New Scotland wide parking legislation means that councils now have powers to enforce incorrect parking, including
- parking on pavements
- double parking
- parking at crossing points
- parking on verges, which lie between roads and pavements.
The new rules came into force on 11 December 2023. A national parking campaign has been in place to raise awareness of the new rules.
We began enforcing these rules in Edinburgh on Monday 29 January 2024.
Why we’re introducing new rules
The new rules will make it safer for pedestrians and road users.
Parking on pavements
- prevents people from walking safely down streets and around their neighbourhood
- can also be hazardous for people with disabilities or those pushing prams or buggies
- damages pavements, which are expensive to repair and become a trip hazard for everyone.
Double parking
- can make it dangerous for vulnerable people to cross the road safely
- prevents people in wheelchairs from crossing the road where vehicles are parked next to dropped kerbs
- can prevent communal bins from being emptied.
Parking attendants will have powers to issue penalty charge notices (parking tickets) to vehicles parked on pavements, some verges, at crossing points or double parked. A parking ticket will be issued at the national level of £100 but reduced to £50 if paid within the first 14 days. This follows a similar process to existing parking tickets issued in Edinburgh.
Survey and enforcement
We have surveyed more than 5,000 roads across Edinburgh to prepare for the new powers coming into effect. A small number of streets were identified where significant pavement parking was taking place and we wrote to residents and businesses in these streets to make them aware of the new rules coming into effect. There are roads where parking displacement or other traffic management problems may arise due to the introduction of the pavement parking ban.
A report on the results of the survey findings and proposals for the introduction of the new parking rules in Edinburgh was submitted to committee in November 2023.
Read the November 2023 Transport and Environment committee report
You can also find the full report and read further details on your ward about the introduction of the new rules in your area and to see if your street may be affected.
Download the footway parking report
The Council has decided that there will be no exemptions to allow anyone to park on pavements or footways in the city. We sent a letter to residents in streets where pavement parking was identified, making them aware of the changes and asking them to park their vehicles safely. We will monitor the impact of the new parking rules over the coming months and find out if any mitigation measures are needed. There are some exceptions to the regulations within the law where we will be unable to enforce against, but these do not apply where there are existing parking controls and mainly relate to emergency service vehicles.
Reporting
You can report incorrect parking on footways, double parking and parking at dropped crossings using our report incorrectly parked vehicles online form. Enforcement of the new rules started on Monday 29 January 2024. We will review every report, but we may not always be able to attend every street where incorrect parking is reported.
Portobello
To ensure access is maintained for refuse collection and emergency service vehicles, we're introducing additional double yellow lines in Regent Street and Marlborough Street. This will prevent vehicles parking opposite each other either side of these streets allowing vehicles to pass safely. You can view the Portobello plans to find out the locations of the new restrictions.
More information
More information can be found about the new rules on our frequently asked questions page and the Road Safety Scotland website has more details about the publicity campaign.
