The study, which will particularly focus on active travel and public transport connections, continues the ongoing work of Aberdeen City Council and partners to consider means of locking-in benefits of the city bypass (AWPR) on the principal transport corridors linking Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen.

The study area, which includes The Parkway, Persley Bridge, Haudagain roundabout, and Anderson Drive North and Anderson Drive South, will place a particular focus on how to improve conditions for pedestrians, wheelchair users, cyclists, horse riders, and public transport users of the route for movements around the city centre.

Key tasks include understanding how people currently use the A92, identification of problems, issues, and constraints and opportunities along the A92 corridor. The study will also take cognisance how COVID-19 has affected the way people travel, will develop objectives to reflect the identified problems, issues, constraints and opportunities within the study area, and will also develop options focussing on walking, wheeling and cycling, bus infrastructure, technology, and junction reviews amongst others.

The public consultation is in the form of an online Placecheck exercise which allows key locations reflective of the key transport-related problems and opportunities on the A92 corridor to be identified. There are already similar exercises ongoing for other corridors, including the A93 from Aberdeen to Banchory and the A947 between Bucksburn and Dyce/bypass (AWPR).

Aberdeen City Council transport spokesperson Councillor Sandra Macdonald said: “I’d encourage people who use the route and particularly residents in the local areas to take part in the study.

“It is to be welcomed that we have the start of the process to identify options for improving transport connections on the A92, alongside those for the A93 and A947, as part of the continuing work to lock in the benefits of the AWPR in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.”

Aberdeen City Council has commissioned a Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG)-based study to identify options for the corridor. Jacobs UK Ltd has been commissioned to undertake this study.

In line with the objective-led approach afforded by STAG, an early task will be to establish the key transport-related problems, issues, constraints, and opportunities on the A92 orbital corridor.

This period of public and stakeholder engagement will include a Placecheck exercise, targeted local community engagement, a site-based Study Tour to allow direct corridor-based engagement with key stakeholders to discuss and observe issues on the corridor itself, and a wide-ranging engagement exercise with special interest groups including those representing walkers, cyclists, and people with health conditions or impairments.

As the study moves through the appraisal process, a further round of consultation will be undertaken later in the year which will provide further opportunity to feed back on the options emerging in the study, ensuring members of the public and stakeholders are involved in the study at each critical stage.

The Placecheck exercise is available at A92 Bridge of Don to Bridge of Dee Transport Study - Aberdeen City Council - Citizen Space and it is open for responses until February 27.