Traffic & Parking Issues in Inverleith

by Pippa Leary
(reprinted from The Inverleith News, Spring 2008)

??Compared to the arrival of residents’ parking in zone N2 last January, the past year seems quiet. However, there have been developments.
Goldenacre, excluded from N2 and suffering considerable parking congestion as a result, was fast tracked into the residents’ parking zone. However the City seemed unable to comprehend the wider lesson: that areas on the edge of an arbitrary boundary will suffer. Now with Zone N3 covering the western edge of the Inverleith area, in force since November, the residents of Arboretum Road and Kinnear Road are experiencing wall to wall commuter parking. There is a stark contrast between the almost empty Inverleith Place west and Kinnear Road, one block to the north. The Society has notified the City about this unacceptable state of affairs and has been informed that the situation will be reassessed, but that the statutory processes that would be required would take ‘upwards of nine months’.

Further developments include revisions to the business parking permits schemes. After only 59 businesses (city-wide) were granted a retail premises permit, eligibility is to be expanded to include non-retailers such as solicitors, dentists, pubs and restaurants, if they can prove running a car is necessary for their work, and the number of permits a business can buy is being doubled to two. These expanded conditions should help small businesses in Inverleith. Take up on trader (workmen) permits has also been slow but the Society is not aware of any proposed changes in this scheme.

In response to residents’ concerns that increasing vibration from traffic in Inverleith Row was causing damage to their houses, the Inverleith Action Group was founded in the summer of 2007. Findings from a neighbourhood questionnaire covering vibration, noise and speed of traffic have been raised with Inverleith councillors, MSP, and officials from the City’s Roads Department. The Action Group is seeking monitoring of the vibration in the road bed caused by traffic.

There have also been some unexpected, ‘locally grown’, developments. Soon after zone N2 came into operation, the RBGE greatly expanded a small car park off Inverleith Place, accessed by Inverleith Avenue South. The Society regrets that there was only limited consultation despite the considerable impact on local residents. More surprisingly, the work (chip surfacing and lighting) was undertaken without planning permission. When applying retrospectively the RBGE stated that the car park was needed for senior staff and visiting international experts. Isn’t this exactly the argument any major institution - banks, insurance companies, universities, hospitals, etc - would cite when applying for a relaxation of the regulations? So why should the case for the RBGE be compelling, especially given the excellent links into town provided by the bus service on Inverleith Row, when it is not compelling for others, the new Royal Infirmary, for instance? The Society would submit that such inconsistent treatment does not enhance the reputation of the City management.

Other locally grown developments include an increased number of applications to create car run-ins or increase the size of existing garden car parking. The Society is always opposed to any measures that undermine the architectural integrity of the buildings of Inverleith.

On the detail level two points may be worth a mention. Firstly, how have permit holders found the allocation of visitor permits? Is the number sufficient? The Society would like to know. Secondly, the City has not yet corrected confusing/inaccurate signage although the Society has informed them of the worst offenders.

As an insight into the bigger traffic picture, according to Outlook, the City’s newsletter, 1 million vehicles enter central Edinburgh every week and 2/3rds of commuters in Scotland travel to work by car or van. We can all understand that some people need their cars for work or live in areas where public transport isn’t a realistic option. For these people long-term paid parking in the expanded CPZ has been provided with a mix of 6 and 9 hour parking bays. Located near Inverleith Park, these all day paid parking bays were initially unused. Now, nine months later, the most westerly slots - closest to Stockbridge - and most easterly slots - closest to the city centre or bus routes - are used consistently. It would appear that commuters are getting used to the idea of paying for parking. Thinking narrowly, this development is useful to Inverleith, as the more income the City receives the less likely it is to raise the charges. Thinking more widely, there could be a range of responses: perhaps it demonstrates how unappealing/impractical public transport is for a sizeable number of commuters? Whatever your feelings, the Society is aware that the vitality of the centre of Edinburgh is supported by a huge number of individual decisions and spending/employment patterns, and commuters become customers for a considerable number of both large and small businesses which we as residents also value. Provided that the local on-street parking regulations give residents a fair stake, the Society is not averse to the excess capacity being used by commuters supporting a viable city centre. The Society does not wish to see any increase in the trend for major businesses to move to the edge of town and central Edinburgh reduced to a tourist location.

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