The council is facing urgent calls for more streets to be added to the exemption list for the pavement parking ban and to engage in further public consultation amid concerns over its implementation.
Fines for drivers who park on pavements in East Renfrewshire will be issued from April 1, but until the end of March warning notices are being placed on non-compliant vehicles.
Ahead of this "soft launch", East Renfrewshire Council (ERC) said it assessed the area’s streets considering "speed limit, availability of off-street parking/driveways, parking restrictions, type of street, width of road/pavement, current parking arrangements and distance to nearby facilities such as schools, railway stations and health centres".
A flood of residents, however, have voiced concerns that some of the streets not included in the 26 with formal exemptions should be included due to practicality and safety concerns.
One of those speaking out is Susan Webster, who lives on Lochlibo Road in Barrhead, who claims that cars having to park fully on the road is “an accident waiting to happen,” with another fearing the spot will be a “death trap”.
Susan, 59, said: “There is no way the council came round here and had a look. The lorries nearly knock you off your feet when they thunder past.
“The problem now is they're having to slam their brakes on the bend because they need to go to the other side of the road, so it's causing chaos already.
“The cars right on the bend are all on the pavement just now, but if they are put onto the road, they’ll probably be written off.
“Opposite the Dalmeny Park Hotel, the pavement's huge and if residents put their cars on the road, they will effectively close this carriageway.
“It’s a joke. The pavement is wide enough, and we all ensure that we leave sufficient room for the width of a double buggy etc.”
The situation has prompted Susan, who received a warning on her car last week, to email the council to ask them to consider making the road exempt, but as of yesterday she had yet to receive a response.
Elsewhere in Barrhead, resident Richard Brawley reported getting stuck on Aurs Drive because buses “couldn’t get around cars that used to park on the pavement.”
Bus firm McGill’s, who operates in the area, said that in other local authorities where similar restrictions have been introduced, they have experienced issues affecting bus movements on certain streets and have taken action where necessary to ensure services can continue to operate safely and reliably.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will raise any concerns that arise with the local authority in the months ahead,” they added.
In Neilston, community council member Jim Sheriff said there is a lot of concern regarding the issue and that some of the non-exemptions are "totally impractical".
“In lots of areas narrow streets will be a problem with no on pavement parking and others with displacement parking,” he added.
Councillor Andrew Morrison, who represents the village and Newton Mearns North, said he had been contacted by a number of concerned residents, particularly in relation to the area with the old mill cottages.
“I would encourage every resident concerned about parking in their street or seeking exemption for their road to contact the officers dealing with this at pppexemptions@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk,” he added.
Further afield in the local authority residents are also raising similar issues arising on certain streets following the ban, including Stamperland Gardens in Clarkston where a resident reported having to chap doors and ask people to move their cars so that the school bus could travel down the route.
The implementation was discussed at a well-attended meeting of Netherlee and Stamperland Community Council (NSCC) last week, and it was agreed that NSCC would write to ERC to ask for further engagement with the public.
When formal enforcement begins on April 1 drivers could be fined £100 for parking on the pavement, reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days.
The Scottish Government introduced legislation to ban pavement parking in December 2023, with enforcement for local authorities to manage.
The measures aim to improve accessibility and ensure walking and wheeling is not obstructed by parked vehicles.
Transport Scotland guidance allows councils to grant exemptions to certain streets if 1.5 metres of the pavement remains unobstructed for pedestrians when a vehicle is parked on the pavement.
It also allows exemptions where there is not enough space for emergency vehicles to pass without vehicles parking on the pavement.
A spokesperson for ERC said: “ERC is one of the last authorities to introduce enforcement measures, having chosen to assess all of our streets to understand the impact, rather than impose a blanket ban.
“Transport Scotland provided specific criteria for the application of any exemptions to the pavement parking ban, and local authorities are expected to operate within the bounds of this.
“Using this criteria, a list of 26 streets has been approved for exemption, and we’ll soon follow a statutory process to introduce a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) which will legally exempt these streets.
“A further 270 roads were also identified as being not applicable to the legislation due to these being shared use spaces, communal parking areas or having no pavements.
“We implemented a three-month soft launch window from January 1 to March 31, 2026 to allow residents and business to adapt to these changes, ahead of enforcement measures, and we’re responding to enquiries where concerns have been raised about specific streets, with re-evaluations being carried out at the earliest opportunity.”
“Enforcement measures will focus on our town centres and high-traffic pedestrian routes, while also responding to complaints and issues in other areas.”
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