TJ knows I disagree with him on this as an absolute. My road's a case in point. It's not wide enough for two cars if you park properly in the road. Hence there is a convention in the road that we all park on one side, half kerbed. That still leaves space to get past easily on the remaining half a pavement, or you can use the other side for unencumbered access.

The issue here is that there is a school on the road, plus it's a notorious rush hour rat run. On the rare occasions someone does park to TJ's requirements, and you can no longer get two cars past each other, in no time at all oncoming cars start to mount the pavement on the other side so they can keep going. The same 'empty' pavement that the kids and mums in buggies etc. are all using. Some of these **** don't even slow down, mounting one dropped kerb and back off the next so they don't kerb their precious alloys.

There have been several incidents where adults have been clipped by wingmirrors, and a kid clipped and knocked down last year.

Hence, in this case parking on the pavement on one side might be a very minor inconvenience if you are a very wide load – the inconvenience being you need to cross to the other side – but is by far the lesser of two evils. If we started to get ticketed for using common sense it would be a sad day.

Like most traffic issues we need more 'operatives' (police, traffic wardens, whatever) applying common sense rather than sticking blindly to what the rules say. The the rat run chicane dodgers might be the ones being ticketed instead.

Is it illegal to park in cycle lanes? Assume not as I see it done all the time (just a painted white line on the road, not double yellows IIRC).

Sounds like the road should be:

a) made one-way only
b) have actual parking spaces painted on the kerb, if there is in fact space
c) have parking banned on one or both directions

or some combination of the above. If it's not possible to use it effectively in the legal manner, then something's wrong. You can't rely on everyone "knowing the rules" psychically.

Edinburgh is a war zone, what with the predatory "Meanies", tram contractors, cone distributors… hell on earth and I really have sympathy for the chippy trying to go about his trade…..

My only private victory was padlocking my motorbike to the towing point on a BMW parked in a solo motorcycle bay in George St. Left a note on his windscreen which was soon followed by a parking ticket, to be fair….

I love the way councils are trying to remodel their city centres.

It might work in Edinburgh but down the road in Durham etc etc.

No matter how good public transport gets it wont be for another 10yrs or unless we renationalise.

Or Ghost towns.

It sounds worse than it is because people know what to do and even those that don't, they follow the lead (when all the cars are half kerbed only a fool would park out in the road)

But if we suddenly started to get ticketed for pavement parking all of a sudden things would start to go downhill.

We ignore a law because to follow it increases the danger to others. In this case Illegal parking makes life safer for the majority, and occasionally mildly inconvenient for a few.

Hence common sense rather than rigid enforcement is the solution.

Its not about right or wrong, its about how Joe Public feels that the very organisations that are there to serve him, aren't.

And we know you don't own a car, so my assumption (like others) is that you live in a nice little town (somewhere in the Borders?), and walk/cycle to work (public sector, or NGO?). You've no kids, and quite frankly you really don't understand, nor care, about how the rest of us juggle busy lives etc.

And to repeat, we are not talking about parking wherever, we are talking about robbery/fraud, because that is what disproportional really is when it is applied by the state.

The thing is the public wants two things: not to be inconvenienced by bad parking, or have their kids put in danger outside schools etc., and at the same time to be able to park wherever they want, whenever they want. It's hardly a money making scheme if it's entirely voluntary.
£100 is indeed a lot of money but it's pretty easily avoided…

That said, a bit of discretion and sensitivity in dishing out the fines wouldn't go amiss. Everyone can come up with extreme examples about hospitals and emergencies and in cases like that you'd hope wardens/councils would be reasonable but I'd guess those are pretty rare. I've not got too much sympathy otherwise.

What's missing here is a post form someone sympathizing with wardens, saying what a good job they do and how rude people are to them.
I am never rude: I do usually point out however that, if only they had stayed on at school, how different their lives might have been!

TJ; I think you live at The Shore? Last time I did a job there I had to park illegaly to unload my gear; if you were the customer would you be happy to pay the "serve-me-right fine" of £100 for me? There are whole streets up town with only Residents Parking in them (no unloading allowed whatsoever!).
There is a perception that the Council don't give a monkeys' if most of the businesses in Edinburgh go under and with the parking situation along with the ever more fantastic rules and regulations surrounding work premises, Health and Safety, the Embra Tram/vanity Project et.al. It's getting pretty hard to dissagree with it.
I used to think there would be only Tartan Tack Shops, traffic wardens and banks left working in Edinburgh…well better make that just the first two then…

But if you were in one of the multitude of residental streets up the town that have No legal loading bays you would in principle be quite happy with the extra £100 on your joinery bill?

is it really? not unreasonable to go somewhere for 5 mins WIHTOUT having to put and pay for my car into a car park?

think thats a little on the harsh side in my opinion. like i said aslong as its not blocking a road or causing a major distubance apart from the odd cyclist who actually has place because cars would also have to pass by.

i think your bike maybe a little skinner than you think or you have HUGE legs lol haha.

I cycle on pavements when it is safe to do so. So that's OK then?

TJ will put you right in a bit. It's one of those unbreakable laws. Unlike riding through red lights.

Molgrips:-
It's meant to be unpleasant: Just doing your job was not considered an excuse at the Nurenburg Trials IIRC.. (would insert a smiley face here if I hadknew how to do that!)
I am just doing my job, and unlike them I don't get paid if I don't and yes plenty of wardens will cut you some slack but the odd ones are really vindictive and being unpleasant to them stops you from starting something which will only result in the Polis being called..AND it makes you feel better.

TJ, I think you need a week of carrying my tools and materials for me: You do start to notice the extra 50 yards along the road as well as the three flights of stairs with each load you carry.