It has been claimed that controversial new Aberdeen bus gates have rendered the city centre out of bounds for disabled people.
Most vehicles have now been banned from key sections of Market Street, Guild Street, and Bridge Street after the restrictions were rolled out despite protests on Tuesday.
Leading councillors hailed the new “bus priority route” as a “much needed boost” for Aberdeen’s public transport system.
However, members of the Granite City’s disabled community are arguing that the measure is preventing them from even venturing into town.
More ‘physical pain’ for Aberdeen student unable to walk far
Biological sciences student Libby Hanson told us she has been left “utterly disincentivised” from going into the city centre.
Libby, who commutes into the city via taxi (paid for by Aberdeen University’s disabled student allowance) or car (driven by her husband), said that vehicular access to the city centre was “a blessing.”
She added: “I’m not able to walk very far, and having access to key areas via car was a blessing for me to be able to do ‘normal’ things like go out shopping and meet with friends.
“Without access to these areas, it takes significantly more planning, significantly more stress, and potentially significantly more physical pain to be able to do these things.”
Libby believes that “the people in charge” need to listen to the experiences of disabled Aberdonians.
She commented: “The whole ordeal can be made better by just allowing blue badge holders through, and it stuns me that this seemingly wasn’t considered to begin with.”
‘Why weren’t we listened to?’
Equalities consultant and writer Fiona Robertson told us that a lack of blue badge spaces has often curtailed her trips into the city centre.
She said: “There are fewer blue badge spaces, they’re harder to get to, and the connections between them are unintuitive.
“If I can’t find somewhere to park it’ll take ages to find somewhere else, and I don’t have the energy…”
Fiona fears that the new bus gates will only make it more difficult.
She added: “It’s so much easier to design with our knowledge and ideas rather than having to fix it later. If they don’t want us criticising the plans, include disabled people from the beginning.”
What are charities saying?
Katrina Michie, head of mobility charity Shopmobility AbleDeen, fears the bus gates will place added stress on disabled Aberdonians.
Katrina told The Press and Journal: “People will be forced out to the periphery with very few opportunities for close proximity access to where they need to be.”
While blue badge access to private car parks had been maintained “to a degree”, she said, the distance of these sites from Union Street render them moot for those with mobility issues.
Bus gates mean Aberdeen disabled community could be left out of pocket
Katrina warned that the new restrictions could lead to an added financial burden for disabled individuals, who are more likely to live in poverty than the general public.
She said: “The choices for disabled people are being reduced to an unacceptably and dangerously low level.
“These moves also increase costs at a time where many are choosing between heating their homes, running the equipment that keeps them alive, or eating a cooked well-balanced meal.
“Fuel costs will increase because of the extra miles they will be forced to travel.”
Should blue badge holders be exempt? Let us know in our comments section below
Could the council grant exemptions for disabled residents?
In a statement, a council spokeswoman confirmed that blue badge holders were not exempt from the restrictions.
But she said that new blue badge bays will be “coming into force” soon to make up for it.
Taxis, goods vehicles and local hire vehicles are exempted from the new route.
According to the latest Scottish Government figures, there are over 235,000 living blue badge holders in Scotland.
Unlike the bus gates, Aberdeen’s low emission zone (LEZ), which comes into force next June, will feature exemptions for these individuals.
More than 50 vehicles spotted going through Aberdeen’s new bus gate in just 45 minutes
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