Call for an end to ‘hiatus’ over bridge closures
OPPOSITION councillors have called for an end to the “hiatus” over a series of controversial bridge closures in Newcastle.
City council chiefs have banned vehicles from using Salters Bridge in Gosforth; Castle Farm Road Bridge next to Jesmond Dene; Haldane Bridge in Jesmond; the Argyle Street Bridge near Manors Metro station; and Stoneyhurst Bridge in South Gosforth since last August.
The project, imposed as a means of reducing alleged rat-running through residential streets, was introduced as an experiment that could theoretically last up to 18 months.
Newcastle City Council said earlier this year that a decision on whether to make the change permanent would be made after the recent local elections.
The city’s Liberal Democrat opposition has now demanded clarity on the situation, especially after the authority’s Labour transport chief Arlene Ainsley lost her seat on the council.
The divisive bridge closures have sparked fury among some residents, who claim the move was unnecessary, has increased congestion, and has been particularly harmful to the disabled and elderly.
Supporters, however, say that the traffic bans have made the residential areas safer for walkers and cyclists, as well as cutting noise and air pollution.
Newcastle’s Lib Dems said that the “current hiatus needs to be resolved” and urged the council to “make a prompt statement of its intentions”. Opposition transport spokesperson Coun Greg Stone added: “A deliberate decision was taken by the council leadership to delay the bridge closure decision in advance of the pre-election purdah period, knowing it would be controversial in a number of wards, and the transport cabinet member unsuccessfully sought to switch seats.
“It would be a cop-out to continue to delay a decision for weeks or months while a new transport cabinet member is appointed. People living in the communities affected by the closures deserve clarity.”
Council leader Nick Forbes, who has survived a post-elections leadership challenge, responded: “We had clear manifesto commitments that the public gave their support and confidence to last week.
“This sits alongside our bold and ambitious plans for our city, which includes a new £50m vision for the city centre and commitment to creating great places to live with clean, green and safe communities, which the closure of bridges to traffic contributes to.
“We are looking at all the evidence and submissions. The last thing that residents want us to do is make decisions without fully considering the impact on local communities.
“A new cabinet lead will be announced in due course.”
A Newcastle City Council spokesperson confirmed: “Due to the unique characteristics of each location and our findings, every bridge will be reviewed on its own merits, with five separate decisions made. We expect this all to be completed in the summer.”