Transport chiefs accused over clutter of parking zone signs
The Scotsman
BRIAN FERGUSON
CITY COUNCIL REPORTER
bferguson@edinburghnews.com bferguson@edinburghnews.com)
A LEADING heritage body has accused the council of turning city conservation areas into giant "car parks" by going overboard with signs promoting new parking zones.
The Cockburn Association warned places like Hillside, Marchmont and the Grange are being ruined by the number of signs being put up.
They say redundant poles in residential streets are being ignored in favour of a "plethora" of new ones and that the amount of street clutter is ruining the look of some of Edinburgh's most attractive suburbs.
City transport leaders have been asked to call a halt to the erection of further signs until talks are held with the association, which is also angry over the amount of lettering being painted on to road surfaces. Community leaders and councillors said even people who support the extension of Edinburgh's controlled parking zones are upset by the impact it is having on their streets.
The council is extending the zone where its wardens operate as part of the biggest shake-up of parking in the Capital since 1974. It wants to prevent commuters who park in residential areas then catch the bus to the city centre from clogging up streets.
The Evening News revealed in June how the new parking restrictions were being brought in across the city up to five months earlier than planned.
Pay-and-display machines and residents' parking bays will start operating in Hillside, Broughton, Marchmont and the Grange from September 1. A second phase of the £3 million scheme, featuring Marchmont and Inverleith, is expected to be up and running in January, with further areas joining by November next year.
The Cockburn Association supports the parking zone extension - which will see residents charged £80 a year to park outside their homes.
But director Moira Tasker said the group had been inundated with complaints about the placement and design of the signs supporting it. She said: "We are extremely concerned that the city council has not considered the visual impact caused by this plethora of signage in conservation areas. We are also concerned about accessibility issues posed by placing signs and poles on already narrow public pavements.
"We would like a moratorium on the installation of the CPZ signage and road markings before many of the city's most valued conservation areas end up resembling car parks."
Grange councillor Liz O'Malley said: "The council is supposed to be reducing street clutter across the city and this flies in the face of their policies on the issue.
"These are some of the most attractive areas of Edinburgh and it's a real shame that a lot of the goodwill about the parking zone extension is being lost because of this."
Andrew Holmes, the council's director of city development, insisted the council had been seeking permission from individual property owners to use their walls to erect signs. He added: "These signs are a legal requirement.
"Many of the roads in the areas surrounding the existing zone have, effectively, been turned into car parks in recent years reducing the quality of life for local residents.
"The introduction of parking controls in these conservation and other residential areas will reduce the number of cars parked on street by prioritising the needs of local people."
Last updated: 15-Aug-06 11:35 BST
BRIAN FERGUSON
CITY COUNCIL REPORTER
bferguson@edinburghnews.com bferguson@edinburghnews.com)
A LEADING heritage body has accused the council of turning city conservation areas into giant "car parks" by going overboard with signs promoting new parking zones.
The Cockburn Association warned places like Hillside, Marchmont and the Grange are being ruined by the number of signs being put up.
They say redundant poles in residential streets are being ignored in favour of a "plethora" of new ones and that the amount of street clutter is ruining the look of some of Edinburgh's most attractive suburbs.
City transport leaders have been asked to call a halt to the erection of further signs until talks are held with the association, which is also angry over the amount of lettering being painted on to road surfaces. Community leaders and councillors said even people who support the extension of Edinburgh's controlled parking zones are upset by the impact it is having on their streets.
The council is extending the zone where its wardens operate as part of the biggest shake-up of parking in the Capital since 1974. It wants to prevent commuters who park in residential areas then catch the bus to the city centre from clogging up streets.
The Evening News revealed in June how the new parking restrictions were being brought in across the city up to five months earlier than planned.
Pay-and-display machines and residents' parking bays will start operating in Hillside, Broughton, Marchmont and the Grange from September 1. A second phase of the £3 million scheme, featuring Marchmont and Inverleith, is expected to be up and running in January, with further areas joining by November next year.
The Cockburn Association supports the parking zone extension - which will see residents charged £80 a year to park outside their homes.
But director Moira Tasker said the group had been inundated with complaints about the placement and design of the signs supporting it. She said: "We are extremely concerned that the city council has not considered the visual impact caused by this plethora of signage in conservation areas. We are also concerned about accessibility issues posed by placing signs and poles on already narrow public pavements.
"We would like a moratorium on the installation of the CPZ signage and road markings before many of the city's most valued conservation areas end up resembling car parks."
Grange councillor Liz O'Malley said: "The council is supposed to be reducing street clutter across the city and this flies in the face of their policies on the issue.
"These are some of the most attractive areas of Edinburgh and it's a real shame that a lot of the goodwill about the parking zone extension is being lost because of this."
Andrew Holmes, the council's director of city development, insisted the council had been seeking permission from individual property owners to use their walls to erect signs. He added: "These signs are a legal requirement.
"Many of the roads in the areas surrounding the existing zone have, effectively, been turned into car parks in recent years reducing the quality of life for local residents.
"The introduction of parking controls in these conservation and other residential areas will reduce the number of cars parked on street by prioritising the needs of local people."
Last updated: 15-Aug-06 11:35 BST
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