'Crazy' disabled parking bay on busy Edinburgh road is 'accident waiting to happen'

Disabled force to park ‘in middle of road’

The bay is several feet from the pavement with a cycle lane between

A DISABLED parking bay painted close to the middle of the road has been labelled “crazy” and an accident waiting to happen.

The bay on Pentland Terrace in Comiston, part of the busy A702 road, is several feet from the pavement with a cycle lane in between.

And this picture shows how close the passing traffic comes to the box marked out on the carriageway.

The arrangement has been put in place as part of the Covid-inspired Spaces for People scheme to make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to get around.

Tory councillor Jason Rust said: “It looks absolutely crazy. It looks as if there is real potential for an accident.

“Anyone getting out of a car parked in this space will be stepping out into a major arterial road in and out of the city.

“Given the whole impetus behind the scheme was meant to be to make our roads safer it seems completely at odds with that.”

The position of the bay prompted lots of comments on social media. On the Our Buckstone-Fairmilehead Facebook page, Amanda Edwards posted: “Car was parked in the disabled space and looked like it was in the middle of the road. Crazy!”

And Jon Armitage said: “Have never seen anything so ludicrous and downright dangerous in all my days.”

Brian Logan, chief executive of disabled charity Capability Scotland, said:

‘While we appreciate the need for these changes to allow for greater social distancing, we would expect disabled road users to be consulted on the siting of disabled parking bays to ensure safety considerations are fully taken into account.

“There seems little point in making pavements Covid-secure at the expense of the road safety of those with disabilities.”

Labour councillor Scott Arthur said he had asked the council to engage with local people and undertake a full safety audit before work started on the measures. “That could only have improved the designs and led to greater public acceptance of the scheme.”

Transport and environment convener Lesley Macinnes said there was more work still to be done on the project.

She said: “We are in the process of installing a segregated cycle lane on Comiston Road and while the lining and markings are largely complete the project is not yet finished.

“We will soon be installing bollards to protect the cycleway and the parking areas. We have made every effort to maintain parking where possible and in this case included the disabled parking bay upon request by a resident.

“The width of the parking bays complies with Edinburgh Street Design Guidance. However, we will be carrying out a road safety audit once the scheme is in place and will consider any changes that may be required.

“We will also be liaising with residents in the coming weeks to understand any concerns around designs which we will look to address.”