A MSP and Fraserburgh councillor have welcomed a new parking restriction which will benefit residents near an A90 layby after several years of nuisances with overnight lorries parking at their doorsteps.
Councillor Charles Buchan says he had been approached by homeowners near the Cortes layby on the Peterhead – Fraserburgh stretch of the A90 who had grown fed up by overnight parking by lorries near their properties. He said this had increased in frequency following the removal of ‘no overnight parking’ signs.
Last night, he said: “It’s been a long-standing problem there. I was approached by the adjacent households, they were complaining about the antisocial behaviour during the night by overnight lorry drivers – large lorries with refrigeration systems running all night.
“There was a sign up, originally, saying ‘no overnight parking’, but that was removed. That is when the nuisance started.”
The councillor had contacted BEAR Scotland and then Transport Scotland while local MSP Stewart Stevenson had also joined the campaign to bring an end to the residents’ woes.
“Stewart Stevenson was involved and he put forward a regulation to stop overnight parking. It did take a long time, but these legal matters do.
“Now, the position is that new signs have been erected prohibiting lorries over 7.5tonnes from parking overnight on the layby between 9pm and 8am.
“I’m very pleased that local democracy is actually working. This layby is one of the few in Britain that has one of these restrictions,” Mr Buchan added.
Mr Stevenson, MSP for Banfshire and Buchan coast, said: “After receiving complaints from local residents regarding inconsiderate behaviour by those using the layby to park overnight, I raised the matter with Transport Scotland who have responsibility as the trunk roads authority.
“I am pleased that, working with local councillor Charles Buchan, a solution has been found which keeps the layby open but stops overnight parking from taking place meaning the police now have the authority to deal with any transgressors.”
The legality of ‘no overnight parking’ signs had been challenged by a Yorkshire man in 2012. Andy Strangeway, who became the first person to land and sleep on all 162 Scottish islands in 2007, had claimed the signs were illegal. Transport Scotland bosses latterly removed the signs from their laybys in the Highlands.
