Council accused of ‘profiteering’ over mass ticketing of cars at Fife park and ride

Fife Council has been accused of “opportunist profiteering” over the mass ticketing of cars at Halbeath Park and Ride.

Wardens have slapped dozens of fines on vehicles parked outside designated bays in recent days.

Although signs at the site warn drivers they will be fined £60 if they do not park in the marked bays, some have accused the council of being heavy-handed.

Others say spaces are being taken up by holidaymakers using Edinburgh Airport – leaving daily commuters with nowhere to park.

There are now calls for the council to come up with a strategy to cope with future demand.

‘They were genuinely trying to use Halbeath Park and Ride’

Alan MacDonald, a business consultant from Glenrothes, says he uses Halbeath three times for work trips to Edinburgh.

He said: “I saw The Courier’s story on the cars that were ticketed, which was very heavy-handed and overzealous on the part of the council’s parking wardens.

“It wasn’t as if people were abandoning their cars or parking irresponsibly – they were genuinely trying to use Halbeath Park and Ride as best they could.

“There are no double yellow lines to say no parking and the line of cars wasn’t blocking the access.

“The mass ticketing just looks like opportunist profiteering by the council.”

NHS worker Sarah Dougherty, from Dalgety Bay, blames long-stay parking for much of the capacity problems.

She said: “There’s no parking limit at Halbeath so you can park for as long as you want.

“People are parking for free and going on holiday for a fortnight instead of paying for long-stay parking at Edinburgh Airport.

“The council needs to consider restricting how long people can park at Halbeath, which will benefit daily commuters.”

Several locals have also posted on social media, saying spaces are being taken up by holidaymakers.

Derek Glen, Dunfermline Central councillor, says the council needs to address the issue.

He said: “While I understand that safety and access are important at Halbeath, issuing tickets to customers who are actually making the effort to use the park and ride is not the best look for Fife Council when it is trying to shift people out of their cars and onto public transport.

“Longer term, my concern would be that if Fife Council’s strategic objective of introducing a rail halt at Halbeath is realised, that will cause another surge in demand.

“Does the council have a strategy in place to grow the capacity of Halbeath Park and Ride to meet current and future demand?”

Fellow Dunfermline councillor Aude Boubaker-Calder said: “It appears that there are capacity issues at Halbeath Park and Ride, possibly due to a combination of factors.

“The Liberal Democrat group is actively seeking answers from Fife Council to determine the root cause of this problem and to understand what solutions will be put in place to address it.”

What are the parking rules at Halbeath Park and Ride?

Halbeath has space for 1,124 cars along with 48 disabled spaces.

Parking is free with no maximum stay limit – and there is no charge for vehicles being left overnight.

However, Fife Council’s website says: “Customers are asked to park considerately, within marked bays at all times and to follow the circulation routes which are clearly marked.”

Signs at the site also warn that drivers face £60 penalties for parking outwith marked bays.

Fife Council ‘monitoring’ use of Halbeath Park and Ride

Andy Paterson, lead consultant for car parking strategy and operations at Fife Council, said: “We are monitoring the usage of the park and ride site at Halbeath on a daily basis.

“At the moment it is particularly busy and, while there is currently no limit on the length of stay, we carry out daily patrols to ensure that drivers are parking in a safe and considerate manner.”