Issue - meetings

The item was referred to Council in terms of Standing Order 34.1.

The Committee received two deputations from (1) Mr Gavin Clark, Chair of Aberdeen Cycle Forum and (2) Ms Libby Hillhouse and Mr Graham Findlay, Disability Equity Partnership.

Mr Clark in his presentation, outlined the aims of Aberdeen Cycle Forum and advised that they had around 600 members and made reference to the Council meeting in December 2022, when his fellow-campaigner, Rachel Martin was in attendance and presented to members.

He indicated that at the aforementioned Council meeting, Ms Martin pleaded not to approve plans for Union Street which did not include a segregated cycle track and that Councillors sympathised with that plea. He indicated that in the past 6 months or so, Officers and Designers were working under instruction to produce plans which would include a segregated cycle track, and that Aberdeen Cycle Forum and other stakeholders had been involved throughout that process and had the opportunity to input at various stages.

Mr Clark advised that a bi-directional cycle track on one side of the street only would not have been their first choice, but given the other constraints, they were told it was really the only feasible option for segregation.  He intimated that they had accepted that compromise was required on all sides and therefore they supported the design now presented. He explained that they now had something which was in line with the Transport Hierarchy and which met current design standards.

He advised that the key was that this would create a segregated cycle track where cyclists were kept separate from vehicular traffic and separated from pedestrians indicating that it was not the whole solution to the city’s transport problems, but it would be a big step in the right direction and could hopefully be the start of a high-quality network of segregated routes which would allow so many more people to use a bicycle as an everyday means of transport whether for shopping, commuting to work or education, for leisure, for fitness or just for enjoyment. 

Mr Clark indicated that segregation from traffic opened up cycling to many more people who currently did not feel safe on the roads and cycling should not be the preserve of a hardened minority who were inured to cycling in traffic as he was, it should be accessible for all ages and abilities. 

Mr Clark intimated that cycling could of course have multiple benefits: greater uptake of cycling contributes to improved air quality and to carbon reduction targets.  He explained that increased levels of cycling had been shown to boost local economies and increase footfall in shops and that people who cycle regularly tended to be healthier and so place lower demands on the NHS, therefore most of these positives were not just for the individual on the bike, they benefitted everyone.

He advised that he understood that one of the trickiest design details to resolve had been how to route the cycle track around bus stops and the solution proposed was that a bus-stop bypass, as he called it, was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13