Selfish parking in beauty spots including Loch Lomond last weekend saw one driver charged by police and over 140 parking tickets issued.
Two ambulances had problems getting to emergency calls, sparking a new warning to drivers that their cars could be towed away.
With sunny weather over the holiday weekend car parks were busy, while narrow rural roads were also lined with vehicles.
On Saturday an ambulance and the Lomond Mountain Rescue Team had difficulties getting to Rowardennan to help someone in trouble on Ben Lomond because cars were illegally parked along the side of the B837 road, a designated clearway.
And in Callander the next day a second ambulance was blocked in by cars parked in front of an emergency access gate at Callander Crags. As a result one car owner has been charged by police.
Now the national park authority, Police Scotland and Stirling Council have warned of the ‘very serious consequences’ of irresponsible parking and issued a joint warning to visitors ahead of the October holidays:
- Don’t park along roadsides, even if you see others doing it.
- Never block entrances and exits, even partially.
- Check before you go if somewhere is going to be busy, and if so choose a quieter alternative.
Following the incidents on Saturday, Police Scotland closed the B837 on Sunday morning to manage the high volume of traffic on East Loch Lomond again.
Inspector Andy Bushell said: “While we appreciate that many people want to enjoy what’s left of the good weather in the beautiful surroundings of the national park, it’s essential that travelling to these areas doesn’t adversely impact on others.
“There are designated parking areas within the national park and if these are all in use then vehicles must seek other permitted parking zones and not leave cars on narrow access roads or public walkways.
“Recent incidents of inappropriate parking have resulted in emergency service vehicles being unable to pass and this is totally unacceptable.
“We regularly patrol the national park and any obstructive or dangerous parking will be appropriately dealt with. This could include the physical removal of a vehicle, issuing drivers with a fixed penalty notice or even reporting individuals to the Procurator Fiscal.
“Please enjoy our outdoor spaces responsibly.”
Overcrowding and irresponsible parking was also seen in several other areas around the National Park at the weekend including around popular hills Ben A’an and Ben Venue in the Trossachs, Loch Ard near Aberfoyle.
Simon Jones, director of conservation and visitor operations at the national park, said: “These incidents and the many other examples of reckless parking on roadsides and crowded car parks this weekend highlight just how dangerous this behaviour is. It is extremely lucky that the outcome in both of these cases was not a lot worse, but it could be next time.
“While the national park is there to be enjoyed, especially on a sunny holiday weekend, parking along the sides of already narrow or busy main roads and parking across exits, when car parks are full, could put lives at risk.
“This has been an ongoing issue in recent years and particularly since lockdown restrictions eased, so as partners we are working on longer term solutions such as further public transport, active travel options or parking capacity where appropriate.
“These are not quick fixes and will take time and we still need everyone to play their part by behaving responsibly and not making these problems worse.”
Stirling Council enforcement officers issued 145 parking tickets across the weekend at a number of locations.
Convener of Stirling Council’s environment and housing committee Jim Thomson said: “Some of the scenes in our rural areas last weekend were absolutely disgraceful, with irresponsible and illegal parking from a minority of visitors posing a serious risk to public safety.
“Our enforcement officers, who are working extremely hard across a large rural area to keep people safe in challenging circumstances, also suffered abuse from people visiting the area which is completely unacceptable.
“The significant enforcement activity that took place at the weekend hopefully hammers home the message that we only want responsible visitors.”
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