By: A.C.
Mugiemoss Road in Bucksburn has been closed since the 16th and will be for the next four months.
Many of you will wonder why I am reminding you of this road closure in Aberdeen City, and what relevance it has to this blog- us being about disability rather than road works.
Many of us will have to get to the hospital, clinics for consultations and check –ups. Others will have use their mobility vehicles, or other form of transport to get to work, Jobcentre interviews s, or whatever. If you have read the item entitled Stupid Sanctions on our Facebook page, then being late at a Jobcentre interview through no fault of your own is no excuse to some Jobcentre Staff, as particular and very uncivil servants have been known to sanction people. Hospitals and GP’s have a strict policy on what they deem to be “non –attendance”, which is usually arriving late.
There is no other way to say this; there will be gridlock in Aberdeen for months.
Most of us will be very familiar with the traffic chaos at The Haudagain Roundabout most days at rush hours anyway. The closure of Mugiemoss Road will simply add all the traffic that is either travelling to and from Dyce or Bridge of Don via Mugiemoss onto Auchmill Road and all surrounding roads. To see an updating map of roadworks, click here.
The worst times will probably be that period over the rush –hour morning and evening. However remember that this road was always busy anyway, and moving all of the traffic onto Auchmill will simply see the Haudagain Roundabout simply become extremely busy at all other times. There will be road traffic accidents, and even more delay will occur at times. Let’s hope the emergency services can cope as well.
Auchmill Road does have a bus lane so at least public transport will hopefully get through. Drivers are adept at trying to find alternative routes to their destinations. Unfortunately in this case all the alternatives will simply fill up with traffic. It is likely that hospital car parks, and other convenient parking spaces like supermarkets will fill up as people use the car park as a park and ride. So even if you get to the hospital expect further frustration as you try to find a non –existent space.
If you have been given hospital appointments from about 0830 or in the late afternoon, then it might be wise to seek a later appointment in the morning and an earlier one for the afternoon. Leave plenty of time to travel to your destination. No doubt buses will be late or delayed and if you have called a taxi then it too might well be delayed.
The only advice being given is to use public transport and give yourself plenty of time.
All I can say is: grit your teeth, stay calm, and in four months it might all be over. Maybe.