Over 2,100 drivers – some from as far afield as London and Gloucestershire – were fined for illegal parking in Arrochar and Luss over a seven-month period, it has been revealed.
Statistics released following a Freedom of Information request show that an average of 300 people a month were issued with penalty charge notices (PCNs) on the village car parks between July 1 last year and the end of January 2021.
And Argyll and Bute Council has also released the home towns of nearly 300 drivers – thought to be those who appealed against the £60 fine, which is reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days.
They came from many parts of Scotland and the most common place is Glasgow, but other registered keepers’ homes include Stoke-on-Trent and Watford.
Lockdown restrictions are still in place across Scotland, but double yellow lines have been put in place in both Arrochar and Luss in the expectation of last year’s huge visitor numbers being repeated due to restriction on foreign travel.
Last year parked cars often lined the busy A83 trunk road beside Loch Long, on one occasion causing an accident involving a fire engine.
From last July to January 865 PCNs were issued in Luss and 1,244 for the two Glen Loin car parks in Arrochar.
Local councillor George Freeman said: “It became clear to me and many of my constituents during the lockdown that there were particular problems at Luss and Arrochar, with large numbers of individuals arriving there from outwith the local area who were clearly ignoring the restrictions on travel.
“The figure of over 300 PCN tickets issues on average each month to the end of January have proved that.
“Although there have been comments from some quarters over recent months about people travelling from England, it is clear from the information provided that over 92% of those who have received tickets come from across Scotland.
“Unfortunately the council has only provided details of the locations where 14% of the cars that received PCNs are normally based and I have had to base my figure of 92% who are from across Scotland on that.”
Cllr Freeman said he had asked for additional information on where the cars had come from, as well as the income received from the PCNs.
The list of registered keepers’ home towns is here:
As a tourist destination ,we will have a plan to massively increase our parking provision ?
Not all of us can live of the tax payers. So jobs in the service sector will be most welcome.
Hopefully reducing the burden on the net tax contributorswho are not underwritten by long suffering tax payers!!!!!
Just because your car is registered at an address in England doesn’t mean you have travelled from there. How many people work in the base but live in England? They could well be in their rights to travel local if they live in the base during long periods. So no law has been broken they have every right to travel within Argyll and Bute.