Parking woes

Increasingly difficult parking woes have formed a hefty part of my mail-bag in recent weeks ... unfortunately for me, the area of contention is right outside my front door :-(

Regular Council watchers will know that Shandon (where I live) was originally to be zone S5 of the recently extended CPZ - general details here - and specific details about the removal of S5 can be found in this report here.

Well, after a huge number (nearly 2,000 if memory serves me correctly?) of objections to the original traffic order, S5 was removed from the scheme. To be perfectly honest, hindsight should have many of us reflecting on whether that was the right long-term decision? Result today is a lot of pretty indiscriminate parking in parts of Shandon, which is now 'just outside' the new zone.

There is, undoubtedly, a particular problem around Craiglockhart Primary School and the surrounding streets with a serious local worry over child safety being foremost in many residents minds - including myself, as my own son attends that very school!

So, today a whole array of officers (Police, Fire and Council) - who have all been extremely helpful - did a bit of a walking-tour with me around the area and further remedial measures have now been agreed: corner double-yellows, access protection markings, and give-way markings etc.

I do hope these measures will alleviate some of the safety issues, but I'm not so optimistic that the general parking pressures in the local area can be so readily resolved. That, more longer-term solution, may well come at the 6-month review period for the whole scheme ... not now far away, around January/February 2008.