Almost 300 Gateshead residents have signed a petition to reopen Askew road to all traffic instead of a bus and cycle lane. The petition claims the lane creates more pollution and creates an increased financial burden for motorists and people using taxis.
The Askew Road bus lane has already proven controversial with over 25,000 motorists fined for driving on it last year.
The petition has amassed 290 signatures so far. The author, local taxi driver Roy Scott, hopes to get 2,000 by November to force the council to officially consider the request.
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“I’m a taxi driver” Scott explained, “I have been since November last year, so on my day to day work, not only do we have disruption going through Gateshead town centre but we also have local residents not very happy about having to do a mile round trip to travel somewhere that takes 10 seconds with Askew road.
“Also, in these particularly tough times it's more the added cost for people as well.
“What essentially has happened is Gateshead council has implemented this to make it safer for cyclists and buses, even though buses are more of a danger than cars, and to make the air cleaner. What they’ve actually done completely contradicts their policy.
“It has moved and increased the pollution, in my eyes, from the bottom of Gateshead and just concentrated it going through the town centre. The worst thing about that is that it will end up causing a huge smog in Gateshead town centre.
“There’s a significant number of elderly residents in high rise blocks in Gateshead, Regent Court, Park Court, where all this traffic is queueing. So essentially they’ve moved the problem from a lesser populated area into a more highly populated area, housing a lot of people with vulnerable issues.
In response to the petition and its claims Gateshead council issued the following statement.
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“Gateshead is completely committed to tackling the climate emergency and resolving problems with air quality, and that requires radical action. We introduced the Askew Road bus and cycle lane in July 2020 and we have reviewed and improved how town centre traffic flows since then.
"Our research shows that the changes to Askew Road have contributed to improved traffic flows on the Tyne Bridge and the approach, as the north/south traffic can flow more smoothly, now only buses need to exit Askew Road. The council has recently invested in widening junctions and introducing segregated lanes on roundabouts, to improve the flow of vehicles along the West Central Route, Regent Street, Charles Street and Park Lane.
"Data shows that footfall in the town centre continues to rise and the changes to our road network have kept traffic flowing and enabled active travel journeys.”
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Anneliese Hutchinson, service director for climate change, compliance, planning and transport at Gateshead council said: “Our approach to Askew Road is not just about air quality, it’s about linking the town centre to the quays and moving forward with our regeneration plans for an attractive and vibrant town centre.
“Almost a third of North East households have no access to a car, and for many people, walking or cycling, or using the bus or Metro, are vital to get around – so we need to enable those journeys too by making our town centre more pedestrian and cycle friendly.
“The Askew Road bus lane is part of a wider strategy we are implementing to address the dominance of motor traffic in and around Gateshead town centre and the quays area. We need to shift the balance away from the private car and towards alternative forms of transport, and would urge all those using our road network – whether Gateshead residents, or those travelling from neighbouring areas, to please choose the most appropriate, and least polluting mode of transport for your journey.”
Gateshead Council has pledged to monitor and regularly review Askew Road and the surrounding roads over coming months and consider the impact alongside the introduction of the Clean Air Zone (CAZ).
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