The Newcastle Roads Raising Pedestrian Safety Concerns

Newcastle's busiest roads carry thousands of vehicles while also cutting through neighbourhoods packed with shops, homes, schools, pubs and public transport stops. Wherever those two types of traffic meet, pedestrian safety becomes a concern.

There is no recently published official league table naming Newcastle's single worst road for pedestrian accidents. However, collision reports and council safety work highlight several locations deserving attention, including Great North Road, Westgate Road and parts of Gosforth.

The national picture also shows why pedestrian safety remains important. Department for Transport figures recorded 19,176 pedestrian casualties across Great Britain in 2024, accounting for around 15% of all road casualties. There were 409 pedestrian fatalities, up 1% compared with 2023.

Great North Road and the Blue House area.

The Great North Road corridor through Jesmond and Gosforth is one location with a history of serious pedestrian incidents.

In March 2024, 40-year-old Gosforth man Andrew Murphy died after being struck by a vehicle on the B1318 Great North Road in Jesmond. Police subsequently appealed for anyone travelling between Blue House Roundabout and Newcastle city centre to provide information or footage.

Newcastle City Council is now proposing further changes along Great North Road. These include replacing a pedestrian refuge near High Gosforth Park and Newcastle Racecourse with a signal-controlled Puffin crossing, designed to detect pedestrians and provide a safer crossing point.

That does not make Great North Road statistically Newcastle's most dangerous pedestrian route, but its combination of heavy traffic and pedestrian movement means it remains an important road safety corridor.

Westgate Road has seen fatal pedestrian collisions.

Westgate Road is another major Newcastle route where pedestrians and vehicles regularly interact.

In March 2024, a 77-year-old pedestrian died following a collision involving a vehicle on Westgate Road at around 7.20pm. The man was taken to hospital but was later pronounced dead.

The road also passes through densely populated parts of Newcastle before reaching the city centre, with shops, bus stops, junctions and crossing points creating frequent pedestrian movements.

Newcastle City Council completed traffic signal upgrade work at the Westgate Road and Clayton Street West junction in 2024 as part of a wider city centre improvement programme.

Again, one fatal collision cannot establish that Westgate Road is a statistical hotspot. It does, however, reinforce the importance of pedestrian safety along one of Newcastle's busiest urban corridors.

Gosforth High Street remains under scrutiny.

Gosforth High Street has attracted particular debate over road safety.

At a Newcastle City Council meeting in June 2024, the then council leader said there had been eight collisions since the introduction of a new bus lane, including an incident where a pedestrian was hit by a car near the North Cross Street crossing. The figures were subsequently reported by local campaign group SPACE for Gosforth.

The council has since developed further proposals for Great North Road through Gosforth, including extending a 20mph limit and installing a new signal-controlled pedestrian crossing between Graham Park Road and The Poplars.

Those changes are specifically intended to improve safety as well as public transport reliability.

The Coast Road has also seen tragedy.

The A1058 Coast Road provides another reminder that pedestrian collisions are not restricted to shopping streets and busy city centre junctions.

In October 2024, a 50-year-old pedestrian died following a collision involving a truck on the Coast Road between the Corner House and Cradlewell. Emergency services were called at around 1.20am, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

National figures suggest location is only one part of the pedestrian safety picture. Looking across 2020 to 2024, an average of seven pedestrians were killed and 104 seriously injured every week in reported road collisions across Great Britain. Interestingly, 61% of pedestrian fatalities occurred away from a junction or more than 20 metres from one.

What can Newcastle pedestrians and drivers do.

Drivers can reduce risk by keeping within speed limits, remaining alert around crossings and anticipating pedestrians near bus stops, shops and nightlife areas. Extra care is particularly important after dark and where visibility is restricted.

Pedestrians can also reduce risk by using controlled crossings where available and making sure approaching vehicles have stopped before entering the road. Newcastle's changing road network means historic accident locations will not necessarily remain the city's highest-risk areas forever, particularly where safety improvements are introduced.

What the available evidence does show is that pedestrian safety is not confined to one Newcastle postcode. From Great North Road and Gosforth High Street to Westgate Road and the Coast Road, serious incidents have occurred on very different types of road.

Share your experiences.

Which Newcastle roads or junctions do you find most difficult to cross on foot?