A CURRENTLY “useless” disabled parking bay in Inverkeithing is set to be moved 20 feet so elderly wheelchair users can actually be dropped off.

The South West Fife area committee has agreed to a traffic regulation order (TRO), which will include realigning the bay for easy use of the dropped kerb, and extending the waiting restrictions.

A report to committee explained: “The location of the existing disabled bay outside the Masonic Lodge hall is unworkable for the Age Concern transport bus that brings elderly clients to the hall.

“The location of the dropped kerb to allow wheelchairs to get from the bus to the footway is half way along the parking space which renders it useless if the bus is parked in the bay.

“The existing 30-minute limited waiting restriction stops short of the end of the parking bay but the existing signage is placed such that drivers may think the restriction covers its full length.

“It is proposed to move the disabled bay northeast by approximately six metres and to hatch out the three-metre length in front of the dropped kerb.

“This will allow the Age Concern bus to park in the bay and still have the three metres clearance for the lift to be deployed and the wheelchairs to be pushed up onto the footway at the dropped kerb.

“It is also proposed to extend the 30-minute limited waiting restriction to the full length of the bay including the space created to the rear of the disabled bay.”

New parking restrictions at Burnside Business Court, on the B981 North Road, will also be introduced to deter inconsiderate rail commuters.

Councillors were informed: “Burnside Business Court is a short industrial road that has become a favoured parking destination for commuters heading for the Inverkeithing railway station.

“There are lengths of unofficial double yellow lines in the business court that do not appear in the Fife Council On-street Consolidation Order.

“Commuters are parking their vehicles indiscriminately in the junction of the Burnside Business Court against the Highway Code, blocking sightlines and causing general safety concerns.

“This is also causing a degree of inconvenience for the businesses and their visitors.”

Similarly, 30-minute waiting restrictions will be implemented in Hill Street to allow local customers to park.

The report continued: “It is believed that commuters are parking all day on the length of the south side of Hill Street between numbers 6 and 12.

“A request has been received to implement 30-minute limited waiting over this length to create a turnover of parking availability for customers wishing to use the businesses in the town centre.

“The residents of numbers 6 to 12 have parking to the rear of their properties.”

The TRO will cost £3000 to implement.