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”.
