A pledge has been made to minimise traffic chaos in Perth when two huge events are to be held on the same day.
The Fair City is due to host part of the UCI Cycling World Championships in August, dubbed the “biggest single global cycling event in history”.
Planning is in the early stages but it will take place on August 4, the first day of the historic Perth Show.
The Gran Fondo road race, a long-distance, mass-participation event and one of 13 in the competition, will see up to 4,000 people take part, with many more descending on Perth to cheer them on.
It is the first time the city has been asked to host the event.
It will be held on the first of the two-day Perth Show, traditionally held at the South Inch on the first weekend in August.
The show has been running for 160 years, apart from two online alternatives during the coronavirus pandemic, and is a firm favourite in the Perth calendar, attracting up to 20,000 people per year.
But Perth and Kinross Council bosses and show organisers have assured locals and participants both events can run smoothly on the same day.
Robert Gilchrist, chairman of Perthshire Agricultural Society, which organises Perth Show, said they are already in talks with the council about how to mitigate the volume of traffic in the area.
He said: “Perth Show will be staged on the South Inch with parking on the Lesser South Inch as usual.
“The cycling event is centred on the North Inch so hopefully the two events can co-exist and help to make Perth a really vibrant and exciting place to be that weekend.
“Anything that helps attract people to the city has to be encouraged and Perth Show has been doing that successfully for 160 years.
“The opportunity to host this cycling event is another boost for drawing people to Perth.”
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The route for the Gran Fondo is still to be finalised but it is proposed that the race would start and finish at North Inch in Perth and take riders on a route through central and Highland Perthshire..
A council spokesperson said: “Perth Show 2023 is scheduled for August 4 and 5 with the Gran Fondo on the 4th, making this an important weekend for Perth as a visitor destination, and the benefits this brings to the local economy.
“We will be working with the organisers of both events in the months leading up to them, and while planning is at an early stage, we will put in place appropriate traffic management arrangements both to facilitate the Gran Fondo, which will set off from the North Inch, and to accommodate Perth Show at the South Inch.
“It is important to note that the Gran Fondo route has yet to be finalised and the organisers will undertake extensive consultation with affected residents and businesses, prior to the final route being agreed by the council.”
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