Rugby Road resident received a ticket after parking his car outside his house on Saturday’s match day
A Kilmarnock man has adopted William Wallace’s famous freedom speech to embark on a crusade of his own.
Neil Carlton has waged a war of words against parking restrictions brought in to address traffic issues on Kilmarnock FC Saturday match days.
The Rugby Road resident wants locals to be issued with residents’ parking permits instead of the blanket ban on all vehicles that was introduced.
On match days, Neil has persisted in parking outside his home while carrying a sign of protest visible on his glass. However, he has since received a punishment notice.
“This vehicle belongs to Neil Carlton of 23 Rugby Road Kilmarnock KAI 2DQ,” the protest notice read.
“Resident parking permits are kindly requested for use on match days when the new restrictions are in effect.
“You may take our lives, but you will never take our parking spaces, to slightly misquote Sir William Wallace!”
In order to increase overall safety, the limitations have been implemented as new double yellow lines in some spots, primarily around intersections, to indicate permanent full-time restrictions, and single yellow lines with accompanying signage to indicate part-time restrictions.
On match days, the part-time limitations are in effect from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Residents were urged by Ayrshire Road Alliance to move their cars out at least 90 minutes in advance of the game and to wait to return until at least 60 minutes after it ended.
Since relocating to Rugby Road in 1990, Neil Carlton has been parking his car just outside his home, without causing any disturbance to others. However, both he and his neighbours are now facing consequences for this behaviour.
The local resident, irritated, has taken the matter further and is presently awaiting a hearing before the Transport Tribunal Appeal.
Four prior match days in 2023 had seen Neil’s message on his windscreen; nevertheless, nothing had been done about it.
“Prior to that I had left my car on the yellow lines with my protest notice on the windscreen without getting a ticket,” Neil stated to Ayrshire Live. When I first performed this, a parking warden told me that I was doing something legitimate, thus he would not be issuing me a ticket.
“While many of the neighbours don’t have garages, I do have one at the back of my home. This seems like a question of principle to me.
“I have no argument with the imposition of the new parking regulations as a measure to deter inconsiderate parking when there is a football match taking place. However, I simply fail to understand the authority’s refusal to issue Residents’ Parking Permits in concert with these new arrangements.
“I would like the council to agree to issue residents parking permits so that we can continue to park outside our houses legally when Saturday games are on at Rugby Park.”
He continued: “When the parking restrictions on Saturday match days were first introduced, I was indignant and determined to do what I could to continue to campaign against them because they are manifestly unfair – I have been parking my car outside this house for 30 years without inconveniencing anyone else.
“They are only partially effective, for instance, they are not enforceable for evening weekend matches.
They are costly. Rather than go to the expense of erecting all the signs and painting the yellow lines as I have repeatedly pointed out to the council, all they needed to do was to erect a sign at the entrance to the new part of Rugby Road that said something like ‘When games are taking place at Rugby Park during the match, for 30 minutes before the game and for 15 minutes afterwards parking in Rugby Road and Rugby Crescent is residents only’.
“In conjunction with this parking permits would be issued to all residents that requested them.”
The match day parking restrictions were put in place in the streets surrounding Rugby Park for road safety reasons and to ensure emergency routes remain free from parked vehicles.
According to the residents of Rugby Road, they have always accepted the well established practice of ensuring that the older section adjoining South Hamilton Street is left clear in case emergency vehicles require access to Rugby Park.
Neil stated: “The part of Rugby Road that is affected by the new restrictions is beyond the entrance to the football ground and is a cul-de-sac so emergency access to Kilmarnock FC isn’t affected in any way.”
Despite repeated requests residents fell they haven’t received a “satisfactory” answer on why parking permits were not provided to them.
“At the Cabinet meeting on March 8, 2023, an agreement was reached on amended parking arrangements around Rugby Park on match days,” an East Ayrshire Council official stated.
As part of the consultation process, the adoption of a permit scheme was fully explored; nevertheless, doubts were raised over the efficacy of any such programme.
Contemporary permit programmes are managed virtually, with data sent electronically to a parking attendant’s mobile device.
“Since there is nothing tangible that a car may physically display to show that a permit programme is in place, people may disregard any related notice and be persuaded—indeed, even encouraged—to park on the streets after witnessing other cars parked there.
Residents living in a defined region would also be responsible for applying for an annual permit and supplying the necessary documentation to substantiate their claims of residency and vehicle ownership.
“Accordingly, the Cabinet decided that a permit scheme was not necessary and decided to change the previously publicised directive to facilitate the relaxation of suggested limitations at certain relevant intersections.
“The Head of Roads advised at this meeting that the Ayrshire Roads Alliance will take into account reasons for residents unable to move their vehicles and review each request on merit.”
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