Mixed reaction as traffic scheme hits a dead end
NEWS that another of Newcastle’s low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) will soon be axed has sparked a mixed reaction from locals.
The Journal revealed on Thursday that Newcastle City Council will be dropping its LTN in Heaton later this month and bollards installed 18 months ago to prevent some residential streets from being used as rat runs will be removed once a trial period ends on April 23.
Council bosses claimed that the restrictions had resulted in too many vehicles diverting to surrounding streets and back lanes, rather than sticking to main roads, and failed to produce a sustained shift to walking and cycling.
But the news has been met with dismay from some campaigners, who have accused the Labour-run council of taking a “backwards step” in its stated ambitions to make Newcastle a greener city after the axe also fell on LTNs in Jesmond and Fenham.
Bollards were put in place to stop through-traffic using Cardigan Terrace, Falmouth Road, Bolingbroke Street, and Heaton Park View in October 2022, but the council said on Tuesday that this had caused problems on neighbouring streets, as well as leading to more than 700 vehicles a day using the back lanes on Heaton Park Road.
Two options for possible permanent changes were recently published: A re-opening of Heaton Park View or closing every through-route between Heaton Road and Heaton Park Road, but neither of those will be put in place imminently.
However, some fear that a removal of the bollards will mean that Heaton Park View will go back to having 3,000 vehicles a day using it.
Sunil Bhopal, a local dad and children’s doctor, said: “For 18 months the council made the streets safer for our kids by stopping through-traffic from the Coast Road. They just offered two options for making this change permanent in the last few weeks, but now seem set on ditching the whole thing. It’s baffling in the face of widespread support – local children and families deserve better.”
Tom Madge, another supporter of the LTN, said that the “speeding, congestion, stress, pollution and noise” prior to the scheme’s introduction was “unsafe and horrible”.
He added: “The LTN scheme here has made it crystal clear how unsuitable these roads were for thousands of cars using them as a cut through every day. That’s what we’ll go back to in week one if they remove it.”
However, a council report released on Wednesday stated that local opinion on the LTN was split almost evenly and “strongly polarised”.
Jeff Pickthall, of Stratford Road, welcomed the end of the LTN and called it a “muddled” project. He said: “Although it has a laudable aim, it just created congestion and hassle.
“As someone who is a pedestrian and a cyclist and a driver, all three got worse. As a pedestrian and a cyclist, you are forever taking your life into your hands because there were vehicles dotting in and out of back lanes.”
One resident of Eversley Place, who asked not to be named, said they felt like residents had been left with “no communication” and criticised how the scheme had been managed.
A recent internal probe into the council’s LTNs criticised a “lack of understanding” or “robust” management, though the Heaton scheme was not included in that review.
The Eversley Place resident said they had concerns about more traffic and pollution being pushed towards people living in more deprived areas.
They said: “I don’t know what the solution is, but picking out a small number of advantaged areas [for LTNs] is not the way to address the issue. A lot of the issues people talk about are self-interest. But if you don’t take a share then someone else takes a bigger share, but we have stopped thinking about that.”
The Heaton LTN’s removal will add to the intrigue at May’s local elections. The area falls within the Ouseburn ward – a swing seat where Labour and the city’s Lib Dem opposition are regularly split by just a handful of votes.
Michele Allen, a fan of the LTN, said: “I’ve lived in the area for 16 years and in that time the level of traffic and numbers of cars has got worse. Our house is car-free and I was really excited by the scheme to reduce traffic and create space for cyclists and pedestrians.
“The decision to reopen roads is a backwards step. Cars have been allowed to dominate cities for too long. It’s so disappointing to see the Labour council doing this after making so many environmental pledges.
“This is essentially a vote for individualism over the needs of communities, environment and our children’s health.”
It’s so disappointing to see the council doing this after making so many environmental pledges Michelle Allen