Use of Temporary Traffic Restriction Orders (TTROs) - Covid

TTROs are used when changes to road use need to be temporarily modified, including to avert danger to the public. The Coronavirus legislation extends the TTRO time period to 18 months and guidance indicates that measures may be taken to facilitate social distancing and active travel, partly due to the advice to avoid public transport.

However, TTROs citing Covid 19 as the rationale are being used to implement radical and experimental traffic schemes, including Low Traffic Networks (LTNs) without the public consultation that would be associated with a regular Traffic Restriction Order, even though the council has stated their intent to make at least one such scheme permanent, with a consultation post-implementation. That community feels that this is both a misuse use of Covid powers and also, importantly, has placed a significant strain on residents, the majority of which feel it will be to their detriment.

So, please would the Scottish Government now review and amend the TTRO guidance and direct councils to go beyond what is strictly necessary in order to prevent the transmission of Covid 19 and, in so doing, help protect the mental health of citizens who are already suffering after 7 months of restrictions?

Why the contribution is important

I have a real concern about the deteriorating welfare and metal health of citizens and ask that we don't limit freedom of movement more than is strictly necessary for prevention of Covid 19 transmission.

Whilst 'active travel' is generally good, it is not a panacea, especially in colder months, with the elderly and disabled being most severely affected by any lack of vehicular access for the normal business of life, including medical needs and social contact. Key workers who can't work from home are also disproportionately disadvantaged. And 18 months is a long time to suffer TTRO restrictions. In terms of health promotion, everyone will wish to minimise risks associated with falling on icy streets in winter, especially when the NHS is not working at full capacity and hospital visits increase Covid infection risk.

Unnecessary traffic restriction measures/TTROs destroy trust in local and central government at a time when we need to promote cooperation. Whilst Spaces for People is well-intentioned, it has perhaps strayed somewhat from its original remit in some cases. Please review and issue new guidance.

by AngBen90 on October 09, 2020 at 10:58AM

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Comments

  • Posted by Kermie101 October 09, 2020 at 20:25

    Totally agree with the final paragraph. Unnecessary use of TTRO and avoiding consultation with those affected is alienatung communities from their elected representatives at a time when unity is needed, not division.

  • Posted by Mariposa14 October 10, 2020 at 11:00

    Completely agree. Forcing through street closures with no consultation is not democratic and is destroying trust in the Council, especially as they are open about the fact that they’ve been considering these plans for a while and their desire to make them permanent. It’s made worse as we’re at a time when we need to keep all access open to allow care workers, home deliveries, emergency services and shielding people to travel safely in private transport. Further we don’t know how long covid will impact and how many will struggle with activity. All of these things are worrying and stressful for the residents the changes are being forced on. Suggest that during a pandemic we should focus on keeping people safe and well and able to go about their daily lives rather than unnecessary vanity projects for the Council, please!

  • Posted by gwenny33 October 10, 2020 at 16:34

    Forcing a road closure under the name of Covid without consultation at this time is complete disbelief and a lack of respect to the community.

  • Posted by Son22 October 11, 2020 at 14:37

    I fully support this idea which is completely relevant on this forum which has been set up to gather ideas on “What will help and support people to live with the adjustments we all have to make to our daily lives, so that we can have as much freedom as possible?”

    The pandemic began in Spring - an unprecedented emergency and rapid responses were needed. It was reasonable that in this great unknown that emergency traffic measures could be needed. But all justifiable ‘emergency’ changes should have been made months ago.

    Now we’re beyond the initial emergency and sadly ‘in for the long haul in the chronic phase’. We’re gaining new insights all the time on the pandemic and long term impacts on how people travel and need to access their homes. Previous assumptions on managing commuter routes need to change as commuting will likely never be the same again.

    This is at the same time as we have increasing mental health issues from the restrictions and financial impacts, and poorer physical health from those facing the long Covid syndrome and those who have been unable to access routine operations to improve their mobility, such as hip and knee replacements. Even worse, there will be a time bomb of those with cancer who were not picked up due to cancelled screening. What ‘active travel’ means for this growing number of people needs to be reconsidered.

    So now is not the time to impose further stress and isolation by treating people as guinea pigs in ‘try and modify’ traffic experiments.

    It might not look it, but those of us on main roads impacted by TTROs are still a community. We need to be able to easily access our own homes now more than ever, and we need our support networks of family, friends, carers and deliveries to access us too.

    It is hugely stressful to be perceived as being so unimportant, that major changes affecting our lives, livelihoods and businesses can be implemented without us even being notified, let alone consulted.

    It also seems to be a publicly stated policy that standard ways of notification (such as public notices on lampposts) cannot be done as they are not ‘Covid-safe’ which may have been the case as we got to grips with the situation in March, but is clearly now no longer the case.

    Ease of access for those who merely pass THROUGH our community on their way to somewhere more important to them, are the priority. Or, in another case, road closures are proposed which will result in thousands of residents being trapped with only one unrestricted point of access.

    And the final straw is that residents’ safety matters so little, these schemes have no proper safety assessment.

    This is dangerous, cruel and completely unnecessary and has no evidenced or measurable impact on Covid disease prevention or response. On their own, these emergency powers are creating a new type of emergency situation, further reducing freedom and isolating residents in their own homes.

    Emergency powers come with huge privilege and responsibility and must only be used with clear purpose and accountability for genuine emergencies only, with no scope creep on the definition of ‘emergency’.

  • Posted by Susanna123 October 11, 2020 at 20:54

    Agree entirely with this post - and Fully support this idea And the need for Scottish Government to review. As a home owner and resident of Lanark Road I feel our needs are being entirely disregarded and The objections I and others have raised So far are being inadequately responded to by organisations sending standard responses to genuine concerns and without evidence, measurable impact or feasibility studies and zero consultation with many user groups directly affected by these proposed changes - which have nothing to do with covid, therefore feels unjust measures are being pushed through as an emergency response. I urge our government to investigate.

  • Posted by jocar October 11, 2020 at 21:22

    I completely agree with this point. I’m horrified that the Council can push this through with no regard to what the residents think or feel. At a time when we’re all very stressed and dealing with so much change already, I think to add this additional anxiety is unhelpful and unreasonable.

    I fail to understand, and no one from the council has been able to adequately explain to me, how the proposed measures on Lanark Road will actually benefit anyone.

    Eighteen months is a very long time and my worry is that the ‘temporary’ measures will be deemed to have been agreed and therefore will become permanent. I thought we lived in a democracy- these emergency TTRO’s with no consultation don’t feel terribly democratic.

  • Posted by AmyM October 11, 2020 at 21:26

    I agree with this. I find it disgraceful that these so called emergency measures can be sneaked through without consultation of the residents that are directly affected on a daily basis. Even if there is a consultation after the initial 18 months, I fear that local councils will disregard any objections on the basis that we will have had to live with these changes for 18 months already.
    A lot of these measures are ignoring the safety of pedestrians, especially the elderly, the disabled and the youngest members of our society at the expense of the healthy.

  • Posted by dtr2000 October 11, 2020 at 21:35

     The lack of consultation and the disproportionate impact of certain proposed measures in edinburgh is shocking.
     
    If these proposals go ahead they will create congestion, introduce new road-traffic hazards and will inconvenience hundreds of residents and Council Tax payers, including many who are now forced to work from home, or need to rely more heavily on delivery services as they negotiate the COVID pandemic.

  • Posted by RobinKilpatrick October 11, 2020 at 21:57

    Unbelievable that this is being pushed through withou consultation during an already stressful time.
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