Gateshead Council U-turn after admitting Low Fell bus lane was installed unlawfully
by Daniel Holland · ChronicleLiveA council has U-turned on a North East bus lane after admitting that it installed it unlawfully.
Gateshead Council has dropped proposals for a new section of bus lane on the southbound side of Durham Road, in Low Fell. In March this year, the local authority replaced safety hatch markings on a 60m stretch of the main road with a bus-only lane.
But it was forced to abandon the scheme, installed in front of houses near Calderwood Crescent, within weeks after it emerged that it had not consulted properly with neighbours who complained that the bus lane had appeared without warning. Locals have since had to put up with a series of cones placed outside their houses while the council has re-consulted on the changes, but transport bosses have now issued an apology and decided to drop the proposal entirely.
Patricia Hall, representing residents at a full meeting of Gateshead Council on Thursday, urged the authority to admit to its mistake and restore the road to its previous state as soon as possible. She pointed out that the council’s stated aim to create “more direct and quicker access into Gateshead town centre” was “erroneous”, as the southbound road heads in the opposite direction towards Birtley.
Ms Hall added that it had become “extremely difficult” for people to access their homes and said that the area did not suffer from congestion problems.
Labour councillor John McElroy, who leads on transport issues in the council cabinet, apologised for the errors and confirmed the council has now decided not to proceed with the proposed section of the bus lane at all. The authority has vowed to return the road to its former layout, with the hatched markings outside the houses reinstated.
Colin Swinney, service director for highways and waste at Gateshead Council, said: “We want to acknowledge that an error was made when we first announced our plans for this scheme - that the new section of bus lane we proposed, was omitted from the original legal consultation. When this error was brought to officers’ attention, the work was stopped pending a full consultation on the omitted section.
“As always when we carry out consultation, we listen to the views of residents and stakeholders and decide on balance whether to proceed with a scheme or not. The legal process we follow involves advertising the proposals on site, in the press, on the council’s website and via a letter drop to nearby properties asking if there are any objections.
“All objections received are considered and responded to through this process. A senior council officer gives a response to all the points raised, particularly if we do not accept the arguments made by consultees. We apologise that the detailed work needed on this matter has taken rather longer to resolve than we would normally expect. We had a duty to investigate the points raised by objectors. We also procured an external consultant to produce an independent audit.
“The external consultant was satisfied with the proposals from a safety perspective. We remain committed to a wider programme of bus priority, and will consider every individual scheme on its merits.”
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