§ 4. Mr. Doigasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to rescind Section 381 of the Burgh Police (Scotland) Act, 1892, which makes it illegal to park a car anywhere.
§ Mr. DoigIs my right hon. Friend aware that many burghs in Scotland are spending considerable sums of the taxpayers' money in erecting "No Waiting" signs and that the absence of these signs elsewhere leaves motorists to imagine that they are allowed to park when these signs are not present? Will my right hon. Friend, therefore, consider making the law quite clear to these motorists, who are normally law-abiding citizens, perhaps by his Department stopping local authorities from wasting money on putting up superfluous signs and encouraging them instead to put up signs where waiting is permitted?
§ Mr. RossThis is a rather difficult problem. It may be a misleading impression that many motorists have that if no sign is displayed they can wait with impunity. This simply is not the case. My hon. Friend could equally argue that, because there are parking signs in certain towns, motorists cannot park anywhere else. If we took my hon. Friend's advice concerning this power that stems from the Burgh Police (Scotland) Act, 1892, we would need to put up far more signs and yet we still would not get the full position clear. The trouble, I think, is that local people tend to know where they can park their cars and that there may be difficulty for visitors who go into a town. If you want to know the fine, ask a policeman.
§ Mr. G. CampbellCan the right hon. Gentleman tell us the approximate figure for the number of motor cars in Scotland in 1892?
§ Mr. RossWe were very far-seeing in Scotland in 1892, because Section 381(10) 470 provides that any person who in any street
Causes any cart or carriage, with or without horses, or any beast of draught or burden, to stand longer than is necessaryetc. So the motor car was amply covered.