Know your priorities on Great Western Road

Everyone knows that Aberdeen's Bypass, the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) is much needed. It is long overdue, and it is commonsense that it should be built as soon as possible. The major reasons for building the bypass are:

• It is commonsense
• It is long overdue
• It is much needed
• Everyone know this

All very self-evident. But there are more subtle reasons that that. Yes. One of the things about the bypass which is so very clever is the effect that it will have on traffic going into the city centre. As economic growth is at a premium these days, and because Aberdeen "City and Shire" is the key area to drive the economic growth necessary to pull UK plc out of recession, it is vital that traffic flow into the city centre not be compromised by the bypass. One of the main justifications for bypasses elsewhere is to keep traffic out of town centres - but, our city fathers are wise to the fact that this would send out all the wrong messages. Only by prioritizing traffic flow into the city centre can it be demonstrated that Aberdeen is a city on the up and up - a city that knows where it's going - it's going shopping!

That's why we were pleased to read in the NESTRANS document "AWPR - Locking in the Benefits" (PDF) that east-west traffic flows are to be prioritised once the bypass is built thus making sure that the bypass road does not impact upon the necessity to deliver as much high speed motorised vehicular flow into the very heart of the city as possible. Indeed, it is heartening to know that one of the aims of the AWPR is to deliver an enhancement to the flow of traffic going towards the city centre. You see, at the moment, Anderson Drive - being used as the main north-south road interrupts the flow of traffic going west-east into town. Once this north-south traffic is displaced onto the AWPR, more and more traffic can be directed at higher and higher speed on prioritised routes into the very heart of the city centre.





As the above video demonstrates that so intense has the pressure become on the drivers of Aberdeen Cars to provide the necessary economic growth to lead UK plc out of recession that somethings gotta give!

And yes, we can actually understand and sympathise with the pestestrians who we're told feel intimidated when a busy important motorists bend the rules just a little like this, when the "green man" (who he?) is about to come "on". We can only sympathise a little bit, though, because these people only have themselves to blame. If only they were cleverer, worked harder, had more money, were nicer etc, then they could have a nice car and feel all safe and prioritized at the junction of Great Western Road and Anderson Drive.

Yes we have sympathy (although our sympathy is evaporating a little with each frown, each flap of the hands, each arrogant gesture from these people - why don't they just get their act together and get a car?). Ideally, cars should stop at red lights. But, when there is no by-pass round Aberdeen, there is no alternative but to jump red lights when commuting or rushing to the shops. That is simple fact.

Which leads us to hope that these self same moaning arrogant pedestrian people are not among the ranks of people who are opposing and delaying the AWPR with court orders and other such nonsense. If they are, I have a simple message: You can’t have it both ways!

Either you help expedite a by-pass, or you have to accept red light jumping by traffic going towards the city centre. As demonstrated by the drivers of all these Aberdeen Cars.