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.