Planning a public event

Traffic management and road safety

The Event Organiser should consider if the event will have and impact on road traffic and pedestrians, bus and school transport services, as well as deliveries, bin collections etc. The traffic management requirements for the event to run safely should be clearly presented.

All costs associated with traffic management, including required permits or fees linked to redirecting bus services, should be met by the event organiser unless agreed otherwise through the Safety Advisory Group (SAG).

Download permit application forms

Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders (TTRO)

The Event Organiser must supply all relevant traffic management information in advance of a SAG meeting including the route, dates and times when the event will take place, expected attendance and traffic management plan.

East Lothian Council will need to make a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) for road closures, parking suspensions, one-way traffic, speed limit reductions or Police Control. To arrange these, contact Road Services at eventsroads@eastlothian.gov.uk.The minimum time required to process a TTRO is 6 weeks.

All costs associated with processing a TTRO, including advertising, should be met by the event organiser unless agreed otherwise during the SAG process.

On-street and off-street parking arrangements

The Event Organiser should consider how their event will affect on-street and off-street parking. This should include consideration of parking for vehicles associated with the event organisation, visitor parking, loading and disabled parking. The parking team can be consulted for events with a big impact on parking.

All costs associated with the TTROs required for parking restrictions and the Traffic Management for it to be enforceable should be met by the event organiser unless agreed otherwise through the SAG. Additional parking attendants can be made available during the Event at a pre-agreed cost.

Temporary traffic signs

It may be necessary to provide temporary traffic signs as part of the traffic management for the event. The cost of providing these signs must be met by the Event Organiser. The quantity and location of these must be agreed and approved by ELC Road Services.

Inspection and damage to road surface.

The council may undertake an inspection of an event’s location/ route prior to the event to ensure that the road surface is safe and following the event to ensure there has been no damage to the infrastructure.

Statutory undertakers

The Event Organiser should be aware that Statutory Undertakers / Public Utilities may require to access their apparatus in a case of an emergency. The council will engage with utilities to discuss re-scheduling planned maintenance operations to avoid conflicts with events, however this is at their discretion. The Event Organiser should check if there are planned maintenance operations at the Scottish Road Works Commissioner’s website

Scottish Road Works Online (roadworksscotland.org)

Local bus services

The local bus network is mostly provided by private bus operating companies, and also includes home to school transport. If your event has an extensive impact on any of these, then the Event Organiser will have to liaise with East Lothian Council Transport Services directly at transportservices@eastlothian.gov.uk

The Event Organiser may be required to fund alterations to existing bus routes/timetables or fund alternative provisions for services.

Depending on the scale of the event, a formal Transport Management Plan may need to be prepared and approved by the council. Drop-off and pick-up arrangements for local bus services and private coaches at the event will be subject to approval by the council.