New plans to end the “bollard blight” on Gosforth High Street are set to be unveiled next month.
Transport bosses in Newcastle have confirmed that new proposals have now been drawn up for the busy thoroughfare after long-standing complaints over its last redesign in 2020. Dozens of bollards were installed along the length of the high street after the Covid pandemic hit, removing two lanes of traffic in order to give more social distancing space to pedestrians and cyclists.
But the scheme has been labelled confusing and ugly, with critics calling for a permanent solution that will be better for drivers, people on bikes, shoppers, and struggling businesses. Local Liberal Democrat councillors were the latest this week to call for an end to the “mess and uncertainty”, claiming there had been “two years of inaction” on the high street, while Tory campaigner Doc Anand made headlines last month after dressing up as a traffic cone in his campaign against the scheme.
