'Floating' car parking on Edinburgh's Longstone Road puts cart before horse – Steve Cardownie

Even as the consultation period on whether or not the “Spaces for People” traffic infrastructure modifications should be made permanent comes to an end, another measure has attracted some criticism from residents.
Longstone Road has been branded 'dangerous' by local residents.Longstone Road has been branded 'dangerous' by local residents.
Longstone Road has been branded 'dangerous' by local residents.

A “floating” parking bay that forces traffic into the middle of the road has raised safety concerns among road users on Longstone Road.

Commenting on the new layout, one resident complained: “All of a sudden, there’s a car parked in the middle of the road, so you have to swerve to avoid it, and basically, if there’s a bus parked at the bus stop. You’re coming into the flow of traffic coming from the other direction – it’s very dangerous.”

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This prompted the response from Councillor Karen Doran that “we are still in the process of installing this scheme, and as part of this will be moving the central line to allow more space for cars passing the parking bay”.

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So, in recognising that there is a traffic safety issue, she is tacitly admitting that the council is culpable by establishing the “floating” parking bay and her solution is that the central line will be moved “to allow more space for cars passing the parking bay” – which begs the question why this was not done before the parking bay was placed there?

Until such times as the central line is moved, motorists will have to negotiate this council-manufactured chicane, avoiding oncoming traffic, while the council gets around to doing what needs to be done to avoid potential accidents.

Cars and buses, to say nothing about carts and horses!

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