Gosforth High Street injury claims questioned by Newcastle City Council leader

Newcastle’s council leader has questioned claims that a redesign of Gosforth High Street has sparked a rise in injuries.

Walking and cycling campaign group SPACE for Gosforth complained in April that the scrapping of the contentious bollards that lined the high street from 2020 and the installation of a new bus lane had made the busy route more dangerous. Citing data from the North East Road User Casualties Dashboard, they said that nine people were injured on the central section of the high street from April 2023 to February 2024 – compared to a yearly average of just 3.4 from 2014 to 2023.

But city Labour leader Nick Kemp cast doubt over those numbers on Wednesday night. He told a full council meeting that the spate of accidents included a person getting their fingers caught in a taxi door and passengers falling over while on the bus.

• Read More: New plea for another Gosforth High Street rethink after 'dramatic' jump in injuries

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Asked by Gosforth Lib Dem councillor Tom Woodwark whether the apparent upward trend in injuries caused by traffic collisions could result in another rethink of Gosforth High Street to utilise it as a district centre “rather than a thoroughfare”, Coun Kemp replied: “I’m not sure whether there is an upward trend in accidents, if incidents such as an individual catching their fingers in a taxi door counts as an accident in this instance… I think it would be worth looking in more detail at the accidents, the causation of the accidents, and whether there is a relation [between them].

“The principle of district hearts, I am entirely wedded to. But that is not the same as saying a point around bus lanes. I am committed, and have been for a long, long time, to the rebirth and regeneration of district hearts across the whole of our city.”

The future of Gosforth High Street has been a hot topic over recent years. While the bollards were installed to create extra social distancing space for people walking and cycling during the pandemic, they were criticised as being ugly and confusing.

They were ultimately removed in 2023 and replaced by a new bus lane installed on a trial basis, though Space for Gosforth has campaigned for the route to be returned to just a single lane of traffic in each direction.

Among the list of reported incidents on the high street since the bollards were axed, Coun Kemp also cited a pedestrian being hit by a car at the crossing adjacent to North Cross Street, two accidents involving cyclists turning into and out of side streets, and two bus-related accidents involving vehicles changing lanes at West Avenue. He said: “Officers are continuing to monitor data, including accident data, before deciding whether to make the [bus lane] scheme permanent. Any decision will be informed by the data and feedback from the consultation process, which is now closed.”

In response to Lib Dem opposition leader Colin Ferguson saying the high street should be treated as a “destination and not a thoroughfare”, Coun Kemp added: “For many people the district heart is a district heart and it is a destination for many people who visit to access the facilities and services that exist there, rather than a thoroughfare. Some of it is about perception. I would like to see Gosforth High Street continue to thrive and grow and develop and provide increased services for people, both locally and further afield.”