Environmental Improvements Rejected By Council

Liberal Democrat proposals at last week’s budget meeting offered some environmental improvements in an otherwise tight budget which would have improved the overall look of our neighbourhoods across Aberdeen.

Kingswell, Sheddocksley, Summerhill councillor Steve Delaney said, “Some of the most common complaints I receive relate the how our area looks and how standards have slipped in recent years. Grass cutting is a prime example where, in order to save money, the Council has reduced the number of grass cuts per year”.

“This results in grass growing longer between cuts and making a mess of our pavements as soon as it does get cut. This is not only unsightly but it also presents a slip hazard, especially for elderly and disabled people”

The Liberal Democrats proposed an additional £500,000 to be spent on increasing the number of cuts per annum in order to improve the look of our open space, but also to minimise the mess which is left behind after cuts. Another issue of concern which they tried to address was tree maintenance.

“Steve said, ‘The tree squad has been reduced from 14 people to 2 in recent years. As a result, the focus has to be on attending to dead, diseased and dangerous trees due to budgetary and resourcing pressures. This is resulting in the Council having very little to spend on maintaining the trees they own across the city”.

“The Lib Dems proposed spending an additional £120,000 in order to clear the backlog of dead, diseased and dangerous tree works to free up some spend on traditional tree maintenance”.

Also in the proposals put forward by the Liberal Democrats was a one off expenditure of £200,000 on upgrading the grounds of all sheltered housing blocks across the city. It related to an idea Steve put to the the grounds maintenance team three years ago which has since been successfully trialed in at least one sheltered block since.

Steve said, “The shrubs in these areas were planted decades ago and many are not ideally suited to this type of environment. They grow far too tall and have become straggly over time, catching on people’s hands and clothes and allowing unsightly weeds to grow beneath them”.

“Were these to be replaced by low ground cover plants, the weeds would be reduced, the appearance of the areas would improve, and end of year maintenance would be less costly”.

“There was clearly scope to roll this out across all amenity areas over time, but I suggested we start with the sheltered blocks first so we can see the difference it makes to people’s enjoyment of their surroundings and then look towards identifying additional budget for other areas in future years”.

Sadly Labour, Conservative, SNP and Independent councillors were not minded to include any of these proposals within their own priorities.

Investment In Schools Blocked

Each of the past five years the Lib Dem Group on Aberdeen City Council has proposed additional funding for local schools.

This year’s additional expenditure amounted to £2.5 million across the city, amounting to £111 per pupil.

Kingswells/Sheddocksley/Summerhill councillor Steve Delaney said, “Had this proposal been accepted, it would have resulted in increased expenditure of £48,174 for Kingswells, £37,962 for Kingsford, £29,082 for Fernielea and £22,755 for Muirfield. Secondary education was not forgotten either with an additional £89,244 earmarked for Hazlehead and £71,706 for Bucksburn”.

It’s vital that our schools have sufficient funds to ensure our children get the best education possible.

Unfortunately Labour, Conservative and SNP councillors did not share this aspiration.

Council Reject Plan For Investment In Education, Roads And Environment

Commenting on Aberdeen City Council’s budget for 2017/18, Kingswells, Sheddocksley, Summerhill councillor Steve Delaney said “I am very disappointed that Aberdeen City Council did not accept the Liberal Democrat proposals to invest more in education, repairing crumbling roads and pavement and enhancing Aberdeen’s environment when its set its budget for the forthcoming year last week”.

Key points in our proposals – which was part of a carefully costed and balanced budget – were:

Creating a £2.5 million Education Fund to make a real difference for every school and ever school pupil in Aberdeen
Investing an additional £3.277 million in repairing roads and pavements across Aberdeen
Investing an extra £350,000 in improving Aberdeen’s environment
Investing an additional £500,000 in supported bus services to ensure that communities in Aberdeen are not left isolated
Carrying out a feasibility study into transferring the currently closed Hazlehead Swimming Pool to community management

The proposed Liberal Democrat budget also included:

Rejecting proposals to cut £500,000 from spending on libraries
Increasing the council’s ability to repair roads and clear snow from roads and pavements
Freezing both on and off-street parking charges
A commitment to build a new bridge over the River Dee
A study into dualing the Lang Stracht
An additional £120,000 on tree maintenance
An extra £250,000 on increasing the frequency of grass cutting
Investing £200,000 to upgrade the grounds of all sheltered housing blocks in the city

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Ian Yuill said, “Despite the savage cuts forced on the council by the SNP Scottish Government the Liberal Democrats have managed to focus resources on our priorities of education, Aberdeen’s roads and pavements, our local environment and our city centre.”

Council Considers Kingswells Buses Next Week

Following a request from Kingswells councillor Steve Delaney to the Council Leader to call an Urgent Business Committee to discuss the bus situation at Kingswells, some progress has been made.

It has been agreed that a report will go forward instead to the Finance, Policy & Resources Committee on 9th March.

Steve said, “The Council Leader contacted me today to advise of this decision, which I welcome. She agreed with me that ‘time was of the essence’ and I thanked her for moving this matter forward”.

“Hopefully the unanimity we saw in respect of my motion last October will prevail and we will see a real coming together by all councillors to ensure Kingswells residents can access public transport like everyone else in Aberdeen”.

In the meantime there has been another development following Stagecoach’s statement last week that they did not consider it commercially viable to offer a service to Kingswells village as they are now consulting on bus route changes planned for 1st May 2017. Two routes will call at the Kingswells Park & Ride as at present but with reduced frequencies.

The X17 will continue to call at Park & Ride site every day on a revised timetable. The first bus will be at 0549 Mon-Fri, 0619 Sat & 0816 Sun. Frequency will be every 15 minutes Mon-Sat and 20 minutes Sun for most of the day. The route will continue to serve Queens Road.

The X18 is being replaced by the 218 and the 220.

The 218 will call at Park & Ride site four times a day, representing a significant reduction in service over what is currently provided. The only 218 on offer during peak times is at 0732 with around 3 hours between buses. This route will continue to operate via Lang Stracht but will terminate at ARI.

With Kingswells Village Centre almost a mile from the Park & Ride and the northern edge of the village around two miles away, these services are of no use whatsoever to a large number of Kingswells residents.

The new service 220 is destined to serve Kingswells village but only operates Mon-Fri from 0908 – 1813 on a 60-90 minute frequency.

The consultations will be held at St Nicholas Square, Aberdeen from 10am – 4pm and at Westhill Academy from 7.30pm – 9pm, both tomorrow 2nd March! More details and timetables.

Steve said, “This is becoming farcical now. The number of Stagecoach buses operating from the Park & Ride has been halved during morning peak times and, though they are now offering a service to the village, there’s no morning peak service. They are clearly failing to provide services at the busiest times of day when people most need them”.

“If this is Stagecoach’s idea of making the route commercially viable, they are clearly having a laugh at the expense of Kingswells residents. To turn down business during morning peak makes no business sense at all. As well as forcing those who do drive back into their cars, not to mention the increased congestion, this is leaving non-car owners unable to get to work and children who go to school in the city centre unable to get to school”.

“Clearly a 60-90 minute service to Kingswells village with no morning peak service, no evening service and no weekend service completely fails to address the needs of local people. I have already been in touch with Stagecoach asking them to clarify their position but as of today’s date they have not responded. I therefore have no option but to call on Aberdeen City Council to provide a supported service which addresses the social and economic needs of Kingswells.

New Temporary Traffic Order Imposed – Greenfern Place Lane East, Whitemyres Avenue

Start Date and Time : 11 March 2017 08:00
End Date and Time : 29 March 2017 22:00

Location : Greenfern Place Lane East, Whitemyres Avenue.

Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order, which will operate from 08:00 on 17 March, 2017, until 22:00 on 18 March, 2017 & 08:00 on 20 March, 2017, until 22:00 on 21 March, 2017 is to impose a temporary prohibition of driving on Greenfern Place Lane East, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Greenfern Road and Arnage Drive.

There will also be a prohibition of waiting on Whitemyres Avenue, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Whitemyres Place and Mastrick Drive from 08:00 on 11 March, 2017, until 22:00 on 16 March, 2017 .

There will also be a prohibition of waiting on Arnage Drive, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Mastrick Drive. and Greenfern Place Lane East from 08:00 on 16 March, 2017, until 22:00 on 18 March, 2017.

There will also be a prohibition of waiting on the north side of Greenfern Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Greenfern Place Lane West and New Park Place. from 08:00 on 20 March, 2017, until 22:00 on 22 March, 2017.

There will also be a prohibition of waiting on Mastrick Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with New Park Place and Derry Avenue from 08:00 on 22 March, 2017, until 22:00 on 29 March, 2017. The measures are necessary to protect public safety during duct laying works being carried out by City Fibre.

Alternate Route : An alternative route is via Greenfern Road,Mastrick Road, New Park Place and Arnage Drive .

Stagecoach says NO to Kingswells


Following First’s decision to axe all services to Kingswells from 1st April, Stagecoach have been in talks with Aberdeen City Council with a view to possibly extending one of their services into Kingswells. In fact things were looking pretty positive initially though there were a number of practical and operational issues which had to resolved. Steve Delaney, Lib Dem councillor for the Kingswells area has been in regular touch with both Stagecoach and the Council’s Public Transport Unit throughout.

Steve updated fellow councillors at this afternoon’s Budget meeting that Stagecoach’s MD has confirmed that they do not consider such a service to be commercially viable for them and they will not therefore be putting forward proposals to serve Kingswells village. The Lib Dem Group proposed increasing the supported bus services budget to £500,000 at that meeting. Neither the SNP nor Administration budgets allocated any increase for supported bus services, having known for five months that the Kingswells service is under threat.

He said, “First have got greedy and they are starting to pick off their less profitable routes in order to maximise what they can squeeze out of Aberdeen. Personally I think it’s an absolute disgrace that this FTSE rated company which was born in Aberdeen lacks a moral compass and has no sense of social responsibility”.

Steve has already written to the Council Leader asking her to call an Urgent Business Committee to consider a proposal from officers on the best way forward and rhe eminded councillors of their previous unanimous support to ensure that Kingswells residents are not left without a service. He also spoke of withdrawal of this route as the thin edge of the wedge and called on councillors to raise concerns with their MSPs regarding the need for better regulation of bus services.

Steve said, “This is a devastating blow for Kingswells residents. A number of residents, some of whom are elderly or disabled, don’t drive and they need the bus to get to work, to school and to medical appointments. There are also a number of businesses in Kingswells which rely on staff from outwith Kingswells and many of them use public transport. Clearly staff working at Kingsmead Nursing Home, Great Western Nursery and After School Club, Kingswells School and other local business are likely to be affected”.

Steve said, “I would urge all councillors to get behind the people of Kingswells and ensure a replacement service is put in place as quickly as possible. My fear it that the tight timescale could result in people being left without a service for a period of time and that’s simply unacceptable. We need to move fast on this to ensure a Council sign off for a replacement service is put in place as soon as possible”.

The onus now falls to Aberdeen City Council to consider providing a supported bus service. Whether or not that happens and if it does, the level of service provided, is currently unclear.

Further updates will be issued as more information becomes available.

Temporary Traffic Order C93C Borrowstone Road

Start Date and Time : 20 March 2017 05:30
End Date and Time : 24 March 2017 22:00
Location : C98C Borrowstone Road

Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order, which will operate from 05:30 on 20 March, 2017, until 22:00 on 24 March, 2017, is to impose a temporary prohibition of driving on the C93C Borrowstone Road, Aberdeen, between Longcairn farmhouse and Springdale Lodge cottages. The measure is necessary to protect public safety during carriageway resurfacing works.

Alternate Route : An alternative route is available via the B979 Kirkton of Skene-Tyrebagger Road, Westhill Drive, Westhill Road, and Brodiach Road.

SNP Scottish Government Cuts £13 Million From Aberdeen City Council’s Budget

The SNP Scottish Government, with the support of Green MSPs, has imposed a huge cut of £13 million from Aberdeen City Council’s budget.

This massive cut will place tremendous pressure on Aberdeen City Council – already the worst-funded council in Scotland.

This SNP funding cut will mean a massive real terms reduction in the money available for vital local services in our city. Liberal Democrat MSPs voted against this damaging budget in the Scottish Parliament.

With so much pressure on local schools, with many of our roads and pavements broken and crumbling and with funding for social care services simply not good enough, the SNP Scottish Government chose to make an enormous cut to the funding of Aberdeen’s local services knowing that this would make things even worse.

Steve Delaney said, “As your local councillor I will always stand up for local people, always put our area and our city first and continue to fight for a fair deal for Aberdeen from the SNP Scottish Government”.

Kingswells Buses Axed By First

kingswells-last-with-background-smallFirst Aberdeen has now submitted notice to withdraw all services from Kingswells with their last day of operation being 1st April 2017. Following their shock announcement last September, the confirmation has now been received by Aberdeeen City Council. This follows on from two public drop in sessions and numerous meetings between the council and First over the past few months.

Kingswells councillor Steve Delaney has been working with all interested parties throughout. He said, “This has hardly come as a surprise, but it takes nothing away from the anger surrounding their decision. My view remains that First will always put profit before people and they have absolutely no regard for the social or economic impact of their decisions”.

“From the outset I made it clear that my aim was to ensure we retain bus services to the village, so we must now look towards securing the best possible outcome for Kingswells”.

Steve had a very positive meeting with Stagecoach’s management recently. He said, “Stagecoach has shown an interest in operating a service in Kingswells and are currently looking at how best they may be able to serve the area. This is not cut and dried, but they are interested and I remain hopeful of a positive outcome”.

Aberdeen City Council intends holding a public meeting in Kingswells next month, by which time the final outcome should have become clearer. It is vital that as many people as possible attend this meeting.

Steve said, “We’re not out of the woods yet as some challenges remain, but there is some light at the end of the tunnel. I will of course keep everyone up to date as more details emerge and I am currently preparing a Focus newsletter for distribution as soon as I have more information”.

Fairley Road Bus Diversions

PARK_AND_RIDE_010Some confusion arose this week when buses did not follow the previously advertised diversion route during roadworks on Fairley Road.

The route had been changed but the diversion had not been updated on First’s website. The correct details are as follows:-

Service 11 evenings and all day Sundays in both directions

Fairley Road will be closed to service 11

• Normal service to last stop on Kingswood Drive
• Continue straight on towards P&R site traffic lights
• Left into Newhills Road
• Continue down to Roundabout then normal service

Service x40 in both directions

• Normal service to last stop on Kingswood Drive
• Continue straight on to P&R site
• When leaving P&R turn Right into Newhills Road
• Continue down to Roundabout
• Left into Westhills Road
• Left into Old Lang Stracht
• Continue on normal service

Traffic Order Imposed – Eday Road

diggingStart Date and Time : 30 January 2017 08:00
End Date and Time : 12 February 2017 22:00

Location : Eday Road

Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order is to impose a temporary prohibition of waiting on Eday Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Fernilea Road and Stronsay Drive, from 08:00 on 30 January, 2017, until 22:00 on 3 February, 2017, and also on Stronsay Place, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Stronsay Drive and Summerhill Drive, from 09:00 on 3 February, 2017, until 22:00 on 12 February, 2017, and also on Summerhill Terrace, Aberdeen, between its junction with Summerhill Drive and the boundary between numbers 21 and 23 Summerhill Terrace, from 09:00 on 3 February, 2017, until 22:00 on 12 February, 2017 .

The no-waiting restrictions will not be implemented on any two streets at the same time, and will be demarcated by the use of no-waiting cones as and when required. The measures are necessary to protect public safety during duct laying works being carried out by City Fibre.

Temporary Traffic Order Imposed – Skene Road

diggingStart Date and Time : 30 January 2017 05:00
End Date and Time : 31 March 2017 22:00

Location : Skene Road

Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order, which will operate from 05:00 on 30 January, 2017, until 22:00 on 31 March, 2017, is to impose a temporary prohibition of right turn manoeuvres from, and also on to, the A944 Skene Road, Aberdeen, from a point 125m west of its junction with Kingswells Causeway to a point 125m east of its junction with the B9119 3. The measures are necessary to protect public safety during Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route works.

Alternate Route : An alternative route is available via Westhill Drive Roundabout and the A944 Skene Road, or via Kingswells Roundabout and the A944 Skene Road.

Bus Diversions During Fairley Road Works

40 Bus_sThere will be diversions on the No 11 and X40 routes during roadworks in Fairley Road. The first phase on the southern leg is ongoing and programmed to conclude by 14th January.

The second phase relates to the northern half of Fairley Road. This will not commence until the first phase has been completed and it is expected to be in operation until 5th February. These diversion affect people living in Fairley Road, Edmond Gardens, Whiterashes and Old Skene Road. Full details can be found here.

New Temporary Traffic Order Imposed – Mastrick Drive

diggingCategory :Start Date and Time : 30 January 2017 08:00
End Date and Time : 03 February 2017 18:00

Location : Mastrick Drive

Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order, which will operate from 08:00 on 30 January, 2017, until 18:00 on 3 February, 2017, is to impose a temporary prohibition of driving on Mastrick Drive, Aberdeen, between its junctions with New Park Road and Croft Road. Access to properties will be maintained, but no through traffic will be possible. There will also be a prohibition of waiting on either side of Mastrick Drive, Aberdeen, from the boundary between numbers 112 and 114 Mastrick Drive to the boundary between numbers 116 and 118 Mastrick Drive. The measures are necessary to protect public safety during water connection works for a new development.

Alternate Route : An alternative route is available via New Park Road and Arnage Drive.

New Temporary Traffic Order Imposed – Various locations in Mastrick and Sheddocksley

digging

Start Date and Time : 11 January 2017 08:00
End Date and Time : 29 January 2017 22:00

Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order is to impose a temporary prohibition of driving on New Park Place, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Arnage Drive and Mastrick Road, from 08:00 on 11 January, 2017, until 22:00 on 14 January, 2017.

There will also be a prohibition of driving on Kingsford Road, Aberdeen, on the inset road between its northern junction with Springhill Road and the footpath north of Regensburg Court, from 08:00 until 22:00 on 21 and 29 January, 2017. The existing one-way system on Kingsford Road, Aberdeen, on the inset road between its junctions with Regensburg Court and Kingsford Road, shall be suspended to allow access to properties.

Also Brodinch Road, Aberdeen, will be one-way westbound between its junctions with Springhill Road and Brodinch Place, from 08:00 until 22:00 on 21 and 29 January, 2017.

There will be a prohibition of waiting on the following roads; Arnage Drive, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Mastrick Drive and New Park Place, from 08:00 on 9 January, 2017, until 22:00 on 13 January, 2017, and New Park Place, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Arnage Drive and Mastrick Road, from 08:00 on 11 January, 2017, until 22:00 on 14 January, 2017, and Mastrick Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with New Park Place and Greenfern Road, from 08:00 on 12 January, 2017, until 22:00 on 16 January, 2017, and Greenfern Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Mastrick Road and Springhill Road, from 08:00 on 14 January, 2017, until 22:00 on 29 January, 2017. The no-waiting restrictions shall only be implemented as and when required, and will be demarcated by the use of no-waiting cones.

The measures are necessary to protect public safety during duct laying works being carried out by City Fibre.

New Temporary Traffic Order Imposed – FAIRLEY ROAD

diggingStart Date and Time : 10 January 2017 05:30
End Date and Time : 05 February 2017 22:00

Location : FAIRLEY ROAD.

Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.

The effect of the order is to impose a temporary prohibition of driving on Fairley Road, Aberdeen, between its Junction with Lang Stracht and its southern junction with Edmond Gardens from 05:30 on 10 January, 2017, until 22:00 on 14 January, 2017. There will also be a prohibition of waiting on the same stretch of road.

Also, there will be a temporary prohibition of driving on Fairley Road, Aberdeen, between its Junctions with Lang Stracht and Kingswood Drive from 05:30 on 13 January, 2017, until 22:00 on 5 February, 2017. There will also be a prohibition of waiting on the same stretch of road.

The no-waiting restrictions will not be implemented on the whole section of road at any one time, and will be demarcated by the use of no-waiting cones as and when required. The second closure will not be implemented until the first closure has been removed. Access to properties will be maintained, but no through traffic will be possible. The measures are necessary to protect public safety during gas main installation works for the Countesswells development.

Alternate Route : An alternative route is available via Kingswood Drive, the C89C Chapel of Stoneywood-Fairley Road, and Fairley Road link road.

Santa Claus To Open C128C!

StevesantaThought that headline might get your intention. In reality he’s had to politely decline as he’s far too busy. At least we can rest assured the reindeer won’t incur a fixed penalty notice when delivering in the area on Sunday!

Seriously though, it has been confirmed that the long awaited re-opening of the Kingswells to Cults road will take place on 23rd December 2016. The road is due to re-open by 6pm, but the exact time may vary.

Local councillor Steve Delaney said, “After 20 weeks of closure this can’t come soon enough. The additional congestion on other routes as well as increased journey times has been an absolute nightmare for local residents”.

“Please note that there have been some changes to the road layout, so I would advise everyone to take extra care until you get used to the new layout. In addition there will still be some ongoing works on the roadway, footpaths and verges, so caution is advised.”

Thankfully there are no plans for any further closures of this road. However, there will be a section of Countesswells Road closed from 16th January 2017 for about eight weeks to complete the task of getting gas, electric, water and telephone connectivity into the Countesswells development site. Appropriate diversion will be put in place.

Update On Kingswells Buses Expected In January

busFollowing on from the public consultations, options are being considered and there is ongoing dialogue between FirstAberdeen and Aberdeen City Council. There will be a further meeting in January and FirstAberdeen has agreed not to make any changes to Kingswells services prior to that meeting. Aberdeen City Council has reconfirmed its commitment to hold a public meeting in Kingswells once matters become clearer.

Local councillor Steve Delaney said, “I can fully understand the concerns within Kingswells and the time this is taking does not help to allay those fears. However this does mean that the services cannot now be withdrawn until some time in March, if indeed this is the outcome. It’s still too early to say if any replacement service might be taken up by Stagecoach or if it will fall to the council”.

“My position has always been to ensure that residents must not be left without a bus service. Whether that’s provided by FirstAberdeen, Stagecoach or another company is secondary to the argument. People need to be able to get to work, school, medical appointments and to socialise. I will continue to work with all relevant organisations to ensure this is delivered”.

“Please rest assured there will be a further update as soon as I have some useful information to share with you”.

Hogmanay Road Closures

diggingAberdeen City Council has made the above-named orders to provide for a wide range of traffic management arrangements, under powers conferred upon it by Section 62(1) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, and Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, in connection with the Aberdeen City Council Hogmanay Fireworks event 2016. The temporary traffic management arrangements are shown in the schedule below, and will apply at the times indicated therein.

From 14:00 on 31 December 2016 to 06:00 on 1 January 2017 • Schoolhill, Aberdeen, between its junction with Blackfriars Street and Back Wynd.
• Gaelic Lane, Aberdeen, (whole length) • Little Belmont Street, Aberdeen, (whole length)

From 20:00 on 31 December 2016 to 06:00 on 1 January 2017 • Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen. • Blackfriars Street, Aberdeen, (whole length) • St Andrew Street, Aberdeen between its junctions with Blackfriars Street and Charlotte Street.

From 22:00 on 31 December 2016 to 06:00 on 1 January 2017 • Harriet Street, Aberdeen, (whole length) • Crooked Lane, Aberdeen, (whole length) • Schoolhill, Aberdeen, between its junction with Back Wynd and Upperkirkgate, Aberdeen • Upperkirkgate, Aberdeen, between its junction with Schoolhill and Flourmill Lane, Aberdeen. • Skene Street, Aberdeen, from its junction with Woolmanhill Roundabout to its junction with Rosemount Viaduct • Spa Street, Aberdeen, from the access into Denburn car park to its junction with Skene Street.

From 22:00 on 31 December 2016 to 06:00 on 1 January 2017 • Back Wynd, Aberdeen, between Schoolhill and Union Street • The whole of Bridge Place, Aberdeen, • The whole of Bath Street, Aberdeen. • The whole of Windmill Brae, Aberdeen, • The whole of Windmill Lane, Aberdeen

From 23:50 on 31 December 2016 to 00:30 on 1 January 2017 • Denburn Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Woolmanhill Roundabout and Wapping Street.

From 23:30 on 31 December 2016 to 00:45 on 1 January 2017 • Union Street, Aberdeen, from its junction with Crown Street to its junction with Market Street Temporary one way system

From 14:00 until 20:00 on 31 December 2016 • Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Skene Street and Blackfriars Street, permitted direction of travel is eastbound. • Blackfriars Street, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Rosemount Viaduct, and St. Andrew Street, permitted direction of travel is northbound. • St. Andrew Street, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Blackfriars Street and Charlotte Street, permitted direction of travel is eastbound.

From 23:30 on 31 December 2016 to 00:45 on 1 January 2017 • Bridge Street, Aberdeen, from its junctions with Wapping Street and Union Street, with the exception of buses, travelling northbound. • Union Street, Aberdeen, from its junctions with Bridge Street and Crown Street, with the exception of buses, travelling westbound. Temporary suspensions of turning bans

From 23:00 on 31 December 2016 to 06:00 on 1 January 2017 Skene Street, Aberdeen, into Rosemount Viaduct (right turn) Union Street, Aberdeen, into Crown Street (right turn) Parking Restrictions

From 08:00 on 31 December 2016 to 06:00 on 1 January 2017 • Diamond Street, Aberdeen, on either side, between Union Street and Ruby Lane, except for Emergency vehicles. • Rosemount Place, Aberdeen, on the South side, between Hill Street and South Mount Street • Wellington Place, Aberdeen, on the north side, between Crown Street and South College Street.

Parking Restrictions From 18:00 on 30 December 2016 to 06:00 on 1 January 2017 • Schoolhill, Aberdeen, outside RGC (Pocket Park)

Alternative routes shall be available during the closures.

Serious Safety Concerns in Fairley Road

1
As part of ongoing works to take utilities across to the Countesswells development it has been necessary to carry out some roadworks on Fairley Road, but what happened next presented a real danger to both pedestrians and motorists.

Local councillor Steve Delaney said, “I visited the area last Friday and was horrified to see that there was no safe pedestrian access route. In addition, with four way traffic signals nobody knew which way to go or indeed when it was safe to do so”.

“I have had council officials visit the site on several occasions to inspect the traffic management arrangements and ensure that the developer make adaptations to ensure public safety remains their top priority and that cordoned off areas comply with what has been agreed with the council. Unfortunately the situation remains ongoing and I have raised further concerns about the latest arrangements again this afternoon”.

“Disruption in this area was always going to be significant, but there’s ways of managing a job and I’m just thankful nobody has been injured or worse as a result of the lack of basic safety awareness by this developer”.

Works are scheduled to be completed over the weekend. I know this can’t come fast enough for local residents.

Changes in Temporary Traffic Order – Croft Road, Mastrick Drive

digging
This traffic order has been extended

Start Date and Time : 17 October 2016 08:00
End Date and Time : 23 December 2016 18:00

Location : Croft Road, Mastrick Drive

Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order is to impose a temporary prohibition of waiting on Croft Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Mastrick Drive and Croft Place, from 08:00 on 17 October, 2016, until 18:00 on 23 December, 2016. There will also be a prohibition of traverse on the same stretch of road. There will be a prohibition of waiting on Mastrick Drive, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Croft Road and New Park Road, from 08:00 on 14 November, 2016, until 18:00 on 23 December, 2016. There will also be a prohibition of traverse on the south footway of the same stretch of road. The measures are necessary to protect public safety during works to form a new entrance and bus stop.
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New Temporary Traffic Order Imposed – Croft Road

diggingThis temporary traffic order has been extended as detailed below.

Start Date and Time : 07 December 2016 18:00
End Date and Time : 23 December 2016 18:00

Location : Croft Road

Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order is to impose a temporary prohibition of waiting on Croft Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Mastrick Drive and Croft Place, from 18:00 on 7 December, 2016, until 18:00 on 23 December, 2016. There will also be a prohibition of traverse on the same stretch of road. The measures are necessary to protect public safety during works to form a new entrance and bus stop.

Temporary Traffic Orders in Mastrick

diggingNew Temporary Traffic Order Imposed – Mastrick Drive

Start Date and Time : 12 December 2016 08:00
End Date and Time : 16 December 2016 17:00
Location : Mastrick Drive
Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order, which will operate from between 08:00 and 17:00 daily from 12 December, 2016, until 16 December, 2016, is to impose a temporary prohibition of waiting on Mastrick Drive, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Lang Stracht and Whitemyres Avenue. The measure is necessary to protect public safety during footway resurfacing works.

Changes in Temporary Traffic Order – Croft Road, Mastrick Drive

Start Date and Time : 17 October 2016 08:00
End Date and Time : 07 December 2016 18:00
Location : Croft Road, Mastrick Drive
Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order is to impose a temporary prohibition of waiting on Croft Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Mastrick Drive and Croft Place, from 08:00 on 17 October, 2016, until 18:00 on 2 December, 2016. There will also be a prohibition of traverse on the same stretch of road. There will be a prohibition of waiting on Mastrick Drive, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Croft Road and New Park Road, from 08:00 on 14 November, 2016, until 18:00 on 2 December, 2016. There will also be a prohibition of traverse on the south footway of the same stretch of road. The measures are necessary to protect public safety during works to form a new entrance and bus stop.

Kingswells Temporary Traffic Orders

diggingNew Temporary Traffic Lights Imposed – C93CStart Date and Time : 05 December 2016 19:00

Start Date and Time : 05 December 2016 19:00
End Date and Time : 06 December 2016 05:00
Location : C93C
Description : Temporary traffic signals for use during AWPR works to the north of the A944 Skene Road. Operational 1900-0500.

New Temporary Traffic Lights Imposed – C89C Chapel of Stoneywood to Fairley Road

Start Date and Time : 30 November 2016 09:30
End Date and Time : 03 December 2016 15:30
Location : C89C Chapel of Stoneywood to Fairley Road
Description : Temporary traffic lights in use for AWPR works – at Dykeside Roundabout. Working 09.30 to 15.30 each day.

Kingswells’ Community Stars

PARK_AND_RIDE_010Sunday 27th November 2016 saw individuals across Aberdeen recognised for their hard work in communities across the city. This year Eric Clark,  Jim Henderson, Pam Hudson, Aleen Shinnie and Jeanette Taylor were all recognised as “Community Stars” at a civic reception in the Town House to celebrate those who have contributed towards making local communities better places for all of us. 

These five Kingswells residents were responsible for organising the petitions opposing First’s intended withdrawal of bus services from Kingswells and collecting over 2,000 signatures. They all helped gather feedback at the drop in sessions in order to help the council understand the full impact of the proposed withdrawal and help them to plan for the future.

Local councillor Steve Delaney said, “This annual event was introduced a few years ago to offer a thank you from the council to those who make a real difference in their local communities. Sometimes nominees have contributed over many years, in other cases they may have made a huge impact over a shorter period of time. Either way, those who are recognised have made a real difference”.

“My warmest congratulations go to Kingswells’ winners for 2016. You really deserve the recognition for all your hard work”.

Recognition For A Lovely Lady

pearlAberdeen’s favourite lollipop lady has been presented with her British Empire Medal by Lord Lieutenant George Adam on behalf of HM the Queen at a special reception in the Town House.

Pearl Rendall’s award was originally announced in the Queen’s 90th Birthday honours list in June for services to education. She has been crossing kids at Lewis Road on their way to Kingsford School for over 36 years.

Pearl knows all the kids by name and teaches them how to cross safely from and early age. The kids all love Pearl as she does them, but she stands no nonsense either and they soon realise the importance of staying safe.

Local councillor Steve Delaney said, “I’ve known Pearl for a number of years. For Pearl it’s not just a job, she puts her heart and soul into it. As well as cheering up the parents with her warm words and cheery smile, she also looks out for the older folk in our community too”.

“This is what the honours system should be about, recognising the contribution of ordinary folk to their local communities. Well done Pearl, nobody deserves this more than you”.

Kingswells Roadworks Update

A944_2_sOngoing roadworks have been causing untold disruption around Kingswells and regrettably there’s more to come.

Lib Dem councillor Steve Delaney met last week with road officers to discuss what’s in the pipeline over the coming weeks and months.

The good news is that the C128C Kingswells to Cults road is set to re-open on 23rd December and there are currently no further planned lane closures on the A944 between the Sheddocksley and Kingswells roundabouts.

However, there will be works required in connection with the AWPR. It will be necessary to remove the temporary bridge where the AWPR crosses the A944 and this will result in lane closures and contra flow traffic over one or two weekends in December. Further works will then be needed to tie in the new roundabout to the A944 next Spring. It will also be necessary to close off part of the C89C beside the Craibstone Golf Course.

Steve said, ‘These are all necessary works needed for the safe and timely delivery of the AWPR. I highlighted to officials the difficulties being faced by Kingswells residents who several closures and diversion fall at the same time and the need to avoid such clashes moving forward”.

“I asked for the closure of the section of the C89C can be held back until after the New Year in order to minimise disruption in the run up to Christmas and to avoid clashing with other ongoing works. It is hoped this will be possible”.

“Needless to say, details of all new and ongoing roadworks will continue to be published on this website as details emerge”.

Maidencraig Bridge

img_3361The dangerous bridge near the Maidencraig Nature Reserve between Summerhill and Hazlehead has been demolished.

A new temporary bridge has been put in place until a permanent replacement is built. There will be a flood prevention scheme going into this area in conjunction with the new Maidencraig development. A new bridge will be included as part of that design. There is currently no timescale for these works.

Local councillor Steve Delaney said, “I’m pleased the old bridge has been replaced as it was beginning to look decidedly unsafe. This is a walkway used by school children, dog walkers and others, so I’m delighted to see these concerns have been addressed”.

No 13 Reliability Issues

first_platinum13_024Following complaints from residents, Lib Dem councillor Steve Delaney has raised the issue of poor timekeeping on the No 13 bus route with FirstAberdeen.

FirstAberdeen have advised that they are aware of this and are looking to make some adjustments to certain journeys in order to improve timekeeping. Unfortunately, the hoped for increase in frequency following the introduction of the Platinum service last year is not planned in their short term plans.

Steve said, “I’m disappointed that this well used service remains on a 20 minute frequency and have asked FirstAberdeen to give this matter further consideration once the city centre disruption of the next few months has passed. Clearly the top priority is to address the reliability of the service and I welcome their commitment to address this”

Tipsy Teapot Shopping Night!

spot-red-teapot-graphic-art-cartoonA fun evening is being held at Sheddocksley Community Centre on 24th November from 7pm – 9pm. It has been organised by local mums for Olivia Wood, who is very bravely battling leukaemia.

There’s going to bea great selection of stalls run by local businesses from our area. All stall holders have donated prizes to the raffle and there’s a number of donations from other businesses too.

Why not come along to support a good cause and enjoy some great company?

8de6a3af-567c-421f-ba30-c80384a4b09c

Announcement Expected On Bus Services

busAs of today’s date FirstAberdeen has made no announcement of their intentions with respect to the X40/11 services to Kingswells. Clearly their intention to withdraw services from the end of the year has now passed as they are required to give ten weeks’ notice prior to terminating a service.

Having said that, I am expecting an announcement from them soon, possibly within a matter of days. Whether that’s a withdrawal of service around the end of January, a continuation until July 2017 to assist hospital workers during the ARI car park closure or another, as yet unknown alternative, is anyone’s guess.

I have recently received a response to my submission to the Public Transport Unit on behalf of Kingswells residents. Their response contained some information which was of a confidential nature and had to be redacted prior to it being made public. I thank them for their assistance in this as I was keen to ensure that everything which could be made public was made public.

There will of course be further updates are the picture becomes clearer.

Changes in Temporary Traffic Order – Borrowstone Road

diggingStart Date and Time : 14 November 2016 05:30
End Date and Time : 18 November 2016 22:00
Location : Borrowstone Road
Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order, which will operate from 05:30 on 14 November, 2016, until 22:00 on 18 November, 2016, is to impose a temporary prohibition of driving on the C93C Borrowstone Road, Aberdeen, between Borrowstone Farm and Rivehill Farm. Access to properties will be maintained, but no through traffic will be possible. The measure is necessary to protect public safety during carriageway resurfacing works.
Alternate Route : An alternative route is available via the A944 Skene Road, the C89C Chapel of Stoneywood-Fairley Road, and the U90C Tulloch Road.

Changes in Temporary Traffic Order – Croft Road, Mastrick Drive

diggingStart Date and Time : 17 October 2016 08:00
End Date and Time : 02 December 2016 18:00
Location : Croft Road, Mastrick Drive
Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order is to impose a temporary prohibition of waiting on Croft Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Mastrick Drive and Croft Place, from 08:00 on 17 October, 2016, until 18:00 on 2 December, 2016. There will also be a prohibition of traverse on the same stretch of road. There will be a prohibition of waiting on Mastrick Drive, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Croft Road and New Park Road, from 08:00 on 14 November, 2016, until 18:00 on 2 December, 2016. There will also be a prohibition of traverse on the south footway of the same stretch of road. The measures are necessary to protect public safety during works to form a new entrance and bus stop.

Autumn Leaves Clearing

IMG_0168.JPGAs is usual for this time of year, everywhere is covered in autumn leaves and these can present difficulties for people who are less steady on their feet. Unfortunately the clear up tends to take longer than we would all like, due to the number of leaves and the huge area to be covered.

Local councillor Steve Delaney said, “I have received assurances from the council that leaf clearing will be their priority between now and the end of the year. They have hired additional sweepers to speed up this work and they are confident they will have all the leaves cleared up before Christmas”.

A944 Lane Closures This Weekend

CountesswellsResidents will have noticed signage regarding roadworks planned for the A944 over the next two weeks.These relate to taking service ducts across from Kingswells to the new Countesswells development. Gas connections are to be taken across the A944 on the weekend of 5th and 6th November with further works planned.

Lib Dem councillor Steve Delaney said, “I was very concerned to see these notices appear without any warning. This merely adds to the existing misery resulting from the closure of the Cults road and the subsequent increase in traffic on the A944”.

“I have received assurances from Aberdeen City Council that these works will be carried out off-peak and will not result in the road being closed at any point, which would have been unthinkable, though there will be lane closures”.

Eday Crescent Play Area Upgrade

eday_crescentThe play area in Eday Crescent is to be upgraded before the end of the year. Unfortunately this means that all the old equipment is to be removed very soon.

As part of the upgrade some tarred areas around the edges are to be replaced with grass and a new rubberised surface is to be laid over the remaining tarred area. As you would expect there will be a fair amount of disruption but it willl be well worth it.

Summerhill councillor Steve Delaney said, “I’m delighted to see yet another play park being upgraded in our area. From the artist’s impression, it’s clear this will offer much improved facilities for families in the Summerhill area.

Taxi Fare Review

drop-offAberdeen City Council’s Licensing Committee met on 25th October 2016 to consider a review of taxi fares in Aberdeen. It was agreed there would be no change to the existing tariff structure, which is to be reviewed and reported back to committee. Any proposed changes are likely to be introduced at the next usual review of fares around April 2018.

However, the request to increase the airport drop off charge from £1 to £2 to recompense drivers for the increase brought in by Aberdeen Airport was approved.

Lib Dem councillor Steve Delaney, who spoke at the meeting asked the committee to write in the strongest terms to Aberdeen Airport requesting they drop the drop off charge. He also asked, and received assurances from the taxi trade, that passengers be advised they can request to be dropped off at the long stay car park to avoid paying the charge.

Steve said, “This charge is unjust. It’s not a parking charge, it’s a drop off charge with vehicles moving on as soon as they drop off their passengers. It’s no more than a cash cow for Aberdeen Airport and damages the reputation of the airport and the city. They should listen to their customers and scrap it now”.

This Week’s Kingswells Buses Update

PARK_AND_RIDE_010The feedback from the consultation events on 12th and 15th October is being analysed by the Public Transport Unit. FirstAberdeen has not yet commenced the de-registration process.

Kingswells councillor Steve Delaney said, “As a result of the 10 week notice period not yet being invoked, the service cannot now be terminated before January. This gives us some comfort that we’ll see the festive season out before we face further challenges, but the threat remains real. I expect an announcement from FirstAberdeen in the next week or two and will update on next steps at that point”

Communities, Housing & Infrastructure Meeting 1st November 2016

Town HouseThis committee has overall responsibility for Trading Standards, Bon Accord Care, Aberdeen Crematorium, Aberdeen Heat & Power, council housing, community centres, waste collections, environmental services, roads, pavements, street lighting and a whole lot more.

They also receive reports from the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service and Police Scotland and question senior officers. Their next meeting takes place on Tuesday 1st November at 14.00 at the Town House and is open to the public.

Notable items for discussion are a request for taxis to be permitted to use bus gates, a Police Scotland report on serious and organised crime, proposed changes to housing allocation policy, various road traffic orders (new and in progress), AWPR side road speed limits and this year’s winter maintenance programme.

This meeting is open to the public and the full agenda can be found here.

ARI Car Park Latest

_90484108_aricarparkIt has been confirmed that the long awaited construction works to build a multi-storey car park on the ARI site will commence on 24th October 2016. During this time there will be no visitor parking on site and very little staff parking. The construction works are expected to last until next summer. Although this will create difficulties for visitors getting to ARI, the underlying challenge is for NHS staff to get to and from work, especially those living at Kingswells and further afield.

NHS Grampian staff parking permit holders can show their permits to the bus driver allow them to travel free of charge on the X40 service during these works. However, this has been undermined by FirstAberdeen’s intention to withdraw the service from the end of this year. Local councillor Steve Delaney discussed matters with NHS Grampian earlier this week.

He said, “I was assured that NHS Grampian and FirstAberdeen are working together on this. They to meet on a weekly basis to review passenger numbers but First’s bottom line is that passenger numbers need to grow significantly. The position will be further reviewed in December as was previously advised to me by First’s Operations Manager. Needless to say, I will maintain regular contact with NHS Grampian as matters progress”.

“There is clearly a challenge for NHS Grampian to demonstrate an increase in passenger numbers, given the very tight timeline. We can all do our bit by using the bus more often and help boost the passenger numbers. Even if this only offers a reprieve until next summer, it would buy time to find a longer term solution for Kingswells. However, if increased passenger numbers were sustained, the threat may be lifted”.

“Personally I do not expect NHS staff on their own to be sufficient to give FirstAberdeen the passenger numbers they seek and I remain convinced of their determination to axe services to Kingswells. However, I would urge those of you who could use the X40 but don’t, to give it a try and help extend a lifeline to those in our community who would be hardest hit if it were withdrawn”.

Discussion with Transport Minister

IMG_0168.JPGKingswells councillor Steve Delaney was invited to join a teleconference on 17th October with Transport Minister Humza Yousaf and officials from Transport Scotland. The invitation came about as a result of the proposed withdrawal of bus services from Kingswells and Steve’s recent notice of motion to Aberdeen City Council.

Steve said, “This was a helpful conversation in which it soon became clear the Minister understood the social and economic need for a bus route serving Kingswells. We also spoke of the wider implications within Aberdeen as a result of other recent route withdrawals by First, something he has already come across elsewhere in Scotland”.

“Mr Yousaf also discussed the forthcoming Transport bill which will look at bus regulation as well other aspects of public transport in Scotland. No firm date has been set for its publication, but here will be an opportunity for the public to feed into the consultation process and I would strongly encourage this”.

“I appreciate the Minister giving up his time to discuss Kingswells and the wider public transport situation and I will continue to keep his office appraised of the Kingswells situation.”

Kingswells Bus Drop In Sessions

drop-in-sessionsTwo drop in sessions were held at Kingswells Community Centre on 12th and 15th October. Attendance was over 220 for the two days and would have probably been higher had it not been for the timing (school holidays) and the torrential rain. Nonetheless, this was a good turnout for events of this type. Both sessions had representatives from First and Aberdeen City Council listening to people’s concerns and advising on what comes next.

A number of the petition organisers were also on hand to offer their support and to invite attendees to leave comments with them. This was appreciated by those attending. These feedback forms will be passed to the council to assist them with their evidence gathering.

Kingswells councillor Steve Delaney, who attended both events said, “I was delighted to see so many people take the time to come along and make their views known. Everyone I spoke to was of the opinion that First have made up their minds and won’t be swayed, but all commented on the helpfulness of the council officials who attended”.

“Regardless of what comes next, all the feedback will help to inform the process going forward. I met lots of old friends and was able to put a lot of faces to names in respect of people I’ve previously had contact with but never met. I would like to thank everyone who took the trouble to discuss their concerns with me. It was good to see the community coming together to support each other at this worrying time”.

Bridge of Dee To Close Overnight For Up To Three Weeks

bridge-of-deeThe Bridge of Dee is due to close overnight for up the three weeks, beginning on 24th October.

The bridge will be closed in both directions each night between 7.30pm and 6am to allow Bear Scotland to carry our repairs. Traffic will be diverted along Riverside Drive and Great Southern Road.

The Bridge of Dee is part of the A90 trunk road and is managed by Transport Scotland and not by Aberdeen City Council.

You can find out more here.

Confusion Over First’s Intentions

PARK_AND_RIDE_010Following on from my earlier announcement, First now appear to be in some confusion over their intentions regarding Kingswells bus services. Their latest statement insists that there has been no change in their position with regard to withdrawing services from Kingswells”.

I refer to the letter from the Traffic Commissioner which is pretty unequivocal in saying that “there will not be an application to withdraw this service meantime”.

Commenting on reports that FirstAberdeen are trying to back pedal on what First UK’s MD said to the Traffic Commissioner, Kingswells councillor Steve Delaney said, “The Traffic Commissioner for Scotland is an independent civil servant who has no axe to grind in this matter. I trust her honesty and her integrity”.

“On the basis that the change of heart came from the MD of First UK it’s beginning to look like the right hand doesn’t know what the left’s doing as far as First Group are concerned. Surely, when the UK MD makes such a commitment, it over-rules local decision making”.

“All this confusion causes is more uncertainty and more upset for the residents of Kingswells. First have behaved disgracefully towards the people of Kingswells”.

First Withdraws Threat To Kingswells Buses

busFollowing a strong community campaign, local councillor Steve Delaney can confirm that FirstAberdeen have decided NOT to withdraw bus services from Kingswells.

The news came in a letter from Joan Aitken, Traffic Commissioner for Scotland, following a meeting with First. In her letter Miss Aitken said, “there will not be an application to withdraw this service meantime”. First have indicated a willingness to consult on the future of this the service along with other wider issues. However, the Traffic Commissioner did say that passenger numbers will remain an issue for First in the consultations which will follow.

Steve said, “Clearly people power has won and I remain impressed with the grassroots movement which has arisen in Kingswells. However, we’ve won the battle, but not the war. The Traffic Commissioner was clear that the principle of use it or lose it remains”.

“I would like to thank the Traffic Commissioner for her assistance in this matter, but I must stress it’s only a reprieve. It’s up to local people to make more use of the bus service, but equally for FirstAberdeen to provide a quality service in order to maintain and grow passenger numbers”.

“Consultations are ongoing this week and it remains vital that people come along and have their say. The consultations will focus on what residents want from their bus service and how First can increase passenger numbers to ensure the longer term viability of the service”.

Aberdeen Consistently Short-Changed

RumblesNorth East MSP Mike Rumbles has uncovered figures that show Aberdeen City Council has lost out on over £100million of ‘block grant’ funding since 2011.

The records, produced by the Scottish Parliament Library (SPICe), show that Aberdeen has been the worst funded council in Scotland for at least six years running – closely followed by Aberdeenshire Council. City funding has consistently dropped below the Scottish Government’s own funding ‘floor’ of 85% of the Scottish average for Total Revenue Support (TRS).

Calculations also show that Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire together have received £711million less than the Scottish average, over the same period.

Mr Rumbles said: “These figures are frankly disgraceful. The Scottish Government have been using the North East as a cash cow, and that has meant less money for our schools, less for our roads, and less for our local services.

“It’s no wonder people feel let-down by this Government, they have had over six years to meet their own funding targets and have resolutely failed every time.

“This is a vulnerable time for the North East, but instead of supporting and investing in our area, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are now two of the worst funded local authorities areas in Scotland.”

Liberal Democrat city council leader Ian Yuill added: “People across Aberdeen know that our city has been short-changed by the SNP for years.

“This is nothing less than a SNP raid on the cash that could provide vital services for families in Aberdeen.

“If something doesn’t change, Aberdeen faces even more SNP underfunding next year. It’s time the Scottish Government held up their hands and gave Aberdeen a fair deal.”

Lib Dems launch campaign against Labour’s ‘vanity publishing’ magazine

Aberdeen’s Liberal Democrat ‎councillors haveIMG_0169-0.JPG launched a campaign calling on Labour-led Aberdeen City Council to drop their scheme to spend tens of thousands of pounds printing and circulating to homes across Aberdeen a magazine publishing the council’s “achievements”.

Liberal Democrat group leader Ian Yuill said “We couldn’t believe it when Labour councillor Willie Young proposed this stupid and outrageous magazine scheme at last week’s council meeting. It’s a disgrace that Labour and their allies think it’s acceptable to spend tens of thousands of pounds on this. This is money that could be used on local services such as buying books for schools, providing social care or filling potholes.‎”

Councillor Yuill continued “So many people have contacted us about this over the last few days that we have now launched an online petition calling for this daft magazine scheme to be dropped. People can back the campaign via Facebook.”

Ian Yuill concluded ‎ “It seems Labour doesn’t trust Aberdeen’s local media and are resorting to expensive vanity publishing. Frankly if Labour don’t like the coverage they get in the local press and on local radio and TV they have no one to blame but themselves. It’s an outrage that Labour and their allies have decided to spend council tax payers’ money on this magazine.”

Changes in Temporary Traffic Order – CHAPEL OF STONEYWOOD TO FAIRLEY ROAD

diggingAn existing Temporary Traffic Order has been modified. The details are as follows :
Category :Temporary Traffic Signal
Traffic Order Number :2016/274/TL
Emergency : No
Start Date and Time : 10 October 2016 09:30
End Date and Time : 28 October 2016 15:30
Location : CHAPEL OF STONEYWOOD TO FAIRLEY ROAD
Description : Temporary traffic lights in use for AWPR works – between North Kingswells junction and Kepplehills junction. Working 09:30 to 15:30.

Council Backs Delaney On Kingswells Buses

ACCAberdeen City Council has agreed a motion from Lib Dem councillor Steve Delaney which seeks to ensure Kingswells residents are not left without a bus service and also looks at wider issue of public transport provision across the city.

Steve spoke of First’s total disregard for the residents of Kingswells and the difficulties they will experience if bus services are withdrawn and sought cross-Party support to find a way forward.

It all played out in a somewhat theatrical manner as Labour tried to block the motion twice. Steve then sought an adjournment from the Lord Provost in an attempt to find a way forward without division. What was agreed retained the focus and immediacy of the Kingswells situation.

Steve said, “It was somewhat bizarre how this all played out but I achieved what I had set out to do. This was to gain all Party support from the Council to do everything in it’s power to retain bus services in Kingswells and for politicians of all Parties to work together in order to achieve this. Anything less would have been a missed opportunity”.

“My thanks go to all councillors for their support. Also thanks to the Kingswells residents who sat through a very long meeting to hear this item”.

The full debate can be viewed online. Just select “7 a) Motion by Councillor Delaney” from the menu on the right of your screen. You will need to scroll down to find it.

What was finally agreed reads as follows:-

“That Council:-

1. Deplores FirstAberdeen’s intention to terminate the X40 service to Kingswells at the end of this year, effectively leaving an entire community without access to public transport.

2. Instructs the Director of Communities, Housing & Infrastructure to seek a meeting with FirstAberdeen to seek to reverse this decision and to further emphasise the need for services to be provided to all areas of Aberdeen.

3. Instructs the Chief Executive to meet with Group Leaders to consider how best to ensure that Kingswells residents are not left without a service and investigate how best to protect our communities across Aberdeen from further service withdrawals.

4. Reaffirms the decision of the Finance, Policy and Resources Committee and asks the Chief Executive to arrange for public meetings in Kingswells and Bridge of Don to take place, which seek to feed back and discuss options which are identified by residents and from the drop in sessions.

Temporary Traffic Lights Imposed – CHAPEL OF STONEYWOOD TO FAIRLEY ROAD

diggingA New Temporary Traffic Lights has been imposed with the following details :
Category :Temporary Traffic Signals
Traffic Order Number : 2016/274/TL
Emergency : No
Start Date and Time : 10 October 2016 09:30
End Date and Time : 14 October 2016 15:30
Location : CHAPEL OF STONEYWOOD TO FAIRLEY ROAD
Description : Temporary traffic lights in use for AWPR works – between North Kingswells Junction and Kepplehills junction. Working 09:30 to 15:30.

Energy From Waste Plant Approved

incinerator-picAberdeen City Council yesterday approved the construction of an Energy From Waste plant to divert non-recyclable household waste from landfill.

The proposal was the subject of a six hour debate. The item before councillors was a Planning Application in which they were required to determine the suitability of the plant on purely planning ground as any health or environmental concerns fell outwith the discretion of the Council, falling instead to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA).

Following on from the decision, the operators will need to apply for a licence from SEPA, who will monitor the operation of the facility and have the power to intervene at any time, should the operators fail to comply with stringent environmental regulations in any way.

The plant will also generate electricity as a by-product of the incineration process, with the potential to alleviate fuel poverty in the Torry area.

The Energy from Waste plant will compliment a new recycling facility which will support mixed recyclate collections and allow many more items to be recycled than is the case at present. The mixed recyclate collections will begin early in 2017 and will be phased in over a few months.

More Shenanigans At Fawlty Towers!

Town HouseLabour have shot themselves in the foot again! At today’s Council meeting they pushed through a decision to publish a 12 page glossy booklet outlining their achievements over the last four years, to be sent out with next year’s Council Tax bills, just weeks away from the Council elections!

Following on from a similar communication setting out a view on the Scottish independence referendum in 2014, today opposition Parties mounted a robust opposition to this proposal.

Liberal Democrat councillor Steve Delaney opposed the previous communication even though he supported the sentiment of that letter which supported Scotland’s continuance as part of the UK. His opposition was on the basis that Council Tax payers should not be footing the bill.

Steve said, “This is political propaganda at its worst. If Labour want to tell everyone about their achievements I’m fine with that. There’s an election next year. By all they means put this in their leaflets and let voters arrive at their own conclusions, just don’t expect Council Tax payers to pay for it”.

Broad Street Safety Concerns Highlighted

Artist-impression-of-Marischal-SDetailed plans for a rejuvenated Broad Street were today approved unanimously by Aberdeen City Council. The plans offer an attractive streetscape designed to be more pedestrian friendly, with innovative lighting, a water feature and an area of greenery.

Whilst backing the plans, Liberal Democrat leader, Ian Yuill, expressed concerns over the decision to remove traffic lights from the junction of Upper Kirkgate, Gallowgate and Broad Street. However, it was agreed that the appropriate infrastructure to support traffic lights would be present, should this later be considered necessary.

Local councillor Steve Delaney said, “With a bus a minute running through Broad Street, my concerns about pedestrian safety remain. I can only hope that these fears are never realised”.

“With regard to the design itself, it’s surprising appealing and will add much value to the area, even if we are faced by the monstrosity of Marischal Square across the road!”

Bus Petition Handover

busKingswells residents today travelled on the X40 to FirstGroup HQ to hand over petitions with well over 2000 signatures objecting to the planning withdrawal of the X40/11 services from Kingswells at the end of this year.

Steve Delaney said, “I’d like to pay tribute to Pam Hudson, Aleen Shinnie, Eric Clark, Joe & Isabell Ritchie, Jim Henderson, Jeanette Taylor and the many other local people who took the time and effort to gather these signatures. Also thanks to everyone who made the trip to First today to hand over the petition”.

The event was covered by the Evening Express, Press & Journal, Northsound, Original FM, BBC Radio and STV amongst others and was supported by Grampian Senior Citizens Forum and Unite the Union. Grateful thanks to all for helping raise awareness of the campaign.

A number of the organisers joined Steve in a meeting with FirstAberdeen’s Operations Director, David Adam. In the meeting, which lasted about half an hour, residents raised concerns about the accuracy and methodology used to gather passenger numbers. It was also conveyed to First that they had a moral obligation to provide services to all areas of Aberdeen.

Discussion centred around people’s inability to get to and from their workplace and the impact on elderly and disabled people who will be unable to attend medical appointments and may become socially isolated. A number of other concerns raised by local people were also aired.

Mr Adam confirmed that the service would be reviewed again in December with respect to NHS parking permit holders using the X40 during the closure of ARI’s car park. However, he did not commit to extending the service, even until July 2017, when the new car park at ARI is due to be completed.

Steve said, “I appreciate Mr Adam having taken the time to meet with us. He politely listened to our concerns and agreed to look further into passenger numbers and how these had been collated. He also asked us to encourage people to attend next week’s consultation events”.

“We left convinced that First’s decision to withdraw services from Kingswells was pretty much a done deal. However, it is vital that residents attend next week’s consultation events as the Council will be taking note of all concerns and will take cognisance of these in their response to First”.

“If indeed First do withdraw the service, your comments may well be used to inform the social need component of any new service, so please don’t walk away in disgust (as tempted as you may be) as we all need to work together on this”.

Confusion Over X40 Role During ARI Car Park Construction

_90484108_aricarparkA number of Kingswells residents have contacted Liberal Democrat councillor Steve Delaney over the posting of a news item on NHS Grampian’s intranet last week regarding the construction of their new multi-storey car park.

During the construction period, which commences on 10th October, the existing patient car park will be closed as will the adjacent staff car park, which is being taken over by the construction team. As a result, there will be very little car parking, not just for patients and visitors, but also for staff. This will create significant difficulties for staff who live outwith the city or in areas with less frequent bus services, along with challenges for NHS Grampian if staff can’t get to work.

The release from NHS Grampian says, “As a result staff car parking will be significantly reduced until the expected project end date of July 2017″……

“Foresterhill Health Campus permit holders will be able to park and travel free on the X40 from the Bridge of Don and Kingswells Park & Ride”.

This statement appears to cut across First’s decision to axe the service from the end of 2016. As a result, Steve contacted FirstAberdeen’s Commercial Manager, Daniel Laird for comment.

In his response of 28th September Mr Laird said, “This message has been communicated in error by NHS Grampian. We have been involved in discussions with their estates team regarding potential transport arrangements during the car park works, but as of today, we have not entered into any agreement with them. I have requested a meeting later this week with the estates team and if an agreement is reached, this will be communicated.”

Steve said, “This is particularly unsettling for ARI staff and indeed for patients if staff are unable to get to work. This debacle suggest to me that either First have failed to communicate their intention to cease operation of the X40 to NHS Grampian, either that or they may be willing to stave off the axing of the service until next July”.

“If indeed they do reach an agreement, a stay of execution for the X40 would of course be welcomed. I have no idea as to how this would be funded. However, I would have grave concerns if this was happening as a result of cash strapped NHS resources being used to top up First Aberdeen’s coffers for the next few months, only for First then to walk away”.

Bus Petitions – Next Steps

bus posterAs everyone will be aware, a number of petitions opposing the withdrawal of bus services from Kingswells have been doing the rounds. These have been organised by local people incensed at FirstAberdeen’s decision.

At their request local councillor Steve Delaney met earlier this week with a number of people who have been instrumental in gathering signatures to discuss next steps. As a result, it was agreed that the petitions will be handed to FirstAberdeen next week, with copies going to the Chief Executive of Aberdeen City Council and the Scottish Traffic Commissioner.

Residents are asked to make their way to First’s HQ in King Street for 10.45am on Wednesday 5th October. Please come along if you can, in order to demonstrate the level of concern in our community. A good turnout is absolutely essential. At 11.00am the petitions will be handed to a representative of First with covering letters requesting a formal response to the organisers. First have agreed to a short meeting with the petition organisers and Councillor Delaney thereafter.

Steve said, “I’ve been impressed with the way the community has united in opposition to First’s intention to withdraw our bus service and at the dedication and determination of local people to oppose this”.

“The petitions have arisen as a result of a grassroots movement, they have been community led and they clearly demonstrate that these genuine concerns need to be listened to and this decision reversed”.

“The handing over of these petitions demonstrates the community’s determination to ensure we retain a bus service which covers the whole of Kingswells. Please do come along if you can”.

Kingswells Bus Service – Drop In Sessions

drop-in-sessionsAberdeen City Council are to hold two drop-in sessions at Kingswells Community Centre on Wednesday 12th October from 16.00 – 19.30 and on Saturday 15th October from 11.00 – 14.30. FirstAberdeen have confirmed their attendance.

Residents can come along at any time and discuss matters with representatives from First Aberdeen and Aberdeen City Council, there will be two tables for First Aberdeen and two for Aberdeen City Council to allow face to face discussions and a waiting area will also be provided until a table is clear.

Steve Delaney said, “I’m disappointed it has not been possible to hold a public meeting. Drop in sessions are fine for gathering information, but can work less well in respect of everyone getting all their points across”.

“Regardless of whether or not you feel these sessions will be of value, I would urge you to attend one or other of them. It is vital that all your concerns are fed into the process. There’s also an issue of credibility if sessions are organised and few people turn up”.

“The fact that some people may consider the process to be pointless, given that First have already taken the decision, is irrelevant. Looking at the bigger picture, if you want to continue to have a bus service in Kingswells, you need to be there and you need to have your say”.

Some concerns have been expressed about holding these sessions during the school holidays, with some families away. Anyone unable to attend can provide feedback regarding to their use of the bus services, what bus services they would like in the area/minimum service level required or to enquire about the reasoning behind the proposed withdrawal of bus services and the process which is being undertaken by emailing Aberdeen City Council at mayule@aberdeencity.gov.uk

New Temporary Traffic Lights Imposed – c93c Borrowstone Road

diggingA New Temporary Traffic Lights has been imposed with the following details :
Category :Temporary Traffic Signals Start Date and Time : 03 October 2016 09:30
End Date and Time : 07 October 2016 15:30
Location : c93c Borrowstone Road
Description : Temporary traffic signals for use during AWPR works north of the junction with Skene Road. Operational 0930-1530 each day.

New Temporary Traffic Order Imposed – Croft Road, Mastrick Drive

diggingA New Temporary Traffic Order has been imposed with the following details :
Category :Parking Restriction
Start Date and Time : 17 October 2016 08:00
End Date and Time : 02 December 2016 18:00
Location : Croft Road, Mastrick Drive
Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order is to impose a temporary prohibition of waiting on Croft Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Mastrick Drive and Croft Place, from 08:00 on 17 October, 2016, until 18:00 on 11 November, 2016. There will also be a prohibition of traverse on the same stretch of road. There will be a prohibition of waiting on Mastrick Drive, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Croft Road and New Park Road, from 08:00 on 14 November, 2016, until 18:00 on 2 December, 2016. There will also be a prohibition of traverse on the south footway of the same stretch of road. The measures are necessary to protect public safety during works to form a new entrance and bus stop.

Changes in Temporary Traffic Order – C89C Chapel of Stoneywood to Fairley Road

diggingAn existing Temporary Traffic Order has been modified. The details are as follows :
Category :Road Closure
Start Date and Time : 16 September 2016 20:00
End Date and Time : 17 October 2016 06:00
Location : C89C Chapel of Stoneywood to Fairley Road
Description : Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order, which will operate from 20:00 on the Friday evening until 06:00 on the Monday morning on weekends beginning 30 September, and 7, 14 October, 2016, is to impose a temporary prohibition of driving on the C89C Chapel of Stoneywood-Fairley Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Kingswells Crescent and the C88C Newhills Road. Access to properties will be maintained, but no through traffic will be possible. The measure is necessary to protect public safety during AWPR works.
Alternate Route : An alternative route is available via the A944 Skene Road, Lang Stracht-Green Hedges, and A944 Lang Stracht, the A90 North Anderson Drive, the A96 Great Northern Road, Auchmill Road, and Inverurie Road.

New Temporary Traffic Lights Imposed – C89C Chapel of Stoneywood to Fairley Road

diggingA New Temporary Traffic Lights has been imposed with the following details :
Category :Temporary Traffic Signals
Start Date and Time : 01 October 2016 09:30
End Date and Time : 02 October 2016 15:30
Location : C89C Chapel of Stoneywood to Fairley Road
Description : Temporary traffic signals for use during AWPR works 500m north of the junction with Kingswells Crescent. Operational 0930-1530 each day.

Meeting with Public Transport Unit

PARK_AND_RIDE_010Steve Delaney, Liberal Democrat councillor for Kingswells, today met with the Public Transport Unit at Aberdeen City Council. The purpose of the meeting was two-fold, to discuss process and timelines but also for a briefing on what the Council is doing to try to ensure that Kingswells is not left without a bus service. The main points coming out of the meeting were as follows.

Private bus companies such as First can choose to axe routes at their absolute discretion and the only legislative requirement is that they give notice to the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland. The required notice period is 70 days, suggesting they will start the process between 17th and 30th October to meet their stated intention that “we will withdraw all services from Kingswells Village and Park & Ride by the end of the calendar year”. This statement by First represents their intention to trigger this process, but the process has not yet started. First has confirmed this to be the case earlier today.

During the first 28 days of the formal process, the Council must analyse the impact of the proposals and submit their findings to the bus operator. Where a significant change such as this is proposed, Aberdeen City Council would normally consult with stakeholders such as councillors, MPs, MSPs, community councils, NESTRANS, major employers likely to be affected, and others. This would be done to compliment the Council’s response.

Following on from this, First Group, assuming they have not been persuaded to reverse their decision, will lodge notice with the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland. Provided the de-registration is accepted, the service will cease 42 days after that date.

Council officials are currently analysing passenger numbers and will be holding further talks with First Group and other operators over the next week or so. All potential solutions will be explored. One or more public engagement events will be run in Kingswells, led by the Council, with First Group in attendance. Details of how and when this will take place have yet to be finalised, but an announcement is expected over the course of the next week.

Steve said, “Much of the above is process driven, but there’s much going on by way of preparatory work in advance of formal notice being served. Officials are weighing up a number of possible solutions with a view to retaining a service in Kingswells”.

“This is the start of the process, not the end. Make your views known to the Council, First Group and the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland. They need to fully understand the human cost of withdrawing services from Kingswells”

“Should it not be possible to maintain a commercial service, the Council has a duty under the Act to consider the impact such a withdrawal of service would cause. However, there is no statutory duty on the Council to provide a service and any such decision would need to be taken by councillors”.

“Please rest assured that I will continue to explore all options to retain a bus which services the whole of Kingswells, not just the Park & Ride”.

Rumbles urges First to retain X40 & 11 service to Kingswells

Mike RumblesAberdeen MSP Mike Rumbles is calling on local bus operators First Aberdeen Limited to think innovatively and expand the service to encourage more patrons to use the route.

This week First announced to the dismayed community, that both daytime and evening services X40 and 11 to Kingswells were to be cancelled due to a lack of custom. But residents have told Mr Rumbles that the route would be used if the service was more reliable.

Mike Rumbles said: “Improving public transport to and from the town centre is vital for the future of our city and local economy. It’s not just about making a profit for bus companies, they have a responsibility to provide a service for our communities.

“Providers should be thinking outside the box to improve the reliability of the service and encourage people to use public transport. Roads in Aberdeen and the Shire have become more and more congested in recent years. People are crying out for good and reliable bus services, but they won’t switch if the service is infrequent, slow and undependable.”

“You may be interested to know that I have written to First today stressing this fact and highlighting the short sightedness of their decision. I have also issues a statement to the local press and will be speaking on Radio Northsound today.”

“Over the coming weeks will be working with your local councillor Steve Delaney on this issue. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me again regarding this matter or any other.”

Kingswells Bus Services 24 Hour Update

IMG_0168.JPGThank you to everyone who has taken the time to contact me with concerns over First’s proposal to withdraw the X40 service. It’s been quite a day and I’m only beginning to draw breath now and it’s almost 10pm!

Needless to say I’ve not been able to get back to everyone but I will do so over the next few days. The level of concern has been overwhelming, and rightly so.

Since my last update a few more things have moved forward.

I have arranged to meet with the Council’s Public Transport Unit next week to discuss options open to the Council moving forward. I will of course post an update following on from that.

I have prepared a mailing to every Kingswells resident I have an email address for and that will be going out imminently

I have lodged a Notice of Motion to the Council meeting on 6th October 2016 which, subject to agreement of the Leader of the Council, will be debated that day.

It proposes as follows:-

That Council:-

1. Deplores FirstAberdeen’s intention to terminate the X40 service to Kingswells at the end of this year, effectively leaving an entire community without access to public transport.

2. Instructs the Director of Communities, Housing & Infrastructure to seek a meeting with FirstAberdeen to seek to reverse this decision and to further emphasise the need for services to be provided to all areas of Aberdeen.

3. Instructs the Director of Communities, Housing & Infrastructure to look at all available options including meeting with alternative public transport operators to explore the possibility of them providing a service to Kingswells.

4. Instructs the Chief Executive to seek a meeting with the Transport Minister and to meet with Group Leaders to consider how best to ensure that Kingswells residents are not left without a service and investigate how best to protect our communities across Aberdeen from further service withdrawals.

I would hope that all Party support will be forthcoming in this respect.

Please rest assured that I will leave no stone unturned to retain a bus service operating within the village. Updates will be posted as and when appropriate.

Best Regards
Steve Signature

X40 Bus Service To Be Withdrawn From Kingswells

P&RFirstAberdeen has today announced its intention to withdraw the X40 service from Kingswells with effect from the end of this year. This will result in Kingswells Village being the only part of Aberdeen which is not served by public transport.

Kingswells councillor Steve Delaney said, “This decision leaves elderly and disabled people who do not drive, effectively stranded. It also leaves Kingswells residents with no access to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Stagecoach services are available from Kingswells Park & Ride, but that’s of no use unless you own a car, which sort of defeats the purpose”.

“Local residents have for some time believed that FirstAberdeen was trying to kill off this service. In recent years the X40 has seen a number of reductions to its frequency. As a result, those who have the option of driving to work are doing so as result of the poor frequency. This has been further compounded by poor timekeeping. It’s hardly surprising to see passenger numbers down on what is effectively a third rate service”.

“I have already been in touch with the Council asking them to raise this matter with the Scottish Traffic Commissioner in the strongest of terms. I have also asked that they look at all other options open to the Council in order to try to reverse this decision. In addition, I have contacted Stagecoach asking them to look into the possibility of covering Kingswells Village with one of their services”.

“Earlier this year the Liberal Democrat Group proposed £200,000 for supported bus services in their Budget, which would have immediately helped in situations such as this. The Council’s Labour led administration only subsidise Culter/ Cults and Craigiebuckler with approximately £80,000 of subsidy. We would have gone much further with a costed proposal which had citywide relevance”.

“Although I’ve tried to work with FirstAberdeen constructively over the past eight years, it has always been clear that they are profit driven rather than people driven. They have absolutely no regard for maintaining a public service, merely private profit at the expense of the public they aspire to serve”.

“In 2013 the Liberal Democrat Group on Aberdeen City Council sought to ask the Scottish Parliament to strengthen bus regulation legislation by introducing a public service obligation to ensure services were provided to all areas and a minimum frequency of service stipulated. This motion was put forward to prevent such occurrences as we see today, but it failed to attract support from any other political group. Today those councillors should hang their heads in shame”

Consultation on Eday Crescent Play Area Refurbishment

EdayAberdeen City council is holding a public consultation event for the refurbishment of the Eday Crescent play area.

This will be held from 12.30-15.00 on Tuesday 6th September at Mastrick Library. The different options for the play area refurbishments will be available to view.

A council officer will be on hand to answer questions and note opinions from members of the public who wish to comment.

Further consultation on all of these sites will take place in the local primary schools where some of the real experts in play areas will have a chance to make their views known.

Access To Properties During Kingswood Drive Resurfacing

diggingSome concerns have been raised by local residents regarding access to their homes during the resurfacing of Kingswood Drive between Broaddykes Drive and Coldstone Avenue from 3rd to 5th September. There should have been a letter drop (from the Council) to all affected residents but this does not appear to have happened.

There will be some minor hold ups as the work is carried out but residents and emergency vehicles will always have access to their residence in Coldstone Avenue. There may times when at key points of the operation there will be slightly longer delays but these will be at a minimum while the work is at or near the junction.

Broaddykes Drive will be closed to vehicular traffic at its north-most entrance though access from the other entrances to the Broaddykes/Huxterstone area will not be effected during these works. Traffic management signs will be put in place to help guide drivers until the work is carried out.

Temporary Traffic Order Imposed – C89C Chapel of Stoneywood to Fairley Road

diggingAberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order, which will operate from 20:00 on the Friday evening until 06:00 on the Monday morning on weekends beginning 16, 23, 30 September, and 7 October, 2016, is to impose a temporary prohibition of driving on the C89C Chapel of Stoneywood-Fairley Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Kingswells Crescent and the C88C Newhills Road. Access to properties will be maintained, but no through traffic will be possible. The measure is necessary to protect public safety during AWPR works.
Alternate Route : An alternative route is available via the A944 Skene Road, Lang Stracht-Green Hedges, and A944 Lang Stracht, the A90 North Anderson Drive, the A96 Great Northern Road, Auchmill Road, and Inverurie Road.

Temporary Traffic Order Imposed – C89C Chapel of Stoneywood to Fairley Road

diggingAberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order, which will operate from 00:00 on 8 September, 2016, until 18:00 on 7 March, 2017, is to impose a temporary 40mph speed restriction on the C89C Chapel of Stoneywood-Fairley Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with the C88C Newhills Road and Kingswells Crescent. There will also be a prohibition of right turn manoeuvres at the junction with the C89C Chapel of Stoneywood-Fairley Road on to the two new access roads approximately 75 metres north east of Dykeside Steading. The measures are necessary to protect public safety during the movement of construction vehicles associated with the AWPR

Changes in Temporary Traffic Order – C89C Chapel of Stoneywood-Fairley Road

diggingABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL HEREBY GIVES NOTICE UNDER THE ROAD TRAFFIC ACT 1984 OF TEMPORARY RESTRICTION OF TRAFFIC In the interests of public safety at the access to and egress from Circus Vegas From 09:00 on 17 August, 2016, until 23:00 on 28 August, 2016, there will be a temporary 40mph speed restriction on the C89C Chapel of Stoneywood-Fairley Road, Aberdeen, from its southern junction with Kingswood Drive to a point 500m north of its southern junction with Kingswood Drive. There will be a temporary 30mph speed restriction on the C89C Chapel of Stoneywood-Fairley Road, Aberdeen, from a point 500m north of its southern junction with Kingswood Drive to a point 200m south of its northern junction with Kingswood Drive. There will be a temporary 40mph speed restriction on the C89C Chapel of Stoneywood-Fairley Road, Aberdeen, from a point 200m south of its northern junction with Kingswood Drive to its junction with Kingswells Crescent. THE COUNCIL REGRETS ANY INCONVENIENCE THAT MAY BE CAUSED BY THIS TEMPORARY MEASURE, WHICH IS IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC SAFETY.

Temporary Traffic Order Imposed – Lewis Road, Derbeth Crescent, Colonsay Crescent

diggingAberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order, which will operate from 09:00 until 16:00 on 29 August, 2016, is to impose a temporary prohibition of driving on Derbeth Crescent, Aberdeen, between its junction with Lewis Road and a point 10 metres in a westerly direction. There will also be a prohibition of waiting on either side of Lewis Road, Aberdeen, between a point 20 metres south of its junction with Colonsay Crescent to a point 55 metres north of its junction with Derbeth Crescent, and also on either side of Colonsay Crescent, Aberdeen, between its junction with Lewis Road and the boundary between numbers 1 and 2 Colonsay Crescent. The measures are necessary to protect public safety during ironwork repairs being carried out by Scottish Water.

Alternate Route : An alternative route is available via Sheddocksley Drive and Springhill Road.

Temporary Traffic Order Imposed – C93C Borrowstone Road

diggingAberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order, which will operate from 18:30 on 19 August, 2016, until 06:00 on 22 August, 2016, and from 18:30 on 26 August, 2016, until 06:00 on 29 August, 2016, is to impose a temporary prohibition of driving on the C93C Borrowstone Road, Aberdeen, between Westholme and East Kingsford Cottage. Access to properties will be maintained, but no through traffic will be possible. The measure is necessary to protect public safety during works associated with the AWPR.

Alternate Route : An alternative route is available via the B979 Clinterty-Kirkton of Skene, Wogle Road, Westhill Drive, and the A944 Skene Road.

Temporary Traffic Order – AWPR 28 C89C

diggingAberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The effect of the order, which will operate from 20:00 on the Friday evening until 06:00 on the Monday morning on weekends beginning 19, 26 August, and 2 September, 2016, is to impose a temporary prohibition of driving on the C89C Chapel of Stoneywood-Fairley Road, Aberdeen, between its junctions with Kingswells Crescent and the C88C Newhills Road. Access to properties will be maintained, but no through traffic will be possible. The measure is necessary to protect public safety during AWPR works.

Alternate Route : An alternative route is available via the A944 Skene Road, Lang Stracht-Green Hedges, and A944 Lang Stracht, the A90 North Anderson Drive, the A96 Great Northern Road, Auchmill Road, and Inverurie Road.

Pre-Application Consultation – Proposed Stadium At West Kingsford

StadiumAberdeen Football Club have recently announced their intention to hold a number of pre-application consultation events in advance of lodging a formal application in respect of their proposals for a stadium at West Kingsford.

Details are as follows:-
– FourMile House, Kingswells, Tuesday 26th July, 1pm-8pm;
– Holiday Inn hotel, Westhill, Friday 29th July, 1pm-8pm;
– Aberdeen Asset Management Suite, Pittodrie, Tuesday 2nd August, 1pm-8pm.

In addition, ‘pop-up’ exhibitions are also arranged to be displayed at the Trinity Shopping Centre (Wednesday 3rd August 12pm-6pm), Central Library (Friday 5th August, 12pm-5pm) and at Pittodrie Stadium (Monday 8th August, 1pm-7pm).

Local councillor Steve Delaney said, “I would encourage everyone who has an interest in this proposal, whether for, against, or just looking for more information, to attend one of these events. It’s important that everyone’s views are heard”.

Feedback from these events will help inform a finalised planning application later in the year. At that stage you will have 21 days to make any representations, should you wish to do so.

Steve added, “I’ve had a number of representations from constituents, both for and against this application, seeking my support. I would like to make it clear that councillors are not permitted to express a view on planning applications prior to them coming before the Council or the Planning Committee, otherwise they are debarred from voting on the application. However, all representations are of course given due consideration”.

Missed Opportunity for Broad Street

Artist-impression-of-Marischal-SAberdeen City Council has taken the decision to remove cars from Broad Street, whilst maintaining it as a through route for buses.

A Liberal Democrat amendment to fully pedestrianise the area was defeated by Labour, SNP, Conservative and Independent councillors. Instead they favoured “part-pedestrianisation”, with buses sharing the space with pedestrians.

Liberal Democrats went to lengths to point out that there is no such thing as “part-pedestrianisation”, it’s either pedestrianised or it’s not!

Kingswells, Sheddocksley, Summerhill councillor Steve Delaney said he would prefer to see the buses off Broad Street to make best use of the open space.

He also raised safety concerns about the use of shared surfaces, referring to the time when buses were permitted in the area of George Street in front of what’s now John Lewis. He spoke of pedestrians being lured into a false sense of security, only for a bus to come belting round the corner.

With regard to the public consultation exercise, Steve said, “I was concerned to see the consultation merely asked people’s views on the pros and cons of the three options. It did not even ask people to express a preferences. I would have liked to have known what the public thought before taking this decision, but sadly that was a missed opportunity. If nothing else I felt it was disrespectful to those who attended the events”.

Labour, Tories and Independents Back Closure of Hazlehead Swimming Pool

poolAberdeen’s ruling Labour-led coalition has voted down proposals to keep two Aberdeen swimming pools open. As a result, Hazlehead and Kincorth pools are set to close within the next few weeks. This follows on from a Lib Dem campaign to keep both pools open.

SportAberdeen, the arms length body which runs sporting and leisure facilities in the city took the decision following a cut in their funding by Aberdeen City Council. A Lib Dem proposal to put in place funding to allow the pools to remain open was dismissed by Finance Convenor Willie Young, who took the view that the decision be left in the hands of SportAberdeen.

Kingswells/Sheddocksley/Summerhill councillor Steve Delaney said, “These facilities are to close as a result of significant cut to SportAberdeen’s budget by our Labour led Council. The Liberal Democrats sought to reverse the position with additional funding but Labour and their allies blocked this move. With a headcount of over 21,700 users of Hazlehead pool over the last year, I have difficulty understanding how this decision can be justified”.

The nearest pools following this closure are Bucksburn, Cults and Northfield.

Summerhill Post Office Re-Opens

POFollowing the unannounced closure of Summerhill Post Office over two weeks ago, the branch re-opened on 27th June 2016. Post Office Ltd has now put in place interim arrangements to ensure the facility can provide a service until its longer term future is known.

Local councillor Steve Delaney, who has been in constant touch with the Post Office throughout the closure, received a call from them yesterday, advising of the interim arrangements.

In discussions with Post Office last week, Steve said, “There is a duty incumbent on Post Office Ltd to maintain a service”, and asked for interim arrangements to be put in place as soon as possible, adding that, following the earlier closure of Rousay Drive Post Office, “it is totally unacceptable to leave an entire community without a service”.

He concluded, “I’m delighted to see the busy branch at Summerhill re-opened and would urge everyone to spread the word so that customers can once again make use of this facility”.

Roadworks In Kingswells

diggingThe Old Lang Stracht bus route will be closed from 26th June to 3rd July inclusive. This is necessary to allow resurfacing to be carried out from the junction with Fairley Road to a point 200 metres eastwards. The X40 and X18 buses will be diverted along Fairley Road to the Kingswells roundabout then onto the A944 to the Green Hedges roundabout and onto the Lang Stracht during these works.

Local councillor Steve Delaney said, “This road is in a terrible state and I’m delighted to see these works are finally happening. It’s just a pity we’re only looking at a 200m section being resurfaced rather than its whole length, but it’s welcome nonetheless”.

Bus Route Diversion in Sheddocksley

As a result of resurfacing works in Arran Avenue between Benbecula Road and Skye Road, the No 23 bus will be diverted. The roadworks are due to run from 16th – 20th May inclusive.

Access to homes in Benbecula Road, Uist Road, Taransay Road, Lismore Gardens and Berneray Place will be maintained from 16th – 18th May, but there could be delays between 8am and 5pm.

On 19th and 20th May access will not be possible between 8am and 5pm when the road is being laid, until the surface has set. There will be no bus service on Lewis Road from Stornaway Crescent to Skye Road.

Additional bus stop will be in place on Lewis Road along the diverted route. Details as follows:-

Start date and time 16 May 06:00
End date and time 24 May 24:00

Service 23 when heading to Sheddocksley terminus
Normal service round Lewis Road to Sumburgh Crescent then:
• left into Sumburgh Crescent
• continue along Sumburgh Crescent
• right into Lewis Road
• continue along Lewis Road (using all temp stops)
• left onto the Lang Stracht (spend any layover time at the last temp stop on Lewis Road)

Buses

More Roads Misery for Kingswells

A944_2_sThe first phase of the Countesswells development is about to begin and associated roadworks have already started. This is a development of about 3,000 homes phased over 10-15 years on the south side of the A944 between the Sheddocksley roundabout and the Kingswells roundabout.

In advance of the first houses being built, public utilities (electricity, gas, water mains, plumbing, sewerage, telecoms etc) need to be taken from Kingswood Drive (near its junction with Fairley Road) across the A944 and over to the Cults road. In other words we are talking about months of disruption for Kingswells residents once again”.

“These works will result in road closures, diversions or other traffic management measures on Kirk Brae, Cults, C128C Cults to Kingswells, Countesswells Road, Kingswood Drive and the A944 Aberdeen to Alford carriageway.

In order to minimise the time taken to complete the works, construction teams will operate up to 12 hours a day Monday to Saturday with the possibility of Sunday working. Liberal Democrat councillor Steve Delaney has asked that extended hours not be worked on Kingswood Drive in order to offer some respite to residents in adjoining streets.

The first two phases of eleven are being conducted at the Countesswells Road end of the site with phase three being the Cults to Kingswells road (south end). The A944 works, Kingswells roundabout, Kingswells to Cults road (north end) and Kingswood Drive are affected during phases six to nine”.

“Access to Kingswells will be preserved at all times, though there will be lane closures on the A944 in the vicinity of the Kingswells roundabout and on the C89C Newhills road.

Roadworks are scheduled on Kingswood Drive between 18th July and 19th August during which time a one way system will operate from a point just northwards of its junction with Fairley Road to its junction with the C89C Newhills road.

Steve Delaney said, “It appears that public utility works have the right to carry out major works such as these as long as appropriate traffic management proposals are put in place. The fact these works will have a negative impact on Kingswells whilst offering no benefit to the area, does not seem to feature. No sooner have the dug up our roads and they’re back to dig them up again!”

“I asked for the Kingswood Drive works to be undertaken during the school holidays when there’s less traffic on the roads and this has been confirmed. I also asked for the extended working hours to be avoided in residential areas and this is being considered”.

“These are small but significant concessions. Unfortunately there will still be significant delays getting in and out of Kingswells via the A944 and the closure of the Cults road and there’s no getting around that”.

AFC Plans Stadium At West Kingsford

StadiumAberdeen Football Club has announced plans to relocate to West Kingsford on the outskirts of Kingswells, following the club’s decision not to proceed with their previously preferred location at Loirston.

The proposed location is about 200m beyond the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route close to the boundary with Aberdeenshire and the recently released plans include a 20,000 seater stadium with training facilities located on site. The club plans to have the training facility open by 2018 with the stadium in operation by the 2019/20 season.

The planning process requires major applications such as this to conduct a statutory public consultation prior to lodging planning application. Details of this will be publicised by the club in due course.

Liberal Democrat Councillor for Kingswells, Sheddocksley, Summerhill said, “I would encourage you to come along to the public consultation, find out more about what’s proposed and make your views known as part of that process”.

“Following on from this a formal application will be lodged, at which point there’s 21 days in which you can make any formal representations, should you wish to do so”.

“A final report with recommendations will then go before councillors for their determination in due course”.

“Councillors are not permitted to express a view on the merits of any planning application prior to its determination. On that basis I can state factual information and advise as to the relevant established processes but I cannot discuss the application itself”.

Election Roundup

alisonLiberal Democrat candidate for Aberdeen Donside, Isobel Davison put up a good showing at the polls following a positive campaign, delivering the second highest increase in Lib Dem vote share (compared to the 2011 election) across all North East constituency seats.

Isobel said, “I would like to thank everyone who supported me in the Kingswells, Sheddocksley and Summerhill areas during the recent election”.

Following on from last week’s Scottish Parliament elections we say hello and goodbye to two prominent Liberal Democrats.

We say goodbye to Alison McInnes who was the first ever Liberal Democrat MSP for the North East Scotland region, winning the seat in 2007 and holding it again 2011. Alison was latterly Justice spokesperson, holding the SNP to account over the centralisation of Police and Fire services and their plans to close local control Police control rooms. She was also a strong supporter of victims rights and civil liberties. Alison was a strong campaigner on local issues related to the oil industry, NHS Grampian, the City Deal and much more. She was awarded the OBE in 2013 for public and political service.

We say hello to Mike Rumbles, the new Liberal Democrat MSP for North East Scotland. Mike served as MSP for West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine from 1999 – 2011. He is a former teacher who also served in the armed forces before entering politics.

Lib Dem councillor Steve Delaney said, I would like to welcome Mike Rumbles as our new Lib Dem representative and I wish him well in his new role. I have no doubt he will offer a strong voice for our area”.

“I would also like to pay tribute to Alison McInnes OBE. Alison had been in elected office for 24 years, having been a community activist for some time before that. She was a strong voice for the whole of the North East and was one of our most effective parliamentarians. I am privileged to have worked with Alison and wish her every success for the future”.

Removal Of “No Ball Games” Signs

_85113988_noballgamesAberdeen City Council has taken the decision to remove signage banning ball games across the city. All current signage is destined to be removed within the next 12 months and no new signs will be erected.

The decision was taken on the basis that these signs have no legal force, therefore no action can be taken against anyone who ignores the signs. In addition, it was also accepted that outdoor play should be supported and encouraged to foster team building and help tackle childhood obesity.

Lib Dem Group Leader Ian Yuill, supported by local councillor Steve Delaney had asked for a report back in six months identifying areas which are unsuitable for ball games with recommendations on how to manage these locations. In addition, the Lib Dems asked the committee to undertake an information campaign aimed both at those playing ball games and local residents, outlining what constitutes appropriate use of open space and ball play”.

Steve said, “Whilst supporting the sentiment of this proposal, I believe some basic safeguards should be put in place to reassure those who are subjected to unreasonable or ongoing anti-social behaviour. Those playing ball games need to respect local residents and their property. Anti-social behaviour and damage to property remain totally unacceptable and this decision must not be regarded as a free for all”

“Putting in place green space management for areas where it would be inappropriate to play with balls just makes sense. Similarly, an information campaign to outline what is acceptable and what is not, would have helped balance rights with responsibility and made it clear who to contact in respect of ongoing instances of unacceptable behaviour.

Disappointingly Labour, Conservative, SNP and Independent councillors took the decision to remove the signage without taking on board the Lib Dem proposals.

Potholes Report in January

Local councillor Steve Delaney called for a report on pothole repairs at the Communities, Housing & Infrastructure Committee on 27th August 2015.

Steve said, “I note one of the poorest customer ratings has gone to roads maintenance. A couple of years ago we were trialling a number of different approaches to pothole repairs, but I’ve heard no more on the outcome of these trials”.

“Two years on, many repairs are still of poor quality. Furthermore, repairs are being undertaken to areas which meet the set criteria only and adjoining defects which do not fit this criteria are being left. The result is that these areas soon afterwards meet the criteria and repeat visits are needed. I struggle to see how this can be cost effective”.

Steve requested a report to a future committee outlining the current criteria for road repairs, detailing the repair processes for repairing potholes and outlining any possible improvements which could be introduced”.

It was agreed this report will be considered by committee in January 2016.