Newcastle City Council has pledged to review the 70mph stretch of the Central Motorway or A167, between the city centre and the Cowgate junction, following a plea from campaigners concerned about a recent spike in road fatalities.
00:00Newcastle City Council has pledged to review the 70 miles per hour stretch of the Central Motorway or A167 between the City Centre and the Cowgate Junction,
00:10following a plea from campaigners concerned about a recent spike in road fatalities.
00:15Ten people have lost their lives on Newcastle's road so far in 2024, prompting renewed calls for action.
00:22Campaigner Dr Alistair Ford, representing both the Green Party and the North East Public Transport Users Group,
00:28addressed councillors during a full council meeting.
00:31He urged the local authority to introduce new 20 miles per hour zones in built-up areas near schools, shops and other key amenities.
00:39Among the locations highlighted were Fenham Hall Drive in Fenham, Chillingham Road in Heaton and Shields Road in Biker.
00:46Dr Ford also called for the complete removal of 70 miles per hour speed limits within Newcastle boundaries,
00:53specifically citing the Central Motorway as a prime example of Port Road design.
00:58Thousands of vehicles a day accelerate from 50 miles per hour to 70 miles per hour for a distance of a mile and then reduce to 30 miles per hour again, he said.
01:08This massively increases noise and air pollution, impacting the people living alongside the road, just to save drivers a few seconds.
01:16He pointed to the example of Wales where a controversial switch to a default 20 miles per hour speed limit in 2023
01:23led to a reported 28% drop in road casualties.
01:27Responding to the concerns, Labour councillor Juna Sathian, the city's Cabinet Member for Transport, said
01:32the council could not commit to a blanket reduction of all 30 roads to 20 miles per hour.
01:38However, she confirmed that current speed limits in key locations would be reviewed.
