Aberdeen City Council has claimed the controversial installation of a bus gate on a major road is essential to improve traffic flow elsewhere.
The local authority closed a part of Bedford Road to all traffic except buses and cyclists in May to ease congestion and to prevent motorists using the Third Don Crossing from cutting up to Powis and sitting at its already busy junction.
Aberdeen Central MSP, Kevin Stewart, raised concerns with the council, but the latter has now reiterated its belief that the move is necessary.
Peter Leonard, director of infrastructure, said: “With the opening of the new bridge, it is anticipated it will carry in the region of 10,000 motor vehicles on any working day.
“Without the bus gate in place, it would have been expected that a significant proportion of the aforementioned volume would travel on Bedford Road.
“This would have a negative impact on the operation of the Powis Terrace/Bedford Road junction with the result being traffic congestion that would hinder movement on both Bedford Road and Powis Terrace.
“It’s appreciated that some residents may be disappointed that a minor detour is required if heading north, but this must be balanced against the disruption that would have occurred if a through route to general traffic remained.”
However, Mr Stewart claimed residents were still angry about the way the whole affair had been handled.
He added: “The council failed to consult appropriately about the installation of this bus gate and residents are angry about this situation.
“Many feel they are having to take long detours to get to and from their properties and feel the council has not taken their situation into account.”
Dave Wilson, an IT professional who lives on Bedford Road, declared the situation had become worse since the bus gate was set up.
The 33-year-old said: “The bus gate has made it much more difficult for people coming out of Bedford Road onto Powis Terrace.
“When I am coming out between 3pm and 4pm, the traffic build-up is huge.
“The bus gate has forced traffic to build up in other directions, making it very difficult on Bedford Road and, if anything, it has only made things worse.”
