More than 100 residents of Osborne Avenue have signed a petition calling on Newcastle City Council to tackle traffic congestion on the residential street, with Jesmond’s newly elected councillors promising to investigate the issue.

The petition was launched by Osborne Avenue Action Group (OAAG), a group of local residents who say increasing traffic has led to higher pollution, a shortage of parking and safety concerns caused by speeding and “aggressive driving“.

The group is calling for Newcastle City Council to implement “fair” parking controls to prioritise residents and physical measures to reduce total traffic volume. Another demand is for traffic calming measures to be put in place to enforce the street’s 20mph speed limit. To make sure the changes are tailored to improve the lives of people who live in the street, the action group is also requesting a meeting between council highway planners and Osborne Avenue residents.

Osborne Avenue (Photo: Newcastle City Council)

Fleur Nelson, a resident of Osborne Avenue since 1988, told JesmondLocal the street is “thoroughly dangerous and unpleasant for residents” due to the street being “gridlocked” or used as “a racing track” by commuters. She also stressed that residents have been campaigning about the pollution issues “for years”.  Another long-time Osborne Avenue resident, Ian Nelson, expressed similar concerns claiming that more than 4,000 cars use the residential street every day and it has created a “unhealthy” and “unacceptable” environment that is the council’s responsibility to fix. Both said they feel Newcastle City Council has repeatedly ignored residents’ concerns about traffic issues on Osborne Avenue.

To press its case, OAAG contacted all candidates for the Jesmond ward prior to the recent local elections. Tony Waterston, a local activist affiliated with the group, told JesmondLocal that much of the residents’ anger stems from the lack of council action on the issue.

Prior to being elected in the Jesmond ward, Lib Dem candidates James Coles, Philip Browne and Peter Allen replied to the OAAG with a joint letter stating that, if elected, they would “conduct a traffic review” and engage with local council officers to reduce traffic. A possible solution proposed in the letter was enforcing the speed limit on Osborne Avenue through pedestrian crossings. Coles met with OAAG to discuss collecting more data on the street’s traffic congestion.

However, those involved with OAAG say they remain sceptical that changes will be implemented. Tony Waterston told JesmondLocal the meeting with Coles prior to the election was “reasonably hopeful” but he was cautious about if and when changes would happen.

Traffic congestion has been an issue in Jesmond for many years. In 2023 parts of Jesmond were turned into a low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) with the installation of bollards to stop traffic on residential streets between Osborne Road and Cradlewell. This scheme had the aim of creating “safer” and “greener” streets by preventing drivers from cutting through local streets.  However, the scheme was scrapped by the council before its 10-month trial period ended.

A Newcastle City Council spokesperson told JesmondLocal the decision to remove the scheme followed a review of the data collected and public consultation. Almost 5,000 people signed a petition for the removal of the LTN. The spokesperson said a 2024 audit conducted by the council to explore issues of congestion on Osborne Avenue concluded that as “80% of traffic using Osborne Avenue was from local streets … any changes at this location would displace traffic onto neighbouring streets”.

The spokesperson told JesmondLocal the council “will continue to engage with local residents and ward members to explore preferred options for mitigating the effects of high traffic volumes”.

OAAG says it remains “open to evidence-based solutions” and wants to collaborate with the council to find a solution that works for all residents.