Claims Cross Tay Link Road will lead to rural rat runs and turn Fair City ‘into a ghost town’

Residents in rural Perthshire are demanding a rethink on the Cross Tay Link Road, claiming it will no longer be needed in a post-Covid world.

Perth and Kinross Council will decide next week whether or not to push ahead with the flagship scheme which aims to reduce city centre congestion by building a new road and bridge between the A9 and A94.

Council leader Murray Lyle argued this week the long-awaited project is vital for Perth’s future and could unlock nearly £1 billion of private investment.

But people living on the edge of the £118 million development fear it will create “rat runs” through quiet country roads and villages.

There are also worries it will drive away traffic from Perth city centre,

“We are concerned that... Perth is emptying out. GRAHAM NICHOLSON

turning it into a “ghost town”. Local residents stepped out in Rait yesterday to show the strength of feeling against the scheme. They held a banner reading: “Stop CTLR: Causes Traffic for Local Roads.”

Graham Nicholson, vice-chairman of Rait Community Association and head of the Braes of the Carse Conversation Group, said: “We think this is a road to nowhere, it’s not even a full ring-road.

“We expect that any traffic coming from the A9, heading to the A90 east, will be sent by Sat Nav through smaller country roads.”

He said: “We are also concerned that, because of changes in shopping patterns largely as a result of lockdown, Perth is emptying out and becoming a ghost town.

“The Cross Tay Link Road will make it even quieter, and encourage traffic to bypass it even further.”