Bus Users UK has called for a full consultation on local authorities’ plans to pedestrianise Newcastle’s Blackett Street.
The £3m proposals – made as part of an effort to revamp the shopping area –involve temporarily banning buses and taxis from the high street as an experimental measure in a bid to improve road safety and air quality.
Bus Users UK recently conducted a poll of local passengers, finding that 58% were against the plans – each believing their journeys into the city would be made more difficult.
Particular concern was raised by residents with medical conditions and mobility issues, many of whom doubted that they would be able to travel into the city centre at all, should these plans go ahead.
Worryingly, the majority of respondents – 76% – were completely unaware of the proposals. The remaining 34% had only been made aware through discussions with Bus Users staff and fellow passengers.
Only 11% of those who took part in the survey supported the idea, and the majority of those were either willing to walk the extra distance or believed the proposals would have no effect on their journey.
Dawn Badminton-Capps, Director of Bus Users England, commented: “Closing Blackett Street will have a major impact on people’s lives and livelihoods, reducing access to shops and businesses and forcing traffic onto already heavily congested surrounding roads. Newcastle City Council needs to launch a full consultation so it can properly assess the potential impact of these proposals before any further action is taken.”
