Fury as hockey team fined for parking at Meggetland sports complex

From left, Beth Goodyear, Chantal Guillot and Steph Kirkland with their tickets. Picture: TSPL

Members of the Grange Hockey Club arrived for a cup match on Sunday at the Meggetland Sports Complex to find a packed car park, forcing them to leave their vehicles off the premises.

The trio joined a number of other drivers who parked on the single yellow line on Meggetland View, which leads to the car park, and believed they were parked legally with no clear signage to suggest otherwise.

But on their return they were all met with parking tickets and a £60 fine leaving them “utterly confused”. They have all appealed their fines and have accused the council of making money out of those who are using the facility at its peak times of the week.

Beth Goodyear, 31, said: “This decision by the council is baffling to myself and my teammates and doubtless many other people who have also fallen foul of the same trick. I checked the car park twice and it is simply not big enough for the level of people using the complex. There were numerous cars parked on the yellow line and we believed we were parked legally due to being able to park on single yellow lines in the city centre on a weekend.”

A search showed a “minuscule” sign down the road stating that parking was prohibited between the hours of 10am-4pm on weekends. They also say that the fines do not give the right message to those wanting to keep healthy and participate in sport.

Physiotherapist Chantal Guillot, 41, said: “There was a huge sign telling people to not park on the grass. But the sign telling people not to park on the yellow line was tiny. There was limited parking with no overflow options.

“We weren’t causing an obstruction. The council are very much trying to encourage people to take part in sport, but I think this sends out the wrong message.

“Surely this needs to be addressed where sports complexes are so big, but parking is so lacking. Not penalised by putting up restrictions, which appear to be senseless, on a Sunday.”

Stephanie Kirkland, 24, added: “There were other events being held at the same time as our hockey match meaning there was nowhere else to park. There must be loads of people the council has caught out in the past.

“The council needs to get rid of the yellow line so more  parking is available at Meggetland. If not, then the signs need to be a lot more clear so drivers are definitely aware they are not parking legally.”

However the city council has said it is happy with the measures in place, with no plans to alter them in the future.

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, transport and environment convener said: “The parking restrictions along this street have been in place since 2012. They allow drivers to park during certain hours, but with necessary restrictions to address issues the community had with over-parking in the area and the negative impact this was having on residents.

“The signs explaining the restrictions meet statutory requirements and are erected at regular intervals along Meggetland Wynd and into Meggetland View.”

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