Dozens of Dons fans were slapped with £100 parking fines during last night’s match.
Aberdeen FC beat St Mirren 3-0 at Pittodrie to secure third place in the Scottish Premiership and a return to European football next season.
Fans were on a high as they left the stadium but for many the feeling was cut short when they discovered the parking tickets.
Between 40 and 50 cars were issued the fines for parking on the grass area next to Accommodation Road, which can be accessed from the Beach Esplanade and Golf Road.
The £100 fines, issued by Aberdeen City Council, will be halved if they are paid within 14 days.
Tickets issued during game
Colin Wilson, who attended the game with his family, said there were about 30 cars parked on the grass when he arrived.
“I don’t go as much as I used to because I work offshore, but I get to quite a few home games every season,” he said.
“I’ve parked in the same area for years and never had a ticket before. I don’t know if I’ve just been lucky.
“When I came out every car had a ticket, there must’ve been around 40 cars. As far as I could see, there are no signs to say you can’t park there.
“The worst part about this is the council waited until everyone was in the stadium before booking all the cars. You don’t see many traffic wardens working after 8pm.”
‘Nobody was blocking the road’
Hugh MacLellan said he was “disappointed” by the parking fine – especially after driving six hours from Durness to attend the game.
The 62-year-old said: “It was such a fantastic game and then to come back to the car to find that, it left a sour taste in my mouth. I’m disappointed with Aberdeen City Council.
“There’s no ‘no parking’ sign on the fence, it just seems totally unfair. The road markings are almost invisible and there are no painted lines on the grass. There should be more clarity, and clear signs, if they’re giving out parking tickets.
“I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong, nobody was blocking the public highway. Everyone was looking stupendously at the tickets, nothing about them makes sense. I will be appealing it.”
Signs at each end of the road state: “No motor vehicle parking on grass verge”. It is understood these were installed in February 2020.
Some drivers have argued it is not clear these apply to the larger grass area off of the road.
An Aberdeen City Council spokesman said: “A parking prohibition of waiting order for the verges on Accommodation Road came into force on the May 24, 2018. Signage has been in place since this time and complies with traffic signs regulations.”
Social media reacts
Fans gave mixed reactions on Facebook, with Jacqui Watson saying: “Folk have been parking there for years and not caused any traffic issues. Why all of a sudden start with the fines?”
Katrina Beange said: “It’s only big games they target as last Saturday people parked there and not got tickets. It’s just the council making money.”
Meanwhile, Graham Goodbrand said: “Signs clear at the side of the road saying not to park on the grass verge.”
Bee Emm added: “There’s been loads of times tickets have been on vehicles. I’ve been going to Pittodrie for 30 years and never needed to park on the grass.
“No problem parking along the beach, just lazy people who don’t want to walk. I do agree that there needs to be better signage, but it’s also a bit of common sense. Just pay the fines and don’t park there again.”
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