Society.
From December 11, local authorities in Scotland were allowed to enforce the ban through fines issued to those caught breaking the rules.
Dundee will be the first council area in Tayside, Fife and Stirling to enforce the ban – with other councils still assessing options.
Edinburgh became the first city in Scotland to enforce the ban, starting on January 29.
Previously, London was the only city in the UK where parking on the pavement was banned.
The ban appears to have the support of Evening Telegraph readers, with a survey showing a slim majority (52%) in favour of it being introduced.
In December, The Tele headed to Ancrum Drive, just off Tullideph Road, where the problem has been a longstanding issue.
Veronica Bremner – on the school run with her two granddaughters Lacey, 9, and
Stella, 6 – believes it will make the area safer for kids going to the local school.
She said: “I think it would benefit the whole of Ancrum Drive because if you go along the street, they are parked along both sides.
“It’s so difficult to get down. They should either make it one way (for parking) or introduce double-yellows.
“I feel sorry for parents though because there isn’t a great deal of parking here.”
Dogwalker Derek Biggans was scathing in his assessment of the current pavement parking situation.
The 70-year-old said: “It’s an absolute nightmare.
“By 5pm you’ve got no chance of getting parked unless you park on the pavement.”