Renfrewshire Council

New parking laws

Scotland wide parking legislation has been introduced banning:

• parking on pavements
• double parking
• parking at a dropped kerb's pedestrian crossing.

The ban still allows emergency services, works and delivery vehicles exemptions for a short time where necessary.

Why these laws are being introduced

These new laws make it safer for pedestrians and road users.

Inconsiderate parking forces people onto the road and increases the risk of accidents.

Parking on pavements prevents people from walking safely down streets and can be particularly hazardous for people with disabilities and those pushing prams.

Parking correctly

You should avoid all parking on a pavement and instead park with all four wheels of your vehicle on the road.

Ensure you park in a way which keeps the road clear and allows other vehicles to be able to pass.

Do not double park, which means parking alongside an already parked car.

Do not park in front of a dropped kerb pedestrian crossing. The new rules do not apply to a dropped kerb at a driveway.

Enforcement in Renfrewshire

Councils have been given the powers to enforce the new parking laws.

We'll have the ability to enforce these in Renfrewshire from November 2024.

A Penalty Charge Notice at the national level of £100, reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days, will be issued by Renfrewshire parking attendants.

If your parking obstructs road access, then you may be charged by Police Scotland.

Before enforcement starts, we'll raise awareness of the new rules and how people can report inconsiderate parking.

Pavement parking exemptions

Transport Scotland allows councils to exempt streets from the pavement parking ban in certain circumstances.

Councils can grant exemptions at specific streets:

• where there's not enough space for emergency vehicles to get access without vehicles parking on the pavement
• where there is still at least 1.5metres for pedestrians when a vehicle is parked on the pavement.

Exemption locations

We have assessed all Renfrewshire roads and pavements against this and identified 22 locations being proposed for exemption.

This is supported by an equality impact assessment to consider specific safety and accessibility issues.

At each location, there will be:

• a minimum pavement width of 1.5m wherever possible
• adequate distance between the exemption location and road junctions or bends
• pavement parking signs and road markings.

Bishopton

• Cawdor Crescent (east side)
• Ettrick Drive (east side)
• Greenock Road (at West Porton Place)
• Morar Crescent (east side)
• Teviot Drive (east side)
• Yarrow Crescent (east side)

Bridge of Weir

• Houston Road (south side of the service road at Elm Road)
• Houston Road (both sides between Warlock Road and Freeland Drive)

Crosslee

• Houston Road (east side between Whirlie Road and Crosslee Park)

Elderslie

• Glenpatrick Road (east side between Kings Crescent and Edzell Drive)

Johnstone

• Burns Drive (from 2 to 42, 52 to opposite 63, 17 to 21 and 33 to 69)
• Graham Street (north side between Hagg Road and Hagg Crescent)

Kilbarchan

• The Grove (entire road)
• Low Barholm (south side, from 12 to 20)

Langbank

• Middlepenny Road (north side, from 18 to 20)

Linwood

• Kintyre Avenue (south side, from 25 to 73)

Lochwinnoch

• Newton of Barr (north side)

Paisley

• Andrew Street (north side, between Caledonia Street and Albion Street)
• Blythswood Drive (south side, between Caledonia Street and Albion Street)
• Penilee Road (both sides, between Auchmannoch Avenue and School Road)

Renfrew

• East Avenue (north side)
• West Avenue (north side)

Consulting on the exemption order

The feedback period consulting on exemption of these locations is closed. We are considering this feedback against the Transport Scotland Guidance.

Locations not included in the exemption order

Other locations put forward for consideration for exemption are also being reviewed. 

Future requests for pavement parking exemptions

Our transport team can be contacted about future requests to consider a location for exemption.

What happens next

An update report and our recommendations on the exemption order will be considered by councillors on our Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board in November 2024.  

Once this report is agreed, the exemption order comes into effect and the exemptions will have the appropriate signage and road markings. 

Contact us about the new parking rules

You can contact us about pavement parking and the new rules by emailing ei@renfrewshire.gov.uk or by calling 0300 300 0380.