Transport schemes identified for Aberdeen Cross City Connections

07 June 2019

A range of sustainable transport schemes aimed at promoting cross-city connections in Aberdeen have been identified for further exploration.

Aberdeen City Council’s City Growth and Resources Committee has agreed to seek funding to develop detailed designs.

Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Councils, regional transport partnership Nestrans, and Transport Scotland had commissioned Peter Brett Associates to carry out a Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) Part 2 assessment of potential transport linkages between development sites in and around the city.

The preferred options approved by committee include three public transport schemes that would provide good integration with existing bus and train services:

Dyce Park and Ride (P&R) – Kingswells Park and Ride – Countesswells, with a potential extension from Countesswells to Chapelton of Elsick via Loirston As above, but including Newhills Murcar – Dubford – Grandhome – Stoneywood – Dyce P&R – Dyce Rail Station – Newhills – Kingswells P&R – Countesswells –Friarsfield – City Centre

An orbital network of foot and cycle paths connecting development sites at Blackdog, Dyce, Kingswells and Countesswells was also considered worthy of further study.

The list includes an active travel route between Newhills/Dyce and Kingswells. One route, connecting Grandhome with Stoneywood and onwards to Dyce, would require a new pedestrian/cycle bridge over the River Don.

City Growth and Resources Committee convener, Councillor Douglas Lumsden, said: “The preferred public transport and active travel options complement each other whilst taking advantage of existing infrastructure.

“We will continue to work with our partners in giving further consideration to the plans and how they might be developed and delivered.

“It is important that our city grows in a sustainable way – that we make it easy for people to commute, that we respect the environment, and that we trust to the economic dividend.”

The objective was to identify viable, attractive and direct linkages as an alternative to the private car along with potential sites for interchange “hubs” encompassing bus, rail and active travel modes.

Some bus service options were discounted because they would have required considerable subsidy to operate or because routes were too circuitous.

Funding for the Aberdeen Cross City Connections project has come from the Council’s Bus Lane Enforcement Fund and by Nestrans.

Nestrans has set aside £40,000 in its budget this year to assess which schemes should be taken forward to the next stage of design.

The report for committee said it was likely Nestrans and the Bus Lane Enforcement Fund will pay for the detailed design work, however Council officers will also seek to identify additional internal and external funding opportunities.