East Renfrewshire Council is set to begin enforcement of the pavement parking ban from Monday 5 January 2026.
Legislation introduced by the Scottish Government makes it illegal to park on the pavement in Scotland, as well as double parking and at dropped kerbs which are designed to allow pedestrians to cross the road safely. The law does not apply to dropped kerbs at private driveways.
To raise awareness of the ban and inform drivers ahead of enforcement starting, a soft launch will be undertaken for three months from 5 January until 31 March 2026 to allow residents, businesses, and visitors time to adapt to the changes before formal enforcement begins on 1 April 2026.
During this time, to highlight the new rules, any vehicles identified parking on pavements irresponsibly will have a warning notice placed on the windscreen advising of non-compliance and that further offences will be subject to a penalty charge notice.
To establish the impact of introducing this ban, a full survey of all streets in East Renfrewshire was conducted, which considered speed limit, availability of off-street parking/driveways, parking restrictions, type of street, width of road/pavement, current parking arrangements and distance to nearby facilities such as schools, railway stations and health centres.
The survey also identified the need for any local exemptions with the council’s approach to enforcement approved by elected members. Once the statutory process of raising exemption orders is completed and approved, all streets exempt will have signs placed advising that they are not subject to the pavement parking prohibition.
Transport Scotland guidance allows councils to grant exemptions to certain streets if 1.5 metres of the pavement remains unobstructed for pedestrians when a vehicle is parked on the pavement or where there is not enough space for emergency vehicles to gain pass without vehicles parking on the pavement.
Councillor Danny Devlin, Convener for Environment and Housing, said: “The new rules aim to reduce danger and inconvenience to people walking, wheeling, and cycling because of pavement parking. By introducing enforcement, the council hopes to make pavements and roads safer for everyone to use. This will prioritise the safety of people in wheelchairs, those with mobility issues, and people with buggies and prams, who will be able to walk or wheel without having to go onto the road to pass a vehicle parked on a pavement, which many have to do currently. As the council begins the roll-out of the pavement parking ban drivers are urged to adopt this change early to avoid being issued with a penalty charge notice.”
When formal enforcement begins on 1 April 2026, drivers could be fined £100 for these parking behaviours, reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days.
The management of the pavement parking ban will remain ongoing, and the council will continue to monitor and consider revisions to the process and exemptions, should significant challenges arise. Any further revision will be in line with the criteria set by Transport Scotland.
To find out more about the pavement parking ban and view a map with proposed local exemptions, visit: eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/pavement-parking-ban
