An Aberdeen councillor is calling for a full study into all the traffic implications of a controversial pedestrianisation plan in the city centre.
Rosemount member Bill Cormie says he fears his ward will become a “rat run” if a possible pedestrianisation of Broad Street goes ahead.
The council’s plans for a public consultation on the proposal was dramatically defeated after a rebellion led by the authority’s own deputy leader earlier this month.
Marie Boulton was joined by two other Independents, and the ruling administration’s allies, the Conservatives, to defeat the Labour motion to make the Broad Street plans public.
Opposition groups, the SNP and Liberal Democrats, also opposed the consultation scheme, arguing that detailed traffic planning still required to be done.
Members were only given an hour to scrutinise the new proposals, which included three options: sticking with the status quo, only opening the street to buses and bicycles, or fully pedestrianising it.
Now, Mr Cormie has gone further than his party and is asking for officers to assess traffic implications across the whole city centre before proceeding any further.
He said: “When the Christmas village was on at Union Terrace, it was absolutely nose-to-tail all the way through Rosemount.
“We need more information on how this (pedestrianisation) plan will affect the traffic flow of the whole city and not just Broad Street.
“To make a decision without this detailed traffic modelling is just not on.”
However, last night, the council’s roads chief said the wider impact of the proposals would be a key part of the traffic assessment.
Councillor Neil Cooney, who heads up the authority’s communities, housing, and infrastructure committee, said: “We are looking at all sorts of different scenarios, it’s a huge burden on our officers, but that’s what we are doing.
“There will be more detailed reports, particularly concerning the city centre, which would obviously include Rosemount.”
