Free parking ends next Monday

The city council suspended the enforcement of pay and display parking spaces in March to protect workers and the public from the risk of coronavirus, while helping key workers to make essential journeys.

In line with the Scottish Government’s phased approach to lifting lockdown measures, the reintroduction of pay and display parking enforcement will ‘support the city’s economic recovery by encouraging the turnover of parking spaces and therefore visitors to shops, cafes and restaurants when they reopen’.

The council says it will also be central to a package of measures facilitating safer walking, cycling and wheeling as restrictions are eased, by limiting congestion and obstructions on the road.

This week the council will issue warning flyers, notifying customers on ticketing machines and updating social media to remind drivers that charges will be coming into place in the week leading up to their return.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “This has been an extremely challenging period, and as we begin to emerge from it, we need to adapt the way we manage the city.

“We’re already seeing an increase in traffic on the roads so it’s essential that we respond to this. As businesses begin to reopen, and footfall to certain streets rises, parking enforcement is crucial, not only to encourage a turnover of visitors to shops, restaurants and other businesses, but also to create a safer, more welcoming environment for the many people travelling by foot, bike or wheelchair.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to walk, cycle or travel by public transport while maintaining physical distancing.

“By reintroducing pay and display parking charges we will be able to ensure our streets are obstruction free while also managing demand on some of our busier thoroughfares.”

Dispensation for residents who have a valid residents’ parking permit to park in pay and display parking places in their own zone will continue, helping people who need to work from home.

Drivers will be encouraged to pay for pay and display parking using RingGo and contactless payments to limit the use of cash, though coins will still be accepted by ticket machines.

A series of interventions encouraging people to travel around the city on foot, bike or public transport as restrictions are eased is already underway across the Capital. Changes include temporary segregated cycleways, widened pavements and bus gates and are being delivered using £5m funding from the Scottish Government’s Spaces for People programme, via Sustrans.

The next phase of improvements will focus on the city centre and other town centres across Edinburgh, helping people to visit these areas while maintaining physical distancing, without having to resort to private car use.

Find out more about service changes on the Council website.