Is this Scotland's most confusing street parking?

Iain Robertson said the parking charges around the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh were confusing

Drivers have criticised the "illogical" rules on an Edinburgh street where it can cost twice as much to park on different sides of the road.

One driver said he ended up with a fine because the parking charges were so confusing in the streets around the city's famous Royal Botanic Garden.

Iain Robertson described it as "a crazy set-up" after being hit with a penalty notice.

There are four different sets of parking charges on two streets in the Inverleith suburb of the city.

The City of Edinburgh Council has encouraged drivers to check the signs when parking.

The complaints centre on Arboretum Place, where you would be charged £6.50 to park for six hours on part of the street - but it would cost £15 for the same length of time in other sections.

Mr Robertson used the parking machine in the foreground, which was opposite his car, instead of the one on the same side of the road

On one side it is possible to park for up to six hours, at a cost of £2.50 an hour.

On the other side there are cheaper sections where you can park for up to nine hours. The charges there are £1 for up to one hour, £2 for two hours and then £6.50 for up to nine hours.

But on that side, there are also parts of the street where the six-hour rules applies, with the higher charges.

There are more than 20 parking signs in Arboretum Place, some of which direct motorists to cross the road to pay.

And if you then go round the corner into Inverleith Place, two other different sets of charges are in force.

There are also different parking charges on the same sides of Arboretum Place

There is a bus parking bay that charges £5.50 per hour, up to a maximum of 10 hours.

But on the other side of the road is a four-hour parking bay which charges £2.50 an hour.

However, the nearest parking machine is on the same side as the bus parking bay, which dispenses tickets costing £5.50 an hour.

Iain Robertson, 65, from Bonnyrigg, said he was "very annoyed" to get a fine after parking in Arboretum Place while visiting the garden with his wife, Anne, on Friday.

He had paid at a parking machine on the opposite side of the street because the one on his side was busy.

He now knows that he had parked in the six-hour section but had paid at the machine which issues tickets for the nine-hour parking bays.

Mr Robertson said he had been "very confused" to discover the parking fine when the couple returned to their car, and questioned a passing parking warden.

One sign, further along from where Iain Robertson parked, tells motorists to cross the road to pay

"He pointed out I must have paid at a machine on the wrong side of the road and said a lot of people had complained.

"He said it was a real hassle for him but he was just following the council's rules.

"It's insane and seems very odd. It's illogical and appears almost as if the council is trying to catch people out. Why are they trying to confuse people?"

He said the council should explain why there were different prices for different parts of the street.

Debbie Irvine, 54, who has lived in Inverleith for 11 years, said she had not known that there were different charges on each side of Arboretum Place.

She told BBC Scotland: "It's ludicrous and I think it's a real cheek."

Debbie Irvine was shocked that she had paid double the charge on the other side of Arboretum Place

She had taken her car and parked in the street because she is unable to walk far following a knee operation.

"I've just paid £1.35 for 30 minutes and now I see if I had parked on the other side of the road it would have cost me 60p," she said.

After checking the prices on the Ringo app on her phone, she discovered that six hours on her side of the road would cost £9 more than on the other side of the street.

"What are we paying two-and-a-half times more for on this side of the road? Cutting the hedge?" she asked.

A City of Edinburgh Council spokeswoman said: "As is the case on many streets across the city, there can be different types of parking bays, with different charging structures.

"There are signs indicating the relevant ticket machines and we would encourage drivers to check these when parking.

"Anyone can contact the council directly if they have concerns about a parking ticket being issued."