CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh

cars parked on double yellow lines

(12 posts)

  1. cc
    Member

    As I cycle through Marchmont to or from work, following roughly
    this route, I can't help noticing that there are usually several cars in Hatton Place parked on double yellow lines. What's more, when I cycle back a few hours later the same cars are often still there.

    They never seem to have parking penalty notices on them.

    What they always do seem to have, though, is a large yellow and white Essential User Parking Permit displayed on the dashboard.

    I'm all for nurses parking in residents' permit spaces if that's what they need to do, but it seems doubtful that these permits were intended to entitle the users to park on double yellow lines for hours.

    What particularly worries me is that the double yellow lines are generally at junctions, and are there for a good reason - to clear the sight lines so that road users can actually see what's happening at the junction before they get there. Letting these be blocked, as the parking wardens seem to be doing, seems to me to be dangerous.

    Is there anywhere else where these Essential User permits seem to let people park cars on double yellow lines, or is it just Hatton Place...?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. Min
    Member

    I must look at the car which is always parked on double yellows at the exit of my street. I have been beginning to wonder if it was immune from ticketing as it is usually parked several feet out from the curb, meaning it is not really parked on double yellows. But maybe the driver is Essential?

    Another driver seemed to gain immunity by parking half on the pavement and half on the cycle lane. They seem to have moved now thankfully. Or sold the car for a bike..

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. SRD
    Moderator

    I've complained about similar - disabled blue badges on corners along Polwarth Gardens - before. regarding blue badges, if there are no little yellow stripes on the kerbs, then they are allowed to park on them. as you say, it is for ages and regularly, not quick stops/loading etc, and it really cuts into visibility.

    you can ask for the little marks to be added. i should, but have not yet found energy.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Come to Argyle Place, or Roseneath, the preferred style is just to park in the middle of the road, and the 41 bus be damned.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. cc
    Member

    @SRD thanks for the idea! Didn't know that.

    @kaputnik - yes indeed: Argyle Place is pretty much next up for me after Hatton Place, and half the time I seem to find myself cycling down the wrong side of the road to get past the double-parked vegetable vans. Hey ho.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. mgj
    Member

    My solution would be for the government to tell all insurers to amend their terms and conditions so that illegally parked cars were not insured.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. alibali
    Member

    Probably not without unintended consequences though. DL/pavement parkers are also "throw open the door without looking" parkers and I would want them to be insured if they did that to a cyclist or pedestrian.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Perhaps they should forfeit their first-party cover and only be insured for any third-party damage they cause then.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. Morningsider
    Member

    The abuse of this system is well known by the Council and NHS Lothian. These permits are designed to allow healthcare workers to visit patients in their own homes in controlled parking areas. They are not meant to be used to provide free parking in central Edinburgh. There is a notional two hour time limit on their use, but I have never heard of this being enforced. There were rumblings about an overhaul of the systenm a few years back, but I don't think it really came to anything.

    You could try raising this with the Council or the Sick Kids (whose staff I imagine are parking in these streets).

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. Nelly
    Member

    cc and kaputnik +1 for your comments, argyle place in particular annoys me.

    I have lived close to both these streets for several years now, both before the Parking Zone, and now with the zoned parking - indeed I am a permit holder.

    Before the CPZ, many people from Sick Kids parked in my (and other) street all day - which is entirely their right, it was an unzoned area.

    As soon as the CPZ came into being, areas close to sick kids - i.e. from my experience chalmers crescent (where my son attended a nursery housed in the german church) became busy with 'essential user' permits.

    Ignoring the rights and wrongs of gaining a permit for parking purposes, you can always complain to the police about double parkign / double yellows on safety grounds.

    I had a mate who lived in Polworth - Watson Crescent and was always being blocked in by double parkers - he reckoned that you have to make a real nuisance of yourself, and then somethign will happen.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I assume you get one of these special parking permits that let you park anywhere you want by pressing the emergency flashers button in the car?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. chdot
    Admin

    "
    BCCletts:
    @John_Lauder Footway parkers have by definition broken the law by driving on the footway. We can use photos for speeding etc why not this?

    Original Tweet: http://twitter.com/BCCletts/status/80246222601981952
    "

    Double parking and pavement parking two areas were Police seem reluctant to act.

    Posted 12 years ago #

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