Newcastle Newgate Street stopping ban in city congestion move

Cars are banned from stopping along Newgate Street

A ban on cars stopping on one of the busiest roads in Newcastle city centre will be made permanent as part of efforts to ease congestion.

Newcastle City Council held an 18-month long trial making Newgate Street a red route after complaints over illegal taxi ranks and "indiscriminate parking".

There were particular problems around The Gate leisure complex.

The council said the restrictions were "keeping the network moving".

A total of 79 fines were issued on Newgate Street for people parking up in bus stops or on double red lines between July 2020 and this November, with the council saying that the restrictions "are achieving their primary aims".

Red route

The need to stop congestion on Newgate Street could become even greater in the coming years, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said, with plans afoot to pedestrianise Blackett Street which would mean more vehicles using the red route.

A civic centre report said bus operators have regularly made complaints since The Gate complex opened about illegal taxi ranks, "unpredictable manoeuvres", and dangers to pedestrians in a busy area with bars, restaurants, a casino, and a cinema.

Just two objections have been made to the red route since it came into force, claiming that there was "no evidence to support that there was a problem" and that the 18-month trial should be considered invalid because of the impact of the pandemic on the city centre.

The council responded that there had been a "long history of conflict between licensed taxis and the private hire trade and bus services on Newgate Street" and that, while Covid had left the city centre shut down for much of the last 18 months, The Gate had been open consistently since this July "and reports of contraventions have significantly dropped since this date".