A travesty is how I would describe Aberdeen City Council’s plans to pedestrianise Union Street and other west end side streets.
When some months ago I read of a proposal to pedestrianise Union Street I was entirely sceptical that this could ever happen since, to me, the closing of Union Street to traffic was ludicrous, idiotic and made no sense whatsoever.
Unlike Edinburgh and Glasgow, Aberdeen does not have the infrastructure to allow for alternative routes through the city centre and is therefore totally unsuited for being closed off to traffic.
But now, lo and behold, due to the arrival of Covid-19, our council have grabbed the cash from central government and are currently closing off our once proud thoroughfare to traffic as well as some of its side streets.
My thoughts go out to the shop owners who have not been consulted on these radical changes.
Why do this? Who is going to benefit? Do they really think that people will be flocking in droves to Union Street so that there is a need for such pedestrianisation for physical distancing?
With so few facilities left on our main street I would think this unlikely.
Presumably the pandemic will come to an end some time hopefully not too far off – and what will we be left with? Something akin to the old postcard of “Union Street on a flag day”. For those too young to know, this was a shot of Union Street entirely devoid of people.
OK, so cyclists can cycle, people can walk but what about those who need their own transport as elderly, disabled or infirm citizens who are unable to get around by other means?
The main street will be denied to them whilst able-bodied people will be able to spread across the centre of town, seemingly on extended outdoor pub facilities, to their heart’s content.
I wonder if the council are remembering that this is the north-east of Scotland and not the south of France.
Is this a good way to utilise our city centre? My response is: Absolutely not!
AC, Aberdeen.
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