Under new plans announced by Newcastle City Council on the 19th February, Strawberry Lane is to be officially closed off to all vehicles and accessible to bikes and pedestrians only.
The road has already been closed to cars since January due to roadworks with ‘minimal disruption to traffic flow’ according to Council officials. The Council have argued that the move will improve safety and allow new developments in the area such as Stack to thrive without heavy traffic surrounding it, also benefitting the city's air quality.
While the plans received just two official complaints prior to approval, the decision was met with significant backlash on social media, with one person airing their concerns: ‘Stupid decision…how on earth are ambulances supposed to get to the RVI from quayside?’
Another complained that it was prioritising cyclists over cars: ‘2 hrs in traffic around RVI yesterday, guess how many cyclists I've seen. Absolutely none.’
Conversely, some pointed out that despite the anger in the comments, the move is ultimately unlikely to change much, as Strawberry Lane had already been pedestrianised for a while prior to the announcement.
Strawberry Lane will now be a pedestrian route that will aid walking and cycling access to the stadium from Big Market on matchdays, and otherwise help people navigate from Stack to other parts of the city in general.
It is hoped the decision will help the Council's target to be carbon neutral by 2030 and boost efforts to regenerate the area following the takeover of Newcastle United by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund in 2021. The potential success of the project may encourage further pedestrianisation by Newcastle City Council in future, as seen in cities like Oxford. Whether this is a possibility for Newcastle remains to be seen.