Dunfermline Press | News | Parking charge plan sparks gridlock fear

Tuesday, 6th January, 2009

Published: Thursday, 8th March, 2007 12:00

Parking charge plan sparks gridlock fear

By Brendan Rooney

INVERKEITHING streets could be gridlocked with train passengers’ parked cars when new charges to hit rail commuters come in.

Council chiefs plan to make £160,000 by extending charges in their car parks to include Sundays and bank holidays, as well as to some train stations.

Fife Council needs the cash to fill a hole in a newly-agreed budget but an Inverkeithing politician fears the area will be swamped with commuters seeking out free parking in residential streets.

Inverkeithing West and Rosyth South Councillor Alice McGarry said the charges would only make commuters drive over the congested road bridge or park in streets.

She said, “It’s total madness. The council wants to put another tax on rail users at a time when they should be encouraging people to use trains.

“They say that people will go to their local station but the reality is people get a choice of trains at Inverkeithing they don’t get anywhere else and this will just push them to park on the residential streets.

“They are going to displace hundreds of spaces from the car parks at Chapel Place, King Street and Belleknowes. The amount of charges hasn’t been finalised yet but it is around £2 or £3 per day and that’s a lot if you’re on the minimum wage.

“People already pay a premium rate to use the trains from Fife. It is a whole messy thing, this overcharging of Fife commuters on the trains and roads and everything else, and it really needs looking at by Holyrood.

“We are penalised for living in Fife. It is not fair to charge commuters up to £10 per week for parking. They are going to force people to take cars to work, which we don’t want.”

Fife Council hasn’t revealed which train stations will be hit but Mrs McGarry says Inverkeithing is definitely one of them and the charges should be in by the end of the year.

The measures were part of the Labour-ruled council’s budget agreed last month but could change if a new administration takes control after May’s elections.

And Mrs McGarry says people are not being given the chance to have their views on the charges taken into account.

She added, “It is supposed to be subject to a consultation exercise that started last week but they have already included a saving of £160,000 from the parking charges in their budget for next year.

“It is already pre-judged so what’s the point of this sham consultation? The stakeholders were invited to a meeting, and by stakeholders I mean taxi drivers and people like that, but no residents.

“The residents are the most important stakeholders but they are getting to see it at presentations throughout Inverkeithing. People will be able to comment but at that stage it will have already been decided and they won’t have an impact.”

Inverkeithing Community Council chair Shirley Currie said, “The streets here are already clogged up.

“Some of the streets in Inverkeithing are effectively one-way because there are cars parked on one side.”

Bob McLellan, head of Fife Council transportation services, said, “In order to help safeguard the environment and control migration of parking in surrounding areas and streets it’s intended that where it’s agreed to introduce charging, this will be done in combination with traffic regulation orders and residential parking schemes where required.

“All proposals will be subject to further public consultation and comment before any recommendations are put before committee.”

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