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Aberdeenshire roads policies to be examined


By Kyle Ritchie

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Proposed policies for roads and transportation are set to be considered by Aberdeenshire councillors this week.

The local authority's infrastructure services committee will scrutinise it in the three areas of speed limits, pedestrian crossings and street trading and occupation of the road.

Councillors will assess a report at the online meeting of the committee on Thursday and are being recommended to approve the draft proposals for each.

Aberdeenshire's six area committees were given the opportunity to contribute to the development of the proposed policies.

A public consultation was held and community councils and other groups were also invited to take part.

In the report from roads officers that will go before councillors the speed limit section particularly looks at 20mph zones.

It said: "At a strategic level the approval of the National Transport Strategy in early 2020 and the ongoing development of the Regional Transport Strategy by Nestrans have seen a greater emphasis to being able to travel actively, which of course reflects the approach in our own Local Transport Strategy.

"Road traffic volumes and speeds are a factor in encouraging greater levels of active travel and this has been seen during the period since March 2020.

"In light of all of these developments it is proposed that we move towards making 20mph the normal speed limit on minor roads in our built-up areas while retaining 30mph or 40mph limits on a strategic network of routes.

"It is also proposed that 20mph limits are introduced in designated town centres.

The proposed policy on speed limits particularly focuses on 20mph zones.
The proposed policy on speed limits particularly focuses on 20mph zones.

"Preliminary estimates put the cost of these measures between £1,000,000 and £1,800,000 and initial discussions have been held on the possibility of an external funding partner meeting a significant portion of these costs.

"In the absence of external funding, the new speed limits could be phased in across Aberdeenshire over a five to 10-year programme, depending on the availability of resources, giving priority initially to disadvantaged areas where the benefits would be greatest.

"A viable alternative option would be to continue with the existing policy whereby 20mph speed limits are introduced selectivity backed up by traffic calming measures as necessary to meet qualifying speed criteria. This results in fewer drivers exceeding the signed limits but means that a much lower proportion of roads can have 20mph speed limits introduced."

For pedestrian crossings the proposed policy promotes prioritisation on an Aberdeenshire-wide basis

This is to ensure that when funds become available for new crossings these are spent where the need is greatest.

The report added: "The pedestrian crossing manual sets out standard layouts for various crossings from simple uncontrolled crossings to signal controlled crossings, including new PEDEX crossings and parallel crossings for cyclists.

"The criteria for zebra crossings have been relaxed, permitting their use in certain areas with lower traffic and pedestrian volumes than previously.

"While our capacity to install lower priority zebra crossings may be limited by funding constraints, this relaxation should allow us to adopt more zebra crossings associated with new developments."

For street trading and occupation of the road the proposed policy aims to to give greater clarity to where and when street trading may be permitted on a public road.

The report said: "It should be noted that the permission for street traders to locate their unit on the public road is quite separate from that granted following a successful application for a street trader licence and both are required for street traders wishing to operate from the road.

"Officers from Transportation, and Legal and Governance have worked together to dovetail their separate requirements and it is intended that a joint guidance document will be produced to assist potential applicants."

The proposed policy also takes into account other uses of a public road including street cafés, storage of non-motorised vehicles, community events and filming.

The report added: "This should enable officers to deal more effectively with complaints about matters such as caravans being stored in the road while giving businesses and members of the public clearer guidance on what is permissible."


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