Footfall has dropped in the city centre since bus gates were introduced, leaving city centre traders struggling with falling revenue. Image - Aberdeen Inspired
No specific research was carried out on the economic impact of city centre bus gates on local businesses, Aberdeen City Council has admitted.
The P&J today reported on Freedom Of Information requests in which council officials said there was no in-depth forecasting on the effect of the traffic measures on revenue for city centre traders before they were imposed last August. The focus was only on sustainable transport.
Since the bus gates came in, footfall has plummeted in the city centre and traders have been struggling with falling revenue, many fearing for their own future and that of the city centre.
City centre traders have flocked to a P&J campaign – backed by Aberdeen Inspired, Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, and Our Union Street – calling for a Common Sense Compromise, putting forward an alternative system as “the minimum needed to keep businesses alive”.
City centre traders and business organisations have flocked to support the P&J's Common Sense Compromise campaign. Image - Aberdeen Inspired
More than 10,000 people have now signed an online petition calling for the council to listen and compromise.
A decision on the future of the bus gates was delayed by the council last week, but an emergency summit meeting on the issue is due to be held in the coming days, with council leaders pledging a roundtable with Common Sense Compromise campaigners and the bus operators before that.
After the bus gate decision was delayed, Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said: “We need a common sense compromise – one that pays heed to the economic impact on city centre traders and to the vital need to ensure the heart of Aberdeen is open for business and seen to be open for business.”