A public consultation starts today to give people a chance to give their thoughts on the draft local transport strategy for 2023 to 2030.
The strategy is a high-level transport plan which looks at the transport needs of a local authority area and sets out a series of actions and outcomes to meet those needs over a set period of time. It is not a wish list of schemes but a strategy to improve the transport network backed up by evidence.
It considers transport’s relationship with wider plans, policies and strategies including those to do with health, technology, communities, the environment, the economy and land use, and the Aberdeen strategy also considers connections into Aberdeenshire.
Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: “Aberdeen’s Local Transport Strategy plays an important part in planning to meet the travel and transport needs of the city and the wider North East. I hope as many people as possible who live in, work in, and visit Aberdeen take part in the consultation.”
The strategy also includes outcomes towards 2045 to provide a clear framework for more longer-term strategic decision making and investment. It is influenced by Nestrans’ Regional Transport Strategy and the Scottish Government’s National Transport Strategy.
The strategy will consider strategic traffic planning rather than specific detail about schemes (for example, that we will put a cycleway down a particular street or how it will be designed), and will also look at how to improve the economy, communities, the environment, health, technology and land use as a whole.
The public’s feedback from the consultation will be used to inform the final version of the Local Transport Strategy which will be presented to a relevant City Council committee next year for approval.
The consultation period will run for eight weeks from today to Friday 12 January. Hard copies of the consultation and copies of the documents – including Aberdeen Air Quality Action Plan and Strategic Environmental Assessment - can be found at libraries and at Marischal College reception during these dates in normal opening hours. Due to its size, the Strategic Environmental Assessment hard copy is only available at Marischal College.
The online consultation is available at Draft Aberdeen Local Transport Strategy (2023-2030) consultation - Aberdeen City Council - Citizen Space