Pavement parking abusers in Elgin will soon lose a favourite spot with sections of a High Street pavement set to be removed.
The footpath will be narrowed near the junction with Batchen Street to create more spaces for disabled bays.
Two projects approved for Elgin town centre means spaces elsewhere will be removed to make way for a cycle path.
The solution to “mitigate the loss of disabled parking” in the town centre includes removing sections of High Street pavement to make way for more spaces.
The selected pavement near Poundland has been a popular illegal parking spot for a number of years – but now drivers will may need to think twice before pulling in.
Why the need for disabled parking in Elgin?
National investment into Elgin’s town centre includes two projects that will remove a number of blue badge holder spaces along the town centre.
The disabled spaces on Commerce Street are to be paved over as part of a cycle link project from Moss Street through to Lossie Wynd.
The flow of traffic through Commerce Street will be reversed and bollards will “remove unauthorised vehicles from the pedestrianised areas”.
A separate proposal to pedestrianise Thunderton Place will also include new timed bollards blocking traffic between 11am-4pm.
Only essential delivery vehicles will be exempt from the restrictions which limits the daytime use of Thunderton Place’s disabled spaces.
Where will the new disabled spaces in Elgin be?
A total of eight replacement spaces are coming to the town centre, moving the majority of disabled access from the east to the west end.
Both sides of the High Street pavement before Batchen Street, a popular pavement parking spot, will be removed.
Four disabled spaces will be created on the north end near Poundland, and two spaces will shave off the south side’s kerb outside Hay’s Travel.
Blue badge holders can also access the town centre from North Guildry Street, which will have two new allocated spaces.
Another disabled space could also be made available outside Farmfoods, if it’s found more east end access is required.
Pavement parking in Elgin creating ‘maintenance burden’
The issue of illegal parking on Elgin’s High Street has been raised repeatedly in recent years, with vehicles regularly filling the pavement blocking visibility and access.
The council say the parked vans and cars are breaking the “no waiting at any time” restrictions and blame “very little enforcement by Police Scotland” for the issue.
The council added this has created an “ongoing maintenance burden” for the roads maintenance team as they work to repair damage from vehicles “continually” parking on the pavement.
Cars and vans have also been parking on the Plainstones in order to access High Street businesses.
The council say the town centre locations used by blue badge holders have changed and this is bringing more cars onto the Plainstones.
They hope the new High Street bays “will be welcomed by blue badge holders.”
Moray Disability Forum was consulted on the plans for the replacement spaces.
When could the new disabled spaces in Elgin be ready?
The North Guildry street spaces could be painted as early as this summer.
The council has not yet committed to a date for the new High Street spaces.
However, construction on the Moss Street to Lossie Wynd cycle link and Thunderton Place bollards is not expected to be underway until 2026.
In reaction to the UK Government-funded Levelling Up project, Councillor Juli Harris said: “The plans are going to make the town centre a very amenable place to shop in for all people, disabled or not.”
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