The South West Fife area committee were asked on Wednesday to agree a £2000 traffic regulation order which would see the single yellow lines in the Parkgate area change to double yellows because drivers’ lack of understanding is causing abuse of the current restrictions.

A single objection to the plans argued that the new measures would leave him unable to park outside his property, despite there never being legitimate parking throughout the day under current restrictions.

The objector also said there had been a loss of five parking spaces since a new business opened but the committee’s report pointed out that these spaces had always been private and associated with the business. Concerns that a reduction in parking outside shops would result in a loss of business were also dismissed by the report, which reiterated that the current restrictions do not allow for any parking in Parkgate during business hours.

Other changes set to be made include three spaces on Queensferry Road being allocated for disabled use only. These are positioned close to the junction to allow easy access to all the businesses. Lay-bys are also being introduced to provide some formalised parking directly outside the shops, with a maximum stay of 20 minutes and no return for an hour. In addition, more signs will direct customers to the car park at the rear of the community centre while spaces are also available on Queensferry Road.