When does parking become irresponsible?
Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 11:16 pm
OK, controversial post alert - I realise this is a sensitive subject for both landowners and walkers, particularly at the moment.
There's been lots of media coverage about irresponsible parking recently, often at popular walkers' car parks like Balmaha, Rowardennan, Ben A'an, Loch Muick etc. Most of the time, the parking examples that make it into news article photos are clearly illegal or irresponsible, such as parking on double yellow lines, in front of gates, in passing places or making a road too narrow for farm / emergency vehicle access. No-one can really argue that this shouldn't be happening, and I fully support these vehicles being ticketed etc.
However, I'm concerned that there has been a shift towards stigmatising parking in places that I would have deemed to be OK to park - by residents (understandable) but also by councils and the police. Here are a few examples - are these responsible parking or irresponsible?
1. Parking on verges
Up until now I have thought it is OK to park on verges as long as there is a suitable ground surface (often there is an obvious precedent set by previous visitors, but not always), a good view of oncoming traffic for pulling in / out, the verge is wide enough that you do not jut out into the road, and you do not block gates / turning areas etc.
But...
On repeated occasions I've seen Police Scotland saying, online, that it is illegal to park on verges. If this were the case, a great many walks - including many Walkhighlands routes - would be affected. Ben More is one example from this weekend; there were dozens of cars parked on the verge near Benmore Farm (the start point for the WH route) when we drove past at the end of the day. The road is fast, but visibility is excellent and the verge is wide enough to accommodate cars. I would've thought this was an acceptable place to park, but I'm no longer sure Police Scotland would take the same view.
2. Parking on the actual road (without marked bays)
This of course already happens in built up areas. Up until now I have thought this was also acceptable in areas where the road speed is low, the road wide enough and traffic light. A kerb might also indicate where parking is OK. What about if it only leaves space for one (wide) vehicle to pass? I would say that is OK on quiet roads - just like on residential streets.
But...
Social media is awash with photos of people parking "irresponsibly" on roads. Sometimes I'm not sure I agree the cars are parked irresponsibly. I also noticed that most of Callander High Street, except for pre-existing marked bays, now has double yellow lines and / or cones preventing parking. The section with pre-existing bays is the same width as the part with new lines, so why prevent parking on both sides of the rest of the road? The result is that cars are pushed out towards the fringes of the town, where I would argue that parking is actually less safe. The road has a 30mph speed limit, has pavements, and is wide enough to accommodate cars on at least one side of the road.
3. Parking near other people's houses
We were in Largs today to walk the hills behind the town. It was busy, but Largs often is on sunny weekends. We parked near the seafront in an unrestricted residential street, but an angry passer-by came and told us that parking was private and demanded we move. There were no signs and nothing to suggest the road was private, but we moved on, worrying that otherwise our car might end up scratched.
I also read a post on Facebook today where a walker parked near a house (beyond a hedge) and received a similarly rude response. The photo accompanying the post showed that there was space for several cars, and (if I recall correctly) the house had its own driveway. From the photo, parking there looked like it should be fine, and yet the comments section on Facebook was full of people saying the walker was wrong and that it was an obviously illegal to park there. Have I therefore got a poor understanding of the law, and / or poor morals?
I think my concern is that there is insufficient clarity over what is acceptable parking, and that if this continues to be the case, people will effectively be prevented from walking in areas where there is not an official car park.
There's been lots of media coverage about irresponsible parking recently, often at popular walkers' car parks like Balmaha, Rowardennan, Ben A'an, Loch Muick etc. Most of the time, the parking examples that make it into news article photos are clearly illegal or irresponsible, such as parking on double yellow lines, in front of gates, in passing places or making a road too narrow for farm / emergency vehicle access. No-one can really argue that this shouldn't be happening, and I fully support these vehicles being ticketed etc.
However, I'm concerned that there has been a shift towards stigmatising parking in places that I would have deemed to be OK to park - by residents (understandable) but also by councils and the police. Here are a few examples - are these responsible parking or irresponsible?
1. Parking on verges
Up until now I have thought it is OK to park on verges as long as there is a suitable ground surface (often there is an obvious precedent set by previous visitors, but not always), a good view of oncoming traffic for pulling in / out, the verge is wide enough that you do not jut out into the road, and you do not block gates / turning areas etc.
But...
On repeated occasions I've seen Police Scotland saying, online, that it is illegal to park on verges. If this were the case, a great many walks - including many Walkhighlands routes - would be affected. Ben More is one example from this weekend; there were dozens of cars parked on the verge near Benmore Farm (the start point for the WH route) when we drove past at the end of the day. The road is fast, but visibility is excellent and the verge is wide enough to accommodate cars. I would've thought this was an acceptable place to park, but I'm no longer sure Police Scotland would take the same view.
2. Parking on the actual road (without marked bays)
This of course already happens in built up areas. Up until now I have thought this was also acceptable in areas where the road speed is low, the road wide enough and traffic light. A kerb might also indicate where parking is OK. What about if it only leaves space for one (wide) vehicle to pass? I would say that is OK on quiet roads - just like on residential streets.
But...
Social media is awash with photos of people parking "irresponsibly" on roads. Sometimes I'm not sure I agree the cars are parked irresponsibly. I also noticed that most of Callander High Street, except for pre-existing marked bays, now has double yellow lines and / or cones preventing parking. The section with pre-existing bays is the same width as the part with new lines, so why prevent parking on both sides of the rest of the road? The result is that cars are pushed out towards the fringes of the town, where I would argue that parking is actually less safe. The road has a 30mph speed limit, has pavements, and is wide enough to accommodate cars on at least one side of the road.
3. Parking near other people's houses
We were in Largs today to walk the hills behind the town. It was busy, but Largs often is on sunny weekends. We parked near the seafront in an unrestricted residential street, but an angry passer-by came and told us that parking was private and demanded we move. There were no signs and nothing to suggest the road was private, but we moved on, worrying that otherwise our car might end up scratched.
I also read a post on Facebook today where a walker parked near a house (beyond a hedge) and received a similarly rude response. The photo accompanying the post showed that there was space for several cars, and (if I recall correctly) the house had its own driveway. From the photo, parking there looked like it should be fine, and yet the comments section on Facebook was full of people saying the walker was wrong and that it was an obviously illegal to park there. Have I therefore got a poor understanding of the law, and / or poor morals?
I think my concern is that there is insufficient clarity over what is acceptable parking, and that if this continues to be the case, people will effectively be prevented from walking in areas where there is not an official car park.