Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden: Disabled campaigner urges blue badge holders to attend meeting

Disabled campaigner Hugh Munro is inviting blue badge holders who enjoy visiting Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden to attend a meeting next week with council chiefs over parking spaces.

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Blue badge parking provision was removed from the semi-circle in front of the Botanics' west gate on Arboretum Place and the area blocked off with bollards as part of a Spaces for People scheme.

And under council plans it would not be restored when the area is revamped as a pedestrian zone.

Hugh Munro staged a demonstration to show how difficult it is to use the new spaces.

But Mr Munro says the replacement blue badge parking spaces on the main road are too far away and inappropriate because they mean disabled drivers having to get out into busy traffic.

He staged a demonstration to show how difficult it was to use the new spaces, especially if you need to use crutches and then transfer to a disability scooter.

He is calling on the council to restore disabled parking in the west gate semi-circle and a matching one on the other side of the road at the entrance to Inverleith Park.

Mr Munro said transport convener Lesley Macinnes has promised to go with officials to a meeting at the Botanics west gate on Tuesday at 10am.

The semi-circle was blocked off with bollards under Spaces for People. Image: Google Streetview

And he hopes any blue badge holder who enjoys visiting the garden and is available will attend.

“I’m saying to anyone with a blue badge who's free, ‘Come along and listen’.

“I'm doing it on behalf of blue badge people so if they want to come along I think it's only fair they come and listen to what the council says.

"It might make the council realise it's not just one or two of us, there are a lot of people concerned about this.”

He has also issued an open invitation to all councillors and hopes representatives will be there from Edinburgh Disabled Access Panel and the online access review site Euan's Guide.

It is understood the council plans to put forward revised proposals for parking arrangements.

But Mr Munro is sceptical about whether they will meet the problems he has highlighted.

“We really need to have a decent number of cars able to park in both these crescents,” he said. "The Botanics are a national attraction and people come from well outside Edinburgh to visit them. What sort of welcome is it if they drive from a distance and then find they have nowhere practical to park?”

Mr Munro’s criticism of the Botanics parking is echoed by a review on Euan’s Guide, which summarises the situation: “Disabled parking changes are dreadful.”

The reviewer writes: “After a year of self-isolating, I booked a slot to visit the Botanics to try and lift my flagging spirits. Where I used to feel safe parking in the half moon at the West Gate, the disabled bays are now along the road with a deep camber meaning the only option is to get out of car with door wide open to oncoming traffic, try to precariously balance at rear of car while getting chair out then go back into traffic to get assistance dog out.

"The Botanics were a haven but the city council designated parking has ruined it for me.”

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