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A brazen Royal Mail driver blocked off a designated Spaces for People zone in Edinburgh’s city centre this week.
A member of the public snapped a picture of the van parked inside a row of bollards outside the Post Office on Forrest Road. The photograph, which shows a police van driving past the scene, was taken on Tuesday afternoon.
The stretch of road in question to subject to some parking patrols, with areas for loading and unloading available at off-peak times on the other side of the road. Police Scotland have the powers to take action if they feel the parking is dangerous or causes an obstruction.
Edinburgh Live reported this week how a resident of the city was raging after they spotted two drivers parked in footpaths widened as part of the Spaces for People scheme.
The scheme was rolled out in April last year in the wake of the pandemic, with pavements widened for pedestrians. The aim was to provide safe options for essential journeys.
There have been some issues with drivers not following the rules, and ignoring road closures.
Police have previously taken action against those ignoring the restrictions, and officers have even been stationed in parts of the city to support the rollout of the scheme.
The council are looking to make the programme permanent, despite some opposition from residents. A petition to stop this from happening was even launched earlier this year.
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Royal Mail have been contacted for comment in relation to yesterday’s incident.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “These measures have been developed to provide safe, accessible spaces for people to make essential journeys by foot, bike or wheelchair so it’s extremely selfish for anyone to knowingly block these areas.
“Thoughtless actions like this put vulnerable road users in danger by forcing them into the general traffic for the sake of other’s convenience. We have made every effort to provide parking and loading as part of these schemes, where possible, and we would expect responsible drivers to make use of this when needed.”
Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “Our parking wardens are patrolling the city to tackle irresponsible parking like this, and we’re working with Police Scotland, who are enforcing against dangerous obstructions.
“However, I would also urge drivers to think about their actions before putting pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users at risk by abusing Spaces for People measures.”
