Aberdeen City Council is on a courtroom collision course with desperate traders who have resorted to legal action in their bus gates battle.
For almost two years, these traffic bans have hammered trade in the city centre.
Business leaders claim countless customers are avoiding the area for fear of being fined, with trade from Aberdeenshire drying up.
But the council has stood by the measures, designed to boost bus times, repeatedly rejecting calls to tweak the controversial system.
It’s all poised to be resolved in a Court of Session showdown later this year.
And last week, the lawyer leading the crusade for traders broke down exactly what he plans to challenge the local authority on – and told us why he was feeling “more bold than ever”.
If the legal wrangle goes his way, he says the council would have to refund anyone caught out by the bus gates since they were made permanent in January.
The matter has regularly sparked debate in our comments section and today we are asking the question: Is the council right to persist with the bus gates in the face of this costly legal battle?
Should drastic action be taken to avoid the prospect of a humiliating U-turn, or do you reckon Aberdeen City Council decision-makers are likely to win the Court of Session fight?
Let us know your thoughts in our comments section
Keep an eye out for our debates published each week. Our journalist will be in the comments from 10-11am each Thursday, responding to your opinions.
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