An Edinburgh daughter claims she is unable to see her sick mother quickly due to the 'state of the roads' between their homes.
Ruth Caldwell says her 87-year-old mother, Doris Caldwell, who suffers from dementia, relies upon her help to get around.
The 55-year-old social work manager says she is she is concerned that if her mum had a fall she would not be able to reach her.
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When Ruth moved back to Edinburgh to help care for her parents several years ago, she says that the journey from her home on Drum Brae North to her mother’s in Forrester used to be around ten minutes during rush hour.
However she says that same journey now takes her from 35-40 minutes to complete due to the congestion caused by Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) schemes and roadworks.
“I work in Dunfermline and it takes me fifteen minutes to get there from my house on Drum Brae North,” she said.
“After work I go to my mums to check she is ok as she has dementia, I get her things like food and medication whenever she needs it.
“The other day it took me 35-40 minutes to get from my home to her house in Forrester’s, a journey that would only take five to 10 minutes around five, six years ago before the cycle lanes and other changes.
“The journey has started giving me palpitations with the stress as I want to be able to get to my mum quickly if something were to happen to her.
“We moved back to Edinburgh years ago to be closer to my mum and dad but the traffic now at rush hours is horrendous, the roadworks combined with the LTNs are making it impossible.
“The roads now are just horrendous. You can’t go up or down certain roads and the other day I was stuck on Station Road which made my mum really anxious.
“My mum’s 95-year-old friend said to me the other day that she did not know changes had come into place and that she ended up trying to go through Manse Road which was really confusing for her.
“I used to work in social care for the council and I feel for the full time carers as they get 15 minutes per client.
“If they have a client in Corstorphine and another elsewhere then how are they supposed to get to them?
“I just think we are creating a society where it is ok if you can walk or cycle but you are damned if you cannot.”
Ruth also complained that the council appears to be trying to drive cars off the road but that she feels as though the current public transport system is not fit for purpose.
She said she used to be able to get a 32 bus to her mothers house but that all services from her road going over the Drum Brae hill have been ended.
“Cycling seems to be the only way you can get around now, which is only good if you are physically able to cycle,” she added.
“There is a high percentage of people in our community who are elderly or have mobility issues and they rely on cars to get around.
“A lot of elderly people in Corstorphine and the surrounding areas rely on their children to be able to get out to them quickly.
“But living here you do not know which roads you can go through and St John’s Road is seeing everyone being piled through there despite it already being one of the most congested roads in Edinburgh.
“They are putting cycle lanes up everywhere and the roadworks throughout Drum Brae and Corstorphine are getting worse - there is no way of getting out of it.
“We moved back from West Lothian to be closer to my mum and dad when dad was diagnosed with cancer.
“Before we could get to them in five minutes if they had an issue but now if my mum falls I have no idea how long it would take.
“I don’t know how much people can take. It is making us think that we will move out of Edinburgh after my mum passes.
“It is insane.”
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