By Craig Smith

A PROPOSAL to introduce car-parking charges at four of Fife’s key rail interchanges looks set to be shelved later this week.

Plans had been put forward which could see a fee of £1 per day at Inverkeithing, Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline and Leuchars, to manage demand.

But, following feedback from the region’s seven area committees, councillors meeting on Thursday are expected to scrap the idea in favour of some other method of safeguarding station parking spaces for rail users only.

All four locations were chosen by the council as the ones deemed to be suffering the greatest pressures.

However, in a report to be considered by the transport committee, John Mitchell, transport strategy lead officer, will recommend no new charges are applied.

“In general terms, the area committees do not support the implementation of new charges at rail interchanges,” he said.

“They acknowledge the need to safeguard car parking spaces for rail users but not by charging.

“The interaction between commuter car parking and residential areas is agreed as a key issue, which needs to be carefully managed.

“The recent announcement of proposed rail fares increases in January 2008 and the progress on the abolition of tolls on the Forth Road Bridge mean that implementing a charge for car parking at stations could potentially impinge on greater use of rail travel.”

Councillors will still consider the introduction of charges but are expected to follow the recommendation to avoid charging at the four key locations.

If approved, charges could net the council an extra £248,000 per year and the committee has been asked to note the budget implications if they, as expected, turn down the move.

However, councillors will be asked to agree some sort of residential parking scheme should be introduced in Inverkeithing to “safeguard neighbouring environments.”

At Inverkeithing, the higher frequency of trains and relatively lower fares than the rest of Fife have seen car parks regularly filled, while demand is also high at Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline Town, Dunfermline Queen Margaret, and Leuchars, with the car parks near or above 100% capacity.

Surveys of surrounding streets at most of the stations, particularly Inverkeithing, also indicated a “growing conflict” between the needs of residents and commuters, the report added.

Members will also be asked to recognise the need to safeguard parking for rail users and, following talks with First ScotRail and Network Rail, look at options for implementing parking controls at the main rail locations.

With the close proximity of the town centre and Adam Smith College in Kirkcaldy, for example, the council estimates some 40% of the 470-space Whytemelville Road car park near the station is taken up by non-rail users.