Major concerns are being raised about the congestion in Oban town centre as residents fear emergency services could become trapped in traffic during a 999 call.
Motorists have said it can take them 45 minutes to travel from one end of town to the other, with vehicles gridlocked at busy times.
The fears have been revealed in the results of a detailed online traffic survey carried out by Oban Community Council, to which 1,092 people responded.
Marri Malloy, chairwoman of the community council, said: “The biggest safety concerns alarmingly are George Street and Soroba Road, the main thoroughfares in and out of town.
“It is a bit of a concern that people are reporting they have been stuck in traffic for 45 minutes at a time.
“It has been taking that long to get through town in the summer months. The worry is that if there is an emergency, the emergency vehicles wouldn’t be able to get through.
“We are a growing town but no allowances are being made for the extra traffic.
“There is one entrance to Oban from the south and one from the north. Both are congested.
“All the emergency vehicles are at the south end of town. They could have a real problem getting through if there is an emergency at an unfortunate time when the town is congested.”
The survey also revealed concerns about the Glencruitten area, where inappropriate parking is a key issue.
“Cars are parked all over the place and sometimes people struggle to get past,” Mrs Malloy said.
“And again, there was concern expressed about emergency vehicles getting through.”
Elaine Robertson, lead councillor for Oban Lorn and the Isles, said any measures to alleviate the concerns raised would take time to come to fruition.
“We have no immediate solution to this,” she said.
“The infrastructure is not fit to take the level of traffic that is coming through the town.
“Fortunately in any emergency situation I have seen, cars get out of the way for emergency vehicles, even if that means pulling onto the pavement.
“There are a number of ideas being developed, including a long stay car park outwith the town, a roundabout at the Halfway House Filling Station and a development road which could run from Connel. But these are very long term ideas.”
The community council is to meet with Argyll and Bute Council to present its findings.
A report will also be brought to the Oban Community Council meeting on January 27.
A spokeswoman for Argyll and Bute Council said: “The council is fully aware of this issue but the fact is we don’t have the resources to tackle it alone.
“We are putting together a robust business case, that we can take to a range of stakeholders and partners, for measures to help ease congestion in Oban and open up development opportunities.
“Evidence gathering began last summer when we undertook a destination survey, at peak time, to gauge how the road network in the town is used.”
