Newcastle city council to axe low traffic neighbourhood

Newcastle City Council said it had not ruled out a future scheme

A scheme designed to reduce congestion and encourage sustainable transport in Newcastle is due to be scrapped.

The city council's Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN), which consisted of a series of road closures in Fenham, was implemented in March, last year.

However, the zone had not prompted more people to start walking or cycling, and had made "little to no impact" on reducing school traffic, it said.

Some locals said it would mean a "return to heavy morning traffic".

As part of the scheme, which had been piloted for 18 months, bollards were installed on Gowland Avenue, Nuns Moor Road and Kingsway.

It meant that the roads could not be used for through traffic, restricting the number of cars in traditionally busy areas.

The council said, although there had been a "significant reduction" in traffic, there had been a rise in traffic on neighbouring streets.

'Back to square one'

One route, Queensway, saw average daily traffic levels rise from 706 cars in March 2022 to 1,795 six months later, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Nuns Moor Road resident Jo Ellis, who cycles along with her six-year-old son each day, said it was a "retrograde step".

"They're going back to square one while saying that we have to wait another year for a solution".

"They say 1,000 vehicles on one street is unacceptable. We totally agree - but this decision means a return to 2,000 vehicles per day on ours - it just makes no sense." 

The Fenham LTN was among the first to be implemented across the city, with a similar scheme currently being trialled in Jesmond.

Jane Byrne, cabinet member for transport, said: "Fenham was the first area of the city to pilot a neighbourhood low traffic zone trial and we haven't seen enough evidence to keep it in place, particularly with the displacement of traffic on to what should be quiet residential streets, rather than rerouting onto the main roads."

She added that, although people would be "disappointed", it had not ruled out a future scheme after reviewing feedback and data in more detail.