Sightseers parking on a rural Perthshire road could be responsible for a loss of life, it has been claimed.
Locals living in the Glenlyon area fear that an ambulance could be unable to navigate the single track road in an emergency as it is often partially blocked by vehicles.
The increase in traffic over recent years has raised concerns that a serious accident could occur in the rural glen.
Sue Dolan-Betney, of Glen Lyon and Loch Tay community council, said: “The glen is seriously over-trafficked. It’s extremely popular with car, motorbike and cycle rallies – 150 vehicles in a three hour period isn’t unusual.
“All that is mixed in with local traffic, farm traffic, movement of livestock and people trying to go about their daily business in the glen.
“The passing places are inadequate – there are no lay-bys – and most of them are unofficial, they are just where people have habitually gone off the road, and tourists don’t like using them.
“Parking is also grossly inadequate – people come to walk and come to look at sights like the Praying Hands of Mary, which means they have to head into the hills, and there’s nowhere to park. They park at the side of the road and that narrows an already single track road.
“People living in the glen are really concerned about emergency access. If there was an accident on a large scale, or even just somebody having a heart attack, you’ve got to be able to get emergency vehicles in.
“We have the helicopter but very often they need ambulances on the ground and if they can’t get in because of parked cars it could get there too late.”
A spokeswoman for Perth and Kinross Council said they had agreed with the community council to improve signage on the formal passing places.
She said: “We have no plans to construct laybys on the road, and the provision of double yellow lines would require both enforcement and the support of the police, local community and other relevant parties. Such provision could also deter visitors from using this very rural road.
“Roads officers attended the Glenlyon and Loch Tay Community Council meeting on July 22 where the passing places were among the matters discussed.
“At that meeting we agreed to consider both enhancing the signage on the formal passing places and at either end of the glen regarding the single track nature of the road, as well as the potential formalising of other passing places.
“In the meantime, we would ask anyone using the road to park responsibly and not impede other motorists from travelling along it.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “Space on the road can often be limited in rural and remote locations, so we would encourage all motorists to drive safe and be mindful of ambulances responding to emergencies.”
