Edinburgh council to designate more official drop-off and parking places for coaches
‘This is looking at how we can manage this important part of the visitor economy in a more efficient way’ - Cllr Stephen Jenkinson
Council chiefs are set to increase the number of official drop-off and parking locations for coaches in and around the centre of Edinburgh.
The move comes after discussions with coach operators, tourism bodies, hoteliers, attractions and heritage groups.
And the council says it is intended to manage "negative impacts" of coaches and support the city's thriving visitor economy, while making life easier for pedestrians on its historic streets.
Currently, the council has a designated coach drop-off and pick-up area at Castle Terrace, where coaches can stay for free a maximum of 30 minutes.
And there is medium-stay parking - for up to nine hours at a cost of £9.80 per hour - at Regent Road and Inverleith Place on weekdays during the day.
But there is currently no designated short-stay or long-stay coach parking, though the council's website directs coach operators to two private long stay coach parks in the city.
The new Coach Plan is due to be published by the end of November. But the potential sites being considered for drop off / pick up and parking include:
Drop-off/pick-up: Chambers Street, Market Street, King’s Stables Road (east), Grassmarket and Jeffrey Street.
Short stay parking: Queen Street, King’s Stables Road (east), London Road.
Medium stay parking: Morrison Link, Torphichen Place, East Fettes Avenue, and Carrington Road.
Transport convener Stephen Jenkinson said the new Coach Plan had looked at where people were accessing the city centre and sought to distribute the coaches in a more efficient way, and avoiding the creation of multiple "coach parks".
He said: “At the moment, a lot of coaches park on Regent Road, so they are out of the way, but that's nowhere near where anybody needs them.
“This is looking at how we can manage this important part of the visitor economy in a more efficient way.”
Coach access from Johnstone Terrace and Lawnmarket has already been removed by the council, as part of work to improve the pedestrian experience of the Royal Mile, and new coach parking facilities provided on Castle Terrace and Regent Road.
A report to the transport and environment committee earlier this year spoke of the “valuable role that coaches play in delivering sustainable mobility for visitors to our city” and said the Coach Plan aimed to manage coach movements and parking better, for the benefit of residents and visitors.
It said: “A number of locations, particularly in the city centre, are currently used informally for coach parking, resulting in negative impacts on other road users. The development and implementation of the Coach Plan seeks to address these issues, including through provision of suitable locations for coach parking.”
An update for this month’s meeting of the committee said the provision of formalised coach drop-off / pick-up and parking areas was expected to result in increased compliance with parking rules.
But it added: “While we will be providing dedicated drop-off and pick up facilities, coaches will continue to be able to pick up and drop off at most locations as they do now. However, the availability of genuine alternatives will allow for targeted management of problem areas.”