Work begins to create cycle paths on deadly Aberdeen road

Work will begin to make cycling safer on some of Aberdeen’s busiest roads in just a week’s time.

The £900,000 work will begin on February 22, with cyclist and pedestrian paths three metres wide to be build along the A90 in Bridge of Don - a road which claimed the life of a young father in 2014.

The new infrastructure will link roundabout at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre on Ellon Road and Balgownie Road.

There will also be upgrades to other paths at Ellon Road and Whitestripes Avenue.

Work will take around four months to complete, with some road closures that should not last more than a day at a time.

Councillor Ross Grant, transport and regeneration spokesman for the council, was delighted with the plans.

He said “This is fantastic that work is starting on a new shared cycling and walking path.”

He added: “Aberdeen City Council is committed to making the city a safer and better place for cyclists of all ages.

“I’m sure the new paths will make a difference not only for residents living in the Bridge of Don area, but also for people all over Aberdeen wanting to cycle through the north of the city.”

We reported in 2014 how a male cyclist was killed at 3.45pm on a Sunday afternoon when he was involved in a collision with a BMW 330 car on the A90 in Aberdeen.

Neil Jaffrey, 32, who was also known as Eddie, was survived by his wife Dawn, daughter Jessica, 2, and seven-week-old twins Faye and Isla.

Last year, we reported how an area of Aberdeen City Centre, encompassing Schoolhill, Belmont Street and Little Belmont Street, was closed to traffic and devoted instead to a large free public event on the themes of sustainable mobility and 'taking back the streets'. There was also a Pedal for Scotland mass cycling event.