Police in Livingston have blitzed dangerous parking around the town centre’s Asda petrol station.
The ticketing swoop targeted drivers who parked on the access road to the shopping centre’s old car park following complaints about the service road being blocked for drivers and emergency vehicles.
Officers issued 20 tickets in a recent clampdown following complaints at the last meeting of the Livingston South Local Area Committee.
The latest crackdown highlights the need for stricter controls which the council hopes to bring in as part of its development of Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE). Taking control of parking fines would give the council resources to target problem parking areas around the county.
The service road which runs along the back of the original town centre building has long been used for illegal parking despite signage and double yellow lines along its length.
Local Conservative councillor Peter Heggie described it as “fantastic feedback” from the police.
Officers have also been touring local primary schools as well as carrying out static road checks on drivers around the town.
Sgt Lee Brodie told this month’s meeting of the local area committee: “We have had quite a busy quarter. Volunteer officers came through to Livingston and carried static road stops. They identified two drivers driving without insurance and had the vehicles seized,
“Following on from the previous meeting we paid attention to parking in the town centre. This includes the area near to Asda petrol station, and what’s known as the old car park, the original town centre car park.
“We issued 20 fixed penalty notices for a variety of offences particularly for parking near to the Asda petrol station.”
Councillor Heggie said: “I want to comment on the fantastic feedback you gave us around the car park as you enter the Asda filling station
“This is something I raised at the last meeting because a number of people contacted me saying they couldn’t access or get out of the carpark . And from a safety point of view too because there’s no way your colleagues in Scottish Fire and Rescue would be able to get a fire engine through.
“That’s brilliant, thank you very much. Please pass on my thanks to the team for that really quick activity.”
Community Police teams have also visited primary schools in southern Livingston. A report to the committee added: “Officers attended at Saint John Ogilvie Primary School to monitor parking issues, provide a high-visibility deterrence to careless driving or parking and engage with school staff regarding these issues.”
By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
