Aberdeenshire Council spent more than £100,000 to operate a “temporary” crossing in Ellon for three years – but why did it cost so much?
The lights on Golf Road were put in place as construction work started on new affordable housing at the former Ellon Academy site back in 2021.
However, they have finally been removed after three years as the replacement permanent crossing is now fully functional.
As the scheme comes to an end, we tallied up the final bill…
A freedom of information request revealed the local authority had spent a whopping £105,100.65 on the Golf Road traffic lights.
While the total sum included the overall hire, it also included maintenance and call out charges for the crossing.
It covered costs to remove and reinstall it over school holidays too, as they were taken down when children were not using the road.
Why were the temporary lights needed?
The “necessary” measure was put in place as the former pelican crossing on Golf Road was removed during building works at Schoolhill.
It was taken away to form a new access point for the affordable housing development.
Council officers said the temporary lights were needed to allow pedestrians and school children get across the road safely.
The crossing was often removed ahead of school holidays which provided some relief to motorists.
However, they were quickly put back in place as soon as the new term began.
But doing this repeatedly came at a price.
When the new houses were given the go-ahead back in 2020, councillors were told the crossing would be replaced with dropped kerbs.
But, members pressed officers for a new crossing to ensure the safety of pedestrians walking to and from the town centre.
Why was it there for years?
However, there is another reason for the temporary measure being in place for so long.
A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council explained that the local authority had to purchase land from the golf club to enable the new crossing to be installed.
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He said: “Our role is to ensure that the infrastructure we provide on the road supports the wider developments in that area.
“Much of those developments, and their timelines for completion, are not owned by the council.
“Third party land was required in order to provide the space to construct and install the lights.”
He also said the new crossing is a “significant improvement” on the previous one, as it can provide extra assistance to cyclists.
Meanwhile, a path through the Caroline’s Well Wood has been completed as part of a wider Ellon project.
It provides a link connecting housing to the the north of the town to the centre.
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