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.
Read More: Campaigner dons traffic cone costume as council urged to remove 'ugly' Gosforth High Street bollards
But a possible solution could now be just around the corner, as Newcastle City Council chiefs say that a new design that “we think will work well” will be made public in the coming weeks. Labour councillor Jane Byrne, the council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “I understand the concerns about the bollards. They are an issue which, not surprisingly, we have been looking to address and which have been raised with me by residents, local Labour party members and by Doc Anand when he delivered his petition.
“I asked officers to come up with a plan that improved the situation in the short-term and makes better use of Gosforth High Street in the longer term. Prior to these measures being put in place in 2020 in response to the pandemic, there were four lanes for vehicles despite it being one of the city's narrowest high streets.
“We now have a proposal that we think will work well and will be discussing it with local councillors and residents in September.”
Gosforth ward councillor Tom Woodwark called for the high street to be treated “as a destination, not just a thoroughfare” and claimed that “over two years of bollard blight has disfigured our high street”. He added: “We need the traders to be consulted. In the current trading environment our local businesses need all the help they can get but all they have is this cone calamity.
“Obviously it is paramount that local residents have their input into this process. Bus users often tell me about needing bus shelters in bad weather.
“Are we getting a permanent cycle lane that would attract more local people to businesses? Are the pavements being permanently widened? These are questions we have been asking for two years. We need realistic options to be drawn-up and local people to be given the choice to decide the future for our high street.”
The Newcastle Lib Dems’ deputy leader, Colin Ferguson, met with council chief executive Pam Smith and senior director Michelle Percy on Gosforth High Street recently and said the discussion was “very helpful” after “two years of apparent paralysis”. Campaign group SPACE for Gosforth last month called for a “constructive conversation” about the road’s future, saying the wands were “unsightly” but that reduced collisions and similar pollution levels had proved that four lanes of traffic were not needed.
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