We’ve raised some of our fees and charges in order to prioritise support for our most vulnerable residents, says the City of Edinburgh Council.
COUNCIL STATEMENT:
On 1 April, we will raise on-street parking charges by 20% for all levels except resident permits and town centres. This will raise around £800,000 which will help us to improve roads and transport while keeping costs down for other fees – particularly those which impact older people and those on low incomes.
For instance, we will freeze the cost of day care services and Garden Aid for the elderly and adults with disabilities. We will also keep the costs of burial fees, community alarms and telecare services at their current levels.
The increase in parking charges will also allow us to create a £100,000 fund for community-led cultural projects.
Meanwhile, a ‘Library Fine Amnesty’ period will be put in place to prevent potential barriers to our services. Audiobook and movie rentals plus photocopying costs will be frozen at libraries too.
This will all be possible thanks to the rise in parking fees. A full and accessible list of the new charges will be published soon, or you can view the proposals on pages 24 to 47 of this report agreed by members of the council’s Finance and Resources Committee yesterday (Thursday 30 March).
From Sunday (11 April), Sunday afternoon parking controls will be in place in the city centre (zones 1-4).
These apply every Sunday from 12.30pm to 6.30pm:
all parking places, loading places and single yellow lines in zones 1 to 4 inclusive
all greenway (red line) stopping restrictions, parking places and/or loading places in zones 1 to 4 inclusive
Parking charges and permit controls will apply in all parking places where existing controls are in place on Monday to Saturday.
The usual weekday and Saturday restrictions still apply.
Any existing 24-hour restrictions or parking places, such as double yellow lines, disabled parking places or car club parking places will be unaffected and will continue to operate in the same way.
Why introduce controlled parking?
On Sundays the city centre can be as busy as any other day, but with far fewer parking controls. Managing parking
helps buses and other transport move through the city centre effectively and safely
improves access to the city centre for residents and visitors alike
provides a safer environment for anyone walking, wheeling or cycling.
Issues from not having parking controls include:
congestion caused by cars parked on kerbs, leading to delays to public transport and general traffic
fewer loading opportunities causing delivery problems for shops and businesses
difficulty for pedestrians crossing roads or at places where vehicles park on the footway
difficulty for people with mobility impairments, both those who rely on public transport (access to bus stops is often impeded) and car users (a blue badge confers no meaningful advantage when parking is unrestricted and available spaces are far fewer)
poorer conditions for cycling, with almost all on-road cycle facilities rendered unusable by parked cars
free parking on a first come first served basis means that people commuting by car, for example to work in city centre shops, can occupy street space that could be more effectively used by visitors / customers
no reserved space for residents
Use the city council’s address search or interactive map to find out about Controlled Parking Zones and Priority Parking Areas in Edinburgh.
Sunday parking restrictions in Zones 1 to 4 were approved in February 2020 by the Transport and Environment Committee.
The Royal Commonwealth Pool has unveiled its new car parking system which will go ‘live’, from Monday (19 October).
The system has been installed by innovative parking solutions’ company, Orbility, and will allow for a smoother car-parking experience for customers when using this iconic venue.
Claire Rusack, Manager at the Royal Commonwealth Pool explained: “The lower and upper car park has become busier and busier over the years, which has made it a challenge for our customers to get parked. The situation has been made worse by members of the public and local office workers making use of the facilities when they are not using the facilities.
“As a not-for-profit organisation, Edinburgh Leisure is constantly reinvesting in our venues. The time was right therefore to modernise the car park control system and to introduce a new barrier system with customer charges in both car parks – although for your average visit, customers using the facilities within the Commie, will not be penalised.”
Charges for using the Royal Commonwealth Pool car park will be free for customers for the first 3-hours; £2.00 for 3-4 hours; and £10.00 for 4-hours plus.
Customers who need to pay a charge, can pay at either of the two pay points, located in the main reception area of the Royal Commonwealth Pool, next to the Arena access gate or outside the front entrance door of the Commie. Payment will be by card payment only as Edinburgh Leisure now operates as a cashless operation across all areas.
There will be a free 15-minute grace period to enable customers to drop off and pick-ups to take place.
Claire Rusack said: “The pricing structure has been designed to enable most customers using the Commonwealth Pool to access free parking and those who wish to stay around for longer will need to pay. So effectively, our customers will be able to access 3-hours of free car parking and any time more than this will be chargeable, similar to the system in place at Fountainpark.
The new car parking is simple and easy to use. Welcome hosts on hand to guide any customers through this during the early stages.
On arriving, a customer approaches the car park barrier, where a ticket will be issued. They attend the Royal Commonwealth Pool for their activity. Before leaving, they are required to scan their ticket using one of the five validating machines around the venue.
The validated ticket then needs to be inserted into the payment machines, even if it is within the 3-hour free parking. On leaving, the customer drives to the barrier, which will open automatically using number plate recognition if the ticket has been processed correctly in the pay machines. If a customer forgets to pay or validate their tickets, there will be a contactless payment reader at the exit barrier where they can pay.
During lockdown, The Royal Commonwealth Pool has further invested in its infrastructure with the installation of self-serve access.
Due to COVID-19 implications, the self-serve system has simplified the access for a customer meaning no more delays at reception. Customers with an Edinburgh Leisure card with a ‘contactless’ symbol or an Edinburgh Leisure fob, can simply swipe through the gates to their pre-booked activities. Customers who might not have a card with the contactless symbol, can upgrade for free on their next visit.
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.
NHS staff at the three Scottish hospitals which still demand payment for parking should have their charges waived, the Scottish Conservatives have said.
Workers at the Edinburgh and Glasgow Royal Infirmaries, as well as Ninewells in Dundee, are still charged by private firms for parking there.
At First Minister’s Questions yesterday, shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said those fees should not apply during the coronavirus crisis.
Nicola Sturgeon said she agreed with the sentiments, adding that health secretary Jeane Freeman was looking into alternatives.
The Scottish Conservatives have long campaigned for the parking charges to be refunded to staff and vulnerable patients.
Mr Briggs said, given the sacrifices being made by key health workers, the move had to apply now.
Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said: “NHS staff shouldn’t have to pay to park at work at the best of times.
“But given this crisis, their brave and fundamental role in fighting it, and the advice given in relation to public transport, the message has to be clear.
“All those working at the three hospitals where charges still apply should be able to park there for free. Given the sacrifice they are making on behalf of all of us, that’s the very least they deserve.
“It’s vital we see urgent action now and I’m pleased the First Minister has agreed to take this forward.”
NHS Lothian has ditched plans to raise parking charges at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Parking at the privately-run car parks at Little France were due to be hiked from £7 to £15 A DAY, but heath chiefs have been forced to rethink following complaints from staff.
Car parking charges at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh will now remain at current levels for 2017/2018. In a statement NHS Lothian said:
Increases in the car parking charges had been proposed in line with the contract for the hospital, however, NHS Lothian has agreed with private sector partners that parking charges will not be levied in 2017/18.
The proposal to change parking charges at the hospital had been presented to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Partnership forum as part of a wider review of car parking at the site. However, following subsequent feedback from staff and in response to their concerns, a further extension of the current rates has been agreed.
A formal review of car parking on the hospital site has been agreed and will progress in the coming weeks in agreement with our Staff Partners.
Jim Crombie, Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Lothian said: “We have discussed with staff the proposal to increase parking charges and we have listened to the concerns they have raised. We have fed this back to our private sector partners and have agreed that charges will remain at the current level for this financial year.
“We understand the impact that travel to and from work can have on staff but also the frustration patients and visitors experience when trying to park to attend an appointment or visit a patient. We will use the review to explore these issues in detail.”
NHS Lothian does not own or operate the car park at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. The charges for the car park are set by Consort Healthcare in line with the PFI agreement. The original parking charges were set at £10 a day and were subsequently reduced to £7 a day. The only increase that has been applied to parking charges since the hospital opened was a 2.5% rise in 2011 as a result of the VAT increase.
