Chanonry Point parking charges defended
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CONTROVERSIAL parking charges at a popular beauty spot have been strongly defended amid an angry response from frustrated visitors and residents.
Fees were introduced at Chanonry Point last month in a bid to tackle traffic congestion at the small car park, which is often filled to capacity by motorists eager to glimpse bottlenose dolphins from the beach.
The charges are £2 for a stay of up to two hours or £4 for up to four hours, and were introduced to encourage swifter traffic turnaround, freeing up space for other drivers.
It was also hoped the move would encourage people to park elsewhere and use the dedicated shuttle bus to get to and from the site.
The new parking fees sparked an angry backlash online, with visitors and some residents accusing Highland Council of trying to profit from Chanonry Point’s popularity.
But the former chairwoman of Fortrose and Rosemarkie Community Council has now leapt to their defence, arguing they will help tackle "unsustainable and unmanaged" volumes of traffic at the car park during the peak season, which have resulted in cars ignoring double yellow lines or parking illegally on the golf course.
Sarah Atkin, who was chairwoman when the plans were first approved and still serves as a community councillor, said: "I support sustainable and managed tourism. In recent years the volume of traffic during peak season at Chanonry Point has become unsustainable and unmanaged.
"Residents have been trapped in their homes as people parked all day across driveways; camper vans were parked day and night taking up valuable space.
"Food outlets have also pitched up without permission, encouraging much longer stays and adding to the chaos.
"Traffic is frequently gridlocked and this became an issue of public safety.
"Chanonry Point is also adjacent to a popular, award-winning golf course. Visitors from across the world visit Fortrose to play golf but it’s not easy to play with cars parked on the course. This has happened. The reputational and commercial impact for the golf club was also beginning to be felt but public safety was the key driver for change.
"This is why, under my leadership, the community council and other stakeholders pushed Highland Council for a range of measures to be implemented to better manage Chanonry Point and to bring order to the site. A parking charge was one measure in a package.
"Tourists are used to paying parking charges at popular sites. It is commonplace elsewhere in the UK. This is not controversial.
"The primary objective of the parking charge was not to raise revenue – even if that is a by-product – but to reduce traffic and better regulate traffic flow.
"The charges are seasonal and operate during daytime. The usual exemptions apply and this felt like a fair compromise.
"Those who care about sustainable tourism should support proactive volunteers trying to find solutions to problems. Complaining is easy."
Her comments come after Shane Manning, principal traffic officer at Highland Council, went online to explain the reasons for the new charges.
"They are specifically targeted to encourage the use of the shuttle bus that has been provided by D&E coaches which stops at the site," he wrote in response to complaints on Facebook.
"The car park is heavily over capacity and continually locks up during the summer. There is now a continual shuttle bus that runs from Fortrose and Rosemarkie to Chanonry Point. Charging for parking during the day makes the shuttle bus more attractive."
He added the change was "at the request of locals".
