New plea for another high street rethink amid ‘dramatic’ injury jump
A year after bollards Axed, calls made again to see route redesigned
CAMPAIGNERS have called for another redesign of Gosforth High Street after a “dramatic” surge in injuries caused by traffic collisions.
The layout of the high street has been a source of major contention over recent years, after controversial rows of bollards were installed in 2020 in a bid to create more social distancing space for cyclists and pedestrians during the Covid pandemic.
The much-debated bollards were removed just over a year ago, having been branded ugly and confusing by critics, but Newcastle City Council is now facing demands for another shake-up of the busy route.
Walking and cycling campaign group SPACE for Gosforth has pleaded with city transport officials to take action and return the high street to just one lane of traffic in each direction.
The group complained that, according to data from the North East Road User Casualties Dashboard, there were nine people injured on the central section of the high street from April 2023 to February 2024 – compared to a yearly average of 3.4 from 2014 to 2023.
The nine included four bus passengers, a pedestrian, two cyclists, and two car occupants.
After the bollards’ scrapping, the city council began trialling a new bus lane along the high street which it claimed would “greatly improve public transport on one of the busiest routes for buses in the city”.
But a spokesperson for SPACE, which argued from the start that the bus lane plan risked making the area less safe, told The Chronicle: “Since the trial bus lane was installed, the number of people injured in traffic collisions has increased dramatically.”
Referencing the council’s recent decision to remove low traffic neighbourhood trials in Heaton and Jesmond, they added: “It’s time to call time on the trial. It would be hypocritical now to retain it while schemes in Jesmond and Heaton have been removed for far less serious concerns. “Gosforth High Street needs to be returned to one vehicle lane in each direction while the council consults on a new layout that is safe for all road users.”
The council replied that it was “committed to improving road safety, creating better public transport links and encouraging active travel around the Gosforth High Street area”, while confirming that the bus lane trial would remain in place while bosses “develop plans for engaging with local people on the future of this high street”. A spokesperson added: “We set out a phased approach, focusing on bus priority measures to improve public transport on this key bus corridor as the first phase, before developing a longer-term
plan for walking and cycling.
“This was to allow us to trial the bus scheme and gauge public feedback, ahead of making a long-term decision on elements of detailed design.
“Road safety is an important part of this, and our teams are busy reviewing the data collected, including accident statistics, as well as using feedback from the public consultation, to help inform design proposals.”
Tahir Siddique, who is running in Gosforth for the Lib Dems at next week’s local elections, claimed the city opposition party’s calls for the “highest possible safety standards” had been “dismissed and ignored”.
Tory election candidate Doc Anand, who was among the bollards’ most vocal opponents, told The Chronicle this week that he felt “most people are happy” about its current layout but that there was “more work to do” to consult with locals about what its long-term future will be.
Since the trial bus lane, the number of people injured in traffic collisions has increased dramatically SPACE spokesperson