Further restrictions could be imposed on roads to tackle problem parking at a Fife railway station.
Residents of Markinch have complained commuters are clogging up their streets with cars instead of using a designated car park for the transport hub.
Glenrothes area councillors have approved the promotion of a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) in a bid to ease the woes of local householders, with streets bordering the station set to have a two-hour waiting time limit imposed upon them.
Ian Smith, lead planner for traffic management at the region, said there was a “carrot and stick” approach being adopted by the local authority, encouraging station users to utilise public transport to make life easier for residents.
Dismissing any potential link up with a local business to acquire further parking spaces, he told councillors: “We are not wanting to build our way out of this problem.
“If we can, we want to change the way people get to and from the station while reducing the impact on the environment and the impact on residents.”
Those living near the station have lobbied Fife Council for several years over the parking of railway station users.
Restrictions have been introduced on some local streets, leading to a surge of fines in the 2014/15 financial year from 13 fixed penalty notices to 101 in just 12 months.
It meant more charges were issued in the town that year – with its population of around 2,500 – than neighbouring Glenrothes, which has around 40,000 residents.
Those living close to the station have been awarded parking permits to leave them unaffected by any changes but householders in neighbouring streets have since reported that train station users have simply migrated elsewhere.
Mr Smith said council surveys show the station’s car park was not being fully utilised.
He added: “This has come from consultation with the community and I have received numerous representations over the years from people.
“There is a migration issue and it appears that the station car park is 80% full, so there is still 20% of spaces available.”
