Locals have seen red over plans to introduce primrose double-yellow lines in an Aberdeenshire village.
Councillors will be told the proposals for new waiting restrictions in Auchenblae have divided the community when the Kincardine and Mearns area committee meets to discuss the findings of a public consultation next week.
It comes after members agreed in March that road markings were needed to tackle local road safety concerns – and that a softer shade of yellow would be more sympathetic to the village’s conservation status.
The paler lines are proposed at sections of High Street, Market Square, MacKenzie Avenue, Monboddo Street and Burnett Street.
Some locals have claimed the roadside restrictions will cause mayhem for people trying to find somewhere to park in the village, while others argue they are vital to improving safety.
Shirley Castles, of Auchenblae community council, said people were “taking their lives in their hands” driving or walking through the village at present.
She added: “There is a split in opinion but I think it is a necessity. It is just chaos on the streets, and as we are a farming community we have got lorries and trailers coming through. It is gradually getting worse.”
And Mrs Castles called on the council to be clear in its intentions when it comes to painting the lines.
“Yellow lines should be yellow,” she said.
“Primrose is nearer a white than a yellow.
“This is an issue of pedestrian safety and motorist safety, it is not about conservation status or colour schemes.”
Councillors will be asked to consider the concerns of critics – but to approve the new lines – when they consider the findings of the consultation on Tuesday.
Aberdeenshire Council’s director of business services, Alan Wood, said a balance had to be struck.
He added: “Many of the objectors feel that the proposed measures would reduce the parking capacity significantly, and as a result residents and local businesses would suffer due to the lack of available on-street parking.
“There needs to be a balance which discourages parking if a safety benefit can be achieved.
“The community depends on on-street parking and on that basis it is considered that the proposals do offer the balance and do not extend further than necessary.”
