Nearly £600,000 of fines have been dished out to drivers since Highland Council started its major parking crackdown in October 2016.
The latest figures, published by the local authority, have also revealed that motorists are still flouting the rules as much or more than before, with 250 more penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued in March compared to the same month last year.
Across the north, nearly 9,500 fines – 7,839 in Inverness – were handed out over the financial year, netting the authority around £407,300.
And new figures supplied to Crown and City Centre Community Council show that illegal parking is by far the worst in the city’s Church Street, where 1,043 tickets have been issued.
Next highest is the car park at Highland Council’s own headquarters building with 652.
Last night Inverness Central ward councillor, Janet Campbell, said she was astonished by the level of fines.
“Nobody wants a parking ‘free for all’,” she said.
“But neither do we want to see statistics showing the issuing of that many parking fines, and maybe we should be looking at some kind of review of the process.
“These fines would have been issued to people who come shopping to support a very fragile city centre economy, and many of them will hit unsuspecting visitors. That’s not the kind of image we want.”
Ms Campbell also revealed she had to pay a £30 fine after parking outwith a bay in the council’s car park, as there were no spaces available, suggesting it was “a little crass” that she was given a ticket despite her car not causing any problems.
The council’s 11-strong parking enforcement team operates mainly in Inverness and Lochaber, but more recently they have started visiting areas on roving patrols including Skye, Wick, Ullapool, Aviemore, Alness and Nairn.
Money generated from fines is used to pay for staff and IT infrastructure.
The latest council figures show that £596,970 worth of PCNs have been issued between the scheme going live on October 24, 2016, and the end of March this year.
Of this amount, £353,208 has been paid but £120,500 is still in the recovery process – and £123,241 has been cancelled or written off.
Main reasons for cancellation include a valid permit being held but not displayed, an error in ticket issue and the vehicle being permitted to park.
Difficulties pursuing foreign drivers are one of the key reasons for write-offs.
A total of 979 tickets were issued in March – 856 in Inverness, 88 in Lochaber and 35 in Skye – compared to 662 in Inverness and 71 in Lochaber in March 2017, with measures not in force on Skye at this time.
Only during the first month of the scheme, and in September last year, were the total number of tickets issued at a higher level.
Inverness Central ward councillor Bet McAllister said there is plenty of parking at Rose Street Car Park in Inverness and that drivers need to take more responsibility.
But she added: “What I also want to know is, how are staff actually dealing with it when someone actually comes back to their car? It would be better if they give these folk a warning and say, ‘this must not happen again.”
