More than 1400 fines issued over illegal parking at beauty spots

More than 1400 tickets have been issued to drivers parking illegally at beauty spots in rural Stirling.

It follows complaints made in the summer over members of the public “risking their lives” by abandoning cars on dangerous bends and corners in rural areas.

In October, emergency services struggled to reach an injured walker at the Devil’s Pulpit due to “inconsiderate parking”, with cars parked in emergency spaces.

Stirling Council Enforcement Officers handed out the Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) between August 1 2019 and September 30 2020.

Almost 1150 of the tickets were issued at Balmaha Car Park and on the B837 between Balmaha to Rowardennan, which is a designated clearway.

There were 199 parking charge notices issued in the Finnich Glen area, where the Devil’s Pulpit is located, with 70 on the A821 near Ben A’nn.

The figures were revealed in a report from the Safer Communities Team discussed at Stirling Council’s Environment and Housing Committee last week.

Convener of the Committee, Cllr Jim Thomson said: “The significant enforcement activity that has taken place in our rural areas underlines the issue of careless and reckless parking from a minority of visitors.

“This mindless behaviour poses a serious risk to public safety and has stopped emergency services from carrying out their vital work, which is completely unacceptable.

“We are proud of Stirling’s reputation as a must-visit destination, and look forward to a more normal time when we can all travel without restrictions, but day-trippers and tourists must act responsibly when they are here.”

The council have implemented a number of measures to curb illegal parking, such as installing double yellow lines at Finnich Glen, implementing a clearway restriction on the A821 and deploying enforcement officers to popular beauty spots.

However the report also revealed a number of incidents of aggression towards staff from members of the public.

Cllr Thomson added: “It’s disgraceful that some of our Enforcement Team have been subjected to threatening and abusive behaviour whilst serving their communities.

“Enforcement Officers have been working hard to keep people safe in extremely challenging circumstances during the coronavirus pandemic, and we would like to thank them for their efforts.”