Traders have vented their anger after traffic cones were placed in one of Perth’s main streets.
Business owners claim they have acted as a “deterrent”, putting potential shoppers off coming to the city centre.
The cones were placed along the pavements on George Street on Saturday morning ahead of telecommunications work taking place in the evenings.
Despite the cones being removed on Tuesday, some business owners in Perth feel the whole situation should have been handled better, with Laura Wilson, manager of Whispers of the Past on George Street, claiming the traffic cones acted as a “deterrent” by reducing the number of people parking in the street.
“The traffic cones were put down around 11am on Saturday, when the whole street was filled with them,” she told The Courier.
“I don’t see why the council put them down then as the work didn’t start until Sunday. It is definitely a deterrent as it puts some people off trying to park in George Street.”
She continued: “The work is supposed to take place in the evenings, but I was here one night at 8.30pm and there wasn’t a workman in sight.”
And another trader, who wished to remain anonymous, said he thought the traffic cones should have initially been placed later in the afternoon.
“Surely the cones could be put down around 4pm or 4.30pm if the work is taking place at night,” he said.
“It’s definitely putting a lot of people off parking in George Street and affecting the number of shoppers in the city centre.”
A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council said it was “necessary” to suspend parking bays temporarily on George Street while some of the works were carried out.
This was to ensure that they could be undertaken overnight, as planned, and with “minimal disruption” to residents and businesses.
“We have been advised by the contractor that the rest of the works can be completed without this parking restriction and, therefore, the temporary suspensions have been lifted,” she said.
“The night-time closure of the street will continue to apply for the duration of the works.”