‘RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC BAN’ DEFENDED
Councils in dispute over clean air plans
SENIOR councillors have hit back after controversial plans for a rushhour traffic ban on a busy road on the Stoke-on-trent border were branded ‘absolute madness’.
Dan Jellyman’s critical comments came as Stoke-on-trent City Council’s cabinet approved proposals to tackle illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide in three areas.
The authority, along with Staffordshire County Council and Newcastle Borough Council, is responding to a Government order to reduce air pollution.
The city council is planning to introduce a chargeable clean air zone (CAZ) to address issues at Victoria Road in Fenton, while Staffordshire County Council and Newcastle Borough Council are proposing a ‘bus gate’ which would bar all vehicles apart from buses, taxis and cycles from travelling towards Newcastle along the A53 from the A500 during peak times.
Mr Jellyman spoke of his ‘disappointment’ and ‘absolute madness’ of the Basford bank bus gate plans. And now senior members of Newcastle Borough and Staffordshire County councils have defended their plans.
They said the ‘traffic-based solution’ could be put in place more quickly than a charging zone, meaning quicker benefits.
They added the charging zone option was initially rejected by all three authorities because it was calculated that it would take around £200 million out of the North Staffordshire economy.
There were also concerns it would deter people from visiting Newcastle town centre.
Newcastle Borough Council’s deputy leader Stephen Sweeney said: “We are astounded to hear of councillor Jellyman’s ‘disappointment’ in our joint approach to the air quality issues around the A53. It was jointly agreed in 2020 by all three authorities to progress a trafficbased solution that involves a bus gate. In October 2021 the borough council’s cabinet asked for new modelling to be carried out to measure current/future post-covid traffic patterns to ascertain if there has been any reduction in the pollution levels that would negate the need for a bus gate – in other words natural compliance.”
David Williams, of Staffordshire County Council, said: “Although the bus gate is still scheduled to go live in early 2024, if current pollution readings remain below the minimum safe level, as they have last year, we may even not need to implement this measure.”