Perth and Kinross pavement parking ban

Overview

The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 prohibits pavement parking, double parking and parking across dropped kerbs that assist crossing by pedestrians or cyclists. A national parking campaign has been in place to raise awareness of the new rules.

The law aims to improve the safety of pedestrians, particularly those with mobility issue or visual impairments, and parents or carers with pushchairs. Footways are not designed to bear the weight of a vehicle and persistent parking is likely to cause damage.

Local Authorities now have the power to enforce this law and issue fines by way of a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of £100, which is reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days. We intend to begin enforcing these new rules in Perth and Kinross on Monday 6 January 2025, and enforcement officers will begin issuing PCNs from that date. However, the Council's enforcement officers will be issuing advisory notices before then where vehicles are parked in contravention of the new legislation.

The new rules will make it safer for pedestrians and road users.

Why we are introducing the new rules

Parking on pavements:

• prevents people from walking safely down streets and around their neighbourhood
• can also be hazardous for people with disabilities, or those pushing prams or buggies
• damages pavements, which are expensive to repair and can become a trip hazard for everyone

Double parking:

• can make it dangerous for vulnerable people to cross the road safely
• prevents people in wheelchairs from crossing the road where vehicles are parked next to dropped kerbs

Exceptions

There are certain exceptions permitted under the Act, the full terms of which can be found in Section 55 of the Act and include if the vehicle is:

• being used for Police, Ambulance, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, HM Coastguard, or navel or air force purposes*
• being used for, or in connection with, the undertaking of roadworks, the removal of an obstruction to traffic, the collection of waste by or on behalf of a local authority or postal services*
• being used by a registered medical practitioner, nurse or midwife for urgent or emergency health care*
• being used to provide assistance at an accident or breakdown*
• in the course of business, being used for the purpose of delivering, collecting goods, or unloading, provided it is parked for no longer than is necessary for that use, and in any event, no more than a continuous period of 20 minutes*

*These exceptions are conditional upon:

1. the purpose or function would be hindered if the vehicle were not parked on the pavement
2. no part of the vehicle should be within 1.5 metres of the edge of the pavement furthest from the carriageway
3. the vehicle is parked for no longer than is necessary (up to 20 minutes in the case of vehicles making a delivery)

In each case, drivers may only park on the pavement if there is no alternative and they must leave a 1.5 metre gap between their vehicle and the edge of the footway furthest from the carriageway.

Road assessments

Through Consultants, we have surveyed nearly 2,000 Perth and Kinross urban roads to prepare for the new powers coming into effect. A small number of streets were identified where significant pavement parking was taking place and we wrote to residents and businesses in those streets to make them aware of the new rules coming into effect. There are roads where parking displacement or other traffic management problems may arise due to the introduction of the pavement parking ban.

You can also find the full report (PDF, 19 MB) about the introduction of the new rules in your area and to see if your street may be affected.

Exemption Orders for the pavement parking ban

The Council has decided that there will be no exemptions at this time to allow anyone to park on pavements or footways within Perth and Kinross.

We sent a letter to residents in streets where pavement parking was identified, making them aware of the changes and asking them to park their vehicle safely. We will monitor the impact of the new parking rules over the coming months and find out if any mitigation measures are needed. There are some exceptions to the regulations within the law which are stated above.

A street cannot be specified in an Exemption Order unless:

• its layout or character would allow for a width of 1.5 metres of the footway to remain unobstructed when any part of a vehicle is parked on it

If you wish to discuss parking issues in your street, please email our parking team.

Further information on exemptions can be found in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

Reporting

You can report incorrect parking on footways, double parking and parking at dropped kerbs using our MyPKC service. Enforcement of the new rules is due to start on Monday 6 January 2025. We will review every report, but we may not always be able to attend every street where incorrect parking is reported.