7/29/2019 OUT LETTER Cllr L Hinds (SR-537554).pdf

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Gavin Brown, Parking Operations Manager, Services for Communities

Transport, City Chambers, High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1YJ , Tel.0131 469 3780

parkingoperations.customercare@edinburgh.gov.uk

Date 4 March 2013

Your ref

Our ref SR-537554/CM

Councillor L HindsCity of Edinburgh CouncilCity ChambersHigh StreetEdinburghEH1 1YJ

Dear Councillor Hinds

Responsible parking bill

Thank you for your enquiry of 27 February 2013.

In Edinburgh we do experience problems with careless and hazardous parking and wewould welcome changes to legislation to allow us to carry out enforcement actionagainst drivers who park in this manner.

At present Parking Attendants can only enforce pavement parking, double parking orobstructive parking e.g. in front of a dropped kerb, where there are parking restrictions

in place e.g. yellow lines. To introduce yellow line restrictions at all locations or wherefootway parking is inappropriate would be extremely expensive and cause unwantedstreet clutter. In any other circumstances such parking is the responsibility of thePolice. However, the Police can only take action where the vehicle is parkeddangerously or is causing an actual obstruction.

Footway parking and double parking are issues that have come into particular focusand the Council launched a publicity campaign previously in association with Lothianand Borders Police, Scottish Ambulance Service, Lothian and Borders Fire and RescueService and Capability Scotland to try and highlight the problems such inconsiderateparking can cause. The Council has been in discussion with the Scottish Governmentand lobbying groups such as living streets regarding the legislation needed to allowdecriminalised parking enforcement of footway and double parking contraventionsthroughout the city. One of the key aspects of the discussions undertaken has been therequirement to be able to enforce footway and double parking without the need for linesand signs. Legislation is required to allow this type of enforcement and would introducerestrictions similar to those in place in London and those available throughout Englandand Wales under the Traffic Management Act 2004.

7/29/2019 OUT LETTER Cllr L Hinds (SR-537554).pdf

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Until the relevant statutory process has been completed, members of the public shouldcontinue to report any vehicles observed parked causing a hazard, in an unrestrictedstreet, to Lothian and Borders Police.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Gavin BrownParking Operations Manager