Campaigners are urging Newcastle City Council's new leadership to revisit major pedestrianisation plans for the city centre and end a “dysfunctional mess”. The call follows the announcement of new restrictions on Blackett Street, where vehicles will be banned from stopping for 18 months as part of a trial of ‘red routes’.
Long-running debate over Blackett Street
Efforts to ban vehicles from the Blackett Street bus route were debated for years before being shelved in 2022. The new red routes, named last week, aim to stop vehicles from causing disruption to bus services. Complaints have long centred on non-bus traffic, especially taxis dropping off or picking up, and chaos from “unpredictable” U-turns and vehicles mounting pavements around Grey’s Monument.
The North East Public Transport Users Group (NPETUG) has urged the council, now led by the Lib Dems after May's elections, to enforce current rules and revisit creating a pedestrianised precinct.
Campaigners call for rethink
Alistair Ford, NPETUG co-chair, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Newcastle city centre is a dysfunctional mess when it comes to traffic management, with private cars still allowed to drive across the city from one side to the other. This causes congestion, danger for pedestrians, and delays to bus services. While the red route on Blackett Street may stop people, particularly taxi drivers, from stopping here it won't stop the thousands of vehicles passing through a space that is supposed to be for buses, cycles and pedestrians only.”
He added: “We urge the city council to bring in active enforcement of the current restrictions on Blackett Street as soon as possible to stop the free-for-all that currently exists. What is really needed, however, is a complete rethink of how the city centre works and how to make it a pleasant place to visit, work, and shop. The area around Grey's Monument could be turned into a pedestrianised square if buses could use alternative streets without being delayed by traffic congestion. With almost 10,000 government jobs soon moving into the Pilgrim Street East development shortly, the time to rethink the space in Newcastle city centre is now.”
Council responds
Under its former Labour administration, the council had said the long-term ambition to pedestrianise Blackett Street could be revived once redevelopment on neighbouring Pilgrim Street was complete. The Pilgrim’s Quarter offices are now finished, ahead of HMRC moving in next year and relocating thousands of civil servants.
Colin Ferguson, who leads the Liberal Democrat minority administration, said his party wanted a “coherent plan” for transport. He said: “We share the ambition for a more pedestrian-friendly city centre. With clear benefits realised not just for Newcastle residents and businesses but also the visitors we welcome to the city.”
He added: “But to get this right means we have to think about the whole picture at once - pedestrians, cyclists, bus passengers, taxis and private vehicles - rather than in the isolated and piecemeal approach that had happened previously. Changes to any one street, including Blackett Street, have knock-on effects across the transport network that we have to plan for properly.
“We have begun this work. With nearly 10,000 government jobs arriving at Pilgrim Street, the case for a coherent plan has never been stronger and we’re determined to deliver one that gives every road user confidence rather than a patchwork of fixes.
“In the meantime, enforcement is one of our immediate priorities. We are currently exploring options to ensure the existing restrictions in place are properly enforced. This will protect vulnerable road users, pedestrians and improve the efficiency of buses passing through this area of the city.
“We’ll also be setting out the broader vision for transport in Newcastle and how we can achieve this across the coming months.”
