Parking on pavements in Aberdeen has been illegal since last month and flouting the rules will result in a £100 fine.
However, 12 streets in the Granite City have been granted an exemption.
The Scottish Government legislation aims to: “Improve accessibility, particularly for vulnerable road users, so pedestrians and wheelchairs/buggies/prams can use pavements and dropped kerbs without being impeded by parked vehicles.”
Along with pavement parking, a double parking and dropped kerbs parking ban was also introduced.
This became legally enforceable from July 1 in Aberdeen having officially started in December.
Last week, residents of Broomhill Avenue in Aberdeen’s west end hit out at Aberdeen City Council after a number of cars were fined for pavement parking, despite residents arguing that the wide pavements leave enough room for pedestrians to pass.
In the same week, people were angered after cars were fined for parking in a well-known area at the city’s beach.
Council chiefs defended the measures and said the vehicles were in fact parked on a “footpath”.
According to the Scottish Government, pavements that may be exempted from the rules must have:
- Layout that allows for a width of 1.5 metres of the footway to remain unobstructed when any part of a vehicle is parked on it.
- A layout that the passage of an emergency vehicle would be impeded by the presence of a vehicle parked on the carriageway.
Here are Aberdeen’s 12 streets where you can still park your vehicle on the pavement:
Bedford Avenue
Stretching from Bedford Road to St Machar Drive, the residential area – which includes numerous granite flats – has wider pavements than normal, which explains why an exemption is in place.
The street can only be accessed from Bedford Road, as there is no access from St Machar Drive, and part of it is located next to St Machar Academy.
Cairngorm Gardens
The Kincorth-based street is included on the council’s exemption list and is where Kirkhill Primary School is located, as well as granite tenement blocks and houses.
Cairngorm Gardens is located off of the Garden Estate’s main thoroughfare – Provost Watt Drive – and is linked to Cairngorm Crescent and Sillerton Lane.
Countesswells Road
The long stretch of road in the west end of the city goes all the way from its junction with Great Western Road (at Mannofield Church) and travels by Airyhall Community Centre and Countesswells Playing Fields, before leaving the built-up area.
After a drive through rural wilderness, it ends up at the junction with Kirk Brae, which is next to the new development at Countesswells.
Elm Place
Located just across from the roundabout next to Berryden Retail Park, which includes Sainsburys and various other stores, the small street is very narrow and this explains why it is exempt.
Apart from plumbing, heating and electrical contractors Alexander Duthie and Sons Ltd being located here, it is fully residential, a majority of which are houses.
Elmbank Terrace
As you enter the Sunnybank street from Bedford Road, there is no pavement on the righthand side, as a fence separates it from the railway line.
The pavement opens up further down the road and on this side there are some newer blocks of flats, which is in contrast to the traditional flats and houses across the street.
Froghall Avenue
Froghall Avenue neighbours the aforementioned Elmbank Terrace and there are lots of flats on the street, which leads to a dead-end turning point at the bottom.
The street has connections with Froghall Place and Sunnybank Place.
Great Northern Road
Probably the most well-known on the exemption list, Great Northern Road starts just after the infamous Haudagain roundabout.
It connects the A96 to Kittybrewster roundabout.
The long street – of which part is dual carriageway – is a mix of residential properties and shops.
It goes right through the heart of the Woodside area and is home to Kittybrewster Primary School.
Hunter Place
Hunter Place is probably the smallest street on Aberdeen City Council’s exempt list.
It’s located off of Urquhart Road and has two blocks of two-storey flats on it.
This is in contrast to its non-exempt Urquhart Road neighbour, which is lined with rows and rows of flats
Urquhart Road also has cars parked on either side of the street.
Jackson Terrace
Another street located near Urquhart Road and on the exempt list is Jackson Terrace.
This road can be accessed from both Urquhart Lane and Colville Place.
Like Hunter Place, it is purely residential and has a narrow road.
This explains why cars are still allowed to park on the pavement.
Leslie Road
The busy Hilton street sits between Kittybrewster roundabout and St Machar Drive.
It also has a junction with Clifton Road, another street with heavy traffic.
Leslie Road is also located a short distance from Six Roads roundabout and has wide pavements with one side lined by trees.
Murray Terrace
Located between Great Southern Road and Polmuir Road in the Ferryhill area of the city, Murray Terrace is one of the 12 streets exempt by Aberdeen City Council.
Like many other streets in older parts of the city, this west end one – which is split in two – is narrow.
There is only space for one vehicle to get through if others are parked either side.
South Square
The street in one of Aberdeen’s most famous area, Footdee or “Fittie”, is included in the list.
It seems that cars parked on the road here do so at an angle, rather than straight along.
A dead-end, South Street’s road is located at the back of the historic fishing village.
Do you think these streets should be exempt from the pavement parking rules? What streets do you in Aberdeen do you think should be included? Write in the comments below.
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