Dangerously parked cars near school in Portobello warned they may be towed away

DOZENS of motorists have received warnings over the state of their parking as part of a bid to improve access to busy roads for emergency vehicles.

The parking warnings in Portobello

Cars and vans on Regent Street in Portobello were targeted in a leafleting campaign by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) following concerns over the lack of space for other vehicles on the road.

The notices, which encourage drivers to “think before you park,” were placed on the windshields of vehicles on the street, just yards from the door of Towerbank Primary School.

“Careless or obstructive parking could cost more than money.

“They could cost someone their life.”

Campaigners have previously raised concerns over the prevalence of parked cars on the road and nearby Bath Street.

Locals said they feared fire crews would not be able to access the street if a blaze broke out at a nearby house.

They were also worried about the impact on pedestrians with many of the vehicles parked over pavements, making it near impossible to walk next to the narrow road.

Ian Maxwell, of cycling advocacy group Spokes, said: “I think the fire service have raised concerns over their ability to get an appliance down the street in an emergency.

“We have been concerned about that particular road for a while in terms of pedestrian access as it is difficult to actually use the pavement because of the number of cars parked up on the kerbs.”

“It is frustrating to see that kind of inconsiderate parking which affects both pedestrians and the emergency services.”

Residents have previously called for traffic measures to be put in place to tackle what they described as a “rat run” around the area.

A tweet posted by the Portobello Spokes group yesterday read: “A number of cars have been leafleted by the Scottish Fire Service for dangerous parking – and drivers are also obstructing pavements – preventing access for vulnerable people. Porty should be safe and inclusive for everyone –sadly we have a long way to go.”

“On the rare occasions when our crews are faced with an obstruction they will endeavour to use all alternative routes available to them and where required work with our Police Scotland partners who have the powers to remove any significant obstruction should it impact on our response.”