Fiona Duff: Parking survey exhausts patience

Council survey has left Fiona Duff exhausted

This week I received an email from the ridiculous council for this great city. They wanted me to help in a survey as to whether or not to charge owners of diesel vehicles more because of the pollution they produce.

There are two things that got me annoyed about this. First someone tootling about in their Golf that they bought believing the lies of Volkswagen that it was an ecological car, should not be persecuted for this.

The number of lorries trundling along my street is unbelievable and they will be producing a heck of a lot more toxic fumes, but are not being made to pay.

One of the reasons that there is so much traffic on our street is due to the traffic changes on Shandwick Place that took place as the tram line was being built.

Many of my neighbours made it virtually their sole purpose in life to hound councillors about the effect this was having on the residents’ lives.

The reaction to this was for a few monitors to be placed in the street to work out how polluted our roads were.

After a few months we were told the results – apparently the air where we live was no worse than that in India Street where there is no through traffic.

If the council really believes this, then why are they now saying that extra traffic is causing pollution? As ever, it is a case of them using damned statistics to suit themselves.

As it happens, neither my husband nor I drive diesel cars, so extra charges wouldn’t apply to us. However, I wonder if this is just another way to try to raise some more revenue to cover the cost of the trams. With the findings of a review of the whole business of implementing that transport system now showing the full culpability of our elected representatives, the whole lot should be fired and their pensions used to cover the costs.

So that’s Edinburgh’s finances sorted out.