Ramping up call to remove cones
A CAMPAIGNER dressed as a traffic cone has urged council bosses to get rid of “ugly” bollards on Gosforth High Street.
Dozens of bollards were installed along the route in 2020 as part of measures across the city to give road space over to pedestrians and cyclists and make social distancing easier during the Covid pandemic crisis, on a street that is among the busiest and most polluted in Newcastle. But the controversial scheme has drawn complaints that they have worsened traffic congestion problems, put shoppers off and hurt businesses, and been confusing for people using the new zones.
Conservative Party activist Doc Anand, who has donned a fancy dress costume to campaign on the high street this month, delivered a petition with 900 signatures to Newcastle City Council on Friday calling for the bollards to be removed.
The former GP, who worked in Gosforth for more than 30 years, said the wands are “just not a long-term solution”, urging city transport officials to consult locals and come up with a new vision that would be better for cyclists, pedestrians, vehicles, and businesses.
The Tory candidate, who finished second in the hotly-contested Gosforth ward at May’s local elections, said: “It has been a very hard time for people, shops on the high street have closed, and the bollards are making it more difficult. They are making movement more difficult, they are breaking down and rolling along the street, they are confusing people because some people think it is a cycle lane and others think it is for pedestrians.
“They are making the high street ugly. Ambulances and fire engines can’t get through.”
Labour’s Jane Byrne, the city council’s cabinet member for transport, said she visited Gosforth last week after residents raised concerns.
She said: “Prior to these measures being put in place, in summer 2020 in response to the pandemic, there were four lanes for vehicles through this main shopping area despite it also being one of the city’s narrowest high streets.
“We need to make better use of the space so that there are better facilities for walking and cycling and for people using public transport and that is our long-term plan.”
Peter Macdonald, of walking and cycling campaign group SPACE for Gosforth, agreed that the wands are “unsightly” but said they had also proved that four lanes of traffic were not needed on the high street.