Pavement parking to be banned in North Lanarkshire with offenders to see hefty fine

The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 makes it illegal to park on the pavement in Scotland, as well as double parking and at dropped kerbs designed to allow pedestrians to cross the road safely. The law does not apply to dropped kerbs at private driveways.

North Lanarkshire Council are making preparations to begin enforcement of this law in early 2025.

To inform drivers ahead of enforcement starting, parking attendants will place warning notices on vehicles parked illegally.

North Lanarkshire Council state ‘there will be no immediate exemptions proposed to allow parking on pavements’, meaning no roads with public access will be exempt from the rule. North Lanarkshire Council will monitor the impact of the new parking prohibitions over the coming months to determine if any mitigation measures are needed.

Streets however can be considered in future for a pavement parking exemption, they however need to meet the following criteria:

• There is insufficient width of the carriageway to allow emergency service vehicles to pass when vehicles are fully parked on the carriageway.
• The footway needs to be wide enough to host the parked vehicle and have an unobstructed space of 1.5 metres between the vehicle and the edge of the footway furthest from the carriageway for pedestrians.

North Lanarkshire Council say ‘each street may present a particular situation that needs to be tackled differently.’

“Pavement parking puts pedestrians in danger, particularly wheelchair users, people with a visual impairment and families with children and buggies,” said Councillor Helen Loughran, Convener of the Environment and Climate Change Committee.

“If the pavement is blocked by a parked car, people may have to step into the road to walk around it which puts lives at risk. Dropped kerbs give access for wheelchairs and buggies to cross the road safely, so if cars park over them it creates an unnecessary hazard.”

The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 also makes it illegal to: double park, park adjacent to dropped kerbs at pedestrian crossing points, and park on road verges, which lie between roads and pavements.

Taxi drivers and blue badge holders will not be exempt from the pavement parking ban, and are expected to wait or park legally at all times.

When enforcement begins, the fine for parking illegally will be £100, reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days.

More information is available at www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/parking-rules.