£600,000 in fines on just one street
The Scotsman
Alistair Dalton
Transport Correspondent
Officials said that George Street clocked up more fines than the next four streets combined because it has the most parking in Edinburgh and it is the most popular: (Picture: Ian Rutherford)
MOTORISTS paid out more than £600,000 in parking fines on a single Scottish shopping street last year.
George Street in Edinburgh earned the title of the nation's most ticketed street when 19,642 fines were issued in 2004.
But motorists failed to take heed and last year the ticket haul surged 7 per cent to 21,027, Edinburgh City Council revealed yesterday.
George Street accounted for more fines than the next four most ticketed streets in Edinburgh put together.
The council said this was because it was the most popular street for parking in the city centre and has the most spaces.
But motoring organisations warned that the council was at risk of driving visitors away.
The £60 penalties are halved if drivers pay within two weeks.
Parking on the street costs £1.80 an hour - or 3p a minute, with charges in operation between 8:30am and 6:30pm.
More than half the fines on George Street were issued to drivers who failed to return to their vehicles in the allotted time.
St Andrew Square was in second place, with 5,408 tickets issued compared with 5,771 in 2004. It was followed by Chambers Street, where fines increased by nearly 40 per cent to 5,082 - because of roadworks in 2004. Fines in fourth-placed Melville Street dropped from 4,717 to 4,370, while the Grassmarket was fifth with 4,297. The council was unable to provide a figure for 2004 or say why it had increased.
Charlotte Square, which was fourth in 2004 with 3,701 tickets, dropped out of the top five last year because of roadworks.
Andrew Holmes, the council's director of city development, said: "We hope motorists return to their cars before their parking vouchers expire. However, we realise it's easy to misjudge by a few moments, so we do give motorists a five-minute grace period after their pay-and-display voucher expires.
"We don't want to give parking tickets, but we need parking regulations to manage the limited parking spaces we have in the city centre."
Sue Nicholson, of the RAC Foundation, said the increase in tickets could discourage people from shopping in Edinburgh. She said: "If Edinburgh wants to avoid sending the message that it is anti-car, it needs to make provision for people who want to drive into the city centre."
Alistair Dalton
Transport Correspondent
Officials said that George Street clocked up more fines than the next four streets combined because it has the most parking in Edinburgh and it is the most popular: (Picture: Ian Rutherford)
MOTORISTS paid out more than £600,000 in parking fines on a single Scottish shopping street last year.
George Street in Edinburgh earned the title of the nation's most ticketed street when 19,642 fines were issued in 2004.
But motorists failed to take heed and last year the ticket haul surged 7 per cent to 21,027, Edinburgh City Council revealed yesterday.
George Street accounted for more fines than the next four most ticketed streets in Edinburgh put together.
The council said this was because it was the most popular street for parking in the city centre and has the most spaces.
But motoring organisations warned that the council was at risk of driving visitors away.
The £60 penalties are halved if drivers pay within two weeks.
Parking on the street costs £1.80 an hour - or 3p a minute, with charges in operation between 8:30am and 6:30pm.
More than half the fines on George Street were issued to drivers who failed to return to their vehicles in the allotted time.
St Andrew Square was in second place, with 5,408 tickets issued compared with 5,771 in 2004. It was followed by Chambers Street, where fines increased by nearly 40 per cent to 5,082 - because of roadworks in 2004. Fines in fourth-placed Melville Street dropped from 4,717 to 4,370, while the Grassmarket was fifth with 4,297. The council was unable to provide a figure for 2004 or say why it had increased.
Charlotte Square, which was fourth in 2004 with 3,701 tickets, dropped out of the top five last year because of roadworks.
Andrew Holmes, the council's director of city development, said: "We hope motorists return to their cars before their parking vouchers expire. However, we realise it's easy to misjudge by a few moments, so we do give motorists a five-minute grace period after their pay-and-display voucher expires.
"We don't want to give parking tickets, but we need parking regulations to manage the limited parking spaces we have in the city centre."
Sue Nicholson, of the RAC Foundation, said the increase in tickets could discourage people from shopping in Edinburgh. She said: "If Edinburgh wants to avoid sending the message that it is anti-car, it needs to make provision for people who want to drive into the city centre."
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