THE pavement parking ban in Fife has been delayed until some time next year.

The Footway Parking Bill became law in Scotland in December 2023 and offenders can face a £100 fine - but it's not yet being enforced in the Kingdom.

At the City of Dunfermline area committee Councillor Auxi Barrera said it was her understanding that the ban would come in before the end of this year.

However, at the most recent Fife Council meeting, transportation spokesperson, Cllr Altany Craik, said they won't implement the law until some time in 2025.

Asked for an update this week, service manager for Fife's roads network, Sara Wilson, didn't give a timescale and told the Press: "The national ban on pavement parking will not be enforced in Fife until work to identify exemption areas is completed and approval is given by members at cabinet committee."

The pavement parking ban should be introduced in Fife next year, the council say. The pavement parking ban should be introduced in Fife next year, the council say. (Image: Newsquest) READ MORE: Fife teachers are being targeted for online abuse

Local councillors on the seven area committees will have to agree the list of exemptions in their area and every single pavement in the Kingdom where parking WILL be permitted will then have to be marked and lined.

Consultants have been looking at "many many hundreds of kilometres" of roads and streets to identify all of the "areas where it really wouldn't be helpful to have vehicles moved from the pavement onto the road to park".

Edinburgh began enforcing the law in January with no exemptions but in Fife there was concern that to do so could lead to routes being effectively narrowed to the point that buses and emergency vehicles wouldn't get through.

Ms Wilson added: "Fife Council are progressing with the detail of how the new powers will be implemented and like many Scottish local authorities, we are currently assessing our road network to identify locations for consideration of exemptions.

"Any exemptions allowing pavement parking will be clearly signed and lined to ensure clarity for the public. Given the level of parking demand in many areas, we will take a sensitive approach to enforcement of the legislation."

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At the committee meeting in Dunfermline, Cllr Derek Glen highlighted a recent quote from Cllr Craik about "making no promises" on when the ban would come in.

Cllr Glen went on: "I think in the interim, given how long it's been delayed for and how much work is going into it, it would be helpful to get a report sooner, either to the area committee or a briefing from transportation, about the progress they're making or the obstacles in the way.

"There's a job to be done in terms of us managing the expectations of our constituents until it gets rolled out."

At the most recent council meeting, Cllr Jonny Tepp asked what was being done to stop people parking in front of dropped kerbs and added that he didn't think the "pavement parking ban has progressed very far or very fast in Fife".

Cllr Craik had responded: "It's a problem all over Fife. Wherever we have dropped kerbs people seem to not be able to understand that they shouldn't be parking in front of them.

"The legislation and implementation (of the pavement parking ban) has taken a lot longer than we expected.

"We're looking at a report, subject to committee approval, for implementation in 2025.

"The double parking, parking on pavements and in front of dropped kerbs are all part of the options part of the design, geography and streetscape to make sure we don't make the situation worse.

"The implementation will certainly help and then it's about enforcement and making sure we're getting it right."