Parking rules set to change across Kirkcaldy town centre – this is where, and why

The update includes sorting out a long abandoned taxi rank in Hunter Street, where people attending an evening show were stunned to get tickets last year - an action that was branded “mean spirited” - and tidying up discrepancies in parking times which vary on the same stretch of road.

The proposals are being put before a meeting of Kirkcaldy area committee which takes place on Tuesday, February 25.

They come after a walkabout around the town last May by local councillors together with transport officers to take a fresh look at existing parking rules.

A report to the committee said some were “outdated” and changes could be made to make better use of the spaces to “encourage people to enjoy the town centre facilities for longer.”

The contentious issue of ticketing anyone who used the long-abandoned taxi rank in Hunter Street is being addressed.

Last year, people going to events in the town centre found themselves hit with £60 fines, sparking a backlash. Now councillors are being asked to rubber-stamp the removal of the taxi rank, but the spaces won’t become free - they want to introduce metered parking with a two-hour maximum to match the other side of the street.

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The taxi associations has also asked for a stance at the top of Hunter Street near the bus station along with a 10-minute pick up and drop-off zone.,

The changes included in the paper also want to standardise parking times from Deas Wharf to the Harbour Bar.

Currently they vary from 30 minutes to two hours - times that were originally introduced to help residents and businesses. The committee will be asked to simply introduce a two-hour limit for all spaces.

Motorists are also set to get more time on the Esplanade from Kirkcaldy Leisure Centre to the High Street with the maximum being raised from two to three hours.

The report said the lower limit was “insufficient to allow some individuals to use the leisure centre and other facilities in the area” and a stay of up to three hours will cost £3.30, with any longer stays targeted at nearby off-street car parks.

Change is also coming to the High Street with a proposal to cut the size of the loading bay outside The Exchequer pub by half.

The report said it was “un-necessarily long” adding: “When Charlotte Street was opened as a through route some years ago, the existing Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) was not amended to reflect the new layout. A slight adjustment to the TRO is proposed to resolve that discrepancy. The existing loading bay outside The Exchequer is unnecessarily long and it is proposed to reduce its length to half of the lay-by.” Cutting the bay in half will allow space for 30-minute parking which ties in with the rest of the High Street.

Councillors will also be asked to remove the taxi rank outside Morrisons which hasn’t been used for many years - largely because it sits on the other side of the supermarket’s perimeter wall on a dead end road which takes people down to Seafield beach. The plan is to leave the space for unrestricted parking.

The proposals will be discussed at next week’s meeting.