A leading council official has questioned Transport Scotland after they refused to hand Edinburgh City Council the powers to raise parking fines for the first time in two decades.
Transport and Environment convener, councillor Scott Arthur, has raised concerns that parking enforcement in the city is becoming toothless as the council are denied the ability to increase the amount that drivers pay in fines. He adds that it is actually cheaper to pay a fine in certain parts of the city than to pay to legally park.
Normally, if a driver is fined for not paying to park their vehicle on certain city centre streets, they will be required to pay a fine of £30 (if they pay it at the first request). But a number of streets in Edinburgh have been found to charge more for legally parking cars than the above fine.
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If a motorist decided to legally park their car on George Street, St Andrew’s Square, Charlotte Square, Queen Street, Market Street or St Giles Street for eight hours (a working day) then they would be charged £44.80.
If they were to do the same during designated hours on Stafford Street, Melville Street, Morrison Street, Shandwick Place and East Market Street, then they would be charged £39.20.
Of course repeat offenders and persistent evaders of fines are not entitled to as long grace periods as those classed as low priority. Their vehicles are also more likely to be towed or clamped which leads to higher costs - so it is not advised that drivers build up fines over paying parking charges.
Councillor Arthur also said that the decision not to grant greater fining powers is confusing. He says that a recent Scottish Government consultation showed that 70 per cent of Scottish citizens would welcome a hike in fines, which he claims have not been raised in over 20 years.
He states that the current SNP/Green coalition must act now to ensure that law-abiding citizens are prioritised. He also adds that the excuse of the current cost of living crisis does not make sense due to the period of time that has passed since fines were raised.
Councillor Scott Arthur said: “The cost of parking fines in Scotland has not increased for two decades. It’s now cheaper to accept a fine in some parts of Edinburgh than pay to legally park a vehicle.
“On a daily basis the Council receives complaints about anti-social parking, some of which is delaying buses and the emergency services. A Scottish Government consultation last year found that 70 per cent of ordinary Scots want the level of fines to increase to better reflect the impact of anti-social parking.
“It is therefore disappointing to see that the SNP/Green Government is using the “Cost of Living Crisis” as an excuse for not increasing fines for illegal parking. This is incomprehensible and a massive slap in the face to law abiding motorists, and the many other victims of anti-social parking.
“I view the Scottish Government as a valued partner in our ambition to transform transport in Edinburgh within the context of the climate emergency, so I am particularly disappointed by this decision. Rather than protecting law-breaking motorists from the Cost of Living Crisis, the SNP/Green Government need to think more about the rest of us and how it can help us cut congestion in Edinburgh.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We considered carefully the case for raising penalty charge levels, but also noted that the consultation was conducted before the current cost of living crisis. We will keep this under review, and would welcome further engagement with COSLA on it.
“However, we have listened carefully to local authorities on the need for more powers to cover more parking offences. We are now working on a Scottish version of parking contravention codes, so that pavement parking, dropped kerb parking and double parking are covered to allow local authorities to ticket for these offences.”
You can view the recent road policy consultation here and can also view the rules around fines, towing and clamping here.
You can also see the breakdown in parking charges per zone here.
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