Newcastle Grey Street cycle lane removal plan opposed

It is hoped Grey Street will be greener and cleaner and car-free

Cyclists say plans to remove a cycle lane from a city centre road will force them onto busier streets.

Grey Street was redesigned by Newcastle City Council during the pandemic to create space for pedestrians and bikes, which were given a protected route.

Sally Watson from the Newcastle Cycling Campaign said the new plans were "unexpected and disheartening".

The council said the feedback would "inform the final plan" which would then be advertised.

Changes to the famous Georgian street began 18 months ago to allow for social distancing but are part of a £50m city centre transformation.

The council hopes to realise a long-held ambition to remove all cars from the street, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The protected lane was installed during the pandemic

The latest designs remove the northbound cycle lane which critics say will force cyclists coming up the hill from the Quayside to either get off and push or divert onto busy Mosley Street.

Ms Watson warned a substandard cycling scheme could risk the council being asked to pay back £2.5m allocated from the government's Active Travel Fund.

Lindsey Davey, from residents' group SPACE for Gosforth, said: "Given the number of people cycling along the Quayside's national cycle routes, it's a shame that our city council doesn't value enabling these people, including women and children, to visit one of Britain's favourite streets."

The authority said it had been monitoring the impact of the current temporary measures to develop a permanent design for the street.

"Providing safe space for cycling in our city remains a priority," a spokesperson said

"While we only completed the informal consultation about potential permanent changes on Friday, the feedback we've been given by people with various different viewpoints has been very helpful and will inform the final plan for this iconic street that will be advertised as soon as possible."