We haven’t got the cash to paint new yellow lines

CASH-strapped council officials admitted they did not have the money to paint yellow lines on a busy street, despite a successful two-year campaign by residents.

Locals in Telford Drive wanted the traffic restrictions to address the issue of motorists using the street as a makeshift car park for the nearby Western General.

But despite going through a lengthy Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process, officials said that there was no cash in the council coffers to paint the lines.

The decision not to carry out the work, which is thought to cost just a few hundred pounds, was today branded “ridiculous”, and has now been reversed.

But it has emerged the lack of funds could affect similar traffic schemes across the Capital.

In an e-mail seen by the Evening News, a roads official admits the council’s city development department does not “have a budget to put yellow lines down”.

He adds: “I have to admit to being very disappointed in this news after all the work involved in getting the Telford Drive area through its legislative process.”

Local councillor Lesley Hinds, who had been fighting the residents’ cause, said: “There’s a real problem with people parking on pavements in the area. It’s not a controlled parking zone and we thought one way of resolving the indiscriminate parking would be to put some yellow lines down.

“Local residents have been in touch with me about it and it’s taken about two years to go through the TRO process.

“Now they’re telling me there’s no money for it – you couldn’t make it up. It seems absolutely ridiculous that after going through this process the work can’t be carried out.”

Under the current TRO process a number of traffic measures are considered at one time, meaning objections to any of them hold up other uncontested pieces of work.

It is understood the lack of funds available to paint yellow lines in Telford Drive could affect similar schemes across the city if roads bosses have not already budgeted for the measures.

A spokeswoman for the city council confirmed the work in Telford Drive would now go ahead. She said: “A Traffic Regulation Order was made today and has now been approved. The yellow lines will be painted in mid-July.”

Last year it emerged that council chiefs in the Capital were set to spend less of their annual budget repairing roads than any other Scottish local authority.

Official figures showed that spending on roads maintenance declined by nearly a quarter – or £4.06 million – in 2020/11.

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