A group campaigning against plans to build a western link road in Elgin are warning that residents face a very different life should it go ahead.
The current closure of Main Street and New Elgin Road for repairs to the water system has drawn attention to the issue, with motorists seeking alternative routes driving through the same residential areas that will be affected by the new road plans.
Campaigners say that the ‘rat runs’ currently in use by drivers avoiding the long-term road closures are just a forerunner of what will happen when the western link road comes into being.
“I think the current situation is opening a few eyes on just how busy things are going to be,” campaigner Caroline Webster said, while Glen Moray Drive resident Dean Davies added: “I already can’t sleep in my front room because of the noise.”
Moray Council have been pressing ahead with their £8.5million plans despite ferocious opposition from residents who have been backed in their cause by hundreds from throughout Moray. Opposition to the plans are particularly intense as they include the demolition of homes and gardens in the area around Wittet Drive.
Campaigners insist that the creation of a new roundabout will simply lead to drivers seeking new routes along residential streets as it would be a quicker option than waiting in jams during peak periods.
Mr Davies said: “Whether or not my road is officially part of the Western Link Road or not, it is still going to be like this all the time as people cut through here.”
A Moray Council spokesman has dismissed the complaints as “pure speculation” over what routes motorist might take, saying that the Western Link Road would provide them with another option.