Selfish motorists are putting lives at risk through “indiscriminate” parking, it has been claimed.
People leaving their vehicles in the Muirton Bank area have caused problems for residents, and blocked roads completely on at least one occasion.
A picture sent to The Courier by a concerned resident shows parked cars blocking the narrow Muirton Bank road.
The man who did not want to be identified said some of the vehicles left on Muirton Bank, Florence Place, Muirton Place and Hay Street belonged to workers commuting into Perth.
He said: “The area is now regarded as an unofficial car park for persons who work in the town. I would say the inconsiderate parking of the silver car was putting lives at considerable risk, because even the police van who came to investigate couldn’t pass.
“The main worry over such indiscriminate parking of vehicles in these residential area is the real possibility that an ambulance or a fire engine would not be able to access the street in an emergency.
“There are a large number of elderly and disabled people who reside in this area and motorists constantly park over the lowered pavements for disabled persons, which means wheelchair users have frequently to use the street.”
Local councillor Archie MacLellan, who sits on the council’s community safety committee, slammed drivers for blocking the road.
He said: “I would condemn anyone for parking like that an ambulance or fire service vehicle could not get through and that could result in the death of someone.”
A spokesperson for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service added: “It is extremely important that access to streets in towns, villages and cities are as clear as possible so that our firefighters can get as close to an incident as possible and deal with it as effectively as possible.”
Perth and Kinross Council has already consulted with residents on proposals for new traffic restrictions in the area.
A spokeswoman said: “The council has undertaken further public consultation with local residents regarding parking issues in this area of Perth, following an initial consultation led by North Inch and Muirton Community Council.
“The responses from the second round of public consultation will be examined by our roads team in the near future. Any measures proposed as a result would need to be put to the enterprise and infrastructure committee for consideration before any changes could be made.
“We would ask motorists to park sensibly and responsibly in the interests of safety and minimising disruption to the local community.”