At least half a million fewer people have visited Aberdeen city centre since new bus gates were installed, shocking new figures reveal.
Business leaders said “challenged” Union Street traders felt the measures were working against their interests.
“Footfall in the city centre is very much down from the inception in August when the city introduced the bus gates,” Aberdeen Inspired chief executive Adrian Watson said.
Experimental traffic laws were used to bring in the bus gates banning most traffic around Market Street, Guild Street and Bridge Street last year.
It coincided with a £3 million windfall in bus lane fines for Aberdeen City Council.
The bus gate cameras were switched on to much protest at the end of August, while other changes were introduced in Union Terrace and Upperkirkgate.
There are also footfall cameras in those streets, as well as Union Street, Belmont Street, Broad Street, Castlegate and Langstane Place.
Aberdeen city centre footfall is down – but by how much since the bus gates went in?
Springboard, commissioned by Aberdeen Inspired to track footfall, has counted a million fewer people year-on-year in the city centre since the end of August.
But it’s not clean cut.
The counting camera was moved in Market Street in October 2022 to a spot where fewer people are tallied, council sources claim.
You might discount the August to October period as a result, which reduces the decline in city centre visitors from 1,080,865 down to 565,162.
‘Bus gates don’t benefit Aberdeen city centre businesses’
Speaking to the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce podcast, Mr Watson said: “At the moment Union Street businesses feel no, these bus gates don’t benefit them.
“Whether there is a perception out there both in the city and Aberdeenshire – which is very dear to us in terms of a market – that the city is more closed for business.
“And I think that’s playing through in the figures; I think it’s incumbent to us all to ensure that the message is very clear that the city is still open.
“At the moment, I do have to stress, business have a challenge or two around this – some might say it’s perception, some might say it’s just change, but the reality is we have less people coming into the city centre.”
Aberdeen city centre bus gates suffering a ‘perception issue’
The bus gates, routing public transport around the closed off central stretch of Union Street, have resulted in quicker journeys for passengers.
Bus companies promised to share any savings they made as a result of the Aberdeen city centre roads overhaul with their passengers.
First Bus and Stagecoach made weekend travel free during January as part of that.
And they boast a 10% boom in business too.
First Bus Scotland managing director Duncan Cameron said the bus gate changes “are bedding down” with Aberdeen motorists, now finding their way.
All of the council’s city centre car parks are still accessible for motorists, despite the bus gates.
Also speaking on the latest episode of ChamberTalk, Mr Cameron said: “I disagree with the notion that the city centre is not accessible.
“Since the bus priority measures came in, whatever mode of transport I use to get to the city, I think congestion is down. Congestion is bad for business.
“I would ask people with short memories to cast their minds back a few years, when our city was snarled up with traffic.
“There is a perception we’re up against and that will not help footfall.”
First Bus chief: ‘To make an omelette you need to break eggs’
And he warned onlookers “to be careful not to read too closely” into the Springboard figures.
The reduction in Aberdeen is lower than the Scottish average, Mr Cameron said.
And the stormy weather over the autumn would have impacted footfall with or without the bus gates, he argued.
The First Bus Scotland boss added: “My ask for everyone is to bear with it.
“Our city centre is way behind others in terms of redevelopment but we are finally getting stuff off the ground.
“There’s a lot of redevelopment coming. We need to get behind it and it all needs to happen.
“These bus gates are part of a massive masterplan that also includes the redevelopment of the market, greater pedestrianisation along with other benefits for Union Street.
“You can’t expect a grand change and then start picking away at the edges as things land.
“There is an element of: to make an omelette you need to break eggs.”
Aberdeen city centre ‘very much open for business’
Liberal Democrat council co-leader Ian Yuill told The P&J he hoped the local authority’s £500,000 scheme to help bring empty shops back into use would help to slow the declining footfall.
He also pointed to the council’s work with Our Union Street and Aberdeen Inspired to improve the city centre.
“We accept the bus gates have changed how car drivers use Aberdeen city centre,” he added.
“Aberdeen city centre is very much open for business, whether people come by car, bus, bike, train.”
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