A leading Aberdeen campaigner says controversial bus gates are keeping disabled people out of the city centre.
Co-chair of the Aberdeen Disability Equity Partnership (DEP), Hussein Patwa, claims city chiefs have made little effort to contact him about the much-protested road changes.
The DEP is run by the council, set up to influence policy and decisions, address the challenges people with disabilities face.
Aberdeen City Council’s website also says the group was set up to help “break down barriers”.
Door-to-door access halted by Aberdeen bus gates
Mr Patwa argues the bus gates are doing the opposite, and risk “really disenfranchising” those unable to walk very far or independently.
His would be yet another voice calling for the bus gates and other change, such as the right turn ban out of Union Terrace, to be watered down or removed.
The partially sighted individual has backed the Common Sense Compromise ahead of Wednesday’s debate on the future of the experimental traffic regulation order (Etro).
He told us: “I have been following this quite closely and was very keen to sign the petition because I absolutely agree with the complete idiocy of this.
“I am fortunate enough to be able to use taxis at the moment and the bus gate rules don’t really apply to them. So personally I haven’t really been affected.
“But I am always mindful of friends who have drivers – relatives, carers or friends – who will be really put out by this because of the need for door-to-door access.
“People tell me they are finding it really difficult even just to explain how to get somewhere in Aberdeen.”
Our Common Sense Compromise
The Common Sense Compromise is a list of six steps the council should take to improve life for traders and citizens in Aberdeen city centre – brokered by the P&J and business chiefs.
The SNP and Lib Dems running the council look likely to remove the Adelphi bus gate, allowing access from Union Street onto upper Market Street.
But we, and our thousands of petition backers, are asking the council to:
- Keep the Guild Street bus gates, along with restrictions on Schoolhill and Upperkirkgate
- Remove the bus gates at the Adelphi and Market Street, allowing access in both directions through Market Street
- Remove the bus gates on Bridge Street, allowing full access in both directions
- Remove the right turn ban on Union Terrace
- Issue a warning rather than a fine to first offenders
- Use fines to help city-centre businesses via transport initiatives
Aberdeen bus gates: ‘No meaningful consultation’ with disability group
Mr Patwa was key in convincing councillors not to pedestrianise Union Street in late 2021.
Ever since, senior figures have loudly promised to involve DEP in work to reimagine Union Street and Broad Street.
The central section of the Granite Mile is already closed off to buses as £60 million regeneration masterplan work gets under way.
Mr Patwa tells us: “What DEP has been working with the council on is around the design of Union Street, the masterplan infrastructure.
“I don’t feel there has really been any significant consultation of any meaningful description in terms of these bus gates, other than any public consultation.”
‘You can’t assume everyone with a disability has a blue badge’
Aberdeen City Council’s operations chief Mark Reilly argues there’s “no detriment” to access to city car parks as a result of the bus gates and the Etro.
In his report, recommending councillors make it all permanent, he added there had been more blue badge parking spaces set up on Flourmill Lane and around the Green to enable “drop off and pick up with ‘close’ proximity waiting”.
For the Disability Equity Partnership, that’s not enough. There are still some who don’t know about the blue badge scheme, if they’re eligible or might not want to apply.
Others, Mr Patwa told us, struggle with the application or don’t use their car enough to feel the effort is justifiable.
The DEP co-chair told us: “We are obviously against anything that is going to make it even harder for folk to get around.
“Unfortunately, the reality is that is just not possible for everyone to use active travel.
“And despite the blue badge exemptions, you can’t simply have a blanket assumption everyone who is disabled has one.
“Simply having a proviso saying it’s ok because disabled people will always have a mitigation to this, I would simply assert that is probably not universal.
“Even with those exemptions in the city, it still disenfranchises a lot of folk who would require support to come into the city.”
‘The weight of voice speaks for itself’
More than 7,800 people have signed the Common Sense Compromise petition.
And Mr Patwa is urging councillors to once again listen.
“It does feel, for weeks now, people across the city – the Press and Journal and Evening Express, Aberdeen Inspired, the business community, ordinary people who it feels would never otherwise have thought to engage with the council – have been saying ‘please don’t do this’,” he said.
“Where you have an issue uniting everybody, I think that weight of voice must speak for itself.
“I haven’t found one section of the city, apart from perhaps the bus companies, that are saying ‘please don’t remove these bus gates’.
“My real concern is the whole value of public participation and democracy will be devalued if people are so clearly saying ‘we want compromise’ and it doesn’t happen.
“I really just hope the council will listen.”
Council claims efforts were made
An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson insisted that efforts had been made to liaise with the disability campaigners.
They said: “In addition to publicity for the public consultation, an email highlighting the consultation was issued to a number of disability organisations including the Disability Equity Partnership (DEP).
“The matter was also the subject of discussion at numerous Accessible City Transport Users Partnership meetings, attended by DEP representatives, throughout the year.
“While we did not receive a response from the Disability Equity Partnership (DEP) during the six-month consultation period, we are keen to continue to work closely with the DEP as part of our ongoing public engagement.”
A Common Sense Compromise on the Aberdeen bus gates and Etro
The Press and Journal is standing side by side with Aberdeen businesses and business organisations in an appeal to reach a Common Sense Compromise.
But we can’t do it alone – we need your help.
If you would like to back our Aberdeen bus gate campaign, add your name to the petition launched by Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce.
Other ways to show your support and have your voice heard can be found here.
Conversation