A group of Lochee shopkeepers has started a petition to try to halt a change to the High Street’s one-way system.
They are worried reversing the direction of traffic will deter shoppers and harm their trade. Dozens of people have backed the protest, which urges the city council to reconsider its plans.
Paul Smith, Granada Cafe owner and traders’ association chairman, said: “The response has been 99% in favour of our proposal not to change the flow of traffic.
“They are spending about a quarter of a million pounds at the top of the High Street, but if they left it as it is they could save that money.
“We are getting taxi drivers, traders and punters all saying what a mess it would be. It is all detrimental to Lochee.
“We want the council to take stock and have a proper look at it once it is done, if it is wrong, it is going to be a disaster.
“As far as businesses go, fewer cars will mean less business. There will be jobs lost and possibly even closure.”
Mr Smith said that although there was a display of the plans in Lochee library, many traders felt the council had not done enough to consult with them.
The city development committee approved the proposals earlier this year as part of the ongoing regeneration of the High Street area.
The idea is that traffic will flow northbound from Burnside Street towards Coupar Angus Road. Currently, a one-way system is in place in the opposite direction.
A signalled junction is also proposed at the junction of Coupar Angus Road and High Street. The change is designed to accommodate Bank Street, a new road being built to connect High Street with the Lochee bypass.
The council’s head of planning, Gregor Hamilton, had told councillors that construction of the one-way Bank Street would form the most important part of the project, which has already seen several properties on the western side of High Street torn down.
Work is under way on a new transport hub in Bank Street and a community park will also be created. However, businesses have complained about recent roadworks that closed part of High Street.
The council has said it has been consulting with interested parties in the area throughout the process and is still doing so.
But Doug McLaren, who runs the Lochee Pop-Up Shop, said he did not think the proposals had been properly explained.
He said: “Nobody really understands what is going on and the implications of it, so we are trying to get the council to delay and consult a bit more widely.
“The petition with traders, taxi drivers and the public is trying to galvanise a bit of opinion. Information is in the library, but the library doesn’t really hack it in terms of people going in.”