Publication - FOI/EIR release

Pavement parking ban: FOI release

Published: 2 September 2024
Topic: Public sector, Transport
FOI reference: FOI/202400412103
Date received: 1 May 2024
Date responded: 17 May 2024

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Information requested

1. Could you supply how many people in Scotland have been fined for parking on pavements since the law was brought in?

2. Could you supply how many councils in Scotland are now implementing a pavement parking ban?

3. Could you supply all correspondence between Transport Scotland and councils, including internally, briefings about the pavement parking ban, analysis and notes/minutes from meetings about the same topic, from between October 1 2023 and the date of this FOI?

Response

1. Could you supply how many people in Scotland have been fined for parking on pavements since the law was brought in?

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested.

The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for because local authorities who have commenced enforcement have not yet provided details on the number of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued.

Transport Scotland produces an annual report detailing PCNs issued by each local authority, which for the 2023/24 period will include PCNs issued for the new parking prohibitions. This is expected to be published on the Transport Scotland website by the end of 2024.

Notwithstanding this, through communications with City of Edinburgh Council, they have advised they have issued 1,274 PCNs for parking on pavements between 29 January 2024 and 14 April 2024. This is included in our response to question 3 of your request.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

2. Could you supply how many councils in Scotland are now implementing a pavement parking ban?

City of Edinburgh, Dundee, Highland, Midlothian and North Ayrshire Councils have commenced enforcement. However, it should be noted that local authorities are not required to advise Transport Scotland the specific date they plan on commencing.

I enclose a copy of the information you requested in Annexes A, B and C, which includes all communications held between Transport Scotland and local authorities regarding the pavement parking prohibitions, between 1 October 2023 and 1 May 2024.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exemption under section s.38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA apply to that information.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.