Gosforth High Street’s much-criticised bollards are set to be removed this month – but plans to replace them with a new bus lane have been labelled “extremely dangerous”.
Newcastle City Council has confirmed that it will at last get rid of the bollards that have provoked widespread frustration since they were installed in 2020. The changes were made as part of emergency measures during the Covid pandemic to provide more space for social distancing, cutting the road from four to two lanes to help cyclists and pedestrians.
But the council’s initial plans to redesign the busy route will instead see a new bus lane installed along the length of the high street, which has provoked a backlash from campaigners. Local authority Labour chiefs had pledged meaningful talks with locals over how to reinvigorate the struggling Gosforth High Street late last year, having provoked ire when news of their proposals first emerged last September, but have now been accused of “empty promises”.
Walking and cycling campaign group SPACE for Gosforth said the bus lane plan would “arguably make Gosforth High Street less safe” and treats the street simply as a transport route instead of a “local destination in need of support”.
They added: "If the Council is going to achieve ambitious targets to cut pollution and carbon emissions they need to be creating more options for people to walk or cycle local journeys, not remove what little provision there is. Solving these problems needs leadership and the ability to work with local communities, not empty promises."
Sally Watson from Newcastle Cycling Campaign, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that she was “completely baffled”. She said: “On paper this looks extremely dangerous – removing the protection for cycling space is a serious retrograde step. We have asked repeatedly for the protection to be maintained and improved and make another plea for this. People’s safety should not be sacrificed for aesthetics."
The city council said it has an “immediate focus on improving public transport on one of the busiest routes for public transport in the city”, but is exploring a second phase of the high street’s redesign for a long-term solution. Bosses say the changes will make bus journeys quicker and more reliable, with an almost continuous bus lane running north from the Blue House Roundabout to the Church Road/Salters Road junction.
Labour councillor Jane Byrne, the council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “By improving public transport, we can improve connectivity to the high street and city, which will encourage people out of their cars and help clean up our air. We will also be looking at improving connectivity to the high street as part of the next phase of works, with better walking, wheeling and cycling provision.
“We want a high street that works for everyone, which is why we are holding a public event in the area. This is an opportunity for residents and local businesses to give us their feedback on the plans, but also to hear their views on what works and what needs improving, as well as discuss proposals to make it easier and safer for people to get around on foot and on bike.”
But Gosforth Lib Dem councillor Tom Woodwark said the council’s initial plan “falls short of what we expected” and what Labour had pledged in November – when city councillors unanimously backed a motion committing the authority to “urgently” deliver upgrades on the thoroughfare, but not without “meaningful engagement with local residents about the options and impacts of various schemes”.
Coun Woodward added: "Support for sustainable travel is to be welcomed, but we hope that the scheme will not replace standing traffic with high volumes of diesel buses, which risks doing nothing to improve air quality in the area. The lack of concrete support for improved active travel is regrettable. We wonder what the point of passing council motions with cross party support is, if they will be ignored."
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