Garthdee Controlled Parking Zone update
Ian Yuill
Liberal Democrat councillor for Mannofield, Airyhall, Braeside, Broomhill, Garthdee, Kaimhill and Ruthrieston Learn more
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March Garthdee Police report
Garthdee Controlled Parking Zone update
Ruthrieston Sports Centre update
March Garthdee Police report
Great Western Road / South Anderson Drive junction – improvements needed
by Ian Yuill on 5 May, 2016
I have recently been asked whether right turn filters could be introduced on Great Western Road at its junction with South Anderson Drive. This is an issues which has been raised number of times over many years.
I completely agree that changes are needed at the junction of Great Western Road, South Anderson Drive and Anderson Drive. There is no doubt that right turn filters on Great Western Road would help drivers and also perhaps reduce the amount of “rat running” on nearby roads.
Anderson Drive and South Anderson Drive are part of the A90 trunk road and that means that these roads, and all the junctions along these roads, are controlled by Transport Scotland, a Scottish Government agency, and not by Aberdeen City Council. Transport Scotland’s priority is the flow of traffic along the trunk road and not the flow of traffic on Great Western Road. On every occasion that the issue of introducing right turn filters or otherwise improving this juction has been raised with Transport Scotland in the past their response has always been to refuse to make any changes.
I did though raise this issue with Aberdeen City Council’s traffic management staff and received a reply from them which said:
“Thank you for raising this concern with us. As you have pointed out this matter has been discussed with Bear Scotland and Transport Scotland in the past and they have declined to make changes to the junction.
“As you will be aware, following the implementation of the AWPR, Anderson Drive (A96) will become detrunked and will be ‘handed over’ to ACC. It is highly unlikely that any changes will be made to these signals by Transport Scotland ahead of this date.
“Council officers, along with Nestrans, are working at present to consider a post AWPR transport network. The introduction of the APWR will remove a volume of traffic from Anderson Drive which will enable changes to be accommodated which cannot currently be achieved. As the routing of traffic along the corridor changes, it is expected that there will be a greater focus on routes such as Great Western Road as radial routes into the city.
“It would not be prudent to make changes to the signal junction at this time as the situation along the route has the potential to change substantially in a relatively short time however, once the post AWPR strategy is agreed junction changes may be required to support this.”
I have replied to the traffic management team urging that right turn filters are introduced on Great Western Road as soon as possible after control of Anderson Drive and South Anderson Drive passes to Aberdeen City Council.
6 Comments
Yes. Probably this would make it more welcome as at present the problem is that oncoming traffic often shoots the lights a bit, making it very difficult for more than one car at a time to turn right into Anderson drive. As a major route (trunked or not) this does not seem sensible. I am stating the obvious, so apologies! It is even worse for cyclists but most would not even attempt it, making it advisable to provide a segregated cycle route near the footway.
Yes, I totally agree that there should be a filter there. I used that junction for many years as I worked at Altens. It was very frustrating and many times I thought I would get injured by cars coming in the opposite direction racing through the lights when they were red. I am sure that all the drivers who use the junction would be 100 pc in agreement.
I have occasion to wish to turn right into North Anderson Drive while facing West along Gt Western Rd. This is frequently possible if met by a MV in the centre lane facing East on GWR but wishing to turn right into S A Drive and so blocking the centre lane, as I am.
It does of course require the other GWR MV facing East but which is turning left into NAD simultaneously to keep to its inside lane while turning left, sometimes reluctantly given, while I am turning right into the outside lane at the same time.
The net effect is to sometimes clear the junction !
A significant improvement for traffic approaching these traffic lights would be if there was a modest further increase in parking restriction on the LHS of GWR approaching the lights.
Yes totally agree! It is one of the only junctions on this main trunk road that does not have a roundabout and is controlled by lights (without turning filters off GWR..)
The rat-run issue, especially buses doing 45 miles / hour down Morningside Road is becoming a regular (unwanted) occurrence!
While I agree that there desperately needs to be changes at this junction, I would suggest that the logical and most practical arrangement would be to simply have Gt Western Road as single direction lights ( as is already the case with Anderson Drive at the same junction) . Not rocket science!!
Gordon, that would certainly help the right turning traffic on Great Western Road. Adding an additional phase to the sequence of the lights though would mean longer queues as there would be proportionately less time available for each phase. Having said that, the changes in traffic movements and volumes after the opening of the AWPR may well make what you suggest feasible.