Exclusive:Scale of pavement parking fines paid by Scottish drivers revealed - including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee
Campaigners ‘baffled’ that some councils have yet to start enforcement on pavement parking
Drivers blocking pavements have been issued with more than £1.6 million of fines since the practice was outlawed in Scotland nearly two years ago, The Scotsman has learned.
But campaigners complained it was “baffling” that some councils had still to start enforcing the ban on parking on pavements, beside crossings, and double parking.
The law was passed by MSPs after years of lobbying to prevent pedestrians, included those with disabilities and young children, from being forced into the road to get past parked vehicles.
Errant motorists are charged £100, which is halved if paid within 14 days, with income ringfenced for transport and environmental improvements.
However, the fines total may be far higher because it is based on responses from only half of the country’s 20 councils which have begun crackdowns.
Transport Scotland said the remaining 12 of the country’s 32 councils were not actively enforcing the law, which came into force in December 2023.
Eight of those councils responded to enquiries by The Scotsman, saying enforcement was still under consideration or unaffordable, or they were assessing which streets to exempt, or parking was still controlled by the police. These include East and West Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Moray and West Dunbartonshire.
Transport Scotland said some local authorities had issued warning notices ahead of enforcement starting. The agency is working closely with all councils so they could start enforcement “at the earliest opportunity”.
However, Tanya Braun, director of external affairs for pedestrian campaigners Living Streets, said: “It’s baffling that some councils are still delaying implementing the ban when it’s working so well in areas that have taken action to make our streets safer.
“Disabled people can get around more easily and families with young children are more likely to walk to school when they know they’re not going to be forced into busy roads.
“By not enforcing the ban, councils continue to carry the costs of repairing kerbs, verges and pavements damaged by the weight of vehicles, not to mention the cost of people being physically and socially inactive because they’re not supported to walk their local journeys.”
Edinburgh City Council, which was the first to start enforcement, in January last year, said it had issued more than 14,000 penalty charge notices up to mid-September, raising nearly £659,000.
Nearly 8,000 of these were for pavement parking, almost 3,300 for double parking - where vehicles are more than 50cm from the edge of the road - and 2,800 for parking beside a dropped kerb “at a known crossing point”.
Council leader Jane Meagher said: “Since we introduced these changes, we’ve seen people modifying their parking habits accordingly, with the problem of pavement parking disappearing in many streets.
“Whilst we ultimately want to see nobody parking on our pavements, double parking or blocking pedestrian crossings, the overall gradual decrease in penalty charge notices shows that we’re on the right track.
“We brought the pavement parking ban in to provide a safe and accessible environment for everyone, especially those with sight impairments, mobility issues or pushing buggies.”
Among other councils producing figures, Glasgow has issued nearly 7,300 fines since it started enforcement in March, which have reaped more than £312,000.
Dundee, which began enforcement in February last year, has issued nearly 5,900 fines with income of about £205,000.
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