Commercial Street crackdown

LERWICK police handed out five on-the-spot fines to drivers on Wednesday as they stepped up their crackdown on enforcing the pedestrian-only rule in the town centre.

The fines follow last week’s warning of increased traffic patrols in the town after a man was taken to hospital when a vehicle reversed into him on Commercial Street.

Vehicles are not allowed to be driven on Commercial Street between 11.30am and 5.30pm from Monday to Saturday, except for disable drivers.

The police have also warned they will be issuing parking tickets for any vehicle parked outside a designated parking area, or parked in a disabled bay without a disabled badge displayed.

Police have deployed an unmarked car to help them catch speeding motorists, particularly near schools, as well as people driving while on the phone or without a seatbelt.

Meanwhile, Living Lerwick has written to chief inspector Lindsay Tulloch urging the police to do more to protect pedestrians.

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In the letter the town centre organisations’ chairwoman Cynthia Adamson said Commercial Street had become a “free for all” where cars took precedence over pedestrians.

“We are aware that the incident involving an elderly man on 14 March was after the hours covered by the pedestrianisation order,” she said.

“However, the root cause is likely to be linked to the prevailing perception of the area, whereby people see it as a place where drivers can do whatever they like with little or no fear of reprisal.”