Behind the roadworks chaos

Interesting facts : The three major roundabouts of Gosforth are in the top 10 most dangerous in Newcastle. There are 14 unco-ordinated sets of traffic lights between the racecourse and Central Motorway. Less than 1% of journeys are made by cycle but their riders suffer 10% of accident injuries. Some traffic lights are so old that spare parts are no longer available.

The road schemes being implemented piecemeal across the city over 5 years are part of a master plan to improve these issues for everybody.. The £60 million of investment is substantially the result of Liberal Democrat initiatives when in Government, and there are benefits for all travellers from money aimed at improving cyclist safety and to encourage cycle use. Eventually "intelligent systems" will be able to adapt traffic flows to minimise congestion and pollution, including telling you where there are car park spaces available in time for motorists to re-route.

Nevertheless, Liberal Democrats will continue to press for the least disruption to local people during the transitition, and will continue to urge patience on those who see the short term disruption but don't appreciate the planned long term benefits.