Through the Transport (Scotland) Act, Scotland’s local
authorities have new powers to tackle pavement parking,
double-parking and parking at dropped kerbs – in order to
improve accessibility and ease of movement for pedestrians
across the country. The consultation seeks views on how to
codify and set consistent penalty levels for these new
contraventions.
In addition, the consultation considers penalty levels for
parking contraventions as a whole and seeks views on whether
these levels remain an effective deterrent to support
compliance with parking regimes.
Minister for Transport said:
“We’ve been working hard to encourage walking and wheeling and
to make our streets more accessible for all. I’m proud that the
Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 was approved by Parliament and
empowers local authorities to tackle inconsiderate and
obstructive parking. We now seek views on how to set penalty
levels appropriately to ensure compliance.
“We are also seeking views on levels on parking charge notices
for all forms of parking contraventions. I recognise parking
fines are a contentious issue, however, parking policies are an
essential part of traffic management that let local authorities
keep our towns and cities moving. In areas without a parking
regime, we see issues around access which impact both drivers
and pedestrians – and particularly people with disabilities.
“It’s been many years since parking penalty levels have been
considered, and so it is important to consider now whether
these levels meet their ultimate objective – to achieve 100%
compliance with parking controls and therefore no penalty
charges for drivers. In doing so, we improve road safety, keep
traffic moving and encourage active, sustainable and accessible
walking and wheeling in our communities.”
The consultation is open until 4 October 2021 and can be
accessed through the Transport Scotland
website.
