New bid to restrict parking on Fife village road despite residents' objections

North East Fife area councillors decided to go against the wishes of at least 14 community members on Wednesday when they passed a no waiting restriction for a road in Tayport.

Councillors said the order will address inconsiderate parking and help fire and service vehicles get through the village road more easily.

Shanwell Road South is a residential street with some leisure and commercial businesses. It leads to Fife Coastal Path and Tentsmuir Forest.

The new no waiting order will protect the bus turning circle and the nearby shoulders from “inconsiderate parking” which councillors said has been an issue.

The restrictions were first put forward by Fife Council's roads and transport team and promoted by the area committee in October 2023. It has since gone through the consultation process and received 14 public objections.

The main concerns were it wasn't necessary as the issue with problem parking does not exist or is minimal. - and it will result in additional vehicles parking in the residential section, increasing parking and access difficulties for locals.

Transportation asked councillors to drop the proposals and leave the parking situation as it is. However, Councillor Louise Kennedy-Dalby (SNP for Tay Bridgehead) argued that the restrictions are necessary. She said: “I have been on multiple buses and seen the issues of fire service vehicles struggling to get to the forest because of parking down there,” she said.

Cllr Kennedy-Dalby called the parking situation a “constant problem” that has been raised many times with the community council. She said the situation “particularly awful” in the summertime when tourism is at its peak.

Committee convener Jonny Tepp (Lib-Dem for Tay Bridgehead) agreed, and Councillor Jane Ann Liston (Lib-Dem for St Andrews) also believed that pedestrian safety concerns are as relevant now as they ever were.

“Having read the objections and responses, it was very clear to me that the prime consideration is for the safety of pedestrians,” she said.“Have we now decided the safety of pedestrians wasn’t as compromised as we originally thought? It does seem a little odd if we still think there’s a danger to pedestrians.”

Councillors agreed put the new now waiting restrictions in place.