The worst areas in Edinburgh for illegal parking have been highlighted in a new ‘hotspot’ map.
Residents across the Capital have taken to social media to show when cars, vans, and lorries stop in the wrong places - such as the pavement. According to the website, designed by traffic campaigner Edward Tissiman, locals have submitted nearly 1,000 reports of cars parking on pavements, in bus lanes and at taxi ranks.
The 'hotspot' map pin-points the areas in Edinburgh that have had the most reports and Edward is urging people to go to the website to report illegal parking when they see it. He will then use the data to remind police and councillors of the issues facing road users and pedestrians.
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According to the map, Leith Walk, Portobello, Redhall and Craiglockhart is the worst areas for pavement parking. Meanwhile people have reported that double parking is the worst between Easter Road and Leith Walk. The Meadows and Princes Street saw the worst cases of cycle lane parking, as did Oxgangs Road and Leith Walk.
On the website, Edward explained: "There are loads of reasons why rubbish parking is bad for Edinburgh - reduced visibility outside schools, preventing people with disabilities access along pavements and on dropped kerbs, blocking cycle lanes.
"The council's parking attendants are loathe to hunt beyond George Street (rich pickings, I'm sure - a fine is cheaper than parking up there), but bad parking is affecting people across the city.
"Illegal parking is, understandably, low on the policing agenda. That's why I advocate for preventative measures like bollards. I'm aware that they add to street clutter, but so does that HGV on Leith Walk.
"Bear in mind that local businesses do need provision for loading at some points during the day. If you see someone parked in a loading bay (rather than actually shifting goods), please report that as well."
This comes as locals spotted five stationary vehicles of varying shapes and sizes on the well used pedestrian path on Leith Walk.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “It’s extremely disappointing to see so many perceived instances of poor parking being reported through this app.
"Parking restrictions are in place to protect the safety and accessibility for all road users, particularly those who are vulnerable, and it’s downright selfish to flout them. Parking attendants patrol the city daily targeting inconsiderate and illegal parking – more than 6000 parking tickets were issued in the last two weeks alone.
“I’m well aware of parking issues in the city, and we’re working to address this through strategies like the Parking Action Plan and recent changes to policy to strengthen enforcement against persistent offenders. New powers for councils to fine drivers for parking on footpaths, across dropped kerbs and double parking will be key to this, and we have already surveyed every street in the city to understand where the problems are.
"Once regulations are finalised we’re well prepared to ensure they are rapidly implemented. Indeed, I’m going to be writing to the Scottish Government to find out when this will be.
“In the meantime, I would encourage the public to log issues on our online form so that reports are sent in real-time to our enforcement contractor, who will respond as quickly as possible.”
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