CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Have your say on city's Parking Action Plan proposals

(25 posts)
  • Started 8 years ago by crowriver
  • Latest reply from kaputnik

  1. crowriver
    Member

    Have your say on city's Parking Action Plan proposals

    Published Wednesday, 16th September 2015
    The public’s views are sought on a raft of measures aimed to help improve parking in Edinburgh.

    A public consultation is now under way on the draft Parking Action Plan, which is intended to develop a cohesive vision of parking in Edinburgh, encouraging active travel and supporting the city’s economy while safeguarding residents’ spaces.

    Proposals for the plan, approved by the Transport and Environment Committee in August, are based on consultation with the public and take into account the priorities of those living in the city.

    Amongst actions suggested are the roll-out of shared-use parking for permit holders and pay and display customers, visitor permits and the introduction of parking restrictions in the evenings and on Sundays.

    http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/1928/have_your_say_on_citys_parking_action_plan_proposals

    Posted 8 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    "measures aimed to help improve parking in Edinburgh"

    Is that a good idea??

    "take into account the priorities of those living in the city"

    Really? - or just those who own cars??

    Posted 8 years ago #

  3. Klaxon
    Member

    Don't worry about the first page of the survey, they're not asking you to rank the document, just how you rate the paragraph headers. Click boxes and move on. They're all written to be hard to disagree with.

    Lots of opportunity to ask for strong controls lasting into the night and weekends, and write in boxes where you could suggest it extends into [sensitive parking area of your choice] above what is proposed in zones 1-7

    Posted 8 years ago #

  4. crowriver
    Member

    I've filled out the survey. Recommend folk here do likewise. Takes about 15 minutes if you're making "additional comments".

    I argued for extending the Controlled Parking Zone northwards and eastwards to cover Leith Walk, Easter Road, Abbeyhill and Meadowbank. That would make a real difference for active travel and public transport users!

    "Shared use" parking might just cut down on double parking in residential streets. Weekend and evening parking controls definitely a good idea (IMHO). Visitor permits? Bit of a sop to residents and their friends/families, but given the alternative is potential illegal parking...

    Posted 8 years ago #

  5. mgj
    Member

    Is it just me or is 'shared use permit and meter' just encouraging those with cars to use theirs during the day, perhaps in a work car park while someone else uses 'their' bay. The policy intention wasn't clear to me.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  6. Snowy
    Member

    @mgj It's a good point and I think it's come up previously on this forum.

    In my zone, for example, if you're away by 0830 and back after 1730 Mon-Fri then there's no need to pay for a permit. Arguably, an incentive to drive. Indeed, I have several neighbours who commute by car without fail and don't bother with a permit.

    This is rather at odds with the official stated aim that the permit is partly to discourage pollution (cost linked to CO2 output).

    However, if CEC were to include weekends/evenings for the outer zones, a permit would become largely unavoidable for the hardened car commuters. It might positively influence what size of tank they choose to drive 4 miles daily. And if just 10% more were to realise that they could manage without driving that car during the week, even if they still own it...ah, we can dream.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  7. crowriver
    Member

    @snowy, yeah it may be worth arguing for the extension of evening controls to all parts of the CPZ. Also for extending the CPZ outwards...

    Posted 8 years ago #

  8. fimm
    Member

    I haven't read the survey yet, but just wanted to comment on " Visitor permits? Bit of a sop to residents and their friends/families"

    We don't live in a CPZ at the moment. Nor do we own a car, but we do hire one or use a City Car Club car when we want one. If we did live in a CPZ, I assume we would not be able to park close to our flat on the odd occasion we did want to bring a car there - which is likely to be an occasion where we want to put a lot of stuff in it, because we are going on holiday, for example.

    A friend who does live in a CPZ didn't get a permit because they don't own a car either. Then the CPZ expanded and although he tried he couldn't then get a permit (I don't understand why). The consequence is that his rather elderly parents have to get a bus from the nearest place they can legally park their car... (probably a distance you or I would happily walk).

    None of the above is meant to suggest that I am in favour of a parking free-for-all, but merely that there are some "shades of grey" aspects to the discussion.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  9. fimm
    Member

    Does anyone else get "this consultation is currently unavailable"?
    After I'd filled it all in, too...

    Posted 8 years ago #

  10. acsimpson
    Member

    It's worked for me.

    They seem to have forgotten to put a prefer not to say option on the religion question. I'm not sure what my religious beliefs have to do with a survey on parking.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  11. wishicouldgofaster
    Member

    Whilst I usually use my bike I think its a bit poor to be extending parking restrictions like this. Most roads are quieter at the weekend especially in the evening and for me it just looks like a way of making more money.

    The only way I would agree to it was if the bus services were massively improved as lets face it when the bus service is every 30 mins in some places, people will take their cars.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  12. acsimpson
    Member

    I added a comment to say that although restrictions should probably be extended the needs to be an option for variable pricing even going as far as issuing free tickets. I would guess a lot of spaces on a Sunday are currently taken by the time the first shop opens and remain full until the end of the shift. Issuing free tickets would ensure a single car can't take a space for more than the allocated time.

    I wouldn't have an issue with additional revenue coming from an increase in the number of penalty notices being issued.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  13. fimm
    Member

    Went back and found that my answers had been saved so got it submitted this time.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  14. gembo
    Member

    They should charge for parking from 7a.m. To 7pm seven days a week same as the bus lanes in Glasgow. They should do that for the bus lanes here too. Easy to remember 7 7 7

    Posted 8 years ago #

  15. SRD
    Moderator

    @wishicouldgofaster have to disagree. The parking-free for-all on Sundays makes it terribly hard to get around, especially by bike, as streets are narrowed and more pinch points. Particularly bad with kids - like you say, you expect the roads to be quiet, but the parking's a menace.

    One of the reasons the council's proposing this is because of Lothian busses having trouble navigating because of the parking.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  16. Klaxon
    Member

    Indeed, Sunday is a stark reminder of how effective removing parking from the city centre is for the rest of the week.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  17. chdot
    Admin

    http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/transport/parking-for-tradesmen-among-most-expensive-in-uk-1-3891143

    Posted 8 years ago #

  18. crowriver
    Member

    Many trades could get by with a cargo bike instead of the seemingly obligatory white Transit (other commercial utility vans are available).

    Posted 8 years ago #

  19. wishicouldgofaster
    Member

    SRD - wasn't aware that it was as big a problem as you indicated. However I still feel the council have to increase the frequency of buses or it will not reduce the number of cars although it will increase parking revenue. I am still of the opinion the latter is the main reason for it.

    One of course could still argue that its still fair though.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  20. SRD
    Moderator

    @wishicouldgofaster

    I agree that the sunday bus service is a disgrace.

    We are about 6 stops from the usher hall, so taking the bus makes lots of sense. but when we tried that a few sundays ago we came within seconds of missing our concert because the first #10 just never came and the second was running 10 minutes late. no explanations; nothing had broken down, the schedule was just being ignored, and was infrequent enough that this was causing people - not just us - real difficulties.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  21. chdot
    Admin

    "

    @SpokesLothian: .@Edinburgh_CC's #Parking ActionPlan drop-in TODAY 2-5 --> https://t.co/9DEyp3m88y https://t.co/Vqs8DlDNPc @CyclingEdin @AndrewDBurns @edfoc

    "

    Posted 8 years ago #

  22. kaputnik
    Moderator

    We went for a walk yesterday afternoon with the bairn in the buggy. Past Montgomery Street park for some swing and slide action, then down Leith Walk. The "new improved" crossing outside the Kirkgate is a joke of waiting 5 minutes for a 10 second break that doesn't allow you to get across the 2 stages required to get from Leith Walk to Kirkgate.

    However the St. Mary Star of the Sea Chuchyard was open and very lovely with falling leaves and late afternoon sunshine low in the sky. What we noticed was as soon as we got north of Duke Street, the streets seemed very quiet; few parked cars and even fewer driving about. It was quite, quite lovely just to stroll about.

    Returned to reality on Easter Road...

    As for Sunday buses, we are on a busy bus route, but only the 5, 15 and 45 go anywhere but along Princes Street and the latter 2 services don't run on a Sunday. So on a Sunday there's only 2 buses an hour serving anywhere South of Princes Street. Am also always bemused by the poor service that goes past the Botanics.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  23. PS
    Member

    I don't know if they'll care, but I gave them the following parking-related additional comments at the end of the survey:

    Where parking bays are required on streets consideration should be given for how they can used to improve the feel of the street and protect vulnerable users. Reflecting best practice in the most liveable cities in Europe, parking bays should be on the outside of protected bike lanes, which would have the benefit of protecting cyclists from motorised traffic and move noisy/polluting/intimidating traffic further away from pedestrians.
    It would also make for more efficient use of the roadspace - driving down Comiston Road last night there was a 2 or 3 metre wide expanse of tarmac that was unused because cars were parked in the inside lane, meaning that that rest of the lane could not be used. If this tarmac was handed over to a protected bikelane on the inside of the parking then cycling up Comiston Road, which can be an intimidating experience for all but the most confident cyclists, could be an option for everyone.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  24. ARobComp
    Member

    Slightly tongue in cheek but I did fill in the rest honestly.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  25. kaputnik
    Moderator

    There are any other number of parking threads the following pic could go on, but this one will do.

    Next time someone's moaning about parking around tenement land...

    Requirements by andy a, on Flickr

    Modified for Edinburgh off an idea I saw in this tweet; https://twitter.com/urbanthoughts11/status/726872935630299137

    P.S. our tenement isn't even that densely populated, it's only 9 flats + 1 main door. Plenty of tenements have 12, 16 or even more.

    Posted 7 years ago #

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