The city council’s digital tsar has unveiled a vision of the Aberdeen of the future – complete with driverless buses and cars, roads with built-in pothole warnings and park benches with wi-fi.
The local authority has ambitious plans to introduce much of the technology within five years.
It could include sensors on traffic lights to help monitor traffic flows and “intelligent” lampposts in some streets which would only illuminate when they detect movement.
The council’s head of IT, Simon Haston, has already briefed senior administration members on the “Smarter Aberdeen” strategy.
Town house insiders have already dubbed the project “Operation Tomorrow’s World”.
It could be worth “many millions”, with local authority chiefs expecting 90% of the funding to come from the EU, the Scottish Government and the private sector.
Mr Haston has already said that super-fast wi-fi could be in place in the city centre by the end of the year as part of a £50million improvement programme.
The council could also buy driverless cars and busses to add to its current electric car club fleet.
Fibre optic cables installed under pavements would be able to detect potholes forming, and park benches would have charging points for laptops and internet connections.
Finnish capital Helsinki is already trialing driverless vehicles in its city centre.
Aberdeen City Council leader Jenny Laing said: “Smarter Aberdeen is part of our vision for the city, we have a massive regeneration programme above ground and it is equally important we look to deliver our digital strategy at the same pace.
“This will ensure Aberdeen is of the smartest cities in the UK, if not Europe, and transform the lives of the people who live and work in the city.
“Aberdeen will be the first in the queue for inward investment and attracting top talent to the city.”
But SNP opposition group leader Stephen Flynn urged the administration to be “realistic”.
He said: “There is no harm in the council being ambitious but it must also be realistic.
“We have seen on a number of occasions the administration over-promising on projects and we must ensure this is not another case.
“Obviously we need to improve digital connectivity but talk of things like driverless cars when areas of Cove can’t get fibre optic broadband? They have to look at their priorities.
“It seems like Councillor Laing has perhaps been watching too much Star Trek.”
