A Scots man suffering from cerebral palsy has slammed a new traffic scheme in Edinburgh that has made his daily life 'impossible'.
Grant Douglas, 48, relies on his car to travel to the shop to buy necessities but a council Low Traffic Neighbourhood Scheme (LTN) in Corstorphine bans traffic from certain streets at certain times.
The pilot scheme aims to create a "safer and more comfortable street environment for residents to walk, cycle, wheel, and spend time in."
Grant, who has lived in the area for 11 years, struggles to walk and needs his car to travel but due to the LTN bus lane timings, he is forced to stay at home for some parts of the day, Edinburgh Live reports.
The local resident lives on Featherhall Road which has many traffic management systems in place due to a school being right beside his home.
Grant said: "I can’t walk that far and I rely on my car, I can’t get to my closest shops, I can’t get to any shops between Iceland and the roundabout during the hours that the LTN operates. It is too dangerous for me to walk to the shops; I can’t take a left at Featherhall Avenue it is becoming impossible.
“If I want to go to the bank or if I want to meet someone for coffee, I just can’t do it, I can only do it during the times that have been allocated. It is virtually impossible for me to move around.
“I think Edinburgh City Council have totally ignored disabled people in implementing this. They need to put in a system with cameras that will recognise people’s registration numbers so we can pass through without getting fined."
Grant was awarded an MBE Queen Elizabeth II in 2018 for inventing a spoon for people who suffer from hand tremors and works full-time.
Luckily, he knows of the new traffic management system and has not be fined for breaking rules.
Grant added: “Why should I not be able to go out to see my friends or go to a coffee shop?” He finished by saying “it just isn’t fair.” I haven’t had any contact from the council or anybody else, they do not care.”
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “We really want everyone to share in the benefits of Corstorphine Connections, and the changes we’re putting in place are about making it much easier and safer for people of all abilities to walk, wheel, cycle and relax in their local community.
“We’ve retained access for all residents travelling by car too, alongside these changes, so that those who need to can drive to and from their homes. The measures we’re introducing are also helping people who don’t use cars or who would like to travel by other means to do so.
“For example the changes on Kirk Loan were following feedback from people in wheelchairs who previously often couldn’t use the street due to pavement parking. Similarly, we’ve increased seating around the area to provide people with limited mobility with resting places so they can move around more easily.
“Officers spent a great deal of time engaging with people who live in the area when developing this project, and the final layout has built on feedback received. However, we’ll continue to monitor the scheme as part of the Experimental Traffic Regulation (ETRO) process and would welcome any views during the ETRO period. I’d be happy to meet with this resident to discuss his concerns too.”
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