Buckie police clampdown lays down the law on bad parking with nearly 90 tickets issued
A police campaign to tackle inconsiderate parking in a Moray town has been hailed as a success.
Cops in Buckie rolled out a five-day blitz on bad parking, finishing on March 8.
The main focus was on East and West Church Streets where a number of complaints from local residents, businesses and councillors had been received about the number of motorists not heeding the half hour no return zones in force on sections of the roads.
Heading up the campaign was PC Mark Paton.
He said: “Most of the feedback we received from the public was quite positive and quite a lot of shopkeepers were coming out and giving us the feedback on the days that we were out.
“One of the major problems I identified was the East Church Street and West Church Street 30-minute no-return bays. This was having having an impact on shopkeepers’ trade because the parking bays are obviously used up all day by people that are going out with a 30-minute limit.
“Even within the week the operation was running, we had feedback saying that they noticed an uptick in trade.
“In terms of tickets issued it was just shy of 90, with warnings issued to motorists who came out while we were writing tickets, apologised and moved their vehicle. There was a common sense and educational approach to the campaign as well as enforcement.
“The Saturday proved to be the busiest day for tickets, with 22 issued. Many of those vehicles were from out of town.”
PC Paton added that the clampdown had been well trailed in the press and social media, leaving drivers with little excuse for not knowing what could await those not playing by the rules.
News of the campaign’s success was welcomed by local councillors Sonya Warren, Neil McLennan and John Stuart.
Councillor Warren said there was no excuse for abusing the parking restrictions in the centre of town.
She continued: “There has been a lot of positive feedback from both shops and from people finding it much easier to park and use our local shops and services.
“This is a big advantage for people with health conditions that don't qualify for a blue badge.
”There are several big car parks just behind the main shopping streets which provide adequate free parking. It was astounding to learn that the police still issued tickets to over 80 people, especially as there had been lots of warnings beforehand.
”Considerate parking is also being promoted by the emergency services as they constantly face issues caused by inconsiderate parking in many schools and residential areas, too.”
The campaign was also welcomed by fellow Buckie councillors Neil McLennan and John Stuart.
Councillor McLennan said "There were many negative social medias responses but also some positive feedback from direct discussions with local businesses and the speaking with members of the public out and about in the town."
“The anti-social parking campaign started with multi-agency meetings and then awareness raising before enforcement where it has been required. As a councillor I, and others, listened to public, business and stakeholder feedback. It is our role to listen, respond and to review decision-making at all times. Ultimately, everyone wants to make people's lives better- people going shopping or visiting friends to businesses and charities trying to attract customers and supporters."
"The parking issue reported to us was not just some going over times in restricted zones; but also reports of unsafe parking and also parking in some locations where, for example, emergency vehicles would have struggled to gain access due to inconsiderate parking."
"A multi agency response has been gathered around this and it seems to be making an impact as well as being high profile."
He went on to say that there were a number of related issues he would appreciate public feedback on. This includes the possible need to review 30-minute limited waiting time - put in place back in April 2015 - or should that be extended, perhaps to 60 minutes.
In a similar vein, he questioned the need for limited waiting in the Cluny Square car parks. Also, he has asked whether there are sufficient disabled parking spaces in the centre of Buckie and whether new ones should be proposed.
Councillor Stuart added: "Parking around Buckie has been a matter of much debate recently with the additional capacity in Police presence working hard to enforce the parking restrictions.
“As Councillor McLennan rightly states, there has been much debate.
I have heard quite a few representations from the public about some of the positives. For example, an elderly resident told me they had been able to park with ease and that this had made such a difference to them. A personal assistant explained it had helped them to park to grab some shopping for a disabled person they work for, which was great because their support time was short.
“Other people have reached onto social media or in messages. They've been asking what more could be done. For example, speeding down the Sloch, parking on double yellows and parking at junctions."
