Call to ban 'pavement parking' in Elgin
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A call is being made for Elgin to follow Edinburgh's lead and ban 'pavement parking'.
New rules set to be introduced in the capital at the end of this month would see drivers face a £100 fine.
Neil Alexander, the leader of the Moray Lib Dems, wants illegal parking in Elgin to be punished in the same manner.
Identifying Batchen Street and the Plainstones as particular concerns, Mr Alexander said: "Illegal parking has been a long-standing issue. This is about the safety of pedestrians and supporting local businesses.
"It's time the council stood up and took decisive action
"The people of Moray deserve to have this problem clamped, not stuck in reverse."
Mr Alexander, who will stand as a candidate at the next general election, is pointing to claims that some drivers have been seen doing at least 30mph along the pedestrianised part of the High Street.
He also cites reports of children having to be pulled out of the way of oncoming vehicles, and of cars driving up pavements.
He said: "We can’t keep pretending that this isn’t a vital safety concern
"I live and work in Elgin so I see the chaos illegal parking is causing in our town everyday.
"It’s only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.
"Action should be taken now to prevent that from happening."
The Plainstones area is supposed to be pedestrianised between 11am and 4pm each day.
However, claims have been made that this restriction is regularly flouted by some drivers.
Mr Alexander's concerns echo those of Angela Norrie, who heads up town centre managers Elgin BID.
Speaking back in October, she said the current situation was "putting lives at risk".
Moray council officials say its car parks are only about half-full on average, ranging from 88% all the way down to just 22%.
The local authority estimates it would cost it £400,000 to take over responsibility for enforcing parking regualtions from the police.
