Radical plans to revitalise Kirkcaldy town centre have been overwhelmingly approved by councillors.
A six-month trial will slash parking costs for shoppers in a bid to attract more people to the High Street.
It means that the most that any motorist will pay for parking is £3, with those wishing to stay for up to two hours paying just £1 a reduction of 50%.
The price of a quarterly season ticket will be similarly reduced come the start of the trial on September 28 down to £60 from £120.
Councillor Kay Carrington said: “This could help to encourage people back to the town centre and not just for a 15-minute shop.
“I think it will be very good for the area and we will no longer be chasing people away from our High Street, which is what it seems like at the moment.”
Like other town centres across the country, Kirkcaldy’s historic shopping precinct has endured a torrid time in recent years.
High-profile retailers have moved out having struggled to compete with online shopping and the Fife Central Retail Park at the north of the town.
The closure of the Tesco supermarket in April hit its fortunes further, though new stores are now opening regularly.
In recent weeks a series of counting strips have appeared at entrances to town car parks, with the data collected from these to be used to determine the success of the six-month trial.
Early projections suggest that the shortfall in revenue will amount to between £25,000 and £30,000.
To offset this, demand for parking will have to increase by 10%.
David Ross, the leader of Fife Council, said that while he supported the trial, reducing parking charges could not be seen as a “silver bullet” to helping Fife’s town centres.
He added: “I am very supportive of this and it’s a good step forward.
“But I have a feeling that after the six months we will need to be more radical and an element of free parking has to be a part of that.
“There does need to be a recognition though that there are big costs in running and maintaining car parks.
“We have to find money to pay for them so taking all charges off is a non-starter.”