A garage owner in Leith has been left scratching his head after Edinburgh City Council placed permit parking bays in front of the entrance to his business.
Robert Doig, 36, who took over Doig Motor Engineers on Couper Street from his father four years ago, says that council contractors turned up outside of his garage on Tuesday May 9 to paint the permit holder lines slap bang in the middle of the entrance to the building.
The parking bays are part of new road changes in the area that are set to become live next month to "protect residents' parking."
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The business owner informed the workmen how this would impact his ability to trade - potentially blocking the entrance and shutting him down for the day if a driver parked there.
He says they sympathised with him but when their boss came to the site he allegedly told Robert that he would just have to buy a permit and park his own car there to guarantee access.
Under the current plans, Robert argues that a permit holder could park in front of his business which would block access and lead to his business having to close until the car was moved.
But the council have said that the parking bays outside of his garage were always intended to be used by Doig Motor Engineers but that Robert would still have to pay for a permit in order to use them.
“We have been here forever, my dad owned the business for around 30 years before I took over four years ago," Robert said.
“The street was listed for potential permits back in 2021 but that was the last notification that I can remember receiving before they came in.
“The workers began showing up on Tuesday morning and began putting cones around the cars. I went out and asked them what was going on and they told me that permit holder bays were being put in.
“I asked them how that was supposed to work as they were essentially blocking off my business by putting the spaces right in front of our entrance.
“I told them that this was ridiculous, and to be fair to the workers they sympathised with me, and called for their boss to come down.
“He basically said that there was nothing that he could do and that the bays would have to go there as that is what was in the plans.
“We need 24 hours access to this place and I tried to get this across to him but he just told me tough luck and that they would be finishing the bays off.”
Robert said that the council’s plans are "ridiculous" and that he was extremely frustrated by the bays being put in place.
He added that one of the solutions they offered would be to place single yellow lines over his business entrance but this would mean that cars could park outside of the garage on Sundays which would block access to the workshop.
Another option was to turn the bays into garage parking bays that he would have to apply to use and pay through the nose for it.
He explained that it was never put to him that the bays were initially put there for the sole use of his business.
“They have put double yellow lines in front of the bike storage and a bin shed but have felt it is appropriate to put parking bays in front of my business blocking the entrance.
“The impact of this could be catastrophic as if someone parks outside we are unable to open for the day. If we are busy we can have 15 cars needing access to the garage and the solutions they have offered are just ridiculous.
“Residents are also unhappy as the street is losing around eight spaces with the changes that are coming in. We had a great relationship with our neighbours where we would all accommodate each other's needs on the street.
“I feel like I have been passed from pillar to post with the council and that they are not addressing my concerns. I have no idea what is going on and other garages in the area are worrying about whether this will happen to them.”
Chas Booth, who is the local green councillor for Leith, and the area, said that the issue has to be rectified before the parking zone goes live next month.
He said: “Clearly something has gone badly wrong here, and the council should apologise and put it right as soon as possible.
“If these new parking bays aren’t changed before the parking restrictions ‘go live’ next month then they could have a devastating impact on this family business.
“I have asked council parking officers to investigate what has gone wrong and suggest a solution, and I’ve also been to speak to the business to hear their concerns first hand.”
He continued: “Unfortunately this is not the only error in the roll-out of the controlled parking zone (CPZ) in Leith.
“While I strongly support the principle of the CPZ extension, it is essential the council gets the details right, and in too many places around Leith they have got it wrong.
“The council needs to ensure they learn the lessons from their mistakes, and don’t repeat them for any future CPZ extensions.”
Councillor Scott Arthur, transport and environment convener, said the new bays were designed to tackle commuter parking. He added: “New parking restrictions being introduced to some streets in Leith have been designed to protect residents’ parking.
"On Couper Street two permit spaces intended as garage service bays were implemented so that customers of Doig Motor Engineers can access the business more easily. When advertised 19 months ago this layout received no objections.
“Ultimately, these controls aim to address issues like commuter parking, which people across the city have told us is a problem in their neighbourhoods.
"As part of our Strategic Parking Review officers have spent a great deal of time speaking to residents and gathering information on each area.
“Once in place, they’ll also be monitoring the impact of the changes to make sure they work for everyone. We’ll also be writing to residents and businesses to keep them up to date on when the changes come into force.”
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