Shake-up will put The Mound out of bounds to parked cars

MOTORISTS are to be banned from parking on The Mound every day of the week in a move designed to make journeys easier for bus passengers and cyclists.

Double yellow lines will be painted on the famous street, which will bring an end to the sight of parked cars snaking up the hill on Sundays and at night time.

The change follows a long campaign from cycle pressure group Spokes, alongside complaints from Lothian Buses that vehicles cannot draw in properly to bus stops and struggle to pass each other, resulting in delays.

The ruling Lib Dem/SNP administration at the city council originally proposed painting double yellow lines on just a short stretch at the north end of the Mound, but performed a U-turn under pressure from Green councillors.

A traffic regulation order will now be drawn up to introduce double yellow lines on the full stretch of the street, as well as the north side of neighbouring North Bank Street and the east side of Bank Street – currently only single yellow – right up to the Lawnmarket junction.

Green councillor Steve Burgess said: "This is a small victory for common sense and a small step towards a city that treats all transport users with equal respect.

"A mix of single and double yellow lines would have created a transport hokey-cokey which would have frustrated cyclists and car drivers alike.

"I congratulate Spokes for their persistence on this issue and all the green campaigners who contacted their councillors to persuade them to see how sensible the proposal was.

"Let us hope we can build on this to make Edinburgh truly a place for sustainable transport."

The changes mean there will be no waiting at any time for motorists on The Mound.

Currently, drivers are only prevented from parking on single yellow lines between the hours of 8am and 6.30pm, Monday to Saturday.

City transport leader Phil Wheeler said: "It's important that we balance the needs of all road users and so leaving some spaces for Sunday parking on the Mound was our intention.

"However, the safety of cyclists and clear routes for buses is paramount and so after giving the matter a lot of thought I decided that full-scale double yellow lines along The Mound was the best option."

When first debated at a transport committee meeting, Labour and Tory councillors also opted for double yellow lines along the full stretch of The Mound.

Spokes member Ian Maxwell said: "This is a good step forward for Edinburgh.

"We did a lot of lobbying on this, because if you are going to have a cycle lane – which is part of a national cycling route – it doesn't make sense to have it blocked.

"The Mound is a busy corridor for buses and cyclists, and this means cyclists will now be able to avoid going in and out of parked cars."