A council area that has been without traffic wardens for more than a decade is hoping to have them back within months in order to tackle what residents have described as "near anarchy" on its streets.
Dumfries and Galloway Council (DGC) is one of a minority of local authorities which does not have a Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) regime in place.
Dumfries, in particular, has faced repeated complaints about parking, and in June last year the council applied for DPE so it could employ its own wardens with powers to issue penalty notices.
Officials from Transport Scotland have told the local authority the powers to levy fines are expected to be in place by the end of the year.
It is more than a decade since the last traffic wardens were taken off the streets of Dumfries and Galloway.
They were removed after a review following the creation of Police Scotland in April 2013.
Since then, the majority of Scottish councils have introduced DPE which allows their own wardens to issue penalties to those who breach parking regulations.
Earlier this year, the council was told parking in Dumfries had descended into "near anarchy" with restrictions routinely ignored.
Councillor Linda Dorward told a meeting of its Nithsdale area committee that dangerous parking had become commonplace in the town..
She called for a clear timeline to be issued in efforts to introduce DPE which could pave the way for traffic wardens to return.
"Restrictions are routinely ignored and dangerous parking is commonplace," warned Dorward.
"We might as well not have any double yellow lines in Dumfries town because nobody bothers about them."
Police have said they have "no capacity" to carry out regular patrols but have promised to target "problematic areas when there are no other higher priority issues or incidents to deal with".
Get in touch
What stories would you like BBC News to cover from the south of Scotland?
Once the new powers are in place, the council will have to decide when to start enforcement.
Previously some local authorities have opted to give drivers a grace period during which only warning notices are issued before starting to give out Penalty Charge Notices.
Transport Scotland said that was a "decision for the local authority".
Currently 23 of Scotland's 32 councils have DPE powers, with Dumfries and Galloway set to become the 24th.
It does not appear any other area will be following suit any time soon.
"No other local authorities are progressing through the application process at the moment," confirmed Transport Scotland.