The problem with HGVs parking on McDonald Place appears to be no better in 2017 than it was in 2016.
Despite repeated appeals to Council officials, and the intervention of Leith Walk Councillor Nick Gardner, lorries continue to occupy the street and disturb locals as they wait to get into the Batleys yard.
The throb, noise and pollution of idling engines, and the obstruction of private property continue to inconvenience neighbours who simply want a little peace.
One issue is that too many of the lorries are coming at the same time. Three on the street at once is not unusual, and on 22 February two parked side by side blocking access to the end of the cul-de-sac completely.
A second is that they are arriving at the wrong times – sometimes as early as 6am, disturbing would-be sleepers by leaving their engines running.
A third is that Batleys staff have been observed to let lorries into the yard before and after the cash-and-carry’s permitted opening times. This may temporarily alleviate parking congestion on the street, but if anything it encourages rather than deters poor scheduling of deliveries.
A fourth issue is that these cumbersome vehicles are damaging the area – pavements, drain covers and bollards are all suffering.
A fifth is that parking attendants appear unwilling or unable to take action – some have been observed merely walking past the offending vehicles.
In conversation with neighbours, Batleys staff do not accept any responsibility for lorries parked outside their premises. But locals don’t think this is good enough. As one observed recently: ‘This could all be avoided if Batleys Cash & Carry considered their long suffering neighbours, and cut down their daily intake of lorry traffic – from six to eight partially loaded lorries at once every day to four fully loaded lorries properly spaced throughout the day.’
The problems along McDonald St/Place are long-standing, widely acknowledged and should be solvable. Council officials really should take a firmer stance.
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Nicole Roberts Whenever I see idling vehicles (big or small) I simply go up and politely ask them to turn their engine off. Ocassionally you get met with "why should I?" So I kindly explain that it's illegal and a huge disturbance to people. They always turn their engine off after that.
Maybe neighbours could make up a banner to put up on that railing appealing to lorry drivers to be more courteous?
A Council spokesperson responded to our article via Twitter DM on 7 March 2017:
Unfortunately due to the photo we are unable to tell if the vehicle is legally parked or not.
It appears to be on a single yellow line, and if this is the case the single yellow line is only enforceable between 08:30 hours and 17:30 hours Monday to Friday and loading/unloading can be carried out from here during the restricted hours. If part of the vehicle was in the permit bay it would be liable to be issued with a parking ticket. If part of the vehicles are parking in permit bays the resident can advise us if there is a particular part of the day this is happening and we can arrange for Parking Attendants to visit the location.