It is just 18 months since everyone was seething over the long-running road works in Market Street, surely one of the busiest streets in Aberdeen city centre. When the work was finally completed everyone breathed a sigh of relief – particularly those who found themselves trying to conduct a business in the middle of the chaos.

At least we wouldn't have to put up the disruption again, at least for a very long time. After all, they had even put in the new traffic lights for the access to the retail park that is replacing the harbour rail freight terminal. Wrong!

Eighteen months on, we are back in the thick of it. Once again the city centre is in chaos and people are grinding their teeth in traffic queues.

They are now putting in power cables for the new retail park! Could they not have done that when they had the road all ripped up anyway?

Apparently not. Sigh.

Footnote: This is not the only controversy to have involved the new Union Square retail park. Presented at the council as a "transport interchange" for the 21st century, it actually removed part of the city's transport infrastructure – the railhead serving Aberdeen Harbour.

There remains considerable concern about how the new retail park may detract from the retail conglomeration around Union Street and the Bon Accord Centre.

Adding to the confusion, people have complained that the Union Square name suggests it is on Union Street... which it is not.

Tags: roads, transport