Aberdeen bus gates decision delayed AGAIN as councillors vent fury

Aberdeen's residents and business owners will have to wait even longer to learn the fate of the controversial bus gates after the vote was delayed again.

Today's full council meeting could have seen a decision made to scrap the bus gates entirely, tweak them, or leave them in place.

It follows the introduction of three new bus gates on Bridge Street, Guild Street and Market Street last August under an experimental traffic regulation order.

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On Wednesday morning, the Lord Provost confirmed the item had been pushed to the very end of the agenda, leaving questions as to whether councillors would run out of time to vote on the matter.

The item was among a packed agenda which including the Torry RAAC crisis, poverty funding and more.

In June at a transport committee meeting, the SNP and Lib Dems voted to suspend the Adelphi bus gate to allow traffic access onto Market Street from Union Street.

This would coincide with the construction of the new Aberdeen Market, with traffic then only allowed to turn left onto Trinity Quay.

However, Labour and Conservative councillors urged the matter be considered by full council today.

After lengthy debates on Wednesday, the decision will now be made in the coming weeks instead with the meeting concluded at around 4.30pm.

The decision to rearrange the meeting agenda had seen councillors vent their fury, with former Lord Provost Barney Crockett among the most vocal.

He repeatedly labelled the move as "outrageous", while Councillor Jennifer Stewart labelling the move as "an abuse of the situation".

The item is now expected to be considered by councillors before August.