Our Press Releases
Details and downloads of our recent press releases are included below.
10 February 2009 : ABERDEEN BYPASS CAMPAIGNERS ASK PUBLIC INQUIRY REPORTERS TO IGNORE FINAL SUBMISSION FROM TRANSPORT SCOTLAND AS IT MISSES ITS FOURTH DEADLINE EXTENSION
Road Sense, a group opposed to the proposed Aberdeen bypass, has today (Tuesday 10 February 2009) asked the Reporters of the Public Local Inquiry into the proposed new road to make a formal ruling about Transport Scotland’s failure to lodge a closing submission to the Inquiry. So far, Transport Scotland has missed four successive deadlines set for lodging its final submission, and no indication has been given as to when the document may now be expected.
In a letter to the Public Inquiry Reporters, Road Sense has argued that, because of the continued failure of Transport Scotland to lodge its final submission, it has effectively waived its entitlement to do so, and any submission received from Transport Scotland from now on should be ignored.
Click here for the complete press release.
14 January 2009 : ABERDEEN BYPASS CAMPAIGNERS LODGE WRITTEN CLOSING SUBMISSION WITH PUBLIC LOCAL INQUIRY UPDATE
Campaigners from Road Sense, the community campaign against the proposed Aberdeen bypass / Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) have today (Wednesday 14 January 2009) just lodged their written closing submission to the Public Local Inquiry (PLI) into the proposed new road.
Click here for the complete press release.
05 December 2008 : UPDATE ON PROCEEDINGS AT THE PUBLIC LOCAL INQUIRY INTO THE PROPOSED ABERDEEN BYPASS
- PLI scheduled to end next week, with closing submissions in January 2009
- Anti-road campaigners investigating complaints to Europe and potential Judicial Review
Campaigners from Road Sense, the community campaign against the proposed Aberdeen bypass / Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) today (Friday 05 December 2008) released an update on proceedings at the ongoing Public Local Inquiry (PLI) into the proposed new road.
The PLI is now in its fourteenth week and the Road Sense campaigners have presented all of their evidence to the PLI Reporters. The PLI is scheduled to end on Thursday 11 December 2008 (next week) with closing submissions being heard in January 2009 after the festive break. As yet, the date of submission of the PLI Report to Scottish Ministers is not known.
Over the past weeks, the PLI has heard an enormous amount of evidence on a wide variety of subjects. This briefing is designed to update members of the media on proceedings to date. Further information and more detail on any of the issues contained in this briefing can be obtained from the contacts listed at the end.
Click here for the complete media briefing.
08 September 2008 : ANTI-ROAD CAMPAIGNERS STAGE FLAMBOYANT DEMONSTRATION AT START OF ABERDEEN BYPASS PUBLIC INQUIRY
- Campaigners use shop window dummies to illustrate their claim that the Public Inquiry is just “window dressing” by Scottish Ministers
Anti-road campaigners will stage a flamboyant demonstration and photo-call outside the opening of the Public Local Inquiry (PLI) into the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) this morning (Tuesday 09 September 2008).
The campaigners, from groups such as Road Sense, the Scottish Green Party, Friends of the Earth Scotland and Transform Scotland, will use shop window dummies, floating dummies, and other props to illustrate their claim that the AWPR PLI is just “window dressing” by the Scottish Government.
Click here for the complete press release.
01 September 2008 : IMPORTANT OBJECTORS EXCLUDED FROM FORTHCOMING ABERDEEN BYPASS PUBLIC LOCAL INQUIRY BECAUSE OF ITS LIMITED REMIT AND SCOPE
- Narrow scope of what will be considered at AWPR PLI rules Friends of the Earth Scotland and Transform Scotland out from taking part
- AWPR PLI condemned as a “charade” and “window-dressing”
The narrow remit and limited scope for the forthcoming Public Local Inquiry (PLI) into the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) has ruled out a number of important organisations and objectors from taking part, including Friends of the Earth Scotland and Transform Scotland – the Scottish campaign for sustainable transport.
The AWPR PLI will commence on Tuesday 09 September 2008, and will run for ten weeks. The Scottish Government has stated, with regard to the scope of the AWPR PLI: “Having accepted the need in principle for the road, Scottish Ministers do not wish to be advised on the justification for the principle of the Special Road Scheme in economic, policy or strategy terms.” and: “Scottish Ministers have directed that they only wish to be advised on the ‘technical aspects’ of the route choice.”
This decision to limit the scope of what can be discussed at the AWPR PLI means that it will not consider the basic question of whether the project should go ahead or not. It is also likely that other important issues may not be discussed, including the project’s uncapped cost, its context within wider transport policy, and its relevance in the context of climate change and peak oil.
Click here for the complete press release.
28 May 2008 : ABERDEEN BYPASS CAMPAIGNERS RESPOND TO SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENT CONFIRMING AWPR PUBLIC LOCAL INQUIRY
- Campaigners to hold public meeting (this Friday 30 May 2008) to give details of arguments and evidence that they will present at the Public Local Inquiry into the proposed new road
Campaigners from Road Sense, the community campaign against the proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), will be holding a public meeting at 7.00pm on Friday 30 May 2008 at the International School of Aberdeen. Members of the media are welcome to attend. The public meeting has been scheduled in reaction to the Scottish Government’s announcement today that the Public Local Inquiry (PLI) into the AWPR will begin on 09 September this year.
At the public meeting, the Road Sense campaigners will update members of the public on recent campaign developments and activities, and will give details about the forthcoming PLI into the AWPR, including the arguments and evidence they intend to present.
Click here for the complete press release.
21 May 2008 : ABERDEEN BYPASS CAMPAIGNERS TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ON FORTHCOMING AWPR PUBLIC LOCAL INQUIRY - PUBLIC AND MEDIA INVITED TO ATTEND
Campaigners from Road Sense, the community campaign against the proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), have announced that they will be holding a public meeting on the forthcoming Public Local Inquiry (PLI) into the proposed new road.
- Event: Road Sense – Public Meeting on AWPR PLI
- Time and Date: 7.00pm on Friday 30 May 2008
- Venue: International School of Aberdeen, Milltimber, Aberdeen
At the public meeting, the Road Sense campaigners will set out their case against the AWPR as it is currently proposed, and rally support, activism and funding from attendees. Previous public meetings held by Road Sense have attracted many hundreds of people.
Click here for the complete forward planning notice.
12th May 2008 : ROAD SENSE CAMPAIGNERS DEMAND SCOTTISH MINISTERS RE-THINK ON SCOPE OF PUBLIC LOCAL INQUIRY INTO PROPOSED ABERDEEN BYPASS (AWPR)
- Campaigners claim that the scope of the inquiry is too narrow and must be broadened
- Inquiry must discuss the principle and cost of the AWPR project - not just 'technical aspects'
- Inquiry should not go ahead until a complete and up-to-date AWPR costing is available
- If this does not happen, the inquiry will be "window-dressing" and "a cynical whitewash"
Campaigners from Road Sense, the community campaign against the proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), today (Monday 12 May 2008) demanded a re-think from Scottish Ministers on the scope of what will be discussed at the forthcoming Public Local Inquiry (PLI) into the proposed new road.
Click here for the complete press release.
17th April 2008 : CAMPAIGNERS RESPOND TO SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PUBLIC LOCAL INQUIRY INTO PROPOSED ABERDEEN BYPASS
- But complain that they are still experiencing difficulties in obtaining relevant information
Campaigners from Road Sense, the community campaign against the proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), today (Thursday 17 April 2008) responded to the Scottish Government’s announcement of the Public Local Inquiry (PLI) into the proposed new road.
In a press release released today, the Scottish Government announced that a pre-inquiry meeting for the AWPR PLI will be held in Aberdeen on Tuesday 13 May 2008, and that the actual PLI will be scheduled to begin in August 2008.
Click here for the complete press release.
4th April 2008 : ABERDEEN BYPASS CAMPAIGNERS REACT TO DEMONSTRATION ON ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL FUNDING CUTS AND CLOSURE OF PUBLIC FACILITIES
- Campaigners warn that, if AWPR is built as planned, the massive cost to Aberdeen Council will lead to more cuts in funding and the closure of more public facilities.
Campaigners from Road Sense, the community campaign against the proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), reacted to today’s (Saturday 05 April 2007) public demonstration against Council cuts and the closure of public facilities in Aberdeen.
Click here for the complete press release.
19th March 2008 : CAMPAIGNERS FEAR MINISTERIAL “CAVALIER” ATTITUDE TOWARDS FORTHCOMING PUBLIC LOCAL INQUIRY (PLI) ON ABERDEEN BYPASS
- Campaigners welcome forthcoming arrangements for AWPR PLI
- But warn that PLI may be “nothing more than a shallow PR exercise”
- Campaigners brand Minister as “cavalier” and AWPR information as “unreliable”
- And warn that Ministers may u-turn on First Minister’s commitment on PLI decision
Campaigners from Road Sense, the community campaign against the proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), today (Wednesday 19 March 2007) reacted to answers to questions and comments made by the Scottish Government’s Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson MSP, during general question time at the Scottish Parliament last week – on Thursday 13 March 2008.
Click here for the complete press release.
22nd January 2008 : ABERDEEN BYPASS CAMPAIGNERS GIVE REACTION TO FREEDOM OF INFORMATION DOCUMENTS RELEASED BY TRANSPORT SCOTLAND
- Documents back campaigners’ arguments on cost and effectiveness of proposed new road
- Minister made decision to choose new ‘hybrid’ route without proper evidence
- Aberdeen city taxpayers committed to pay 9.5 percent of project total, for no benefit
- No up-to-date project cost available, and cost of project likely to be much more than stated
- Campaigners press conference restricted by Chief Executive of the Scottish Parliament
At a press conference held at the Scottish Parliament today (Tuesday 22 January 2007), campaigners from Road Sense, the community campaign against the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), gave their limited reaction to information contained in documents gained from Transport Scotland under the Freedom of Information Act.
Click here for the complete press release.
18th December 2007 : ABERDEEN BYPASS CAMPAIGNERS TO MEET WITH TRANSPORT MINISTER
Campaigners from Road Sense, the community campaign against the current proposals for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), will travel to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh tomorrow (Wednesday 19 December 2007) to meet with Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson.
At the meeting, the campaigners hope to gain information from the Minister that has proved hard to come by over recent weeks, months and years, including information on the cost, timescale, route and process for the proposed new road.
Click here for the complete press release.
29th November 2007 : ABERDEEN BYPASS CAMPAIGNERS WIN FREEDOM OF INFORMATION BATTLE AGAINST TRANSPORT SCOTLAND
- Campaigners to see documents relating to choice of route for Aberdeen Bypass (AWPR)
- Campaigners to meet with Transport Minister next month
Road Sense, the community campaign against the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), today (Thursday 29 November 2007) celebrated success as the Scottish Information Commissioner ruled that Transport Scotland should supply them with documents relating to the choice of route for the proposed new road.
Click here for the complete press release.
15th October 2007 : ROAD SENSE CAMPAIGNERS RESPOND TO NEW AWPR ROAD ORDERS
Road Sense, the community campaign against the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), today (Monday 15 October 2007) responded to the recent publication of new Road Orders and a new Environmental Statement for the AWPR for public consultation.
Having scrutinised the traffic figures in the new Environmental Statement, the Road Sense campaigners are convinced that the AWPR as currently proposed “won’t work”, that it will fail to solve Aberdeen’s traffic problems, and that it will cause traffic levels to rise on some major routes into the city.Road Sense, the community campaign against the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), today branded Transport Scotland “incompetent“ for its failure to comply with the law.
Click here for the complete press release.
1st October 2007 : ROAD CAMPAIGNERS BRAND TRANSPORT SCOTLAND “INCOMPETENT”
- Road Sense lash out at Government body for failure to comply with the law
- Requirement to buy new environmental statement branded costly and unfair
- Public response to new road orders due in the next week to ten days
Road Sense, the community campaign against the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), today (Monday 01 October 2007) branded Transport Scotland “incompetent“ for its failure to comply with the law.
Click here for the complete press release.
28th June 2007 : ABERDEEN BYPASS DELAY ALLOWS "BREATHING SPACE"
Today's announcement that the Aberdeen Bypass will be delayed by a further year as a result of the statutory consultation process being repeated has taken road campaigners by surprise.
The Aberdeen Bypass has now been delayed twice since the project was originally backed by the previous Scottish Executive, with the opening date now late 2012 and not 2010.
Click here for the complete press release, issued jointly by Aberdeen Friends of the Earth and Road Sense.
8th June 2007 : ROAD SENSE WELCOMES REVIEW OF ABERDEEN WESTERN PERIPHERAL ROUTE
Stewart Stevenson’s agreement to a review of major roads projects is exactly what is required at this stage. Road Sense believe that even a minor review will expose glaring flaws in the current AWPR project, in particular the grossly underestimated costs, which could cast doubt on the viability of the whole scheme. Their own road consultants are currently examining the costings.
From a pre-election survey done by Road Sense covering all prospective local and list MSP candidates, the majority of MSP’s were against the current proposals, including Labour, Liberal Democrat and SNP candidates. Many also viewed the public consultation as being flawed and considered a review was vital, especially because of the large number of objections.
Click here for the complete press release.
1st May 2007 :
LIB DEM LEADER FACES CHALLENGE ON HOME TURF
In the battle for the Lib Dem Party leader’s home constituency (Aberdeen South) all three of Nicol Stephen’s rivals are against the current Executive proposals for the AWPR.
Road Sense, the organisation promoting a fair and comprehensive review of North East transport options, has surveyed the views of all the North-East prospective candidates on the issue of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR). The results for the Aberdeen South constituency, in particular, are very interesting and Nicol Stephen is now sitting in isolation on this issue.
Stephen, the incumbent MSP for Aberdeen South, has resolutely refused to get involved with this controversial issue and has simply supported the Executive proposals. He believes that the 46km dual carriageway will be completed in 2011 within the current cost estimate of £295m to £395m - this, despite the fact that the Environmental Surveys and detailed side road drawings have not yet been completed.
Click here for the complete press release.
24th April 2007 :
WHAT ELECTION CANDIDATES REALLY THINK ABOUT SCOTLAND'S MOST UNPOPULAR ROAD
Road Sense members are disappointed by the lack of information about the AWPR and possible alternatives, provided by candidates in the forthcoming Holyrood & council elections. Road Sense has sent candidates a letter asking them to formally clarify their position on the AWPR and Transport Alternatives for Aberdeen.
Transport Scotland recently received more than 8,200 individual objections to the current route proposals for the Aberdeen Bypass. This is many times more than for any other proposed major road development in Scotland. In spite of that, hardly any of the election pamphlets now dropping through letter boxes make any reference to the AWPR. Road Sense members find this remarkable, since this is, after all, a local issue of considerable concern and consequence to a large section of the local electorate.
Click here for the complete press release.
20th March 2007 : ABERDEEN BYPASS - SCOTLAND’S MOST UNPOPULAR ROAD
Road Sense has learned that Transport Scotland will shortly confirm that the final figure of objections to the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route is over 8,200. Road Sense is delighted with this massive response which clearly shows the great strength of public feeling against the proposed bypass. Now, 6 weeks after the objection period closed, Transport Scotland has still not sent out letters of acknowledgement to all the objectors, indicating that the number of responses was far greater than anticipated.
To put this figure of over 8,000 objections to the AWPR in context, the controversial £500 million Glasgow M74 Extension project sustained only 382 objections during its consultation process. The AWPR is therefore Scotland’s most unpopular road.
Click here for the complete press release.
7th February 2007 : THOUSANDS OBJECT TO ABERDEEN BYPASS
Representatives of the anti-Aberdeen bypass group Road Sense are to take their message straight to the Transport Scotland Office in Glasgow tomorrow, Thursday. With this Friday being the deadline for objecting to the Road Orders on the controversial by-pass, the group are going to personally deliver over 2,500 objections.
Heather Wood said “We have been delighted with the support we have had at our weekend stands where people have been able to sign our objection postcards. There are obviously a great number who don’t agree with the rosy picture painted by the AWPR road shows held last month.”
The Road Sense “Cyberaction”, which enables supporters to object on the internet, has also been a success, with numbers spiraling to over 1,500 at the last count.
Now with backing from other groups locally, such as Aberdeen Green Belt Alliance, Aberdeen Friends of the Earth, Aberdeen Campaign against Climate Change and nationally the RSPB, the Woodland Trust Scotland and Friend of the Earth Scotland, Road Sense are confident that their campaign will force Transport Scotland to think again.
Click here for the complete press release.
6th February 2007 : AIR POLLUTION AND CHILDREN – AN UNHEALTHY MIX. NEW MEDICAL RESEARCH SHOWS TRAFFIC POLLUTION HARMS HEALTH. LOCAL DOCTORS SPEAK OUT AGAINST AWPR HAZARDS
A landmark study, published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, has highlighted the health hazard of living within 500 metres of large roads, such as the proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.
3677 children, average age 10 years old, were studied over a period of 8 years in California and had breathing tests each year. Their results were compared with those from children who lived further than 1500 metres from major roads.
The authors of the study comment that children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution from road traffic, since their lungs are still growing. Worryingly, the damage to their lungs by air pollution persists into adulthood.
Click here for the complete press release.
25th January 2007 : EXHIBITION FAILS TO PERSUADE ROAD SENSE THAT THE AWPR IS “FIT FOR PURPOSE”
The information presented at the AWPR Exhibitions has failed to persuade Road Sense that the proposed scheme is fit for purpose. It will not solve Aberdeen’s traffic problems and is therefore unlikely to bring to fruition the other transport opportunities and economic benefits it claims to advance.
From the traffic modeling contained within the Environmental Statement, it is apparent that the proposed AWPR will have minimal impact at the Bridge of Dee and on Anderson Drive. By the time of opening of the scheme, traffic at these two locations will increase above current levels regardless of whether the AWPR is built or not.
The situation only gets worse when we look at the radial routes bringing people and business into Aberdeen from west of the city.
Click here for the complete press release.
21st January 2007 : AWPR PROTEST GROUP TELL THE STORY OF RESIDENT’S BYPASS MISERY
Over 600 people today attended a public meeting held against the Aberdeen bypass.
At the meeting Heather Wood, a health professional, spoke about the preliminary findings from a survey into the impact on the population affected by the scheme. This has uncovered the real human misery that the prospect of the road has caused some people, since its announcement over a year ago.
In this preliminary survey 119 households responded, (241 people live in these households). Each household was asked to respond to series of questions. Some of the more significant responses are shown below:
• 58% will find it harder to reach local amenities
• 94% are concerned about increased noise, pollution and traffic
• 31% are considering leaving North East Scotland
• 60% feel their health has been severely affected.
Click here for the complete press release.
18th January 2007 : ROAD SENSE PUBLIC MEETING PLANNED
Road Sense, the local group challenging the proposed Aberdeen By-pass, is holding a Public Meeting at the Aberdeen International School in Milltimber on Sunday 21 January at 2.30pm. Following the issue of the Draft Road Orders in December the campaign has reached a critical point and Road Sense will inform people about the whole objection process as well as updating them about the campaign.
Guest speakers include Shiona Baird MSP, from the Green Party, together with representatives from Aberdeen Campaign against Climate Change, Friends of the Earth and the Aberdeen Greenbelt Alliance.
Click here for the complete press release.
17th January 2007 : BYPASS OPPOSITION GROUP LAUNCHES WEB BASED OBJECTION CAMPAIGN
Road Sense today launched a facility on its web site (www.road-sense.org) allowing members of the public to submit electronic objections to Transport Scotland’s proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. This facility supplements the campaign group’s other efforts to raise objections to the proposal via the use of postcards, which it has been distributing along the Deeside Railway Line and in Countesswells Woods, and letters which it has been distributing to affected households.
Click here for the complete press release.
14th December 2006 : AWPR “NEITHER EFFECTIVE NOR AFFORDABLE”
Road Sense has responded to the publication of the AWPR Draft Orders by promising to push this project to a Public Local Inquiry.
Today’s announcement represents the first statutory consultation stage where formal objections to this proposed road can be heard. With a considerable number of objections expected to be lodged it is highly likely that a PLI will examine this project sometime in late 2007 or early 2008.
The real alternatives to this scheme have not been properly assessed. The closest thing to a full multi-modal study was the 1998 Oscar Faber report Sustainable Transport for Aberdeen. It recommended investment in public transport and deemed the traffic reduction in the City offered by a bypass to be only of the order of 2%. However, this study has been left on the shelves to gather dust, showing the real interest behind this project is development rather than the solution of traffic problems.
Road Sense believes that the PLI will demonstrate that the AWPR is neither an effective nor an affordable solution and that, regardless of assurances to the contrary, the pressure on the councils to release greenbelt land for development will be irresistible in the future, should this project go ahead.
Click here for the complete press release.
6th December 2006 : ROAD SENSE MEMBERS GIVE THEIR REACTIONS TO THE NATIONAL TRANSPORT STRATEGY
Road Sense members gave their reactions to yesterday’s publication of the National Transport Strategy for Scotland. The strategy has been produced by the Scottish Executive and maps out the long-term future for transport in Scotland. Key priorities are identified as cutting emissions and protecting our environment, creating more car-free zones, improving public transport and increasing road safety. Road Sense members are dismayed at the glaring inconsistencies between this transport strategy and plans to build the controversial Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.
Click here for the complete press release.
30th November 2006 : CAMPAIGN GROUP ADVISE ROAD SENSE
Road Sense, the campaign group representing those concerned by the proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, received a boost this week from the Edinburgh-based Legal and Roads team of Friends of the Earth. One year after the Scottish Transport Minister announced the route, Road Sense are preparing for draft road orders to be issued by the Scottish Executive in the next few days. At a seminar organised by Road Sense, the Friends of the Earth team shared the experience gained from successfully challenging the proposed M74 extension at Public Enquiry.
Click here for the complete press release.
15th November 2006 : OVER 100 CONCERNED RESIDENTS MEET TO DISCUSS OPPOSITION TO BY-PASS
About 100 people attended the Road Sense meeting held at the Cookney Hall, Netherley, last night, keen to hear progress on the anti – Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route campaign.
Chairman William Walton told the packed hall that the purpose of Road Sense was to challenge the current proposal for the bypass which will destroy the Aberdeen Green Belt and open up land for development along the road corridor. “The local media have run a campaign over the last 30 years to persuade residents that a bypass will be the answer to all their prayers,” he said, “The truth of the matter is that consultants have already published reports that the bypass will have only a marginal effect on Aberdeen City traffic. Advisors to Road Sense have carried out a preliminary costing exercise showing that the cost of the road will be far in excess of the £295 to £395 million suggested by the Transport Minister.”
Click here for the complete press release.
14th November 2006 : RESIDENTS MEET TO DISCUSS OPPOSITION TO BY-PASS
Residents of Maryculter, Banchory Devenick and Netherley affected by the proposed Aberdeen by-pass are meeting tonight (Tuesday 14th) at 7.30pm in the Cookney Hall to consider their response to the latest announcement on the route from Transport Minister Tavish Scott. Road Orders for the by-pass are to be sent out in December, although preparatory work on the road is far from complete.
Click here for the complete press release.
31st October 2006 : OVER 350 MILLTIMBER & PETERCULTER RESIDENTS ATTEND
LOCAL ROAD SENSE MEETING
Sunday (29th October) saw over 350 residents from Peterculter and Milltimber attended a meeting arranged by their local arm of Roadsense.
The meeting was held in the recently built International School’s state of the art gym hall, which is earmarked to be demolished if the plans for the present route of the Aberdeen Bypass ever go ahead.
Plans by developers eager to build on or near the proposed bypass were met by angry protests from residents as was the revelation that the bypass which was always planned to avoid any detrimental impact on the Old Deeside Railway Line, was now shown on recent plans issued by the AWPR Team to go straight thorough the railway line.
Click here for the complete press release.
28th October 2006 : BIG SUCCESS AT THE ‘BIG WALK’
Over 100 people joined the Road Sense walk along the Southern and Stonehaven legs of the proposed Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route today (Saturday 28 November). Five different groups walked from Charleston, Stonehaven, Cookney, Blaikiewell and Kingswells, following the line of the road. Carrying banners and placards, the largest group marched north over the river Dee to join a mini-rally at the International School of Aberdeen, gathering at the newly completed gymnasium building which is right in the path of the road.
The purpose of the walk was to emphasise the effect of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route on the Green Belt surrounding Aberdeen and the destruction of the environment, as well as pointing out those properties to be demolished and others near to the road which would be severely blighted.
Click here for the complete press release.
23rd October 2006 : A BIG WALK
Road Sense has organised a walk along the Southern Leg of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route so that members of the public can see exactly where the road will go and what destruction will be caused to our beautiful countryside.
The BIG WALK – so called because the length of the proposed AWPR and the so-called fast link to Stonehaven is 50% (or 15 kilometres) longer compared with the previously preferred line which went through Murtle/Camphill – will take place on Saturday 28 October, and will start from various points at different times.
Click here for the complete press release.
2nd October 2006 : ACCIDENTS HIGHER FOLLOWING BUILDING OF BY-PASS
Release of a report by the Highways Agency has caused concern to people in Peterculter; worried that the proposed Aberdeen By-Pass will create additional traffic and more accidents in the village.
The report; ‘The Newbury By-Pass; Five Years After’, shows that traffic flow on key routes into Newbury has increased rather than reduced following the construction of the by-pass. Perhaps even more worrying, accident rates have increased. The Department of Transport originally forecast that accidents would be reduced by half with the construction of the Newbury by-pass. However, the opposite has happened with an increase of more than 60% in deaths from traffic accidents. The reason given for the increase is put down to a 'great growth' in traffic, far more than was predicted, largely as a result of new development which has taken place around the by-pass
.
There is concern that the proposed Aberdeen by-pass will create similar problems.
Click here for the complete press release.
8th September 2006 : SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT PUBLIC PETITIONS COMMITTEE
On Wednesday September 6th, Paddy Imhof, Dave Robb (Road Sense) and Gregor McAbery (Friends of the Earth) went to present a petition seeking a review of the Aberdeen Western peripheral Route to the Public Petitions Committee of the Scottish Parliament. A number of positive outcomes resulted from this presentation during which the three stated their case and were questioned for a whole hour instead of the customary 30 minutes.
Click here to watch the complete Public Petitions Committee Meeting
The Committee stated their intention to study the various documents which were mentioned, such as the SACTRA studies and reports and, most importantly, the Oscar Faber study “Sustainable Transport for Aberdeen” which, subsequent to its publication, was ignored by Aberdeen City Council and left to gather dust on a shelf. This study recommended “a reversal of existing trends and the development of a new travel culture” and that investment in public transport would be more cost effective than a bypass. It concluded that the AWPR itself would do little to ease Aberdeen’s traffic congestion.
Click here for the complete press release.
6th September 2006 : FARMER URGES MSPs TO RECONSIDER ABERDEEN BY-PASS
Paddy Imhof, a farmer and tree grower at Wedderhill Farm Blairs, today submits a petition to MSPs of the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee in Edinburgh. The petition asks the Scottish Executive to review its support for the Aberdeen By-pass. The petition has the support of Road Sense, the local group challenging the proposed by-pass, and Aberdeen Friends of the Earth.
Paddy’s petition calls for the “Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to review its proposals for the controversial Aberdeen Western Peripheral route in light of growing public concern with this project”. The petition was formally lodged with the Scottish Parliament on 29th June 2006 and will be considered by the Public Petitions Committee at its meeting on Wednesday 6th September 2006. The petition now has almost 5,000 signatures.
Click here for the complete press release.
5th September 2006 : ROAD SENSE ACTIVITIES IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS
Road Sense, the local group challenging the proposed Aberdeen By-pass, has extended its activities over the past week to include a series of social events. The group has set out to boost the morale of those affected by the route and to bring local communities together.
The week began with a “fun-for-all” family afternoon at Templars’ Park, Maryculter on Saturday 26 August.
The following day Road Sense members joined with Friends of the Earth to ‘Walk the Route’ of the proposed AWPR. This leg was from Kippie Lodge and the International School across the Dee to the Kingcausie Estate, Maryculter. The walk made people more aware of the quality of the Deeside landscape, and the environmentally sensitive areas that needs to be protected.
Saturday 2 September was the night of the Road Sense Ceilidh at Kippie Lodge. The all ticket affair was sold-out, with over 200 supporters dancing the night away to The Grey Cats Ceilidh band, with Paddy Imhof on double bass.
The Ceilidh was planned as a send-off date for Paddy’s Petition on Wednesday 6th September. Paddy Imhof, a Road Sense supporter, launched the second biggest e-petition ever to be submitted to the Scottish Parliament. The petition seeks a review of the logic, necessity and design of the current by-pass plans.
Click here for the complete press release.
23rd August 2006 : ROAD SENSE SEEKS SIMPLER SOLUTIONS TO HAUDAGAIN PROBLEMS
Road Sense, the organisation seeking more sustainable solutions to Aberdeen’s traffic problems, has responded to proposals for the improvement of the Haudagain roundabout at the intersection of the A96 / A90.
Road Sense has identified the Haudagain roundabout as one of the major sources of Aberdeen’s traffic problems and has welcomed the consultation exercise initiated by the Scottish Executive and NESTRANS. It believes that priority should be given to solving the problems at existing traffic hot-spots in the City, such as the Haudagain, before half a billion pounds is spent on the construction of an Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR).
Click here for the complete press release.
14th August 2006 : JUNCTIONS ON ABERDEEN BYPASS WILL CAUSE TRAFFIC CHAOS
Junctions on the proposed new Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) are poorly designed and will not solve city traffic problems. Road Sense, the organisation seeking more sustainable solutions to Aberdeen’s traffic problems pointed out today that many of the junctions between the bypass and existing roads will be conventional crossroads that will only create new traffic problems.
Detailed maps recently released by the AWPR team show how the proposed city bypass would merge with existing local roads with a series of crossroads controlled by traffic lights, which will reduce fast moving traffic from the bypass to a standstill. Such junctions are planned at Milltimber for traffic to and from the North Deeside Road and at Charleston for traffic to and from Wellington Road. The addition of traffic lights will inevitably result in long tailbacks into Peterculter, Wellington Road and the A90.
Click here for the complete press release.
3rd July 2006 : ROAD SENSE CRITICISM OF ABERDEEN BY-PASS SUPPORTED BY NEW REPORT
Criticisms from Road Sense aimed at Transport Minister Tavish Scott’s proposals for the Aberdeen By-Pass, have received support from an independent report. The report, commissioned by the Countryside Agency and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, examines lessons learned from recent by-pass schemes in England. It concludes that far from learning from previous mistakes we are continuing to repeat them by building more by-passes.
The study shows that traffic growth on new by-pass routes is greater than forecast. Far from showing reductions in traffic levels, the towns concerned now show a considerable overall increase in traffic. The report also emphasises that the environmental effects of by-passes are much greater than forecast.
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