Traffic enforcement activity in Cowdenbeath by Fife Council has dropped to less than an hour a day on average, new statistics show.

Freedom of Information data requested by community group My Cowdenbeath also shows as few as 11 hours of traffic enforcement activity in the town during an entire month in 2024.

Local businesses and residents are frustrated at the lack of action on traffic hotspots they see as the Council’s responsibility, making travelling around town more and more difficult.

The Council’s team of Parking Attendants support the enforcement of traffic legislation, ensuring the safety of our pavements and pathways, and keep roads flowing where badly parked vehicles cause a risk.

A spokesperson for My Cowdenbeath said:

“These figures lay bare the extent of consequences in changing the model from our former dedicated Traffic Warden services in the town. We have a large busy High Street and need the traffic to keep flowing to keep businesses alive. Getting around the town is becomming more and more difficult, especially when inconsiderate drivers park on our pavements, on our green spaces or even across pedestrian crossings. We need more action from the Council to ensure enforcement officers are actually being sent here to help deal with the situations that do arise, especially in the evening and at weekends. The statistics are really disappointing.”

The FOI data demonstrates the total hours spent in Cowdenbeath by traffic enforcement officers during the last 2 years, with a total of just 287hrs 27mins in 23/24. This dropped by 6% in 24/25 to just 269hrs 11mins. In December 2024, just 11 hours were spent in the town by traffic officers.

Council figures also show that the majority of time spent by Parking Attendants in the town were during ‘normal’ working hours, ie. before 5pm Monday to Friday, despite major issues with traffic in the town outwith these times.

In 23/24 just 16hrs 40mins of Parking Attendant time were spent in the town after 5pm, rising slightly in 24/25 to 20hrs 38mins.

28hrs 29mins were spent enforcing traffic regulations at weekends during 23/24 and 23hrs 38mins in 24/25.

With new legislation on a national pavement parking ban being enforced from 1st September 2025 in Fife, the Council has been challenged on the poor performance in Cowdenbeath and how it plans to improve performance in the area.

Local businessman Ewen Mackenzie, who runs a High St shop and online retail business, said, “Traffic in the town is generally a total joke, delivery lorries stopping in the middle of the High St, which gridlocks the entire street. We rely on footfall to keep our shops going, but if folk cant get parked or there’s constant delays, they’ll just go elsewhere.”

Another local business owner, who wanted to remain anonymous, told us, “We’ve all seen it, we’ve all commented on it when driving around the town, folk park where they like causing problems when you’re driving through the High Street, but especially for those with wheelchairs, mobility issues or buggies. The design of the road layout is really poor too, there should have been more layby’s installed in the last redesign, so the main thoroughfare can keep flowing, but instead we have pavements that are about 8 metres wide in places – why is there any need for that? It’s getting worse and worse for traffic delays, poor parking and it doesnt feel like a safe experience walking around the High Street at times – but the answer isn’t more crossings! We need the old traffic wardens who knew the area, who know the taxi drivers and the shopkeepers and knew how to manage the High Street flow better.”

The problems of bad parking and traffic delays in the High St have been discussed at the Cowdenbeath Community Council countless times, with local councillors taking up the challenges with officers. Representatives of the community council, along with My Cowdenbeath, met with Fife Council Roads officials and Cllr Bailey-Lee Robb at Brunton House in April 2024. When asked, there had been no update on the issues raised more than a year later.

Stock car parking has been one of the most visible and long term challenges for the town, with really positive engagement between local residents, councillors and Racewall management in recent years. This has led to the opening of a temporary car park on the former ‘red ash’ pitch at Chapel Street. Use of the free facility has been improving during their busier meets through the race calendar, but persistent issues remain around the town centre and the leisure centre especially.

Cowdenbeath’s four local elected representatives were invited to comment. We understand Fife Council is to outline how the 1st September pavement parking ban is to be implemented in the Cowdenbeath Area at a workshop soon.

What’s your view on the High Street traffic, parking and enforcement generally? Email us: news@radiocowdenbeath.scot

Source: Fife Council Freedom of Information request FCIR 58117