Highland Council Pay and Display parking meters now in place at Cairngorms beauty spot Loch Morlich
Highland Council’s Glenmore parking meters are lined up ready for action and were causing plenty of double takes from motorists today as the glorious spring weather brought the visitors out.
The traffic control measure has long been lined up but the move was slowed somewhat when the local authority was forced to dilute its proposals last summer following a public backlash.
The costs of the parking tickets have been lowered from the charges originally proposed and a new bottom rate three hours stay for £3 introduced rather than the previously proposed one hour of parking for £2.
One of the biggest climbdowns was an end to a proposed ban on overnight parking at the new Pay and Display bays.
Much of the Glenmore stretch of the Cairngorm ski road will be paid for parking with the rest of the route being designated as no waiting zones.
Locals were saying today that the council still has to ‘launch’ officially - since it was a bank holiday Monday there were no council staff on hand to issue definitive information - and it may be another fortnight or so before any traffic managers appear on the scene.
In early April a Highland Council spokesperson told the Strathy: “The aim is to have all the works completed late April or early May.”
There will be a discounted parking permit for residents of Badenoch and Strathspey.
The Pay and Display restrictions will be in force to the end of October.
The initial public consultation on the parking plans provoked a big backlash with 83 objections eventually being lodged
Shane Manning, the local authority’s principal traffic officer, later told local Highland councillors the restrictions had been ‘altered and reduced in severity’ from the original proposals as a result.
On the reason for the move, council officials have said: “Due to increased demand by visitors to the C1126 lochside area of Glenmore, officers were asked to introduce traffic management provisions to tackle inappropriate parking and measures for managed parking on the roadside.”
