Latest news with #JunaSathian
BBC News
31-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Final whistle' road closure outside St James' Park
A busy road outside a city stadium will close for up to 45 minutes after home games in a trial starting next month. Barrack Road in Newcastle will be shut between Stanhope Street and St James' Boulevard in time for fans leaving the stands at the final first short-term closures will be on 8 August, after the friendly match against Espanyol and on 9 August after the Sela Cup game against Atletico City Council, Northumbria Police and Newcastle United said the measure was needed for public safety as large crowds of fans often spilled across both sides of the road after games. The closures will continue for all home games throughout the season and for some other events taking place at St James' Park if required, the local authority member for climate and transport, Juna Sathian, said the road would reopen as soon as crowds had cleared the area."With traffic diverted away from Barrack Road, vehicles will be able to continue their journeys without experiencing delays due to the crowds and fans," Sathian said."They will also have space to make their way from the stadium quickly and safely on foot." Newcastle United's chief operating officer, Brad Miller, said the enhanced measures were designed to provide a "positive experience for everyone attending matches". Football lead for Northumbria Police, Ch Supt Mark Hall, said: "We hope the new trial road closures planned for the city will ensure everyone can leave the stadium swiftly and safely, with minimal disruption for other traffic."Signed diversions via Westgate Road, Brighton Grove and Stanhope Street will be in place during the closures.A number of Stagecoach bus services will also be X50 soccer bus which runs to the MetroCentre park and ride will pick up passengers from the top of St. James' Boulevard, outside the Citygate measures are being introduced on a trial basis and will be reviewed. Follow BBC Newcastle on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Newcastle air pollution sees 'significant' drop in last year
There was a "significant" drop in air pollution in Newcastle last year, according to a new from the city council showed a 9% fall in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels from 2023 to authority bosses hailed the results as proof that its Clean Air Zone (CAZ) tolls, introduced in January 2023, were having a "positive impact".Under the CAZ, which was imposed in response to illegal levels of air pollution in certain hotspots, some high-polluting vehicles are charged daily tolls of up to £50 for driving through Newcastle city centre. Despite the improvement, civic centre officials said the CAZ would remain in force as there were still two areas where emissions exceed legal worst spot in the city for air pollution remains close to the Corner House junction on the Coast Road, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.A pollution sensor located at the junction of Stephenson Road and Jesmond Park West recorded an average NO2 level of 64.5 micrograms per cubic metre of air (μg/m3) in 2024, well above the legal maximum of there was a slight improvement there compared to the 67.1 μg/m3 recorded in the previous 12 months, and the situation was notably better than in both 2022 and 2021, when average readings were over 92 μg/ bosses have repeatedly argued the NO2 levels that people are exposed to in the residential parts of Stephenson Road, rather than at the roadside, are actually Sathian, the Labour-led city council's cabinet member for climate and transport, said she was delighted with the reduction in pollution levels."As more people upgrade from older, more polluting vehicles to cleaner models with reduced emissions we hope to see even more improvements in the future," she said."These latest figures show that we are making important positive steps forward in achieving this but there are still further improvements needed." Follow BBC Newcastle on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
