Pavement parking rules

Scotland wide parking legislation means it is now illegal to:

• park on any pavement
• double park
• park adjacent to dropped kerbs at pedestrian crossing points
• park on road verges, which lie between roads and pavements

Councils in Scotland have had the power to implement these rules since December 2023. The enforcement of these restrictions within North Lanarkshire was agreed at our Environment and Climate Change Committee on 7 February 2024 and enforcement of the new rules commenced in North Lanarkshire in March 2025.

The rules are designed to make it safer for pedestrians and road users.

Parking on pavements:

• prevents people from walking safely on pavements and around their neighbourhood
• can be hazardous for people with disabilities or those pushing prams or buggies
• damages pavements, which are expensive to repair and become a trip hazard for everyone

Double parking and parking at dropped kerbs and crossing points:

• can make it dangerous for vulnerable people to cross the road safely
• prevents people in wheelchairs from crossing the road where vehicles are parked next to dropped kerbs
• can introduce congestion and road safety issues

Parking Attendants have powers to issue parking tickets to vehicles parked on pavements, at pedestrian crossing points, dropped kerbs or double parked.

£100. This is reduced to £50 if paid within the first 14 days.

The new contravention codes that will appear on penalty charge notices (parking tickets) are:

• Code 100 - parked on a pavement or verge
• Code 101 - parked next to a pedestrian dropped or raised crossing point
• Code 102 - double parking

Parking in such a manner may constitute an obstruction to the road which should be reported to Police Scotland on their non-emergency number 101 and they may take action against drivers of these vehicles. It is the responsibility of each driver to park their vehicle considerately and where this would not cause an obstruction to the road. If you cannot park with all four wheels on the carriageway without blocking traffic, you should park elsewhere.

Yes, the new rules do not apply to parking in front of driveways, garages or property entrances. However, if there’s an existing restriction already in place, such as a single yellow line, this will still apply. However, you should not park on the pavement outside your driveway as this could still be enforced.

Unfortunately, no. The new parking rules do not apply to parking in front of driveways. However, if the vehicle is parked on the footway outside your driveway we may be able to help. Parking across a driveway may constitute an obstruction and you should report this to Police Scotland on their non-emergency number 101.

Only dropped kerbs that are provided to help pedestrians cross the road to the other side can be enforced. These mainly include where:

• a designated crossing has been introduced such as a Pelican crossing
• where a pedestrian island is situated
• at the end of the street
• where tactile paving is located
• where a dropped crossing is directly opposite on the other side of the road

Only the following are exceptions to the new rules:

• emergency services and medical practitioners in emergency situations
• vehicles used to do works on roads or removal of obstructions
• to allow for certain deliveries and collections with certain conditions:

1. only if the vehicle is unable to wait on the road
2. the vehicle must leave 1.5m of footway width for pedestrians to pass
3. deliveries and collections can only be for a maximum of 20 minutes

These exceptions are only valid if specific criteria is met and there is no other reasonable parking available. Find full details of the exceptions in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

Taxis are not exempt and taxi drivers are expected to park or wait correctly at all times.

No. Parking tickets can be issued immediately.

There will be no immediate exemptions proposed to allow parking on pavements. We will monitor the impact of the new parking prohibitions over the coming months to determine if any mitigation measures are needed.

In order to be considered for a pavement parking exemption, a street needs to meet the following criteria:

• There is insufficient width of the carriageway to allow emergency service vehicles to pass when vehicles are fully parked on the carriageway.

• The footway needs to be wide enough to host the parked vehicle and have an unobstructed space of 1.5 metres between the vehicle and the edge of the footway furthest from the carriageway for pedestrians.

Each street may present a particular situation that needs to be tackled differently.

We recognise that the new rules may impact on current parking behaviour on some streets more than others, however unless there is an Exemption Order in place, drivers may need to find alternative parking in another location. You should not park on the road in locations where this would make the carriageway too narrow for public transport or emergency service vehicles to pass freely.

There are many residential streets where parking can only be accommodated on one side of the road. You may want to consider the location of any disabled persons’ parking places, bin hubs or other parking restrictions already in your street.  If you cannot park your vehicle fully on the carriageway in a manner which allows public transport or emergency service vehicles to pass freely on the carriageway, then you should park elsewhere.

No, the new parking rules also include grass verges which lie between the carriageway and the footway and grass strips which form part of the footway.

It should be noted that it will not be possible to attend a location on every occasion when we are made aware of parking issues. Enforcement action in town centres and areas with high pedestrian activity will be prioritised. This increased enforcement will have a positive effect in changing driver behaviour.

No, Blue Badge holders are not exempt from the new parking rules.

You can report these directly to our parking enforcement team at parking@northlan.gov.uk. Please note that we may not be able to visit every street where pavement parking is reported to us, enforcement action around town centres and areas with high pedestrian activity will be prioritised. Enforcement action can only be taken when the offence is witnessed by our parking attendants.

The legislation places a duty on the council to enforce pavement parking on any pavement or part of the pavement over which there is a public right of passage, whether the pavement is classed as adopted for maintenance or privately maintained.