The war of words over divisive road closures in Jesmond rages on ahead of a ballot box showdown on Thursday.
Controversy over the Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) installed by Newcastle City Council last month has become a focal point of this week’s local elections – with the city’s ruling Labour Party facing a battle to hold onto seats in what was already a hotly-contested area. Protesters furious at the “gridlock” they say the LTN has created on surrounding streets since early March staged another demonstration against the project on Wednesday, however a group of North East doctors has urged politicians to stick with the trial scheme.
City council leader Nick Kemp has pledged that consultation with Jesmond residents over the future of the contentious LTN will be “meaningful”, and told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that local authority bosses “don’t claim to know what’s right”. The LTN has resulted in bollards being installed on a number of residential streets to stop motorists using them to cut between Osborne Road and the Cradlewell, with public consultation on the changes taking place until September.
