Stagecoach has cancelled some buses between Dundee and St Andrews – because services are being held up by roadworks.
The operator has confirmed it has temporarily suspended the 99 service because of hold-ups on the A91 in St Andrews.
Temporary traffic lights on City Road are causing delays entering the town from the Dundee end.
The cancellations do not affect the 99A, 99B, 99C or 99D services.
A spokesperson for Stagecoach East Scotland said: “To assist with mitigating the delays caused by three-way traffic lights at the bottom of City Road, all direct service 99 journeys from St Andrews to Dundee have been removed for the time being.
“However, there is still a regular service between Dundee and St Andrews in operation.
“Service 99A, 99B, 99C and 99D are operating with delays at this time.
⛔ Service Cancellation ⛔
Service 99's (Not A,B,C or D's) are temporarily removed due to the length of delays in St Andrews. Temp lights at the foot of City Road are causing tailbacks to Balgove. pic.twitter.com/xvLnlt9IeX
— Stagecoach East Scotland (@StagecoachEScot) September 24, 2021
“A further update will be issued via our Twitter account @StagecoachEScot, when the direct service 99 journeys are reinstated.”
Fife Council has confirmed the temporary traffic lights are in place due to work being carried out by Scottish Power.
The roadworks, which started on Wednesday, are due to end on Saturday.
‘Essential underground repairs’
A spokesperson for SP Energy Networks said: “We’re sorry for any disruption caused by planned works to complete essential underground repairs in St Andrew’s over the last couple of days.
“These works were necessary for maintaining a secure and resilient power supply for local people and communities and we did everything we could to complete the repairs as safely and as quickly as possible.
“The works have now concluded and we’re in the process of removing the temporary traffic management measures.
“Our thanks to everyone affected for their patience and cooperation.”
A91 regularly sees congestion issues
Jane Ann Liston, a St Andrews councillor, says more people using their cars may be adding to the congestion – and that the A91 is a regular snagging point for traffic.
She said: “This year people seem less willing to use public transport because, thanks to the ‘avoid public transport’ message since last March, they think it is dangerous so they feel safer in their own car.
“The hold-ups are a consequence of St Andrews being entirely dependent upon the road network and the A91, the second-busiest road in Fife – so much so that any hindrance to the traffic flow causes problems.
“Guardbridge, being a junction, is a case in point. Nearly all the traffic which comes in or out of St Andrews passes through Guardbridge.
“The A91 is the main artery feeding traffic into St Andrews so any blockage causes significant delays.
“Even those trying to reach the railway station will have difficulty, as the buses to Leuchars all use the A91.
“A railway line into the town would provide some resilience as an alternative and environmentally friendly alternate way of accessing this most important destination.”
