Poll results: Readers divided 50/50 on Union Street traffic ban plans

By Craig Munro and Ben Hendry

June 28 2022, 5:20 pm

Our readers have had their say on the Aberdeen masterplan – and the poll on pedestrianisation is too close to call.

We launched a survey on Saturday, seeking your views on the major matters that will be decided at a crunch council meeting on Wednesday.

More than 400 people took part, until it closed at 4pm on Tuesday.

This is the stretch of Union Street where the old bus gate was in operation between Broad Street and Market Street. Picture by Kami Thomson / DC Thomson

Readers divided right down the middle in Aberdeen masterplan poll

The first question was “would pedestrianisation make you more likely to visit Union Street?”

And the divisive matter seems to have split the city in two, if our poll is anything to go by.

The pro-pedestrianisation side won – but only by three votes, with 201 against 198.

Would pedestrianisation make you more likely to visit Union Street? 201 people voted yes and 198 people voted no — Image supplied by Roddie Reid, design team.

It marks a change since November, when 61% of our readers backed the idea of Union Street pedestrianisation.

What should happen to the Granite Mile?

Councillors will be asked to vote on four options for the future of Union Street.

The first is full pedestrianisation between Market Street and Bridge Street.
Option two will use the central two lanes of the road, with the outer two lanes being pedestrianised.
In option three, all vehicles will be able to use the two inner lanes while the two outer lanes will become exclusively bus lanes.
The fourth option is to return back to the way the street operated before the March 2020 Covid lockdown, with all vehicles able to access the full length.

In our poll, many readers backed full pedestrianisation, but results were mixed.

There was 42% in favour of the full traffic ban council officers recommend, 31% for option two, 21% for the third choice and 6% for the fourth.

Aberdeen masterplan poll results on Beach Ballroom

Here's how the Beach Ballroom could be reimagined. — Here’s how the Beach Ballroom could be reimagined. Supplied by Aberdeen City Council

Under the plans, a central section of the Esplanade and the easternmost end of Beach Boulevard would be removed to make way for a tree-lined pedestrian plaza.

The orange lines in the graphic below show where the roads would go:

Last week, social media reacted with dismay to images outlining the council’s proposed Beach Ballroom revamp.

But, it appears that the silent majority is all for the changes – with 64% of voters giving it their blessing in 253-144 vote.

Are you in favour of the Beach Ballroom revamp? 253 people voted yes and 144 people voted no — Supplied by Roddie Reid, design team

Aside from the plaza outside it, there would also be a water feature, a sunken garden for hosting events, and a few glass extensions to the building itself.

You can find out more about the plans in our story here.

When it comes to banning traffic from the area though, readers are less favourable…

A majority of 201 respondents say vehicles shouldn’t be restricted along the seafront, against 190 in favour.