A Perth newsagent claims he has been losing up to £400 a day due to traffic chaos caused by roadworks.
John Tainsh, who owns Tainsh Grocers on Rannoch Road, says gas upgrades on Letham Road have greatly impacted business.
And he fears this will continue with more works in the Letham area scheduled to start next week.
The current set of works began on August 19 and is scheduled to end on Monday.
Perth traffic backed up ‘multiple times a day’
John told The Courier: “The traffic has been getting backed up every day, multiple times a day.
“Sometimes, like the other day, traffic didn’t move for 25 minutes because a bus was on the roundabout, there were some vans parked up and no one could move.
“For a small independent business like myself, it’s been very hurtful.
“We’ve been down between £300 and £400 a day on average the last few weeks.”
Currently, temporary traffic lights operate on Jeanfield Road, Burghmuir Road and Letham Road, with traffic backing up onto Rannoch Road.
From next week, works will be moved to the roundabout and John is concerned it will mean four more weeks of traffic chaos.
The 44-year-old added: “The guys at the site are respectful and doing their best, but I think it could be quicker.
“I know the work needs done, but I think there are ways to minimise the impact for locals.
“I’m hoping they don’t put traffic lights right outside my car park – last time that happened it was carnage.
“On Monday, they start at the roundabout and we’re just going to have to put up with it for another three or four weeks.”
Safety fears as more roadworks planned in Letham
Local resident Donald McKenzie is also frustrated about the works.
The 62-year-old said: “You usually have to wait about 10 minutes to get through the works.
“People are waiting so long they end up doing U-turns which really isn’t safe either.
“They don’t seem to be monitoring the lights either – there was one day they failed and it was total chaos.
“The hospital is just up the road too, so there’s a risk ambulances could get held up.
Another local added: “The traffic is chaos.
“I know this work will be necessary but when I pass there are hardly any workmen there.
“The junction of Letham Road to Rannoch Road is badly clogged up.
“It’s taking around 10-15 minutes to clear this junction with traffic often queueing down Jeanfield Road past the entrance to Perth Royal Infirmary.
“Hopefully, there will be no accidents but, really, the situation is an accident waiting to happen.”
SGN apologises for inconvenience
A Scottish Gas Networks (SGN) spokesperson said: “We’re carrying out essential work to upgrade our gas network in the area.
“This will ensure a safe and reliable gas supply for homes and businesses in the local community for many years to come.
“To help the community understand more about our project, we held a drop-in session on Thursday April 4 at Letham St Mark’s Church.
“We’d welcome anyone who wasn’t able to attend, or who has further questions, to get in touch with our customer service team who will be happy to help.
“We understand this is a busy area and we apologise for the inconvenience road users and businesses are experiencing.
“We do have a compensation scheme available for small businesses who are affected by our works.
“More information can be found here on our website.”
Conversation