Council crackdown on illegal parking set to be introduced

NLC Environmental Protection officers will enforce on-street parking restrictions in the seven town centres, issuing Penalty Charge Notices to vehicles that do not adhere to the parking restrictions.

Councillor James Coyle, convener of the Planning and Transportation Committee, said: “Town centres are the heart of our communities and the council has invested significantly in improving them for local people

“However, illegal parking is an ongoing problem for town centres, with vehicles parking on pavements, in disabled bays and staying all day in short-term spaces.

“By introducing a Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) scheme, we will ensure a turnover of parking spaces for shoppers as well as improved traffic flow and safety.”

Traffic Regulation Orders, which set out parking restrictions in each town centre, must be reviewed before DPE can be introduced. The signage and lining in each of the town centres also has to be reviewed to ensure parking restrictions can be enforced The cost of this work is £300,000 over two years and will be met by the existing roads budget.

The council will work in partnership with Glasgow City Council, which will operate the back-office functions. Set-up costs of £131,000 have been approved for the necessary technology, uniforms and other equipment.

An application to introduce the DPE scheme will be submitted to the Scottish Government in October and, if approved, it would be at least August 2017 before the scheme is operational.