A series of road closures in Jesmond will continue, despite the emergence of police concerns.
Opponents of the polarising Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) installed by Newcastle City Council in March renewed calls for it to be scrapped over the weekend, after it was revealed that Northumbria Police had objections against the scheme. Correspondence uncovered via a freedom of information (FOI) request from a local resident confirmed that the force warned the measures would be “likely to adversely impact our ability to provide effective policing” as it would take officers longer to get to crime scenes.
However, the council and police issued a joint statement on Monday to confirm that the LTN, which has been launched on an 18-month trial basis, would not be revoked. The road closures have prevented drivers from using residential roads to cut between Osborne Road and the Cradlewell, in order to make those streets safer and less polluted for pedestrians, cyclists and children.
But installation of the bollards has proved unpopular with many locals, who say it has created major congestion problems around Jesmond – particularly the main arteries of Osborne Road and Jesmond Road. The FOI response from Northumbria Police showed that they warned the council that the LTN “had increased the time taken to deploy to incidents in the area of Jesmond” – with particular concern over the impact on urgent callouts.
But, in the joint comment published on Monday, the council and police said they were “committed to reducing injuries on our roads and neighbourhood low traffic zones can play an important role in this”. They added: “The purpose of the trial is to create safer, cleaner and greener neighbourhoods and to encourage more people to walk, wheel or cycle on local journeys. The council’s trial will continue with the support of Northumbria Police.
“Last week the council released an interim report which showed the impact of the trial on streets within the area and surrounding roads. At this stage it is too early to fully understand the full impact but we will work together to analyse the data with public safety a top priority.”
The police had previously said in April that it would be "inappropriate" to comment on the impact of the project. Over the weekend, the council said it had requested “urgent action” following the FOI’s revelations and that no Labour councillors were aware of a meeting held between the police and local authority transport officials on May 2, where it has emerged that an inspector repeated the force’s concerns about the LTN.
Campaigner Jenny Benn told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the council should remove the bollards now and “go back to the drawing board”. She added that members of the One Jesmond campaign group set up to oppose the scheme are “not anti-LTN” and recognised the need to cut air pollution, but are against the existing closures in their current form.
The group said: “The FOI information received clearly highlights the concerns the police and many Jesmond residents have. The fact this information was received during the trial highlights significant concerns. Given the size of vehicles the fire and ambulance services use, we believe there is a significant risk to life by allowing the LTN to remain in its current format. Again, we request the council remove the bollards and start a genuine consultation process.”
They added that it was “hugely disappointing” that the police’s concerns were not referenced at all in the interim report published by the council last Friday or in public meetings.
Tony Waterston, a supporter of the LTN, said the issues raised by the police “have to be taken seriously and what the police said is concerning”, but questioned how much they were based on genuine experience or theoretical fears. Mr Waterston, a resident of Burdon Terrace and a campaigner with the SPACE for Jesmond group, added that it was “still early days” for the big traffic changes and that more time was needed for people to get used to them.
He said: “I spoke to one business in the Cradlewell recently that has changed from being an opponent to a supporter of the LTN, and part of the reason for that is that they are using cycle deliveries now. That seems like a really good way to get around it and a very sensible response.”
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