There were long traffic jams in Aberdeen city centre yesterday after the controversial closure of the straight-ahead lane from Trinity Quay onto Guild Street.
Aberdeen City Council has shut the route, with traffic cones now blocking off the lane.
The change means drivers travelling south-west along Trinity Quay have no choice but to turn left down Market Street towards Torry.
The closure comes at an already-busy time of year on city-centre roads, as shoppers make final preparations for Chrstmas.
The Press and Journal says lengthy queues were reported around the area of the Trinity Quay-Guild Street junction.
Traffic was backed up along Trinity Quay, as well as Regent Quay and Virginia Street. There was also congestion on Market Street.
Bus-priority route
The council decided to close off the straight-ahead lane onto Guild Street in order to create a bus-priority route, as part of upcoming road changes.
These changes also include three more bus gates being installed - at the top of Market Street, the east side of Guild Street, and the top of Bridge Street.
The council aims to reduce the amount of traffic going through the area by stopping the public using Bridge Street, Guild Street (east of Wapping Street) and Market Street (north of Guild Street) as through-routes.
This new bus-priority route was agreed at a full meeting of the council in June.
But, the changes are being brought about through what is called an "experimental traffic regulation order" - a method which Transport Scotland claims is "very rarely used".
Last week, the P&J highlighted the public's feelings over the Guild Street changes.
'Silly' road closures
One person said: "Already put off going into Aberdeen with silly road closures and ridiculous one way or closed-off streets...not great timing either on the run-up to Christmas. Who thinks this through?"
Readers have also been letting their views known online.
One said yesterday: "The council don't have a clue. There will be a worsening of air quality as cars make longer detours and idle in jams. Anyone with half a brain would see this doesn't work.
"This will kill the city-centre traders, but then again the council don't care. Just the latest in a long line of failings."
In November, the P&J revealed the council was launching the roads experiment with no further public consultation, after allowing only a few select organisations to have their say, including the emergency services.
At the time, a spokeswoman said "public engagement will commence once the scheme has been brought into operation".
Access maintained
Once the bus-priority route is in place, the council said access to properties, businesses and the Trinity Centre car park will be maintained via the Denburn and South College Street routes.
A raft of changes to getting about in the city centre are due very soon.
A spokesman for the council said it was expected the new road layout around the Guild Street area will "come into operation next month, weather depending, and there will be updates for the timescale to the public in the new year".