Drivers warned ‘soft’ approach to UK rule moves to ‘enforcement’ this week

North Lanarkshire Council has started enforcing pavement parking laws across the region – as it follows similar moves elsewhere in Scotland as well as capital city London.

New parking rules launch today with thousands facing £100 penalties. North Lanarkshire Council has started enforcing pavement parking laws across the region – as it follows similar moves elsewhere in Scotland as well as capital city London.

UK households in North Lanarkshire have been warned the council’s ‘soft’ approach to issuing warnings about parking on pavements “moves to enforcement of penalty fines this week.”

Over 2,000 warning notices have so far been issued by South Lanarkshire Council and are changing now to Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) for parking on pavements, drop kerbs or double parking. Motorists flouting the pavement parking ban in South Lanarkshire will be given a £100 fine.

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This is reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days of it being issued. The ban will also be enforced for parking on drop kerbs or to those who double park. The following exceptions apply to pavement parking and double-parking prohibitions.

Exceptions include vehicles being used for emergency service purposes (police, ambulance, fire, coastguard) and vehicles being used to do works on roads, for the removal of obstructions to traffic, for the collection of waste by us or for delivering the postal service ( Royal Mail only).

Other exemptions include vehicles being used by a registered medical practitioner, a registered nurse or a registered midwife providing urgent or emergency health care and vehicles delivering goods to or collecting goods from any premises in the course of business (up to 20 minutes only).

Other exemptions include vehicles loading from or unloading to any premises in the course of business (up to 20 minutes only) and vehicles assisting at an accident or breakdown.

The above exceptions can be allowed only if these activities cannot be carried out: without the vehicle being parked on a pavement, however, a space of 1.5 metres must be maintained on the footway between the vehicle and the edge of the footway furthest from the carriageway to allow unobstructed pedestrian movement or without the vehicle being double parked.

Taxis are not exempt, and drivers are expected to park or wait correctly at all times. And disabled badge holders are not exempt from the new parking prohibitions, too.