Big changes to a divisive road closure scheme in Newcastle have been revealed – with even more streets now set to be closed off.
A redesign of the contentious Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) installed in Jesmond earlier this month has been confirmed, after complaints that it had created a congestion nightmare in the surrounding area. Efforts to stop rat running down residential streets have meant through traffic has been stopped from using a number of roads since early March, but there has been an outcry about drivers now diverting to the few remaining open routes that cut between Osborne Road and the Cradlewell.
In response, Newcastle City Council has now announced that it is putting even more restrictions in place – with blockages to be installed on Friday on Jesmond Dene Road close to its junction with Grosvenor Road and on Akenside Terrace at the junction with Jesmond Road. While being welcomed by campaigners who had called for all residential streets to be brought into the LTN, the latest closures have quickly sparked allegations that Jesmond is being “carved in two”.
