'Nuisance' drivers blamed for pavement parking and blocking access 'Extremely frustrating'
Local residents have slammed businesses and even the council for breaking parking rules by blocking pavements across Edinburgh.
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A frustrated pedestrian in the Scottish capital has hit out at local businesses that parked their vehicles on the pavement, blocking access for residents. In pictures posted to social media, two vans belonging to Impact Signs and Scottish Power were parked on the pavement.
Pavement parking has become a hot topic in the capital with many activists and politicians calling for greater enforcement.
Vehicles blocking walkways can be extremely problematic for those with mobility issues as well as members of the public pushing prams or using wheelchairs.
There has also been criticism regarding the lack of enforcement when drivers break the rules in parking in this manner.
The local resident who posted the picture, Lauren, condemned the parking, claiming that pedestrians were forced to walk into the bike lane.
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She said: “More pavement driving and parking at the bottom of Leith Walk, blocking the whole (ridiculously small) pedestrian section. Trams hub on the other side of the road they could use.
“Of course they know they can do this freely, as evidenced by the police car driving past.
“Well it’s a nuisance really. The space is allocated for pedestrians and drivers have no right to use it, especially when they take up most or all of the pedestrian space,” she told Edinburgh Live.
She added that parking on the pavement damages the surfaces, making them uneven for pedestrians and costing money to replace.
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Lauren said the situation could be resolved if the police and Edinburgh City Council would be willing to enforce the rules.
The calls were reiterated by Green councillor Kayleigh O’Neill who described it as “extremely frustrating”.
She added: “Seeing young children having to go round big vans on pavements shouldn’t be the norm in any part of the city.
“I look forward to legislation coming in that will help prevent this but planning for this must start now.”
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Another social media user criticised the council after one of its vans was parked on a public pavement in the south east of the city.
Another image showed a maintenance vehicle blocking Balmwell Terrace for at least an hour.
According to Citizens Advice, it isn't an offence to park on the pavement but is usually an offence to drive on the pavement as well as for a parked car to cause an obstruction to others, for example, by blocking a pathway.
There’s no legal definition of what an obstruction is but, if the police are called, they will decide if the vehicle is blocking the way and can have it removed if the person in charge of it can’t be found.
It advises drivers to report parked vehicles which are causing a problem to the police by calling 101 or contacting their local police station.
There is a legal provision in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 at section 50 that does prohibit parking on the pavement but it is not in force yet.
In England, it is against the law to park on the pavement in London, but nowhere else.
The Government ran a consultation on whether it should be made against the law, but progress has stalled in its rollout.
Express.co.uk have reached out to Edinburgh City Council for a comment.