Roads in and around Aberdeen will grind to a halt unless action is taken to stop the snarl-ups getting worse, north-east transport supremo Sir Moir Lockhead has warned.
According to Sir Moir, chief executive at Granite-City-based bus and rail company FirstGroup, the frustrating tailbacks are the worst ever.
He said the situation had deteriorated since the Union Square shopping centre opened at the end of October, leaving FirstGroup’s buses stuck in the jams.
With many of the bus services running late, fewer people wanted to use them, according to Sir Moir, who wants a thorough review of traffic patterns. He said FirstGroup, the council and Aberdeen University were in talks about a study of traffic flow patterns, with a view to finding solutions.
“The situation we have just now is shambolic,” he said, adding: “Our buses have never been affected more and we are now having to compensate for delays by changing services. The number of late buses has grown dramatically.”
Sir Moir said lessons had not been learned from when the Bon Accord shopping centre opened in 1990, resulting in problems.
Other developments, such as a major revamp of Union Terrace Gardens, were being considered with little or no thought for the traffic implications, he added.
Public transport users now had “wonderful” new facilities at the bus and train stations but the congestion was making life a misery for thousands of people coming in and out of the city centre, said Sir Moir. He added. “It just can’t go on like this. The city will grind to a complete halt.
Sir Moir said there seemed to be no consistency in traffic flow measures.
He highlighted the infamous Haudagain roundabout – one of Aberdeen’s worst bottlenecks – having no traffic lights.
The FirstGroup boss admitted the company’s bus operations had been affected by a three-week strike by drivers earlier this year, but efforts to get people to use the services were now being hampered due to clogged roads.
Aberdeen City Council enterprise, planning and infrastructure director, Gordon McIntosh, insisted the problems were not as bad as Sir Moir made out.
Mr McIntosh added: “Work from a range of partners on traffic management during the lead-up to the opening has so far reaped benefits.
“Despite the traffic, the roads have operated well without the gridlock that was predicted.”