Work is poised to begin on a controversial London-style low emission zone for Aberdeen’s city centre.
The city council is looking to contribute £150,000 for the construction of Auchmill Road and Middlefield links to the A96 corridor.
It will complement the Civitas PORTIS EU funded project.
The authority did not apply for funding from Transport Scotland this year, but a report to councillors who will meet at this week’s city growth committee confirmed the authority “intends” to do so in the future.
The improved links would ultimately contribute to an environment where high polluting vehicles would be potentially restricted, and where they would either be charged for entry or completely banned from the zones.
The Scottish Government has said Aberdeen and three other cities will have LEZs in operation by 2020.
But the council has faced criticism for not applying for the government funding – especially in the wake of a Friends of the Earth report showing that 13 city centre locations were blighted by illegal levels of toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution.
The report to councillors states: “Transport Scotland made funding available to local authorities in 2018-19 to support them in progressing LEZs and similar funding is being made available in 2019-20 with the application process starting in March [2019].
“The council intends to apply for this funding to cover the costs of the next stage of the business case development process which is likely to take the form of an appraisal of different LEZ options, as well as public and stakeholder engagement, which is hoped to culminate in the identification of a preferred option.”
