More than 600 fines have been issued to motorists flouting the pavement parking ban in Stirling in six months.
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.
Each local authority was allowed to decide if the measures would be implemented. The new rules came in to force in Stirling on July 15, 2024.
Since then, the council says it has issued more than 600 Parking Charge Notices (PCNs) in relation to pavement parking.
A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “We have issued 605 parking charge notices for pavement parking since July 2024.”
Any vehicle parked on a non-exempted pavement without an exceptional reason defined within the legislation can be issued with a PCN.
The figure provided by the council does is accurate up to January 9 and does not include PCNs issued for double parking or parking on dropped kerbs.
The ban applies to parked and stationary or idling vehicles on private and public roads, where one or more wheels are on the footway.
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Kim Cramond, from Dunblane, has MS and has been a wheelchair user for more than three years. She welcomed the new enforcement rules when it was introduced last July, saying it would make pavements safer for her and her three-year-old son, Cameron.
She said: “As a wheelchair user, I’m at a lower height to most people and if I have to negotiate around a car that’s parked on the pavement and move onto the road, it’s really dangerous for me and my young son as motorists might not see us.
“We can’t always return immediately to the pavement either, as there may be no dropped kerbs nearby that will allow us to safely negotiate a way off the road and back on to the footways.
“There have been times when I’ve been taking Cameron to the park and we’ve had to return home because we can’t get past a car that’s inconsiderately parked on the pavement.
“I understand motorists don’t always park this way because they’re selfish. People park their cars without thinking, perhaps to save it from being scratched. I’ve done it too in the past, but keeping a car safe isn’t more important than keeping people safe.
“I’m pleased to see enforcement coming in because it’s a chance to educate motorists. Pavements are for people, not vehicles.”
City of Edinburgh Council was the first to implement the new legislation in January 2023. Glasgow City Council is to make use of the new powers from January 29.