Edinburgh man fumes as council vans 'take up parking spaces his staff need'

Marek posing next to his van in a car park
-Credit: (Image: Marek Soltysiak)


An Edinburgh man has hit back after spotting council vans 'taking up space' in a car park.

Marek Soltysiak, 46, from Gracemount, owns a repair company and says his employees rely on the public EV chargers at the car park at West Pilton Gardens. However, on Monday evening he noticed vans marked with Edinburgh Council logos parked next to the ports.

He claims the council vehicles were not using the chargers but were taking up space. He said his employees 'had no choice' but to block the vans in while they charged up for the next shift.

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Marek said: "I care about my employees and the environment, we want to do our bit. A lot of my guys live in flats so these chargers are the only ones they can use. Our vans take around four to five hours to fully charge and we do this at night so they are ready for the next day. If we overstay our time then we have to pay £30.

He spotted council vehicles in the car park next to the EV chargers
He spotted council vehicles in the car park next to the EV chargers -Credit:Marek Soltysiak

"But the council parked their vans right next to the EV chargers but aren't using them. They are taking up space my employees need. The cables are long so we are able to stretch them but the car park is busy and we had no choice but to park behind and block the van in to charge ours."

He added: "It's annoying because the council encourages us to be more ecologically friendly, use EV vehicles and then make it difficult for us to actually use them."

Edinburgh Council chiefs said they would remind colleagues to park 'considerately at all times'.

Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “I’m grateful to the resident for highlighting this issue. We've identified the vehicle in question and will remind colleagues of the need to park considerately at all times.”

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