Green spaces hit with parking charges
As Edinburgh City Council mulls over spending £3 billion on a tram line, far away on the other side of my part of the city, where a tram will never run, drivers are being hit with new parking charges.
The reservoirs near Bonaly and Balerno are popular with locals all year round who just want a short stroll to enjoy the scenery, but now parking meters have been installed at the car parks, and there was no consultation with local community councillors, and it has come as a surprise to most local people.
The Ringo machines are working, but the charges are not yet legally enforceable, signs have been put up which explain the money is just a “suggested donation” to help fund ranger services and other facilities in the Pentlands Park. But since when was the local authority some sort of charity? Imagine if other charities could turn voluntary donations into a legally backed payment and fine system. But perhaps I shouldn’t put ideas in anyone’s head.
Maybe some locals won’t mind paying more for services they thought were covered by their council tax, but they weren’t asked. So I’m pretty certain the majority will be angry a free facility now comes with penalties while residents elsewhere in the city living outside controlled parking zones can park near their green spaces without penalty.
And no wonder, because it’s really just another revenue raiser which will be lost in the slosh of council budgets and the price of other spending choices the council makes.
Sue Webber is a Scottish Conservative MSP for Lothian