Saltcoats: Hamilton Street parking time limit confusion

Locals have voiced their feelings in recent months after it was realised that motorists were only allowed to park for one hour on the right hand side of the street - and cannot leave a space to return within an hour.

The restriction is in place from Monday to Saturday between the hours of 9am and 5pm.

Confusion has largely been born from the fact that this same restriction is not in place on the opposite side of the road.

It is a parking regulation which has in fact been in place for over four decades - having first been introduced as part of the Strathclyde Regional Council (Saltcoats)(Waiting Restrictions and Revocation) Order 1980.

The specifics of this were further updated in The North Ayrshire Council (Waiting and Loading Restrictions and Designated Parking Places) Order 2023.

This saw restrictions relaxed slightly having previously been in place from 8am-6pm as part of the previous order.

Despite the decades it has been in place, it has only come to prominence once again with the introduction of Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) in North Ayrshire which saw parking wardens begin work across the county in April.

One local commented: "To be honest, I just don't get it. Why can I park on one side for as long as I like but ten feet away I've only got an hour.

"I know it is signposted, but to me it seems like a rule designed to catch people out.

"I suppose I would understand it better if the rule was in place across the whole street - but it isn't.

"It will hurt business owners as well, whether that be having to park far from their shops - or having customers spend less time inside. Let's be honest, an hour is not a particularly long time."

North Ayrshire Council have now moved to address the concerns raised by locals about the restriction - which they say have come despite advertising the proposals with no objection.

Hamilton Street. (Image: Street View)

A spokesperson said: “The waiting time restrictions on Hamilton Street, Saltcoats, have been in place for a number of decades and were consolidated into a Traffic Regulation Order in preparation for the commencement of Decriminalised Parking Enforcement.

"These restrictions were also relaxed by the Council to align with other North Ayrshire town centres, and provide all users greater scope to park on the street.

“We advertised these proposals at the time through the local press and received no objections."

The local authority also looked to explain the reasoning behind this particular decision.

They continued: “The parking restrictions have been placed on the side of the road where it is the most convenient for drivers to park to access the local facilities, and where the majority of pedestrian footfall would be expected.

“The ‘time limited’ parking of one hour offers an increased turnover in parking spaces, reducing the need for drivers to search for available parking. This also reduces the illegal short stop double parking that has been an issue in Hamilton Street.

“Additionally, visitors and residents are able to park in these bays outside the times noted on the time plates for a significant period of time without penalty.

“There are ample parking opportunities available on the left-hand side of the Hamilton Street, and on surrounding streets.

“For visitors requiring longer periods of time to park during the ‘time plate restrictions’, there are a number of free long stay car parks within a short distance of the town centre."

It was added that the council's roads team will continue to assess and enhance signage where necessary - and that the full impact of DPE on our towns and villages will also be monitored regularly.