Residents, workers and visitors can view online information and give comments for proposed improvements to cycle links in and around the industrial area of Tullos.
The proposed improvements would be a cycleway along Craigshaw Drive which has been highlighted as a missing link between the existing ‘Shell Path’ and Wellington Road.
The proposed project would fit in with the city’s Active Travel Action Plan, to encourage walking and cycling or taking a bus rather than by car where possible, and includes improvements being made to various roads and pavements to help with the behaviour change.
Aberdeen City Council transport spokesman Councillor Ross Grant said: “We have carried out cycling improvements in several parts of the city already in recent years including in and around the Bridge of Don, and along the River Dee.
“There have been improvements to the Shell Path in Abbotswell Woodland and Wellington Road and we have been conscious there has been a missing link connecting these two areas.
“The design which has been put forward would reduce this gap and would help to encourage even more people to cycle on this well-used route. I’d urge people to have a look and comment on the proposed designs.”
The proposed cycle track design is a with-flow segregated facility with a kerb segregation between the carriageway, cycleway and footway. The new carriageway width will be 7.3m, and the proposed cycle track will be 2m wide with the adjacent footway at 1.8m wide. Parking and loading of vehicles will be prohibited along the full length of Craigshaw Drive. The proposed design is contained within the existing road boundary.
At the junctions, the cycleway will drop down to carriageway level becoming a mandatory cycle lane to provide priority for cyclists at junctions with side roads. Once beyond the junction, the cycle lane will become a segregated facility again.
At accesses to businesses, the cycle way and footway will continue with the kerb dropped to allow vehicles to cross. Pedestrians and cyclists will have priority at these locations.
To assist onward connection to the Shell Path two formal crossings are proposed, one on Craigshaw Drive and one on Abbotswell Road. The proposed crossing type is a parallel crossing which incorporates a cycle crossing in parallel with zebra crossing.
A report detailing the options appraisal and consultation for the cycle improvements along this route was heard at the City Council’s communities, housing and infrastructure committee on January 16, 2018 and the committee instructed the development of a detailed design for the preferred option.
The design has progressed, and people can now view and comment on them here. The closing date for comments is December 9, 2018.
The next stage of the project after the consultation would be to will be to finalise the detailed design, secure funding for implementation, and start the process to promote a Traffic Regulation Order to prohibit parking and loading on Craigshaw Drive.
