Pavement parking enforcement

This follows the introduction of new parking prohibitions contained within the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 which involve a national ban on pavement parking, double parking and parking at dropped kerbs to make it easier for local authorities to ensure that pavements and roads are safer and more accessible to all.

Pavement parking is defined as any wheel or part of a wheel parked on a pavement; double parking is any vehicle parked more than 500mm from the edge of the road, and dropped kerbs are defined as any crossing point designed to help pedestrians or cyclists to cross the road. Driveways do not fall within the definition.

Certain exemptions are in place within the legislation to allow emergency services and medical practitioners to respond to emergencies, accidents or to undertake their normal duties. Further exemptions apply to postal service providers in the course of the collection or delivery of goods which can’t be completed without the vehicle being parked on a pavement. There are also exemptions for vehicles used in connection with roadworks and the removal of obstructions.

Exemptions may also be considered on certain streets if the pavement is wide enough to allow 1.5m to remain unobstructed when any part of a vehicle is parked on it; or if the width of the road associated with the pavement means that any vehicle parked on the road would obstruct an emergency vehicle.

To establish whether Exemption Orders should be considered, a study will now be carried out on all of the streets in East Ayrshire which have pavements. This will involve using street view imaging to assess any problem streets where vehicles habitually park on pavements or block access for pedestrians. Local knowledge from ARA staff will also be used to compile a list of streets that need further investigation and site walkovers will allow for a more detailed assessment to determine whether or not the full pavement parking prohibition should be introduced, or an exemption could be applied.

Due to the amount of logistical and operational work involved in this process, it is expected that pavement parking enforcement will begin in East Ayrshire in late 2024.

Councillor Jim McMahon, Cabinet Member for Housing, Transport and Communities, said: “Enforcing pavement parking regulations will help us to support our vision of having safer communities which are accessible to everyone. But there is obviously a lot of work to be done before this can happen and so, along with many other local authorities, it will be late 2024 before enforcement of the legislation begins in East Ayrshire.

“We will issue communications to our residents nearer the time of enforcement commencing so that everyone understands what is involved, and over the coming months, we will continue to liaise with other local authorities, Transport Scotland and other working parties to share experiences and gain useful information.”