A campaigner dressed as a traffic cone has urged council bosses to get rid of “ugly” bollards on Gosforth High Street.
Dozens of bollards were installed along the route in 2020 as part of measures across the city to give road space over to pedestrians and cyclists and make social distancing easier during the Covid pandemic crisis, on a street that is among the busiest and most polluted in Newcastle. But the controversial scheme has drawn ire for numerous reasons – with complaints that they have worsened traffic congestion problems, put shoppers off and hurt businesses, and been confusing for people using the new zones.
Conservative Party activist Doc Anand, who has donned a fancy dress costume to campaign on the high street this month, delivered a petition with 900 signatures to Newcastle City Council on Friday calling for the bollards to be removed. The former GP, who worked in Gosforth for more than 30 years, said that the wands are “just not a long-term solution”, urging city transport officials to consult locals and come up with a new vision that would be better for cyclists, pedestrians, vehicles, and businesses.
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The Tory candidate, who finished second in the hotly-contested Gosforth ward at May’s local elections, said: “It has been a very hard time for people, shops on the high street have closed, and the bollards are making it more difficult. They are making movement more difficult, they are breaking down and rolling along the street, they are confusing people because some people think it is a cycle lane and others think it is for pedestrians.
“They are making the high street ugly, some people have said to me that Gosforth has become the ugliest high street in the country. Ambulances and fire engines can’t get through.
"One lady tripped over one of the bollards that was broken and I had to stop her from falling to the ground. It has put people off shopping on the high street and that is really hurting crippling businesses.”
Labour’s Jane Byrne, the city council’s cabinet member for transport, said she visited Gosforth last week after multiple residents raised concerns about the bollards and admitted that bosses “need to make better use of the space”.
She added: “Prior to these measures being put in place, in summer 2020 in response to the pandemic, there were four lanes for vehicles through this main shopping area despite it also being one of the city’s narrowest high streets. We need to make better use of the space so that there are better facilities for walking and cycling and for people using public transport and that is our long-term plan.
“I understand residents' frustrations, however. So, I have already asked officers to look at ways to improve the situation in the short-term.”
Peter MacDonald, of walking and cycling campaign group SPACE for Gosforth, agreed that the wands are “unsightly” but said they had also proved that four lanes of traffic were not needed on the high street. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Collision stats show it is much safer in its new configuration, while pollution is about the same or a bit less. Even so it could still be a lot better for people to walk, wheel, cycle and do their shopping.
“We hope all political parties will avoid negative campaigning and instead will engage in a constructive conversation about what could be possible. The wands can be used to try out further different layouts to confirm what works or doesn’t before committing funds to a final high quality permanent scheme.”
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