Drive to hit cycle targets means parking ban stays

Published on Monday 21 February 2011 16:45

A BID to relax parking restrictions to help traders on two busy city streets has been rejected because the move would have had a "negative impact" on cyclists.

&#149 Florist Viv Quate says the parking attendants lie in wait for unwitting customers to enter her shop

Businesses in Bruntsfield Place and Morningside Road had wanted the council to ease regulations which ban motorists stopping outside shops during peak times. But the council rejected the move claiming it would prevent it from hitting ambitious targets to have 15 per cent of journeys by bike in the Capital by 2020.

The area is one of the main arterial routes in and out of the city, but the only one without Greenways which allow buses to pass unhindered by parked cars.As a result, the council banned parking on both streets during the morning and evening rush hour, disappointing shopkeepers who claim they rely on passing trade.

A bid to overturn the measures has now been rejected after councillors agreed that parking and loading would cause additional delays and have a "negative impact on cyclists".

Councillor Mark McInnes, who had attempted to have the rules changed, said: "I'm disappointed by the council's decision. We wanted to free up some of the parking to allow residents to get to the local shops.

"One of the issues is that people park, pay and display and then come back to find they've got a ticket. There's got to be a bit of balance. Yes, it's an arterial route, but there's a significant number of shops that rely on passing trade."

Viv Quate, owner of Honeysuckle florists in Bruntsfield Place, said traders were able to "set their watches" by the parking attendants who arrive during the times the restrictions are in place.

She said: "There's about four of them who just stand outside the shop waiting for easy targets - it does affect your business.

"They hide in the stairwells and wait for the customers to come into the shop."

The council said the width of the roads was "particularly narrow" compared with other arterial routes in the city, meaning parked cars caused obstructions for passing buses and emergency vehicles.

It also noted that parked cars made life more difficult for the city's cyclists. Edinburgh is the only UK city to sign up to the Charter of Brussels, which aims to have 15 per cent of all journeys by bikes within ten years.

A council spokesman said: "The traders have been listened to and there have been compromises made in the past. But to relax the rules to the extent they wanted was something the council could not agree to."

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