FARMERS in the North-east are 'up in arms' over moves to ban tractors from the new Aberdeen bypass.

Transport Scotland has confirmed that the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route will be classed as a 'special road', meaning that agricultural vehicles will be excluded from it.

The issue was highlighted by NFU Scotland during a round table discussion at the New Deer Show recently, then discussed at a meeting in Thainstone, where farmers' chief concern was over the difficulty they would have transporting livestock if they can't use the new bypass, particularly those looking to make the journey from Ellon to the abattoir at Portlethen, on the other side of the city.

Sandy Stratton, who farms near Dyce, experiences exactly that issue. He explained: "The route we currently have to take to the slaughterhouse is dangerous, to be perfectly honest. Currently, we have to use the Hannigan roundabout, then North Anderson Drive, then have to avoid weight restriction over the Bridge of Dee to get to Portlethen with the cattle.

"We feel it would be a safer and faster option to use AWPR. We also feel like we would cause less congestion if we were allowed to use the dual carriageway, and we could save as much as 45 minutes of our journey. The safety issue is key for us though – using the dual carriageway would be safer, both for us, and for other road users."

Ian McPherson, who farms at Broomhill near Stonehaven, agreed with Mr Stratton, but could also see potential benefits to the road overall. He explained: "We have two small farms, one near the AWPR, and the other on the far side of the A90, on the coast. We see pros and cons to the bypass overall.

"It'll be handy for us getting to Thainstone, and it should make the A90 quieter, so for us using tractors on that road, that's an advantage.

"However, tractors on a dual carriageway shouldn't be an issue," suggested Mr McPherson. "Modern tractors move at speeds that wouldn't hold up traffic on a road designed for overtaking. It would be a massive benefit for boys taking cattle etc to Thainstone if they could use it. It would be far safer than using back roads.

"We've seen elements of hassle throughout the whole process of the AWPR," he added. "At one stage it cut us off from accessing stock in a certain field, and when it comes to things like rebuilding fencing, they're not overly quick at getting on with it, which as meant we haven't been able to put stock in certain areas."

Local Conservative MSP Peter Chapman commented: “Farmers are up in arms about this. My view is that this road is not a motorway, it is a dual carriageway and therefore tractors should be permitted to travel along the route," he said. “If not, we will be forcing agricultural vehicles through the middle of Aberdeen, which does nothing for efficiency, congestion or our greenhouse gas emissions."

A Transport Scotland spokesman commented: “The AWPR/B-T is neither a motorway or dual carriageway, it is designated as a special road. As such, agricultural vehicles need to meet specific conditions to travel on the road. The consequences of a special road designation were considered at a Public Local Inquiry in 2008.

“The road has been progressed on the basis of the orders presented at the PLI. One of these conditions prevents agricultural vehicles from travelling more than 1.5km between farm land, unless they are being used for horticultural purposes such as trimming verges.

“We understand that this means that it is not possible to meet this distance criterion on the new road. However, as strategic traffic will transfer from the existing road network to the AWPR, we expect to see significant journey time savings on local roads, generating significant benefits for agricultural use.”