Motorists caught pavement parking in a major UK city will be slapped with £100 fees from Monday as part of a massive crackdown.
Edinburgh City Council will begin enforcement of its new parking legislation from 29 January with motorists liable for fines if they break the new laws.
The changes mean councils now have powers to enforce bad parking practices including stopping on the pavement.
Double parking, stopping at crossing points or leaving a car on verges will also be dealt with by officials.
The new rules came into force on 11 December 2023 but drivers have not been penalised while an awareness campaign made locals aware of the changes.
However. the council confirmed charges would come into effect from Monday 29 January 2024.
According to Edinburgh Council, the new rules are being introduced to make the streets safer for pedestrians and other road users.
They claim parking on pavements prevents people from walking safely around their neighbourhood and streets.
Cars on the oath can also be “hazardous” for people with disabilities or those pushing prams or buggies.
Vehicles running over the path could also damage the pavement which can then be expensive to repair.
Motorists who are caught out by the new rules will be issued a hefty fee as punishment, warns the council.
They explained: “Parking attendants will have powers to issue penalty charge notices (parking tickets) to vehicles parked on pavements, some verges, at crossing points or double parked.
“A parking ticket will be issued at the national level of £100 but reduced to £50 if paid within the first 14 days. This follows a similar process to existing parking tickets issued in Edinburgh.”
Amazingly, officials have accepted that “parking displacement” or other traffic management problems may develop as a direct result of the new pavement parking ban.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh Council have already confirmed that there will be “no exemptions” in place for pavement parking.
They admit there are some “exceptions to the regulations within the law” where officials cannot take action.
However, the Council revealed these would mainly be related to the parking of emergency vehicles and not affect car owners.
But, residents most likely to be impacted by the new rules have been contacted ahead of the update to ensure motorists are not unfairly caught unawares.
The Council commented: “We have sent a letter to residents in streets where there are already pavement parking problems, making them aware of the forthcoming changes and asking them to park their vehicles safely.
“We will monitor the impact of the new parking rules over the coming months and find out if any mitigation measures are needed.”
