bike paths – Aberdeen Cycle Forum

It has been a pleasure to visit my daughter and family who live in the beautiful city of Aberdeen. Following an energetic 2 month bike-riding / sight-seeing tour of France, Sweden and Norway, it felt good to relax with family.

Being a keen e-bike rider and due the generosity of a friend, I was able cycle many of the streets and paths of Aberdeen. In this letter, I wish to share some thoughts about bike access in your city.

As background, I am from Brisbane Australia and still young at age 76. I took up e-bike riding 2.5 years ago, encouraged by Brisbane’s extensive network of cycleways and shared pathways. It is such a fun way to get around and is now my preferred mode of travel to destinations such as shops, parks, cafes, train stations, and University. One-third of people in Brisbane live within 300 metres of a cycleway and almost two thirds live within one kilometre.

Segregated cyclepath in Brisbane beside a pedestrian pathway.

Brisbane City Council has plans to extend and develop cycleways even further. From their perspective, the network not only improves access to local destinations and the CBD, but also helps to minimise traffic congestion. There has been a huge positive response by our citizens, young and old, and especially recently retired senior citizens who have taken up cycling with great enthusiasm. What better way to enjoy the outdoors with friends, enjoy a healthier lifestyle, than getting outside for a bike ride?

As people get older some may find it easier to cycle an e-bike than to walk as our hips and knees start to object to the more jarring of physical activity. In this way a bicycle acts as a mobility aid, offering transportation and therefore independence to people of all ages and abilities.

The extensive network of separate cycleways ensures that we can cycle safely away from fast-moving motorised traffic. Many of the most used cycleways also separate cyclists from pedestrians. It makes it safe for families taking young children to kindy or for family outings on weekends. There are no downsides.

Here is a selection of photos of Brisbane cycleways.

Brisbane cycleway with the city buildings in the background

Cycleway in Brisbane next to a road with traffic.

Cycleway in Brisbane going over a bridge.

A woman cycling along a segregated path in Brisbane

As mentioned, my stay here in Aberdeen has been greatly enhanced by having access to an e-bike. I have cycled through the city, along the eastern beach esplanade path, around Seaton Park and the River Don, and along the south coast road. However, at times I have felt a little threatened by traffic, especially accessing the city centre, as you have few cycleways that separate cyclists from motorised traffic. Cycling on pavements is not ideal for pedestrians.

As a visitor, I am sure that future investment by the council to improve this situation would be welcomed by locals as well as tourists. Experience tells us that building new motorways attracts more traffic; likewise, building cycleways attracts bicycle traffic, the more desirable outcome.

This week I rode to Banchory and back on the Deeside rail trail. A delightful experience. However, it could be improved by management of the track surface and encroaching vegetation, as well as restricting on-road travel sections to a minimum; and maybe better signage for novice riders. This could be a wonderful attraction for tourists, with local castles along the way, an added attraction. My original plan was to ride all the way to Ballater but I was discouraged by lack of a dedicated cycleway between Banchory and Aboyne.

I will continue to be a regular visitor to your wonderful city and look forward to enjoying any cycleway upgrades that you construct.

Yours sincerely,

Max Shelton

17 June 2023

Last year the Aberdeen Cycle Forum got some funding to create two visualisations of streets in Aberdeen with a cycle path. It costs a lot of money to create these visualisations and so we wanted to choose two streets that, if they had a segregated cycle path, would have a huge and positive impact on cycling in Aberdeen.

We chose King Street for the first one and the release of that image gave the impetus for a successful campaign which sent hundreds of postcards to the city council. The city council even included our visualisation in their Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP).

Today we are officially releasing our second visualisation which is for Market Street.

We felt Market Street was important because we repeatedly get feedback from cyclists that it’s unsafe to use. It’s a key corridor between Torry and the city centre and provides a link to the train station and Union Square. It also gets a lot of HGVs which are particularly dangerous for cyclists. For this reason a bike path on Market Street is essential if Aberdeen is to become a cycling city. The street is certainly wide enough for a bike path. In the visualisation we’ve taken one lane away from private motor vehicles and split it in half for a bike path on either side.

Bike paths on Market Street, Union Street, and King Street would provide a safe corridor for active travel from Torry all the way to the Bridge of Don – in just three streets. It could connect the train station with the University of Aberdeen, Union Square with the city centre, Torry with the Aberdeen Sports Village and so much more.

As part of our campaign for Market Street we’ve got hundreds of postcards addressed to the city council. Please grab one, sign it (add your address if you want a reply), put a stamp on it, then post it. You can pick one up from Newton Dee, Foodstory Café, or Nature’s Larder. If anyone would like to help distribute them then please get in touch with Rachel (rachelmmartin@gmail.com).

Tag: bike paths

Cycling in Aberdeen: a tourist’s perspective

A vision for Market Street