Councillors in Jesmond have called for divisive bollards to be replaced by high-tech cameras, after complaints over traffic chaos.
A polarising Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) came into force in Jesmond last month, with road closures imposed on residential streets by Newcastle City Council to stop drivers using them as rat runs between Osborne Road and the Cradlewell. The scheme has proved highly contentious, with some locals staging a protest in opposition to it last week amid claims that it has caused a congestion nightmare and effectively cut Jesmond in two.
Supporters of the project, meanwhile, have said it has made streets safer and cleaner for pedestrians and cyclists, urging locals to be patient and give motorists time to get used to the measures. Labour councillors have now come out in favour of replacing the bollards that have been in place since early March with an automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR) camera system that would allow only residents to drive through the affected streets.
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Such a move could allow locals to obtain a permit for their cars to move through the LTN, while non-residents would have to stick to the main roads or potentially face a fine. Labour councillors from the North and South Jesmond wards wrote on Facebook that they wanted to work with residents to build a case for the use of ANPR cameras, though such a system would be dependent on the council being given new enforcement powers by the Government.
They said: "We know that this is not what everyone wants but the current situation with bollards is also intolerable for many and we are looking for residents to work with us and help us shape a potential business case.”
South Jesmond ward councillor Lesley Storey told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the camera idea could act as a compromise that would retain the benefits of the existing LTN while reducing its negative consequences. Coun Storey, a member of the council’s Labour cabinet, said that city decision-makers “have to find a way forward”, but it was difficult to do so given how polarising the road closures have been.
She added: “I have had as diverse a response to this [the ANPR cameras idea] as I have to the LTN itself. There are concerns from people who currently benefit from the LTN who are fearing that the immediate benefits will not be as successful because there will be more cars coming through. I have had people say that anyone who lives in an NE2 postcode should be allowed through, others saying it should be for people within a smaller area.
“We are hearing lots of anecdotal information that we need to make sense of through the consultation and that is going to take some time. I am not wedded to an LTN, but I am minded that we must do what we can to reduce traffic and reduce pollution – and to work with communities to do that.”
In early March, restrictions were installed on a series of residential roads between Osborne Avenue and Cavendish Road. But, after complaints that the LTN was causing congestion on the few remaining open routes, the council has since added bollards on Jesmond Dene Road and Akenside Terrace too.
The scheme, which has also sparked concerns about access for emergency services, has been installed on an 18-month trial basis.
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