Gosforth High Street to be improved

Bus lane provision will be extended to improve bus reliability and journey times on this key public transport route. This would see the northbound bus lane extended to provide an almost continuous bus provision running from Blue House Roundabout in the south to the Church Road/Salters Road junction in the north.

At the same time, the council will remove the bollards that were installed in 2020.

The plans are part of a phased approach to the High Street which would see bus priority measures installed later this month using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), with a second phase looking at the longer-term options for the high street.

Letters have been sent to businesses and residents living in the area to invite them to a public drop in event where the plans will be displayed, and officers will be available to discuss them in detail and gather feedback for the future of the high street.

Cllr Jane Byrne, cabinet member for a clean, connected city, said: “We’ve set out plans for a phased approach to Gosforth High Street, with the immediate focus on improving public transport on one of the busiest routes for public transport in the city,

“By improving public transport, we can improve connectivity to the high street and city, which will encourage people out of their cars and help clean up our air. We will also be looking at improving connectivity to the high street as part of the next phase of works, with better walking, wheeling and cycling provision.

“We want a high street that works for everyone, which is why we are holding a public event in the area. This is an opportunity for residents and local businesses to give us their feedback on the plans, but also to hear their views on what works and what needs improving, as well as discuss proposals to make it easier and safer for people to get around on foot and on bike.”

Using an ETRO, the council will make the bus priority changes in March 2023. Public consultation would take place for the first six months of the scheme being implemented. This would allow the council to trial the scheme and gauge public feedback, ahead of making a long-term decision on elements of detailed design.

Journey time data, which has been collected over four years, show that there has been minimal impact on the travelling public with the traffic reduced to two lanes through the High Street. Southbound journey times have improved on the am peak, with no change on the pm peak. Northbound journey times haven’t been affected on the am peak, with a small increase on average times during the pm peak.

The proposals put forward support the council’s commitment to improve public transport across the city and working with bus operators, the council are also looking at improving bus stop locations and bus infrastructure to improve accessibility and bus journey times.

In addition to the ETRO proposals, the public event will also be used to seek feedback on the wider issues in Gosforth and present some proposals for discussion in relation to development of wider improvements for all road users, but specifically people on foot and bike. These will form part of the next phase of works.

The drop-in event will be held at Trinity Centre, Gosforth High Street on 9 March, between 5pm and 8pm.