Fed-up retailers fear traffic chaos in Dunfermline will see shoppers abandon the town never to return.
There has been condemnation of the massive roadworks carried out in advance of a Tesco store being built on the site of the former Thomsons World of Furniture.
The £20 million investment by Tesco will create around 250 jobs to the local area. However, the work has seen the demise of Bruce Street, the closure of an exit from Chalmers Street car park and loss of hundreds of parking spaces.
In all, it has left the town centre gridlocked.
The situation has been exacerbated by the long-term closure of William Street for maintenance and renewal of a gas mains. Now retailers have spoken of their fears for the town if the situation does not improve.
Maggie Mitchell, chief executive of Dunfermline Delivers, said: ”We understand that there has been some necessary disruption to parking and traffic during the first phase of the Tesco development, but the situation that currently exists is a cause for concern.
”Many BID (business improvement district) members are experiencing problems both with the availability of parking and with traffic congestion caused by some of the changes.
”The situation around the Bridge Street car park is posing significant problems at peak hours with the Glen Bridge exit now closed.
”We’re continuing to discuss the issues with Fife Council and Tesco and pressing for solutions that will improve the availability and access to parking in Dunfermline.”
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”With a busy summer ahead we need to ensure that visitors experience Dunfermline at its very best, and being able to find somewhere to park is often where that experience starts.”
She was backed by Jim Thomson, owner of Andrew Thomson Electrical, who said the loss of over 500 parking spaces had had a ”serious impact” on trade.
”The prospect of losing these spaces for up to 18 months if the Tesco project is delayed, combined with the implementation of major road works, is putting shoppers off coming into Dunfermline town centre,” he said.
Pink String and Sealing Wax owner Graham Henderson added: ”The current reduction in spaces and the disruption caused by the Tesco road alterations has without doubt had a detrimental effect on footfall and consequently turnover, especially at the west side of the town centre.
”We are now faced with another north/south road closure for six months which will again hit traders hard.”
Park Music’s Alan Roy believes the biggest problem is that once people decide it is easier to go and park at other shopping locations, it is difficult to win them back.
Tesco was given planning consent from the previous SNP/Lib Dem Fife Council on condition it completed the roadworks ahead of building work on its new store itself.
The former chairman of the City of Dunfermline area committee, Joe Rosiejak, said: ”I sympathise with people, but let’s wait and see and get the roadworks finished and then look at it.”
A spokesman for Tesco added: ”Works of this size and scale will always involve a degree of disruption and we have been working with Fife Council to minimise the impact of the works. We are on track to have the roads completed by the end of June.”
When Tesco opens there will be 550 parking spaces in their car park for use by customers and as general public parking. As part of the sale of the land to Tesco, 300 public parking spaces have to be provided within the site by October 2013.