City should be commended for introducing pavement parking ban - Steve Cardownie

Last Monday Edinburgh became the first local authority out of the 32 in Scotland to enforce a new ban on pavement parking – and not a day too soon.

Edinburgh is now enforcing the pavement parking ban

Parking on pavements, pedestrian crossing points and on verges between roads and pavements is now prohibited, as is double parking. Penalties of £100 will be imposed although, if the fine is paid within 14 days it will be reduced to £50. A recent council survey demonstrated that 68 per cent of respondents were in favour of such a ban which comes as no surprise to me.

When I was a councillor in Leith I was regularly contacted by residents registering complaints about being forced to walk on extremely busy roads due to vehicles being parked on pavements. One woman had a narrow escape when she and her infant child, who was in a buggy, had to step onto the road to get past a car which was blocking the pavement and narrowly missed being hit by a van.

Another was almost a victim of an accident when she was forced onto the road when pushing her elderly mother in a wheelchair.

If the ban means that some drivers will face the inconvenience of parking further afield then so be it. The safety of pedestrians has to come first particularly if young children are forced to take the risk of walking alongside busy traffic.

Other local authorities will no doubt take a keen interest in the application of the new rules and their effect on the city and it won’t be too long before others follow suit. Edinburgh Council has taken this necessary step and should be commended for it.