Elgin residents’ anger at being fined for parking outside own homes
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A group of Elgin householders who are being fined for parking outside their own homes are calling on Moray Council to give them permits.
Culbard Street’s residents woke up on April 2 to find £30 parking tickets had been stuck on their vehicle windscreens.
In the four weeks since numerous extra fines have been handed out on the street which stands behind Gordon & MacPhail.
The clampdown began after Moray Council agreed to pay £10,000 to Police Scotland to temporarily act as surrogate traffic wardens.
Its stated aim was to stop motorists stopping illegally on Batchen Street and Elgin High Street.
However, the Culbard residents say they’re the ones bearing the brunt.
Tony Sales and his partner have had four tickets this past month.
He says: “I actually saw a police officer putting a ticket on my car, so I went out and explained that I live here, but he didn’t want to know.”
Monday to Saturday, the residents can only park outside their homes for half-an-hour between 8am-6pm.
The £30 fines rise to £60 if not paid within 21 days.
Michaela Robertson has been fined three times while she’s been at work at the Manna café on Batchen Street.
She said: “We should have permits. It’s not fair to penalise people for parking outside their own homes."
The council does operate a parking permit scheme. But this costs from between £40-£60 a month, and it doesn’t cover Culbard Street.
A second option for the residents would be to use Moray Street Car Park, which is directly opposite.
However, this costs £12 per day to use, and there’s no option for them to pay a specially-reduced rate.
Meanwhile, rather than using that car park, passing drivers are stopping on Culbard Street.
This third option for the residents is to park outside other people’s homes on nearby streets.
Another resident, Gerry Healy has been in contact several times with the council about the issue. He described the current situation as “inadequate” and labelled the current charges for a parking permit as “unrealistically priced”.
Mr Healy added: “Residents should be provided with parking permits for one car per household, either for Culbard Street or for the local car park.”
A Moray Council spokesperson has defended the policy.
They said: “The legal order which supports the 30 minute parking restriction on Culbard Street between 8am and 6pm has been in place for over 20 years.
“The consideration of the availability of parking at a property is a matter for the occupier when they are purchasing or moving to that property.
“Many town centre properties in Elgin, and other towns and villages across the country, do not have dedicated parking provision and may also have parking restrictions on the adjacent road.
“Parking permits for selected council car parks are available and many town centre residents take advantage of this scheme.
“There are no plans to treat the residents of Culbard Street differently from any other town centre resident who may have no off-street parking and parking restrictions outside their property.”
