Community council slams Biggest Weekend plans
He continued: “A week passed Monday the council suddenly started dropping off signs saying this road will be closed, plan ahead, but they don’t say when the road is closed.
“How are we meant to plan ahead with no times? It is a total and utter shambles.
“The traffic when it is the game fair or the racecourse days cause a slight inconvenience, but it is never a total closure.
“The diversion from Stormontfield to Bridgend is 15.5 miles rather than the usual four miles. The road is single track with no passing places it is utter incompetence.
“I am totally disgusted in the way it has been handled. I don’t mind road closures, but the fact we have not been told of any of it and the utter lack of consultation, it has been totally mishandled.”
One resident from Stormontfield told the PA he faced a 20 mile round trip just for a pint of milk due to the closures.
A number of roads will be closed on Saturday in Perth city centre as well, including Tay Street, George Street, Bridge Lane and part of the High Street to make way for shuttle buses to and from Scone Palace.
Traders in the city centre have also raised concerns about the closures, saying they will affect business.
However, the city centre road closures may not take place on Friday, as it is understood only around 2000 out of 20,000 tickets have been sold.
A number of roads will have 20mph speed restrictions enforced as the council want to encourage as many people as possible to walk to the site.
Cllr Angus Forbes, convener of environment and infrastructure at the council, said: “We’re delighted and excited to welcome this flagship event to Perth and Kinross. It’s a great chance to show off our city.
“There will be thousands of people travelling to and from the area, so I urge everyone to plan ahead, allow extra time, check road closures and, if you are attending the event, book a car parking or bus ticket early to avoid disruption.
“Alternatively, a 40-minute walk along the beautiful Tay is a healthy and environmentally friendly way to travel.”
Keith NcNamara from the council added: “We would ask people to plan ahead. We would not suggest that people don’t come into Perth that weekend, but they might want to avoid making the journey between 10am and 2pm.
“You can’t have a big event like this and not cause some inconvenience to some people. But you have to balance that against the international exposure that Perth will get from this event, as well as the economic benefits.”
Elsewhere, a table sale to raise money for Guide Dogs in Guildtown Village Hall on Saturday has been cancelled because of the road closures.
Deirdre McVean from the Perth and District branch of Guide Dogs said the BBC Biggest Weekend plans had forced her to call off the charity sale despite her selling the majority of stalls and recruiting a number of volunteers.