Crucial roadworks to improve an accident blackspot in Crieff will be delayed by at least six months.
The safety measures for the busy Broich Road were due to start in October but have now been pushed back, due to gas pipe repairs.
The £320,000 changes to the junction between Broich Road, Burrell Street and King Street will not take place until March at the earliest to allow gas company SGN to replace old pipes, with this work due to start on Monday for 10 weeks.
BT also plan to use the closure to replace underground cables.
Angry residents want the road safety work to happen first, following an accident almost three years ago in which a double-decker bus hit a local woman, causing life-threatening injuries.
Long-time campaigner and former Crieff Community Council chairman Craig Finlay said: “It is necessary to now call on SGN and BT to postpone their imminent utility replacement work in King Street until after the road improvement work has been carried out.
“Private utility companies’ projects, which are presumably by no means urgent, should never be given priority over works which are deemed necessary for the safety of the greater public.
“I have written to SGN to ask them to halt their plans, and I urge all local representatives to do the same.”
Numerous supermarkets have also sought to move in to Broich Road, with varying degrees of planning permission in place for two sites.
Since the 2015 incident, the only additional safety measures installed have been three plastic bollards.
The future proposals include traffic lights and alterations to road priorities at the junction.
Strathearn councillor Stewart Donaldson acknowledged the gas works are necessary but asked for the order of the five phases to be changed.
“There’s no doubt that the gas work is essential as they are replacing very old pipes but I’m very disappointed by the whole thing because not only has it delayed the safety work by six months, the gas work is happening right in the middle of the touristseason,” he said.
“Further to that, Strathearn councillors were only told two weeks ago and residents and businesses are only being informed now.
“It’s going to cause 10 weeks of disruption so the notice they have given is not good enough.”
A council spokeswoman confirmed the safety improvements are now due to start in March.
“If the junction works were carried out before the gas works, this would require a newly constructed road to be dug up again.,” she said.
“While the junction works could, in theory, be undertaken after the gas works, the council considers that the level of reconstruction work required on the road should be carried out at a time when this will lead to less traffic disruption and also be less likely to be affected by winter weather conditions.”
A spokesman for SGN apologised for any inconvenience caused by the work.
“We understand that people can get frustrated by roadworks.
“However, the new plastic pipe has a minimum lifespan of 80 years which means that when the work is complete, Crieff residents will continue to enjoy the benefits of a safe and reliable gas supply for years to come.”
