Aberdeen Cycle Forum meeting 24th June 2025

1.    Welcome & introductions

Attendees: Gavin Clark (GC (Chair), Fiona McDonald (FM), Deema Aburizik (DA), Alie Johnston (AJ), Michelle Shortt (MS), Torc Torrance (TT) Alan Irving (AI), Francesco Sani (FS)

Apologies: Daniel Verhamme, Linda Moreno, Rachel Martin, Laurie Rominger,  Shona Park

2.    Notes from previous meeting

Available on website.

3.    Liaison with Aberdeen City Council

  1. ACTUP
    1. Cycle Map – no update – progress now linked to NESTRANs active travel network (RATN), but we have no information on its progress.
    2. New cycle route – Harbour to Hareness Rd – design similar to Craigshaw Drive. Demonstration of trapezoidal curbs to DEP (disability partnership) to be arranged by ACC – GC has asked for cyclists to be invited.
  2. Hardgate walk-over review
    1. Site meeting and walk-over with 2 officers from the Transport team – FS, DA & GC attended. Essentially, it seems the design and construction of the scheme was subject to  compromises due to on-street parking.  It was felt that there would be too many objections if on-street parking was removed. The visit did result in some suggestions for minor improvements which the officers felt could be taken forward. To monitor progress.
  3. NZET meeting 10 June – various transport-related topics
    1. School streets paper was deferred to September.  We don’t know if that means there will be no progress in the interim.
    2. Allocation of the capital budget – GC had looked over the paper.  Roads and transport £12.29million – £1.687m to active travel, allocated as follows: £557k for various walking & wheeling improvements, £80k safety in schools, £50k cycling – for storage and path improvements. £1m to beach masterplan (Phase 1) for cycling & walking infrastructure.
    3. Funding from bus lane enforcement & LEZ fines – 10% of bus lane enforcement fines allocated to active travel/public transport should be min £50k and 20% of LEZ fine should be on active travel.
      1. Bus Lane Fines – must be spent on things which will deliver the Local Transport Strategy. £200k on city centre lighting – improving street safety to encourage walking. £300k on Guild St & connections to Union St. £263k general active travel & public travel maintenance – core paths, fixing bus stops etc.  Total available seems to be  £2.6million  – £52k to be spent on distance markers for active travel routes & £40k on new cycle counters.  Only £840k actually allocated.  Hence there appears to be around £1.8M available and not being used?
      2. LEZ fines £669k available.  £200k allocated on developing a new bike rental scheme, £171k on greening & planting – to improve air quality.  So almost £300k still unallocated.
  4. ScotGov Active Travel funding  – response from ACC – £26million available nationally, none coming to Aberdeen.  Aberdeen didn’t apply for funding – didn’t have any projects sufficiently well developed to be eligible.  They have also told us they have over 18km of cycle infrastructure in future development. We have asked for a list of which projects this includes, so we can keep better track of progress.

How could ACF highlight this as poor use of available funding? DA – suggest we lobby the ACC with our action list.  If the lack of progress isn’t funding, is it that there is insufficient staffing resource to deliver the projects?  TT – £99m was cut from AWPR budget and should have been reallocated to active travel projects.  Murcar to Blackdog – why has it not been built?  GC had specifically asked about Murcar to Blackdog in relation to the recent funding round fromScotGov.  Although it was fully funded by AWPR mitigation – ACC have said they no longer have sufficient funding to deliver it all! 

Agreed we should confirm our understanding of these figures, via our liaison with Councillors and Senior Officers, and then consider what further action we can take to try and move forward. One suggestion was to consider a template letter for members to send to individual councillors once facts are confirmed.

  1. Invitation from North East Hub re Castlegate re-development – latest design looked like shared space rather than dedicated cycling infrastructure. ActUP meeting – DEP spokesperson said ACC has a policy of not creating any new shared spaces (can be an issue for those with visual impairment).  Invitation to meet on Wed 24th June 12.00, Salvation Army building.  GC, Linda, Daniel & AJ to attend.

4.    Events & activities

  1. Cycling Scotland annual conference, 10 September, Dundee
    1. One delegate place and exhibition stand allocated. Alistair will attend on behalf of CWAS. At least one other ACF member going independently. One of main speakers is Jillian Evans, Head of Health Intelligence, NHS Grampian. Ideas of ways to use the small display space creatively welcome.   GC looking to have something interactive / entertaining. FM suggested highlighting Cycling Awards,  FS suggested sticker, pens, buffs, photos from awards, anniversary event, spotlight on members, litter picks & Deeside Artwork.
  2. CUK ‘barriers’ seminar 9 July
    1. Focusing on campaign to remove barriers.  GC is going to be a contributor following on from ACF’s Make Aberdeen Accessible campaign.
    2. Also CUK seminar last week – how to influence councillors and MSPs – FM to check whether it was recorded.

5.     Any other business

National Cycle Route 1 – south from Aberdeen AJ reported cycling from Aberdeen to St Cyrus, getting lost in Portlethen and then ending up cycling down the side of the dual carriageway where the path eventually disintegrates into grass and mud.  TT verified this was indeed the case.  GC confirmed NCN1 south from Abedeen is very indirect, and at one point at Badentoy even turns back north, before heading west to join the Netherley road.  TT reports that Sustrans designated the lowest risk and lowest cost metalled route without any regard to directness or altitude. AJ – could anything be done? GC had shared with AJ our previous response in relation to the Laurencekirk – Aberdeen study.

Multimodal Study – Laurencekirk to Aberdeen

ACF sent consultation response to the intermodal study on Laurencekirk to Aberdeen route last year. TT highlighted the  NESTRANs board meeting on 25th June  as the report is due to be discussed.  https://www.nestrans.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/250625-Nestrans-Agenda-Pack.pdf

TT is very disappointed that the current proposal is a £22 million cycle route from Aberdeen to Stonehaven which is very unlikely to get approved. Proposal has been developed by a team from Edinburgh and believed to have cost £80k.  Cost benefit analysis looks flawed – it shows a very low return whereas cycling infrastructure usually has a payback of 5 – 7 x the investment.  TT plans to present an alternative proposal to NESTRANs for a more cost-effective route using some existing infrastructure.  He thinks part of the reason for the high cost is that the design has been over-specified.  TT is looking for a contact on Stonehaven Community Council who is pro-cycling.  

GC suggested one option we had tried in the past of submitting a Community Participation request. It hadn’t got us very far with ACC when we had tried in the past, but perhaps Nestrans and/or Aberdeenshire Council would look at it differently.

Aberdeen Rapid Transport business case is also on the agenda with cost of up to £323 million – higher cost is said to be due to segregated cycle infrastructure  – lower cost end of scale includes no cycle provision.  GC had read the paper put to NZET last week. Although cycling was highlighted as a crucial part of the scheme, there were several caveats including lack of road space and the probability of pushing cyclists onto ‘parallel’ routes.  The report seemed to use the high standards required in Cycling by Design as justification for this. It also seems to ignore the sustainable transport hierarchy (by prioritising public transport ahead of walking and cycling).

            Critical Mass rides still going – next ride is Fri 27th June – Marischal College.

6.    Date of next meeting – provisionally 26 August (no July meeting)