Hundreds oppose Gateshead traffic restrictions plan

Hundreds of people have opposed major traffic restrictions being introduced in Gateshead in a bid to improve walking and cycling space.

Work on changes around the town centre and the entry to the Tyne Bridge is set to get under way on Friday, with the new routes in place by mid-September.

Gateshead Council says current layouts "act as a barrier to people wanting to cycle and walk".

Opponents fear it will cause congestion elsewhere.

Motorists will no longer be able to use the northbound section of the Gateshead flyover, with only buses, cyclists and pedestrians being allowed on a section of Askew Road where it joins the Tyne Bridge.

The Bridges Quarter will not be open to motor vehicles apart from for access or deliveries, while new cycle routes will be created in the Oakwellgate area.

An online petition set up by Gateshead resident Robin Lawson has had more than 800 signatures since the plan was announced earlier this week.

He believes traffic on Askew Road will be forced to go through the town centre or over the Redheugh Bridge and through Newcastle city centre, while the closure of the flyover northbound will force all traffic on to the lower level and cause queues at both roundabouts.

"These are major roads into Newcastle and Gateshead. This seems like a rushed-through system," he said.

Low Fell Liberal Democrat councillor Daniel Duggan warned there could be "utter chaos around the Tyne Bridge with tailbacks causing gridlock" unless park and ride schemes are introduced across the borough, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Anneliese Hutchinson, the Labour-run council's service director for development, transport and public protection, said the authority wanted to satisfy the "massive" demand for cycling demonstrated in recent months amid the coronavirus lockdown as well as cut air pollution.

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