Tyne Bridge lane closure for drivers put on hold

Plans to cut the amount of traffic on the Tyne Bridge have been put on hold.

Newcastle City Council announced last year drivers would be restricted to one lane in each direction from 2021, in a bid to reduce pollution from traffic.

One of the four lanes would be a bus lane and another shut for long-overdue repairs on the 92-year-old structure.

But with the postponement of plans to impose Clean Air Zone (CAZ) tolls on some high-polluting vehicles, the redesign has also been suspended.

The move, due to come into effect in January, would have seen charges of up to £50 per day for older, high-polluting lorries, vans, buses, taxis, and coaches to drive into Newcastle city centre.

No new target date has been set for when the Tyne Bridge lane changes might now happen, with Newcastle and Gateshead councils simply confirming they will not be made in January, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A spokesman for Newcastle City Council said that the changes were part of the larger air quality measures and discussions with the government over funding to implement the Clean Air Zone "remained ongoing".

He added: "We are also awaiting a decision regarding a bid for funding for a major maintenance programme for the Tyne Bridge and Central Motorway and ideally we would be keen to ensure that this would go ahead at the same time as the traffic management measures."