Aberdeen’s controversial city centre bus gates could be made permanent next week — despite more than 550 public objections.
On August 22 last year, new bus gates on Bridge Street, Guild Street and Market Street were switched on, and a raft of other new traffic measures have been implemented over the past year.
All the works are intended to make the city centre more bus-friendly, and reduce the number of cars on roads by creating a “bus priority route” around the central part of Union Street.
Aberdeen City Council used experimental road rules to bring about the changes, only having to consult the public once it was in place.
And thousands of people have shared their fury online since, slamming the new measures as “another nail in the coffin” for the city centre.
Drivers have bemoaned the new bus gates, with many believing they are a “cash cow” for the council.
Decision time: Will Aberdeen’s city centre bus gates be made permanent?
And now, despite the mass protest at the bus gates and changes in Union Terrace and Schoolhill, councillors could be set to make it all permanent.
Hundreds of pages of objections from the public and business owners have been published ahead of the decision.
Council operations chief Mark Reilly is urging the city transport committee to “note the benefits highlighted by bus operators” at a meeting on Tuesday.
First Bus and Stagecoach have reported improved journey times since the bus priority measures were installed.
And they have even made travel free at times to show off how well public transport is working with the bus gates in place.
Mr Reilly briefed: “The recommendation is the experimental order should be made permanent.
“Albeit with a caveat the measures continue to be monitored and assessed as the City Centre Masterplan progresses.
“Any decision to abandon the measures at this early stage of operation would
be a retrograde step.”
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‘Very rarely used’ experimental rules used to introduce Aberdeen city centre bus gates
Transport Scotland says experimental road rules that were used to introduce the bus gates are “very rarely used” — in part due to the lack of consultation.
The Etro meant that before the new bus gates were installed, only certain groups like the emergency services, bus and taxi firms had to be officially consulted.
The city council only opened its official consultation to let the wider public have their say on July 24 last year, after work to implement the bus gates and other road changes had already started.
‘Anti-car ideology’ slammed by councillor
Conservative councillor Duncan Massey vowed to vote against the “damaging policy”, and accused anyone in favour of keeping the bus gates of “wholly ignoring public feedback and the reality of footfall decline”.
He added: “The sole basis for this approach seems to be an anti-car ideology and immature bus company statistics highlighting a minor seasonal increase in bus use.
“With recent data suggesting a footfall decline of over 500,000 people, we are witnessing the decline of the city centre in real time.”
His group will instead ask for the infrastructure to be “immediately removed” from most areas, while maintaining the pedestrianised zone on the Upperkirkgate.
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