A new councillor in Jesmond has called for a rethink of “dumb” road closures that have become a source of major controversy.
Newcastle’s Liberal Democrats celebrated a big gain from Labour in the North Jesmond ward at Thursday’s local elections, with a sizeable majority in what has previously been a tight swing seat credited to the furore over the area’s new Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN). Opponents of the polarising project, which has seen bollards installed on a number of streets to block cars from using them as rat runs between Osborne Road and the Cradlewell, say it has caused “gridlock” in Jesmond and accused Newcastle City Council of not consulting properly with locals before imposing the changes.
Following his election on Thursday, Lib Dem Philip Browne made clear that the city’s opposition party do want Jesmond to be an LTN – but has urged the council to put forward improved options to replace the existing scheme, which he claimed had “split the community in two”. Mr Browne said: “The council were not listening and they can now see what the community in Jesmond wants, loud and clear. The LTN has been a factor, clearly, but I think that is symptomatic of how the council is running the city and that is an issue that needs to be addressed.”
