ACF monthly meeting: Thursday 27 August 2026Meeting summary
Present: Gavin Clark (Chair), Michelle Short, Alastair Cassels, Alistair Gilmore, Francesco Sani, Rachel Martin, John (Alie) Johnston
Quick recap
The Aberdeen Cycle Forum held its regular meeting, which had been moved to Thursday at Rachel’s request – and we currently rely on her to host the meeting. Gavin led the meeting in Rachel’s absence (joined late) and provided updates on various topics. The council’s quarterly liaison meeting was postponed to September, and the forum raised concerns about a pavement parking ban exemption and the lack of signage on the beach esplanade. Upcoming events discussed included the Celebrate Aberdeen parade, the Envirolution event, the Cycling UK Aberdeen Showcase, and the Glow Ride. The forum revisited its “Make Aberdeen Accessible” campaign, with members sharing examples of poor infrastructure like chicanes and barriers. The vacancy for the secretary role, left by Katy, was noted, and members were invited to volunteer. Other discussions included the Scottish Government’s active travel funding announcement, the progress of the Voi bike scheme, and the slow pace of cycling infrastructure development in Aberdeen compared to other cities. The conversation ended with the decision to continue holding future meetings on Thursdays for the forseeable future..
Next steps
- Rachel: Sort out the replacement of the missing no idling banner and ask the contractors to reimburse the cost.
- Gavin: Collate a list of examples of poor infrastructure for the Glow Ride photography and pass them on to the organizers.
- Gavin / Rachel : Look into re-opening the “Make Aberdeen Accessible” campaign, including researching how it was previously run and considering a new submission period.
- Gavin: Find and share the Voi bike heat map that Katie previously obtained.
- Alistair: Suggest Golden Square as a new location for Voi bike drop-off via the app.
- Gavin: Raise the topic of temporary cycle lanes again at the next council liaison meeting on 18th September.
- Gavin: Ask at the next council liaison meeting about the allocation of the £68 million active travel funding to Aberdeen.
Summary
The meeting began with introductions and casual conversation about Ride the North event plans. The group discussed the format change from Tuesday to Thursday meetings. Inevitably some days work better for some people and no day suits everyone. For the time being we rely on Rachel to host the meetings, unless another platform were to be used. MS Teams was suggested but so far as we are aware it doesn’t have the same functionality of allowing us to create a meeting link and post it on the website. There may be other platforms available.
Pavement Parking Ban Consultation Update
Gavin led the meeting and discussed the group’s involvement in a pavement parking ban exemption consultation, noting that the consultation has moved to the second – public – stage. Although it is ‘public’ it does not appear to be well advertised and is does not appear on the Council’s usual consultation hub. Although Gavin had been unable to attend the last ACTUP meeting, he had asked that the meeting was made aware of the proposal and if possible an explanation given as to why it was not on the consultation hub. As discussed at the previous meeting and in follow up correspondence with the core regulars, we had submitted a letter which was framed as an objection. This is because our comments on a previous similar consultation which were not a formal objection seemed to have been ignored and were not included or even referenced in the paper which went to Committee for a decision. It was mentioned that the quarterly liaison meeting with the council has been postponed to 18 September, and there are no other active consultations at the moment.
FOI Requests and Upcoming Events
Alastair informed Gavin about Freedom of Information requests submitted regarding parking issues near a raised road section (side road crossings of the Tillydrone Avenue cycle path), with a 21-day response deadline pending. Gavin discussed upcoming events including the Celebrate Aberdeen parade on Saturday, where they will participate near the end due to reverse alphabetical ordering, and the Envirolution event in Seaton Park on September 5th where Rosie from Cycling UK will be present. The Cycling UK Aberdeen Showcase event on September 14th was also mentioned as a by invitation event.
Cycling UK Event Infrastructure Discussion
The group discussed a Cycling UK showcase event taking place in Aberdeen on 14 September. On the same date, CUK are hoping to do some site photography for their ‘designed without us’ campaign, as part of the upcoming Glow ride. Gavin requested suggestions for poor infrastructure examples where women feel unsafe, particularly for photography or filming during the event, with participants identifying several problematic areas including Market Street, Haudigan roundabout, Mounthooly underpass, and issues with parked cars in bus lanes on King Street and Holborn Street.
Upcoming Cycling Events Discussion
The meeting covered upcoming cycling events, with Francesco providing details about Celebrate Aberdeen and encouraging attendance with colorful or cycle-related t-shirts. The group discussed the Cycling Scotland Conference in Perth, where Gavin and Katy will represent Cycle Forum with a display stand featuring a Cycle Campaign Snakes and Ladders game. They also noted an upcoming family cycling event in Inverurie on September 19th organized by Aberdeenshire Council, though they were unsure about participating without local representation, and mentioned the Glow Ride event scheduled for October 22nd which had approximately 70 participants the previous year.
No Idling Campaign Banner Discussion
The team discussed two past campaigns: the No Idling banner, which went missing during school maintenance work, and the Making Aberdeen Accessible initiative from 2020. Rachel agreed to handle ordering a replacement banner and seeking reimbursement from the contractors. Gavin mentioned plans to promote the banner again due to recent publicity around London’s ultra-low emission zone and improved children’s lung health. The discussion concluded with Gavin sharing his personal experience with accessibility issues in Banchory and his recent inquiries with Aberdeenshire Council about path accessibility. He had also been contacted by one ACF member who is collating evidence on barriers to the path network in the Middlefield / Bucksburn area of the city.
Cyclist Access Campaign Reactivation
Gavin and the team discussed reactivating a campaign to address access barriers for cyclists and wheelchair users, particularly noting issues with path chicanes and new developments that make certain areas inaccessible. They agreed to potentially extend the campaign duration to three months to account for darker winter months and to include both Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire areas. The team plans to review previous campaign data and determine the best platform for collecting new submissions, with Rachel confirming they could use their existing Award Force platform.
Chicane Accessibility Guide Discussion
Francesco shared a guide on chicane accessibility in the chat (https://wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/our-campaigns/resources/guide-to-chicane-accessibility/), which provides detailed information on proper spacing between barriers, real-world scenarios for different cycles, and design recommendations to improve accessibility and inclusivity for active travel.
Secretary Vacancy
The group also discussed the vacant secretary position left by Katy’’s departure, noting that the duties are now less onerous due to the membership list being largely self-maintaining, and AI assistance for meeting minutes, but no volunteer stepped forward to take on the role. Duties will be covered by Gavin and Rachel meantime. Gavin reiterated thanks to Katy for the valuable input she had given as an ACF member and as Secretary for the first part of this year.
Upcoming Events and Infrastructure Plans
The group discussed plans for two upcoming events: Critical Mass meeting on Friday at 6 PM at Marshall Square, and the Celebrate Aberdeen parade on Saturday starting at 10:15 AM. They confirmed attendance details for the parade. The group also discussed bringing up temporary cycle lanes again at the next council meeting on September 18th, with Gavin confirming they had previously presented locations including St Machar Drive, Great Northern Road, Seafield Road, and Spring Bank. Alistair mentioned a Scottish Government announcement of £68 million for active travel infrastructure, though the specific allocation for Aberdeen was not yet clear.
Scottish Active Travel Initiatives Discussion
The group discussed active travel initiatives in Scottish cities, particularly comparing progress in Glasgow and Dundee to Aberdeen’s slower implementation. They reviewed the Voi bike sharing scheme, noting issues with drop-off locations and bike stability (when parked), with participants sharing experiences about using and observing the bikes. The conversation ended with a decision to move future meetings to Thursdays at 7:30 PM for the foreseeable future, with the next meeting scheduled for September 24th. Everyone present was OK with the move to Thursdays.
Notes by Zoom AI assistant, with manual editing.
Aberdeen Cycle Forum 