Public to be asked their opinion on travelling around the city before and after the AWPR opens
06 February 2017
People around the north-east are being asked for their opinion on how everyone will move around the city’s roads, cycle routes and pavement networks before and after the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR/B-T) opens.
A public consultation starts today which will look into how traffic and people will move around Aberdeen after the AWPR opens and how they also use the city at the moment.
The AWPR will make a difference to journey times going across and around Aberdeen as vehicles will have a 70mph speed limit as compared to the 40/30/20mph limits in the city.
The way traffic travels in Aberdeen will also be different as rather than moving around using either cross-city centre journeys or via South/North Anderson Drive at the moment, the AWPR will take a lot of the traffic away.
It is designed so motorists go around the city on the AWPR, and then use arterial roads to get into the part of the city their destination is in. Aberdeen will effectively be split into zones and traffic will be directed into those zones. This means there will be less cross-city centre journeys and less congestion in this area.
The AWPR/B-T will also lead to opportunities to build more cycle and walking-friendly pavements and cycle lanes around the city, as there will be less traffic and will make walking and cycling much more attractive.
The public consultation is further designed to fit into what the public had told what was wanted as part of the City Centre Masterplan.
Aberdeen City Council Transport and Regeneration spokesman Ross Grant said: “The AWPR will make a big difference to how people get around the city, both getting from one place to another and in the city centre.
“Our officers would like to find out how people move about at the moment, and how they think this might change after the AWPR opens, and a similar exercise will be carried out afterwards.
“The city is going through one of the biggest transformations in its infrastructure, with £560million spent on major projects such as the Diamond Bridge, Dyce Park and Ride, and the Berryden Improvement Corridor which are all designed to complement each other.
“This information gleaned from the public consultation will be used to help shape transport policy for the city and we’d love to hear from everyone who uses roads in Aberdeen.”
The consultation is also part of the £3.2million CIVITAS PORTIS European Union grant awarded last year for a north-east transport project involving a consortium of council, university and private partners which is aimed at improving travel in the area.
The public consultation is available at
https://consultation.aberdeencity.gov.uk/planning/traveling-around-aberdeen-city-after-the-awpr-open
and copies are available from any city library, Aberdeen City Council’s reception areas at Marischal College and the Town House, and from
Transportation Strategy and Programmes, Communities, Housing and Infrastructure, Aberdeen City Council, Business Hub 4, Marischal College, Broad Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1AB.
The survey closes on 31 March 2017.