SPACE for Gosforth Wed, 17 Apr 2024 07:01:26 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.4 https://z6a6c8.n3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/cropped-s4gfavicon-1-32x32.jpg SPACE for Gosforth 32 32 NE Mayor Elections 2 May 2024 https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/ne-mayor-elections-2-may-2024/ https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/ne-mayor-elections-2-may-2024/#respond Wed, 17 Apr 2024 07:01:26 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7673 In May 2024 voters in NE England will choose a new NE Mayor as part of the region’s North East devolution deal, with new powers over transport, housing and skills. In this blog we look at the candidates' manifestos to see what they are promising.

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NE Mayoral Candidates at the Transport Hustings 5 March 2024. From left to right Guy Renner-Thompson (Conservative), Jamie Driscoll (Independent), Andrew Gray (Green Party), Paul Donaghy (Reform UK), Aidan King (Liberal Democrat) and Kim McGuinness (Labour Party).

In May 2024 voters in NE England will choose a new NE Mayor as part of the region’s North East devolution deal, with new powers over transport, housing and skills. In our previous blog we look at what the deal means for transport in the NE and at what other Mayors have committed to elsewhere in the UK. In this blog we look at the candidates’ manifestos to see what they are promising.

Six candidates are standing in the election. They are Jamie Driscoll, the current North of Tyne Mayor who is standing as an independent having been excluded from the Labour Party shortlist, Kim McGuinness (Labour Party), Guy Renner-Thompson (Conservative), Aidan King (Liberal Democrat), Paul Donaghy (Reform UK) and Andrew Gray (Green Party).

Thank you to all candidates for setting out their policies in detailed manifestos and for attending many hustings and public meetings to set out their case.

Walking and Cycling

The NE devolution deal commits the authority to prioritise investment in cycling and walking networks, making “sustainable travel the first choice for short trips, or as part of a longer journey”. The new Mayor will have significant powers available to achieve this being responsible both for “all local roads maintenance funding” in the region and for maintenance of a Key Route Network of local authority roads.

Kim McGuinness (Labour Party) and Jamie Driscoll (Independent) both explicitly commit to new walking and cycling routes, though neither have committed to any targets for how big that network should be.

Our small twitter poll showed a strong preference for 1,800 mile walking and cycling network like Manchester, with several people suggesting it should be even larger as the NE covers a much bigger area.

Jamie Driscoll (Independent) says he will “support local authorities to roll out more and better walking and cycling routes that stay off the roads and avoid dangerous crossings” and will “establish a bike hire network at key public transport interchanges and secure cycle locker parking across the network.” He will “support more initiatives to help kids walk or cycle safely to school, like the great success we’ve seen at Hotspur Primary in Heaton”.

It isn’t entirely clear how useful this commitment will be, as most local destinations like schools, shops and workplaces are all on roads, so wouldn’t be accessible from routes that ‘stay off the roads’.

Kim McGuinness (Labour Party) is the only candidate to commit to appoint an Active Travel Champion, which we presume is the “Active Travel Commissioner” referred to in the devolution deal. She promises to “work to expand our cycle network and introduce an electric bike hire scheme …, making sure bike and walking routes are joined up and active travel hubs are introduced” and will “start by working with local authorities to make sure it’s safe for families to walk or cycle to school”. 

Andrew Gray (Green Party) says he will “support for the redesign of town and city centre streets, to give priority to pedestrians and cyclists”, will “improve commitments on pedestrian infrastructure” and will establish local freight depots to enable the use of delivery by cargo bike and smaller electric vehicles.

Paul Donaghy (Reform UK) makes a limited commitment to “work with local authorities and educational trusts to develop walking & cycling to school schemes” and “will introduce parking permit schemes in residential areas close to schools which will encourage parents to leave the car at home.” He doesn’t clarify what the “schemes” will be so these could be improvements to make roads safer, or may just be more badges for children who walk to school but do nothing to make roads safer.

Neither Aidan King (Liberal Democrat) nor Guy Renner-Thompson (Conservative) mention walking or cycling in their manifesto. Guy Renner-Thompson (Conservative) does says he will discourage “any developments that hinder car access to our cities”, which could limit pedestrianisation schemes or parking controls.

Aidan King (Liberal Democrat) did comment on the now removed Jesmond LTN in his Council election leaflet (he is also standing for Councillor in South Jesmond ward) saying he is “pleased the [Labour] Council has finally seen sense and removed the bollards.” A majority (55%) of South Jesmond residents that responded to the consultation supported retaining the bollards.

Public Transport

The new Mayor will have access to bus franchising powers. This will allow the Mayor to decide which bus services should be provided and agree with bus operators to provide those services.

All candidates (other than Aidan King (Liberal Democrat) who doesn’t mention transport in his manifesto other than the Leamside line) commit to improvements in the public transport network, to introduce integrated fares and more buses in areas that are currently not well served by public transport. 

Jamie Driscoll (Independent) and Kim McGuinness (Labour Party) also both commit to bus franchising and aim to make transport free for under 18s. Paul Donaghy (Reform UK) proposes “free transport for school age children during term time”.

Andrew Gray (Green Party) commits to “using new powers to regulate the buses” but doesn’t mention fares.

Aidan King (Liberal Democrat) does mention public transport in his entry in the official election booklet, saying he will deliver “simple, cheap ticketing and a service residents can rely on to get from A to B”.

Guy Renner-Thompson (Conservative) says he will work with bus companies but doesn’t propose to take advantage of bus franchising powers. Paul Donaghy (Reform UK) proposes a hybrid “partial public ownership” model.

None of the candidates mention what compromises they will make in order to achieve a wider coverage of bus routes and lower fares. This would have to be via additional funding or by removing services from existing routes.

NE Transport Map from the NE Transport Plan

Net Zero Transport

The devolution deal sets the expectation that “the Local Transport Plan will implement quantifiable carbon reductions”.

Candidates’ manifestos offer lots of promises to improve alternatives to driving but none propose any policies to constrain total miles driven, which will need to reduce by 20% in addition to a rapid transition to electric vehicles to achieve UK carbon budgets.

Paul Donaghy (Reform UK) is the most explicit in rejecting net zero, claiming the “Net Zero Agenda” is destructive and is “making us poorer”.  Clearly this is nonsense. Walking or cycling are both the cheapest and most environmentally-friendly forms of transport.

Guy Renner-Thompson (Conservative) says he will discourage “any developments that hinder car access” and will prioritise key road dualling and junction upgrades. All of which will lead to increased emissions.

Kim McGuinness (Labour Party) wants to implement “largest electric vehicle charging network in the country” but also says she will “back the much-needed Bowburn Bypass and continue the fight to finally secure the backing we need to dual the A1 to Scotland”. According to estimates by National Highways, dualling Morpeth to Ellingham alone will release an additional 1.4m tonnes CO2e into the atmosphere.

Jamie Driscoll (Independent) also boasts he “worked with Government to divert cancelled HS2 money to dual the A1”, saying that when upgraded “it can be the spine of a fast, reliable Northumberland bus service.” Extra buses won’t offset the additional 1.4m tonnes CO2e though, and arguably there are much better uses for the ~£400m that A1 dualling will cost.

Jamie Driscoll (Independent)’s claim that he will “build a low-carbon transport system that is so good that thousands of people will voluntarily give up owning cars” is a good ambition but without other policies to reduce car use is unlikely to lead to a reduction in total miles driven – which is what is important for reducing emissions.

Andrew Gray (Green Party) is the only candidate with a policy on roads that doesn’t propose expanding the road network, instead focusing on a “wider network of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points” and “Vehicle scrappage schemes”. At the Transport Hustings held in Newcastle at the start of March he said “We do need to use sticks as well as carrots. We need to really start to move away from road traffic and reduce transport overall so people don’t have to travel as much as they do overall.”

Newcastle’s Clean Air Zone

The Clean Air Zone in Newcastle, implemented at the start of 2023, was required by the Conservative Government to ensure air quality in the city should meet legal limits. This isn’t something the new Mayor will have any powers over but candidates shared their views at the Transport Hustings, which gives a bit of insight into their thinking.

  • Guy Renner Thompson (Conservative) who has previously said he wanted to scrap the Clean Air Zone said “the Government said air quality had to be improved but they didn’t say how to do it – that was up to Newcastle City Council.” This isn’t entirely true. Government technical guidance was quite specific about the need for a Clean Air Zone and what vehicles should be charged. The Government did say Councils could propose alternative approaches but they had to achieve legal limits in the same or quicker timescales, so almost certainly would have required some form of financial disincentive.
  • Paul Donaghy (Reform UK) claimed the CAZ was a “stealth tax on the working class and on businesses.” and that “pollution doesn’t stop because you pay the council a few quid.” As well as being wrong to suggest CAZ don’t work (there is plenty of evidence they do), arguably, asthma and other poor health due to air pollution are much more of a stealth tax. It is well documented that poorer people emit the least but suffer most from air pollution.
  • Kim McGuinness (Labour) didn’t say if she supported the CAZ but she did say: “Someone in a £70,000 Range Rover won’t have to pay, but a person who can’t afford a new car will. It’s a regressive tax.” Actually neither would have to pay as the zone doesn’t charge for private vehicles, and even if cars were charged most second-hand petrol cars are compliant.
  • Jamie Driscoll (Independent) said the clean air zone was a “very bad way of achieving a very good thing. The solution is better public transport, more active travel, and a far better charging network.” These would all help, but wouldn’t have achieved legal limits in the required timescales.
  • One of two candidates to fully support the CAZ was Aidan King (Liberal Democrats), a doctor working at the RVI. He said “My patients dying early because of dirty air that Guy is going to let be exposed to is something I’m not keen on at all. In dense urban areas clean air zones are absolutely essential public health measures to improve the lives of our people.”
  • Andrew Gray (Green Party) also supported the CAZ. He said: “One person’s choice is somebody else’s asthma or injury. If we don’t get this right, we’re limiting other people’s choices.”

Road Safety

Despite the Mayor being responsible for the future Key Road Network, which will take a large proportion of the region’s traffic, only Andrew Gray (Green Party) mentions “Roads maintenance to improve safety for all road users.”

The lack of focus on road safety is extremely disappointing. As we said in our recent Traffic Crash Injury 2023 blog, there were 50 fatalities, 628 serious injuries and 2,233 slight injuries in the NE in 2023.

In the first two months of 2024 there have already been 3 people killed, 76 seriously injured and a further 290 people with slight injuries. When the March data is published it will include the death of Andrew Murphy from Gosforth who was killed in a traffic collision at the end of March. Yet most candidates have no policies to address road danger.

Based on Department of Transport estimates, in addition to the personal costs to people who were killed or injured and their friends and families, deaths and injuries from road traffic collisions will have cost the NE region £315 million in 2023.

Full Manifestos

If you are interested and want to see what the candidates have written in their own words, both for transport and in other areas, please have a read through the full manifestos. If you spot any important points we have missed please let us know.

Other Sources of Information

Related ChronicleLive Articles

  • ‘The buses need to make sense’ – Rural transport issues discussed at North East mayoral debate ChronicleLive
  • ‘Integrated’ transport system at the heart of pledges at mayoral hustings event ChronicleLive
  • North East mayoral candidates clash over clean air zones and car use ChronicleLive
  • Tory mayoral candidate wants to scrap Newcastle Clean Air Zone tolls – but councils insist he can’t ChronicleLive
  • Mayoral candidates have their say on what they would do to combat Tyne Bridge disruption ChronicleLive

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]]> https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/ne-mayor-elections-2-may-2024/feed/ 0 Local Plan 2040 – Our response https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/local-plan-2040-our-response/ Wed, 03 Apr 2024 21:34:26 +0000 https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7804 Newcastle City Council recently consulted on the replacement to the current “Local Plan”. This is SPACE for Gosforth's response. 

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]]> Infographic: 37% households do not own a car. 3,850m of cycle track created since March 2020. 104.2 million public transport journeys in 2021-22. Cars produce 20% of CO2 emissions.

Infographic from Newcastle City Council’s consultation website

Newcastle City Council recently consulted on the replacement to the current “Local Plan”. This is SPACE for Gosforth’s response. You can find out more about the consultation and questions asked in our previous blog Local Plan 2040.

Re: Newcastle Local Plan Early Engagement

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed Newcastle upon Tyne Local Plan.

We are a community group based in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne. SPACE stands for Safe Pedestrian and Cycling Environment. Our group was established in 2015 due to residents’ concerns about road danger and air pollution in our local neighbourhood. You can find our group objectives on our website www.spaceforgosforth.com/about.

While transport is only part of what is needed to achieve the city’s ambitions, it is fundamental to how the city uses its public spaces, and critical to whether the city will achieve its ambitions or not.

We support the Council’s intention that “At the core of the Newcastle Plan there needs to be a strong emphasis on placemaking, health and wellbeing, and sustainable living which will help us reach Net Zero” and agree that “these are critical to Newcastle’s strength as a place, to the city’s ability to adapt to the climate crisis and to improve the lives of residents.”

Walking, wheeling and cycling improve health and wellbeing, improve sustainability and support good quality placemaking.

This was recognised in the Development and Allocations Plan which said, “Improving accessibility for walking and cycling has multiple benefits, including the creation of safer, more attractive places, improved physical and mental health and reduced carbon emissions and climate change impacts from transport.” This new Local Plan should build on this with an even stronger focus on walking and cycling and sustainable travel.

By 2030, the city should already be well on the way to achieving Net Zero, including for transport. The future Local Plan should therefore ensure further development will be consistent with this, minimising additional emissions from development, ensuring new homes are carbon neutral and ensuring new developments prioritise walking and cycling.

Walking and cycling support all the Local Plan’s nine ambitions as follows.

1. Healthier City

  • The benefits of exercise to physical and mental health are well-known. Good quality walking and cycling infrastructure allows people to build exercise into their normal daily activities, saving money and benefiting the environment at the same time.
  • Access to low-cost transport like walking and cycling makes it easier to access local services and facilities.
  • Reducing traffic makes places more sociable by reducing severance; and reduces air and noise pollution that adversely affect health.

2. Greener City

  • Reducing traffic is essential as part of achieving Net Zero. Even with an ambitious transition to EVs, a cut of approximately 20% of total miles driven will be required to meet carbon budgets targeting Net Zero by 2050. A greater reduction will be required in Newcastle because of its 2030 target and because urban areas are better suited for alternatives to car travel than rural areas.
  • Walking and cycling, as well as being carbon neutral, take up less space. That freed-up space can be used for green infrastructure like sustainable urban drainage or street trees.

3. Attractive Neighbourhoods

  • Street layouts should make walking and cycling the natural choice for local journeys in line with Government ambition. That means safe, direct, connected routes between homes and local services.
  • Reducing traffic will address severance issues that prevent people from accessing local shops and services.
  • Research has shown people walking or cycling spend more money locally, protecting local services and making neighbourhoods more attractive.
  • Road layouts at district centres like Gosforth High Street need to fully prioritise walking and cycling to maximise access to shops and services for the local community in the catchment of the centre.

4. Employment Opportunities

  • Good quality walking and cycling infrastructure enables better access to local employment opportunities, especially for those on a low income who cannot afford a car or taxis.
  • Quality and accessibility of the street environment is a potential competitive advantage that will attract more employers to the city. Currently Newcastle is getting left behind as other cities invest in removing traffic from city centres and residential areas.
  • Good quality walking and cycling infrastructure is also helpful for students who typically will not have access to a car, and makes Newcastle an attractive place to live for people who are able to work from home.
  • Premium land currently used for roads or parking could be utilised in more economically beneficial ways.

5. Moving Around

  • The Local Plan must ensure “new development promotes sustainable transport choices, patterns of travel, minimises the need for private car use and plan for new transport infrastructure to meet needs.” It needs to be a comprehensive plan though, not just a set of unconnected islands of development without the ability to travel sustainably between them.
  • The Local Plan aim is to optimise the use of available space in the city to meet the overall aims. Walking and cycling support all the plan objectives, are low-cost, low-carbon, healthy, and use the least space per user compared to most other modes of transport.
  • A network of safe, accessible, all age and ability walking and routes will be fundamental to achieving the Local Plan’s objectives. Ideally this should be in place even before the Local Plan comes into effect.
  • The Local Plan needs to anticipate and prepare for an increase in electric-powered micro-mobility like eScooters and cargo-bike logistics.

6. Leisure, Culture, and Tourism

  • Walking and cycling can be leisure activities as well as transport, with a significant amount of tourist spend relating to these activities.
  • The nationally recognised C2C cycle route passes through Newcastle.
  • Newcastle is ideally placed to attract visitors wanting outdoor activities given its proximity to the coast and open spaces in Northumberland, as well as more local attractions like the Town Moor and Jesmond Dene.
  • Good placemaking, underpinned with high quality walking and cycling links, will also make the city more attractive for visitors.

7. Homes and Communities

  • Low-car neighbourhoods can be denser, making it easier to provide better local services and an improved environment. See for example the ‘Merwedekanaal’ proposal from Utrecht.
  • Good quality safe walking and cycling routes that children can use to travel independently will also make the city more attractive to families and would help reverse the trend for families to move out of Newcastle.
  • Walking and cycling allow residents to benefit from “incidental sociability” improving the social fabric of communities.

8. Attractive and Safe Places

  • Walking and cycling contribute to many of the ten characteristics of a well-designed place referenced in the consultation, including: efficient, healthy and sustainable, safe, social and inclusive, accessible and easy to move around.
  • Road safety is a key factor in whether a place feels safe or not. Engineering measures can cut traffic levels and dangerous driving behaviours.
  • Research has shown that Low Traffic Neighbourhoods also reduce non-traffic related crimes.

9. Protected Natural Environment

  • Transport is a major cause of environmental degradation from air and noise pollution, carbon emissions, roadkill, and microplastics from tyres that are washed via the drains into local rivers.
  • Enabling more people to walk and cycle more often through the creation of a network of safe all age and ability routes would substantially reduce the impact of transport on the local environment.

All this needs to be backed with a plan with SMART objectives, funding identified and an approach to build community support to achieve rapid change. It should not be passive shelf-ware only ever referred to as the starting point in a negotiation with developers.

These objectives should include:

  • Pavements and crossings designed to a high standard to ensure they are accessible.
  • Creation of a high-quality cycling network suitable for all ages and abilities that connects homes to local destinations and meets national standards.
  • Traffic to be routed via the main road network, with local streets used solely for access.
  • Targets for street trees and planting.
  • Limits on sources of pollution and nuisance from traffic to ensure any new development doesn’t just minimise its impact but improves the situation compared to if that development didn’t happen.
  • Targets for what services are available in a local area, ensuring that children will be offered a place at a school within walking distance and that services will be available when people move in.
  • High quality standards for all the above that a development must achieve if it is to be approved. This should include a developer contribution to cover the cost of high-quality walking and cycling routes between the development and local services if not provided on site.

The Core Strategy and Urban Core Plan for Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne adopted in 2015, included many similar ambitions for sustainable travel, yet ten years on Newcastle is still dominated by vehicle traffic. Hundreds of millions of pounds have been invested in transport in the city, but most of this has been focused on the Western bypass with the effect of increasing traffic, counter to all sustainability objectives, and Newcastle Airport (the least sustainable mode of transport) continues to boast of increased passenger numbers.

Meanwhile, plans to enable more walking and cycling proceed at a glacial pace, if at all. Our local High Street in Gosforth still doesn’t achieve basic safety guidelines despite a full Council vote to this effect and Policy DM10 stating development should “Provide safe, convenient, attractive and continuous pedestrian and cycle links to key local facilities and services.” If the Council won’t stick to its own policy, why should it expect developers to do so?

So, while we support the ambitions, we remain sceptical that the new Local Plan will make much difference. As we said in our response to the Development and Allocations Plan “The Local Plan should not be limited to addressing issues though. It needs to show a city willing to compete internationally, to draw best practice from across the world, from Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, Seville, London and New York, and our twin city Groningen, all of which are investing in the public realm, prioritising sustainable and active travel and investing in (and competing with each other on) liveability and accessibility. If Newcastle is to compete in this arena it needs a strong vision backed by robust policy to deliver that vision.”

We would also like to draw your attention to the following City Council Motions and ask that the draft version of the Local Plan be prepared to be consistent with these.

  • Climate Emergency – City Council 3 April 2019
  • Greater Focus on Cycling – City Council 2 October 2019
  • School No Idling Zones – City Council 5 February 2020
  • Use of E-Cargo Bikes – City Council 6 October 2021
  • Investment in Roads and Pavements – City Council 12 January 2022
  • Promoting Active Travel All Year Round – City Council 12 January 2022
  • Gosforth High Street – City Council 2 November 2022
  • Pavement Parking – City Council 1 November 2023

Further evidence, e.g. links to research, can be provided on request.

Yours faithfully,

SPACE for Gosforth.

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]]> Local Plan 2040 https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/local-plan-2040/ Fri, 01 Mar 2024 08:58:02 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7751 Newcastle City Council has launched a consultation on the replacement to the current "Local Plan". You can comment on CommonPlace up to 6 March 2024.

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]]> Illustration of the Quayside showing an aeroplane and flying car over the Tyne Bridge, with a tram and people cycling along the Quayside

Newcastle in 2040?

Newcastle City Council has launched a consultation on the replacement to the current “Local Plan”. You can comment on CommonPlace up to 6 March 2024.

According to the Planning Inspectorate “Local plans are used to decide how much land should be set aside to build new homes, offices, factories, warehouses, shops and other things, usually over the next 10 to 15 years. They also show areas where development should be limited for some reason. The plan includes a map showing these areas and it will include policies that say what types of development are acceptable and what development should be like. The local plan is then used to make decisions on planning applications for individual development proposals.”

You can see Newcastle’s current local plan and timetable for the new plan on the Council’s website.The Council also has a planning policy map showing housing and employment sites, and classification of transport links.

It is often said that the best transport plan is a land use plan. That is because the location of shops, schools and other services compared to where we live dictates how far we need to travel. If the shops and service we use daily are within a fifteen minute walk then there would be less need for people to drive.

This consultation stage is called “Early Engagement” and the Council are asking for opinions on the following questions. In each case you can choose from a list of potential interventions to help the Council prioritise what needs to go in the plan. A further consultation will be held in 2025 on the draft plan once completed,

Consultation Questions

  1. What steps can the Council take to support everyone in Newcastle to have healthier lifestyles and to improve their wellbeing?
  2. How can the Council help address climate change and reduce carbon emissions in Newcastle?
  3. What do you think is needed to improve the city centre and neighbourhood centres, and what would make you visit them more?
  4. Does the city have the right employment sites (areas only used for businesses, factories, and other employers) in Newcastle and what opportunities should be provided for the future?
  5. How can the Council support more people to actively move around Newcastle (by walking and cycling) and improve transport networks, helping to connect everyone better?
  6. Where should the city’s leisure, cultural and tourism facilities be located, and how can the Council improve everyone’s access to the city’s open spaces?
  7. What type of housing do you think Newcastle needs and where should new houses be built?
  8. What is most important and makes Newcastle special for you?
  9. How can the Council improve the natural environment including parks, woodlands, lakes and ponds and what would you like more of?

Please do respond to this consultation

You can comment on CommonPlace up to 6 March 2024.

Enabling more people to walk and cycle more often supports objectives to improve health, cut carbon emissions, and makes it easier for people to access jobs, leisure and the natural environment.

That is particularly important for the 37% of households in Newcastle upon Tyne who do not own a car. If there aren’t good alternatives to using a car and households who don’t currently own a car are forced to buy one then, as well as the personal cost, it will have an enormous impact on parking and traffic volumes. The fewer people who need to drive, the less congested the streets will be for those that do.

Having essential services within a fifteen minute walk or cycle ride is popular with the general public. A YouGov poll from March 2023 shows which services people want most in their local area.

The Council will be looking to create an evidence-base for the plan, so if you are aware of evidence for how walking and cycling can answer any of the consultation questions, please let us know via the comments below so we can include it in our group response.

Meanwhile, here’s one idea for the plan…

You can comment on CommonPlace up to 6 March 2024.

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]]> Traffic Crash Injury 2023 https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/traffic-crash-injury-2023/ Tue, 06 Feb 2024 21:16:02 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7131 This is our fifth annual blog sharing local media stories about people killed or injured in road traffic collisions in Newcastle upon Tyne in 2023. In 2023 there were 5 fatalities, 91 serious injuries and 473 slight injuries on Newcastle’s roads, an average of 11 people injured every week.

The post Traffic Crash Injury 2023 appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

]]>

This is our fifth annual blog sharing local media stories about people killed or injured in road traffic collisions in Newcastle upon Tyne in 2023. In 2023 there were 5 fatalities, 91 serious injuries and 473 slight injuries on Newcastle’s roads, an average of 11 people injured every week.

While County Durham and Northumberland had substantially higher rates of people being killed or seriously injured in road traffic injuries, Newcastle upon Tyne had the worst record of the five urban local authorities that make up the remainder of the NE region.  

Local Authority Killed Serious Injuries Slight Injuries Total
County Durham 22 185 394 601
Northumberland 17 156 427 600
Newcastle upon Tyne 5 91 473 569
Sunderland 4 70 339 413
Gateshead 1 78 285 364
North Tyneside 2 48 250 300
South Tyneside 2 27 139 168
Total NE Mayor region 53 655 2,307 3,015

In the NE region as a whole, made up of the seven local authorities that be part of the new NE Mayoral authority from May 2024, there were 50 fatalities, 628 serious injuries and 2,233 slight injuries. Based on Department of Transport estimates, these injuries will have cost the NE region £315 million in 2023. Collisions where no one is injured and near misses are not recorded.

553 of those killed or injured in the NE region were pedestrians, including:

  • 15 fatalities – 28% of total fatalities
  • 158 serious injuries – 24% of the total
  • 390 slight injuries

306 people were injured in road traffic collisions while cycling, 81 of which were serious. In 2023, no cyclists were killed on NE roads.

In the Northumbria Police region, which does not include County Durham, there were

  • 31 fatalities
  • 470 serious injuries
  • 1,913 slight injuries

In the year April 2022 to March 2023 in Newcastle and Gateshead, North East Ambulance Service attended a total of 412 calls related to road traffic collisions.  These consisted of:

  • 12 Category 1 incidents for people with life-threatening injuries
  • 317 category 2 “emergency calls”
  • 83 category 3 “urgent calls”  

Categories and target response times are explained on the NHS England website.

Stopping death and injuries due to road traffic collisions is the joint responsibility of government, local authorities and emergency services.

  • The government sets road safety law and safety standards and provides funding for road safety projects.
  • Local authorities are responsible for designing safe road layouts that minimise the likelihood of a collision and minimise the impact where collisions do happen.
  • Police are responsible for deterring and preventing dangerous and careless driving.
  • Ambulance and fire services ensure there is an appropriate and timely response when collisions do happen.

From May 2024, it will be the new NE Mayor’s responsibility to ensure the safety of people traveling on the main roads that make up the (yet to be defined) Key Route Network, whether walking, cycling, driving or using public transport.

Newcastle City Council had started to implement proven road safety interventions such as low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) and school streets, including the school street at Grange First School which has now been made permanent. Progress appears to be faltering though with recent schemes at Fenham and Jesmond removed, due to Newcastle City Council choosing to prioritise vehicle journey times over road safety. The roll-out of further school streets to improve safety for children travelling to school also appears to be on hold.

Meanwhile the government has withdrawn statutory guidance aiming to make roads safer for people walking and cycling, and is now focused on a “Plan for Drivers“. This does little to address road danger and appears to be based on conspiracy theories rather than any actual evidence of what would make roads safer.

Earlier this year SPACE for Gosforth responded to Northumbria Police’s consultation on its Police and Crime plan setting out evidence that fear of being caught is the greatest deterrent to dangerous driving. We are not aware of any changes made to road traffic policing following this consultation. 

As in previous years, the vast majority of incidents where people are hurt due to road traffic collisions are not reported in the media, so this is only a snapshot. It also doesn’t show any of the indirect consequences of dangerous driving e.g. children not being allowed to play outside or walk or cycle to school.

Again we want to express our thanks to everyone who is working towards making NE roads safer, and to media and other organisations continuing to highlight the terrible toll of road traffic collisions in our region.

Data on injuries from road traffic collisions is taken from the NE Road User Casualty website. Data on ambulance call outs was obtained by freedom of information request.

2023

JANUARY 2023

The West End Speeders feed was sadly stopped by its owner in February 2023 due to Twitter (now X) introducing charges for automated reporting, having recorded multiple instances of vehicles travelling in excess of 100mph on Central Motorway. 

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1615630704515207169?s=20

 

FEBRUARY 2023

MARCH 2023

APRIL 2023

Teenage pedestrian taken to Newcastle RVI after being hit by car in Kenton 29/04/2023

MAY 2023

Rogue North East drivers who have been caught drinking, racing away or even causing serious injury ChronicleLive 29/5/2023

 

JUNE 2023

JULY 2023

Banned Benwell driver claimed he was someone else despite being shown photo of himself 2/7/2023

 

AUGUST 2023

Vehicle crashes into Westway Vets on West Road, Newcastle. August 11, 2023

 

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1694964429299884426?s=20

 

SEPTEMBER 2023

OCTOBER 2023

Newcastle Road closed following one vehicle collision15 October 2023

 

Drink-driver caught after travelling to Byker McDonald’s following bust-up with girlfriend ChroncileLive 22/10/2023

 

NOVEMBER 2023

Newcastle drink-driver caught ‘weaving’ down road after thinking he only drank juice at party
ChronicleLive 5/11/2023

 

DECEMBER 2023

Fenham drug dealer snared after fiddling with his waistband during police stop for speeding 10 December 2023

Footnote – SPACE for Gosforth always aims to use collision or crash rather than ‘accident’ to describe road traffic collisions. Road traffic collisions are preventable. Road Peace, a charity that supports people bereaved or injured by road crashes, explains.

The post Traffic Crash Injury 2023 appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

]]> Back to the Future? Transport Devolution is coming to the NE https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/transport-devolution-is-coming-to-the-ne/ Wed, 17 Jan 2024 22:15:33 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7616 In May 2024 voters in NE England will choose a new NE Mayor as part of the region's North East devolution deal, with new powers over transport, housing and skills. This will mean that, for the first time since bus deregulation in 1986, there will be control over our public transport by local - and locally accountable - politicians.

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Transport Map from the NE Transport Plan

In May 2024 voters in NE England will choose a new NE Mayor as part of the region’s North East devolution deal, with new powers over transport, housing and skills. This will mean that, for the first time since bus deregulation in 1986, there will be control over our public transport by local – and locally accountable – politicians.

In this blog we look at what the deal means for transport in the NE and what candidates for Mayor could tell voters to allow them to make an informed choice.  We also look at what other Mayors have committed to elsewhere in the UK.

A full extract of the NE devolution deal is included at the end of the blog.

NE Mayor Transport Powers

The transport powers of the new NE Mayor will include:

  1. Transport planning and decarbonisation of transport
  2. Appointing an Active Travel Commissioner and implementing Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans
  3. Maintaining and improving a (yet to be defined) Key Route Network
  4. Bus franchising and integrated ticketing
  5. Setting local priorities with National Highways and Network Rail
  6. Establishing an “Institute of Future Mobility”

Looking at each in turn we suggest what candidates could include in their manifestos to enable voters to make an informed choice. If you have any further questions for the candidates please let us know via the comments at the end of the blog.

1. Transport planning including decarbonisation of transport

Transport North East, has already produced a NE Transport Plan on behalf of the seven Local Authorities that make up the NE Mayoral region. This plan covers the period up to 2035. Transport North East has also created and consulted on plans for active travel and public transport.

The devolution deal confirms the NE Transport Plan will be “finalised by the mayor and combined authority once it is established”.

Title picture transport plan 2021-2035

North East Transport Plan by Transport North East

Mayoral candidates could say whether they will adopt the current priorities set out in the transport plan or, if not, what priorities will they pursue instead. Specifically, do they support targets for:

  • Net Zero carbon emissions, and / or
  • Vision Zero – no deaths or serious injuries due to road traffic collisions.

On Net Zero, the devolution deal sets the expectation that “the Local Transport Plan will implement quantifiable carbon reductions to the higher standard recommended in related guidance.” Currently the NE Transport Plan doesn’t include any quantification of the impact of proposed transport schemes on CO2e emissions. At the time of writing, the Government had not published the ‘higher standard’.

2. Appointing an Active Travel Commissioner and implementing Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans

The devolution deal gives the Mayor the power to appoint an ‘Active Travel Commissioner’. These roles already exist in Manchester, London and the West Midlands. 

The deal also commits the authority to prioritise investment in cycling and walking networks, making “sustainable travel the first choice for short trips, or as part of a longer journey”.

In London, Manchester, West Midlands and Liverpool, Mayors have committed to substantial investment into a high quality network of walking and cycling routes covering their regions. See below for more details of the commitments they have made.

Related to this, NE Mayoral candidates could tell us

  • will they appoint an Active Travel Commissioner for the NE?
  • will they match or exceed the ambitions set out by other city regions? 
  • what scope and scale do they plan for the region’s walking/cycling network e.g. just leisure routes or a complete transport network connecting people to destinations like shops, schools, parks and workplaces?

3. Maintaining and improving a (yet to be defined) Key Route Network

The new Mayor will have significant powers over funding for local road schemes as “all local roads maintenance funding will be placed under the control of the combined authority”.

The devolution deal states the Mayoral Authority will agree (with Local Authorities) a Key Route Network (KRN) of local authority roads that will be managed by the Mayoral Authority.

We expect that for Newcastle these will be the Primary Distributor Routes, which include Grandstand Road and Haddricks Mill Road but not Gosforth High Street. These are the main road routes that connect to the motorways and major A roads that make up the Strategic Road Network. Key Roads will mostly be used for vehicle traffic and public transport, but will also be used by people walking and cycling to access local destinations or where there are no near alternative routes.

Mayoral candidates could tell us how they plan to develop the Key Road Network to enable residents to travel safely and sustainably. 

4. Bus franchising and integrated ticketing

The new Mayor will have access to bus franchising powers under the Transport Act 2000. This will allow the Mayor to decide which bus services should be provided and agree with bus operators to provide those services. The hope is that this will reverse the decline in bus use since buses were deregulated in the mid 1980s. 

The new Mayor will have a choice for how they spend their budget on:

  • Reducing or capping bus fares,
  • Increasing frequency on the busiest routes to enable more bus journeys (ridership),
  • Increasing coverage by having more routes covering a wider area, or
  • A combination of the above.

This article on the Human Transit blog explains the trade-off between ridership and coverage.

Candidates for Mayor could set out:

  • What their priorities are for public transport and will they use bus franchising powers?
  • How funds will be prioritised between lower fares, ridership and coverage?
  • Any other major changes planned to the Transport North East Bus Service Improvement Plan?

The new Mayor could also set out whether buses and Metro will be fully integrated or if there will just be integrated ticketing. Prior to bus deregulation (picture below) buses terminated at Metro interchanges like Regent Centre and Four Lane Ends, rather than travelling all the way into Newcastle city centre. This meant fewer buses were needed and more destinations could be serviced, as well as making the city centre safer due to fewer bus movements. 

5. Setting local priorities with National Highways and Network Rail

The new Mayor won’t be responsible for the Strategic Road Network, nor for mainline rail, but will be able to work with National Highways and Network Rail to agree priorities.

Some road building is already called out in the devolution deal. It says “The North East Mayoral Combined Authority will make the case for the upgrading of A19 junctions North of Newcastle (particularly Moor Farm roundabout and associated work at Seaton Burn and White Mare Pool); and will feed into any business case development work for A1 dualling related to the multi-modal study recommended in the Union Connectivity Review and will press for further work to improve the safety, capacity and speed of the A69.”

These will make the decarbonisation objective in the transport plan much harder. The proposed  A1 dualing between Morpeth and Ellingham by itself would cause an additional 1.4 million tonnes CO2e to be emitted. Just to offset this, every resident of Northumberland would have to go car-free for two years. 

The A1 scheme is also very poor value for money. National Highways themselves assess the benefit to cost ratio to be less than one, with a return of only 95p for every £1 invested.   This compares to walking and cycling schemes that typically return £5-6 for every £1 invested.

As we explained in our blog How much less will we use our cars in future? transport analyses consistently show that to achieve Net Zero carbon budgets we need to reduce total miles driven. Increasing road capacity will induce more traffic and runs counter to that aim. 

Mayoral candidates could tell us what their target is for vehicle miles driven and how will they achieve that, bearing in mind that there is little evidence that improving public transport by itself will reduce total miles driven.

If candidates support highway expansion and/or are not targeting a reduction in miles driven, they could set out how they will achieve Net Zero targets, with evidence to show their plans will work and are not just wishful thinking.

While not possible under the current deal, we think the NE Mayor should be given control of the current National Highways budget for the NE to spend in line with the Mayor’s priorities, whether that be on roads, buses or active travel. Our small Twitter poll supported this approach.

For rail, funding for the Leamside Line was originally included in the Network North funding, but  then quickly removed by the Government in an embarrassing u-turn. 

Mayoral candidates could set out the key Metro/rail projects they will support and how they propose they should be funded.  

6. Establishing an “Institute of Future Mobility”

The devolution deal states “The North East Mayoral Combined Authority seeks to establish an “Institute of Future Mobility”, which will bring together North East universities and colleges together with the region’s transport sector to exploit physical and digital assets for innovation and research and development. … This will help the North East to be seen as a candidate for tests, trials, and pilot schemes of future transport technologies.”

Mayoral candidates could tell us their priorities for this Institute, in particular will the scope of the new Institute include Micromobility – small, lightweight vehicles operating at speeds typically below 25 km/h (15 mph)? These include bicycles, e-bikes, electric scooters, electric skateboards, shared bicycle fleets, and electric pedal assisted (pedelec) bicycles.

Smaller, lightweight vehicles are typically lower-emissions, reduce the risk posed to other road users and reduce air pollution. With electric-assist they have the potential to replace many local car journeys and last-mile freight delivery.

What have other Mayors committed to for walking and cycling?

  • Mayor Steve Rotheram (Labour) – Liverpool City Region – has committed to a 600km walking and cycling network to encourage people to become more active and leave the car at home.
  • Mayor Sadiq Khan (Labour) – London – has already delivered 260km high quality safer cycle routes.
  • Andy Street (Conservative) – West Midlands – has committed to a 500 mile cycle network
  • Andy Burnham (Labour) – Greater Manchester – has proposed the UK’s largest walking and cycling network with 1,800+ miles walking and cycling routes.

Liverpool City Region

London

West Midlands

Manchester

What’s not included?

Despite claims from the Conservative Party candidate, the new Mayor will have no powers over low traffic neighbourhoods nor over the Newcastle Clean Air Zone.

Low traffic neighbourhoods, designed to stop traffic cutting through residential streets, will remain the responsibility of local authorities.

The Clean Air Zone is the responsibility of Newcastle and Gateshead Councils who were required to implement the Clean Air Zone by the Conservative Government. Under law, it is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure air quality limits are achieved “by the soonest date possible”. Government technical guidance states that Clean Air Zones that include charging “will achieve statutory NO2 limit values in towns and cities in the shortest possible time.”

We hope all candidates will properly inform themselves about transport-related issues and the role of the new Mayor so that, if elected, they will be able to implement effective solutions for those issues using the powers available to them.

Conclusion – Back to the Future? 

When Metro was first built, it was the first time a city had tried to integrate transport by bus and train. As passengers, you could with just one ticket take the bus to the nearest Metro station and get on the Metro to get into town, with the local bus network configured to act as ‘feeder’ services for the Metro.

Following bus deregulation, passenger numbers on Metro dropped by a quarter, from 59.1 million in 1985-86 financial year to 44.9 million in 1987-88, with the the decline mostly attributed to the loss of integration with bus services.

With the new Mayoral powers, the North East could have integrated transport again. It could have decarbonised transport, end car-dependency and build a region-wide cycling network that connects with public transport and enables people to travel everyday local journeys cheaply and safely.

Whether those happen or not will depend on who you vote for.

Transport from the North East devolution deal, 

101. A new, directly elected North East Mayor and the North East Mayoral Combined Authority will exercise the following powers and functions devolved from central government in order to deliver the ambitions set out in the North East Transport Plan and associated policy and strategy documents.

Local transport plan

102. Responsibility for an area-wide local transport plan will be conferred onto the mayor and North East Mayoral Combined Authority.

103. In line with best practice as set out in new local transport plan guidance planned for early 2023, the constituent authorities will review and refresh the existing North East Transport Plan by March 2024, to be finalised by the mayor and combined authority once it is established. It is expected that the Local Transport Plan will implement quantifiable carbon reductions to the higher standard recommended in related guidance.

104. DfT will support the North East Mayoral Combined Authority in the delivery of its local transport plan, through collaboration between DfT ministers, officials and the North East Mayoral Combined Authority, and where necessary assisting the North East Mayoral Combined Authority in securing the support and collaboration of agencies such as National Highways, Network Rail, and Great British Railways Transition Team to play their part in delivery.

105. The local transport plan and business cases for investment will reflect the characteristics of the North East Mayoral Combined Authority area including the significant rural footprint of the area.

Devolved transport funding

106. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority will be responsible for significant local transport funding from government. Over the next 5 years this will be worth up to £732.3 million and will include:

  • a City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement of up to £563 million capital funding, with £5.68 million resource funding for 2022/23 and further funding to be confirmed in line with other eligible areas
  • indicative allocation of £73.8 million of capital funding and £89.8 million resource funding to deliver the combined Bus Service Improvement Plan for the North East Mayoral Combined Authority
  • in addition, there may be further funds relating to transport for which the North East Mayoral Combined Authority is eligible

City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement

107. The government will commit to making available a 5-year City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) of up to £563 million of capital funds to the North East Mayoral Combined Authority until 2026/27. The funding available consolidates existing funds including Regional Highways Maintenance, Pothole Funding, Integrated Transport Block (ITB), 2022/23 Transforming Cities Fund, with additional funding for local transport enhancements. Maintenance funding has been consolidated on the basis of current annual funding and CRSTS proposals should include the effective management and maintenance of existing assets and meet existing obligations which the ITB and other funds currently individually address.

Funding that has already been committed to from this pot includes:

  • Highways Maintenance 2022/2023 – £66.4 million
  • Transforming Cities Fund 2022/2023 – £86.2 million

108. The CRSTS will be determined in line with plans put forward by the mayor on behalf of the combined authority and agreed with HMG. The process for other eligible areas will apply to the North East Mayoral Combined Authority. As part of the process of agreeing this settlement, the government also commits to working with the North East Mayoral Combined Authority to reach agreement on interim options to even the profile of capital funding over the period before a mayor is elected. In the event that this includes changes to their TCF programme, these will be considered through the established TCF Change Control governance and processes.

109. Resource funding for the North East Mayoral Combined Authority to support and prepare for CRSTS will be provided from funding already set aside by government. The government commits to providing £5.68 million of resource funding in 2022/23, payable when the devolution deal is signed. This will allow for CRSTS scheme preparation, prioritisation and delivery planning to take place. As per the 2021 spending review settlement, revenue grant funding in both 2023/24 and 2024/25 is half the levels of 22/23, and the North East Mayoral Combined Authority should plan on the basis that this falls proportionately. Further resource grant funding beyond 2024/25 will be subject to future Spending Reviews.

110. Prior to County Durham joining the North East Devolution Deal, the LA6 had negotiated a CRSTS settlement of £475 million capital funding until 2026/27, alongside the resource funding outlined above. Decisions pertaining to the allocation and investment of the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) will be taken by the new Mayor and MCA in line with its agreed governance arrangements, ensuring that each member will receive appropriate highways maintenance funding, Integrated Transport Block funding and potholes funding. Beyond this, the region intends to invest the settlement in a manner which reflects the development of the deal prior to County Durham joining, for the current funding period to 2026/27. The government acknowledges this intention.

111. The government intends, subject to future spending reviews and the success of the CRSTS programme, that this could be the first of a series of 5-year transport settlements for the city regions. Decisions taken in future Spending Reviews will consider the membership and geography of the new mayoral combined authority at that time.

112. All constituent authorities, or the North East Mayoral Combined Authority on their behalf, may continue to approach the Department for Transport directly to consider funding for local transport enhancement schemes. Any funding requests will be considered in line with wider departmental priorities and would be subject to ministerial decision and the broader fiscal context.

Tyne and Wear Metro funding

113. The government acknowledges the significant economic and social benefits provided by the Tyne and Wear Metro to the North East, and that as well as being essential to local connectivity the Metro features some of the complex legal, operating, safety and infrastructure characteristics and liabilities of the national rail system. The government also recognises the significant safety responsibilities that Nexus has in relation to the Tyne and Wear Metro, including the various regulatory obligations arising from sharing track with freight (including dangerous goods) and other train operators.

114. The government agrees to provide Nexus with the following funding to support the safe operation, maintenance and renewal of the Tyne and Wear Metro:

  • £57 million of capital funding in 2023/24 and 2024/25, which includes £23.8 million of capital funding already confirmed by government for operationally essential and safety critical maintenance work. The government acknowledges that Nexus is seeking a higher allocation of capital funding than has been provided in 2023/24 and 2024/25.
  • Resource funding will be provided to support operations in 2023/24 and 2024/25 using the 2022/23 allocation of £27.8 million as the base figure for each year. The government will continue to work with Nexus to assess revenue funding asks in light of inflationary pressures.
  • Funding for Metro’s Essential Renewals programme and operational support will be paid direct to Nexus as Metropolitan Rail Grant, outwith the CRSTS mechanism. However, £57 million of capital funding has been deducted from the North East’s nominal CRSTS allocation to take account of the additional Metropolitan Rail Grant capital payments in 2023/24 and 2024/25.
  • Funding for Metro Essential Renewals and operational support for 2025/26 and 2026/27 will be considered as part of the next Comprehensive Spending Review following the production of a business case and discussion between the government, the North East Mayoral Combined Authority, and Nexus.

115. The government is currently providing £337 million of funding to Nexus to support the £362 million introduction of a new Metro train fleet and maintenance depot, expected to be fully implemented by the end of 2024. The government is also providing £94.7 million through the Transforming Cities Fund to deliver the Metro Flow project which will significantly enhance the frequency and capacity of the existing Metro system. The government has also provided £50 million in revenue funding to Nexus during the pandemic and recovery period and has allocated a further £7.3 million until October 2022.

116. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority may continue to approach the Department for Transport directly to consider funding for future enhancement work on the Metro. Funding for enhancements would be considered in line with wider departmental priorities, and would be subject to ministerial decision and the broader fiscal context.

Roads

117. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority will agree a Key Route Network (KRN) of local authority roads. The strategy for the KRN will be developed, agreed and coordinated by the mayor and North East Mayoral Combined Authority. To support this, all local roads maintenance funding will be placed under the control of the combined authority as part of the CRSTS settlement to enable the development and delivery of a single asset management plan for the North East road network in its entirety.

118. The mayor and combined authority will take any necessary highways powers to undertake this, to be exercised concurrently with the highway authorities, as agreed locally and set out in the required scheme and consultation.

119. The government intends to legislate to give the mayor, with their agreement, a power of direction allowing them to direct highways authorities on exercising their highways powers on the KRN, for example to construct, maintain and operate bus priority measures and cycling infrastructure. Use of this power should follow consultation with highway authorities and take account of highway authorities’ statutory duties.

120. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority will also be able to enter into agreements with government, other local authorities and National Highways, including to determine shared priorities for its strategic and key road networks.

121. The North East has ambitious plans to introduce a region-wide electric vehicle charging network and has recently introduced a Zero Emission Vehicle policy, an outline of the region’s aim to lead the country in boosting the up-take of electric vehicles by developing and expanding charging facilities. The government recognises the aspirations of the North East Mayoral Combined Authority to improve public electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the region, which would increase the uptake of electric vehicles in the region and reduce carbon emissions by supporting all motorists in making the switch. Government is introducing a new £450 million local electric vehicle infrastructure (LEVI) scheme for local authorities to support local EV infrastructure delivery and will work with the North East Mayoral Combined Authority to ensure the area is well placed to respond once funding arrangements are announced.

122. The government recognises the importance of good links to the Strategic Road Network to the economy of the North East, and the modernisation of key routes to facilitate economic growth, job creation and net zero transition (providing the enabling infrastructure for electric buses and an expanding EV network). National Highways will work with the North East Mayoral Combined Authority and local highways authorities on the delivery of Road Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2) and the development of Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3).

123. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority will make the case for the upgrading of A19 junctions North of Newcastle (particularly Moor Farm roundabout and associated work at Seaton Burn and White Mare Pool); and will feed into any business case development work for A1 dualling related to the multi-modal study recommended in the Union Connectivity Review and will press for further work to improve the safety, capacity and speed of the A69. The government will fully consider these schemes in the round as part of decisions on Roads Investment Strategy 3, taking into account economic benefits balanced against wider factors. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority will also explore whether an agreement with National Highways on assisting local authorities to achieve timely planning application decisions is possible, as the region continues to grow and sees investment in housing and employment sites, and over the use of “designated funds” to mitigate local impacts of major highways developments.

Buses

124. The government is committed to delivering improved bus services across the country and has published a National Bus Strategy committing to £3 billion of expenditure nationally over the course of this parliament. The North East has ambitious plans for the improvement of bus services as set out in its Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

125. The government has given an indicative funding allocation of up to £163.5 million of funding (£89.8 million resource funding and £73.8 million of capital funding) to support the introduction of measures outlined in the North East Bus Service Improvement Plan.

126. The North East mayor will have access to bus franchising powers under the Transport Act 2000. This will provide the opportunity to further develop high-quality bus services as part of an integrated local transport system and help to facilitate the delivery of smart, simple integrated ticketing across all local modes of transport in the city region.

127. The government is reforming the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG), as per the National Bus Strategy. Following BSOG reform, if North East Mayoral Combined Authority request BSOG be devolved to them the Department for Transport will work with the combined authority to devolve it in line with the consultation outcome. Smart and Integrated ticketing: “Pop”

128. The North East has widespread smart and integrated ticketing on offer through the “Pop” brand and the established back-office systems managed by Nexus to support its use on bus and Metro, alongside single-operator products, as either a smart card or phone-based payment option. It also has a long-standing commercial multi-modal, multi-operator ticketing scheme (Network One Ticketing Ltd).

129. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority and Nexus plan to develop the “Pop” brand so that it can deliver smart, capped, simple integrated ticketing across all local modes of transport in the city region as set out in the North East Transport Plan, Bus Service Improvement Plan and Local Rail and Metro Strategy. The government recognises this is a priority project for the North East Mayoral Combined Authority which they will prioritise in their CRSTS plans. As technical solutions to facilitate multi-operator bus ticketing are developed, the government will seek to work with North East Mayoral Combined Authority and any other parties to facilitate their swift deployment in the North East region.

130. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority and Nexus will work with the Department for Transport, Great British Railways Transition Team and Northern Rail to develop proposals to introduce integrated ticketing using the “Pop” brand and functionality onto the Northumberland Line when it opens for passenger service (target December 2023). This will allow seamless integrated journeys to take place on the Northumberland Line and the Tyne and Wear Metro, with fares subject to a daily cap and discounted fares for young people. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority will develop a business case for its wider deployment on other local rail services in the North East. The government will support the North East Mayoral Combined Authority in discussions with Great British Railways Transition Team and Northern Rail to achieve this.

Smart and Integrated ticketing: contactless bank card / mobile phone bank payment

131. The government recognises that the North East Mayoral Combined Authority and Nexus wish to build upon the “Pop” brand by introducing capped contactless bank card and mobile phone bank payment options on the Tyne and Wear Metro.

132. The government is currently engaging with Great British Railways Transition Team, bus operators and Combined Authorities to develop proposals for contactless capped bank-card transactions across the services of different operators and travel modes. The government commits to working with Great British Railways Transition Team, the North East Mayoral Combined Authority, and Nexus with a view to the North East being actively involved in this work.

Rail

133. The government will support the North East Mayoral Combined Authority in seeking a new rail partnership with Great British Railways Transition Team, once established, so that their priorities can be taken into consideration in future decisions regarding their local network. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority, alongside existing Level 3 authorities, will be considered a priority for these agreements which will provide the ability to influence the local rail offer. Local priorities will need to be coordinated and compatible with surrounding areas and the needs of the national network.

134. The government recognises the North East Mayoral Combined Authority’s ambitions for further devolved powers and will work with the region, Great British Railways Transition Team, and Transport for the North to develop a suitable partnership that facilitate the improvements to services, stations, and fares and ticketing that are set out in the North East Transport Plan and Metro and Local Rail Strategy.

135. The government acknowledges the major capacity constraint on the East Coast Main Line that affects the performance and future growth of rail services in the North East. As part of its Integrated Rail Plan the government commits to upgrading and improving line speeds and capacity along the route and has asked Network Rail to begin consideration of how these ambitious plans can be delivered as efficiently as possible, engaging closely with local stakeholders as these progress, ensuring integration where appropriate with local development, regeneration, and rail expansion plans.

136. The government is considering the recommendations of the Union Connectivity Review, including on the road and rail transport corridor between North East England and South East Scotland. The government will continue to work with stakeholders as required including the North East Mayoral Combined Authority on how the recommendations can be taken forward to strengthen transport connectivity for the benefit of all parts of the UK.

137. The government recognises the aspirations of the region for the reopening of the Leamside Line and will work closely with the North East Mayoral Combined Authority to develop the business case for the introduction of Metro services along the line to South Hylton via Washington; and the reintroduction of local rail services to Ferryhill and Sedgefield, and the use of the line by freight services. The government commits to supporting the North East Mayoral Combined Authority and Nexus to generate proposals, develop business cases and identify funding routes for these enhancements, where it is shown that the proposed schemes would deliver appropriate value for money to the taxpayer and subject to funding availability.

138. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority has ambitions to expand and improve rail services as set out in the North East Rail and Metro Strategy. These include Metro services to West Newcastle and Metrocentre, Cobalt Business Park and Team Valley; heavy rail services to Newcastle Airport; upgrades to the Tyne Valley and Durham Coast lines; local passenger services and new stations on the East Coast Main Line, and major investments in Sunderland and Newcastle Central stations. The government commits to working with the North East Mayoral Combined Authority and Nexus to develop business cases for these enhancements and to assist in finding suitable funding mechanisms where it is shown that the proposed schemes would deliver appropriate value for money to the taxpayer and subject to funding availability.

139. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority’s plans for zero-carbon economic growth will see an increased demand for rail freight services. In recognition of this the government supports the North East Mayoral Combined Authority in developing a freight strategy taking into account new technologies, sustainable traction, and where required new and improved rail freight terminals and distribution centres.

Active travel

140. The region is developing a transport pipeline and a key part of this will be to include how the region can meet its carbon targets. A major component of this will be a focus on sustainable transport schemes. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority commits to: prioritising investment in the cycling and walking networks identified through relevant Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) and partner council’s own cycling and walking strategies, and to follow the latest Department for Transport cycle infrastructure design guidance [LTN1/20] and other relevant guidance/standards for all future cycling and walking schemes to deliver a step-change in high-quality active travel provision in the city region.

141. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority seeks to work in partnership with government and Active Travel England. The North East Transport Plan emphasizes the region’s aspiration to make sustainable travel the first choice for short trips, or as part of a longer journey. Devolution will allow the mayor to consider appointing a Commissioner and to publish an ambitious active travel plan. This will take the region’s LCWIPs and bind them together to form a regional network of LTN 1/20 compliant routes, connecting active neighbourhoods to local hubs. The government recognises the North East Mayoral Combined Authority’s role leading innovation in highways and street design and will work with the North East Mayoral Combined Authority and Active Travel England on innovative local schemes. This will help lock in resilience to our local businesses and help us make more healthy communities. With the help of devolved funding, we will be able to sequence and deliver a smoother pipeline of active travel infrastructure.

Institute of Future Mobility

142. The North East Mayoral Combined Authority seeks to establish an “Institute of Future Mobility”, which will bring together North East universities and colleges together with the region’s transport sector to exploit physical and digital assets for innovation and research and development. The government will work with the North East Mayoral Combined Authority and key stakeholders in the future of transport sector to support innovation and research and development in transport in the region. This will help the North East to be seen as a candidate for tests, trials, and pilot schemes of future transport technologies.

 

 

 

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]]> Gosforth High Street – our response https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/gosforth-high-street-our-response/ Sat, 14 Oct 2023 12:11:56 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7568 In March 2023, Newcastle City Council announced that it would trial a new layout on Gosforth High Street using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), with a consultation to last the first six months of the eighteen month order. This blog is to share SPACE for Gosforth’s response to that consultation.

The post Gosforth High Street – our response appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

]]> Man on a bicycle overtaking a van parked in the bus lane on Gosforth High Street

In March 2023, Newcastle City Council announced that it would trial a new layout on Gosforth High Street using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), with a consultation to last the first six months of the eighteen month order. This blog is to share SPACE for Gosforth’s response to that consultation.

While the Council made a number of changes, not all of these required a traffic order. The changes included in the ETRO were:

  • A new 7am to 7pm bus lane running north-bound from Moor Crescent to Graham Park Road.
  • A continuation of the bus lane running north-bound from Elmfield Road to Woodbine Road.
  • Double yellow lines on the east (south-bound) side from The Grove to Moorfield.
  • Double yellow lines on the west (north-bound) side from Moorfield to The Poplars.
  • No loading and unloading between 7am and 7pm on the west (north-bound) side the full length of Gosforth High Street from Moorfield to Salters Road.

The ETRO specified that the bus lanes can be used by Buses, Taxis, Motor Cycles, Pedal Cycles and other (undefined) Authorised Vehicles. The only exemptions given for the no loading / unloading restriction were universal service provider vehicles, Council bin lorries and emergency services.

The main purpose of the measures being consulted on is to increase the speed of vehicles passing through Gosforth High Street by:

  • enabling buses, taxis and motorcycles to undertake queuing traffic,
  • enabling traffic to overtake stopped buses,
  • prevent parked vehicles from blocking one or more traffic lanes.

The decision to prioritise speed over safety means that Gosforth High Street is not a safe pedestrian and cycling environment, despite the Council’s commitment in November 2022 that any new design would be to the “highest possible safety standards for all road users”.

Our suggestion to the Council is that it uses the remaining 12 months of the ETRO to consult on an alternative design that is safe, inclusive and supports Council policy, prioritising safe walking and cycling to get to and move around Gosforth High Street for all ages and abilities. This, rather than prioritising vehicle speeds, would better support Gosforth High Street as a shopping street and a community hub.

Dear sir / madam,

We are writing to OBJECT to the High Street, Gosforth – Experimental Bus Lanes Order and Traffic Regulation Order 2023. GH/P44/1318

Specifically, we wish to object to:

  • The Bus Lane northbound (nearside lane) – from Elmfield Road to Woodbine Road. This should be removed and replaced by cycle lanes that meet the Council’s LTN1/20 adopted standard for all ages and abilities to ensure they meet the requirements set out in The Equality Act 2010 (which the current layout does not achieve).
  • The Bus Lane northbound (nearside lane) – from 22 metres north of Moor Crescent to Graham Park Road. This should be either removed, or cycle lane defenders added to create a physical barrier between the bus and cycle lanes.

Our grounds for objecting to the ETRO are:

  1. The reasons set out in the ETRO have not been achieved
  2. The trial layout is not compliant with Newcastle City Council policy
  3. The layout contradicts the LCWIP approved by Council Cabinet
  4. The layout is not compliant with modern safety standards
  5. It is not inclusive, excluding vulnerable and older and younger users of Gosforth High Street.
  6. It doesn’t support customers to travel sustainably to Gosforth High Street.
  7. It doesn’t achieve the objectives Councillors and Council leaders voted for in the November 2022 Council motion.
  8. Safe walking and cycling routes would be a much better use of the space

Please note that we also have no wish to return to the pre-Covid layout either which was no better and would share many of the same issues and, we believe, lead to increased pollution levels similar to those recorded prior to Covid.

We suggest that instead of continuing with the current plan, the Council uses the remaining 12 months of the ETRO to consult on an alternative that is safe, inclusive and supports Council policy. This should prioritise safe walking and cycling to get to and move around Gosforth High Street for all ages and abilities.

Gosforth High Street is only approx 600m, so traffic using a single traffic lane in each direction for this distance will not significantly impact overall travel times. The Council’s previous monitoring has confirmed this to be the case.

“Journey time data, which has been collected over four years, show that there has been minimal impact on the travelling public with the traffic reduced to two lanes through the High Street.” https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/citylife-news/changes-gosforth-high-street-gets-underway

If north-bound journey time is an issue then extending the north-bound bus lane further towards Blue House roundabout or to Broadway roundabout could be better options.

Likewise, unless the Council intends to ban cycling on Gosforth High Street (which we don’t believe is possible) there will be a need to ensure the safety of people who do cycle to, along or across the High Street, and to achieve the LTN1/20 standard that the Council has formally adopted for all Highway Schemes.

In more detail…

1 The reasons given in the TRO have not been achieved

(a) “To avoid danger to persons or other traffic using the road and for preventing the likelihood of any such danger arising.” This is not achieved as the road layout requires people cycling to share a busy bus lane with heavy traffic. Specifically, it does not achieve the standards set out in LTN1/20. It has also led to vehicles switching between lanes to overtake slower traffic, higher vehicle speeds in the bus lane directly adjacent to the pavement, and an additional safety risk at the Trinity Church crossing due to buses blocking sight of the traffic lights for drivers in the north-bound general traffic lane.

(b) “support the Council’s commitment to improve public transport across the City” We have previously been informed by Council officers that there is little benefit to out-bound bus lanes. They will have little impact on journey-time reliability for most of the day and, even if required, similar journey-time reliability could be achieved with a north-bound bus lane that ends at Graham Park Road.There is also (our observation and reported by our members) practically no enforcement of the bus lane nor any way for the public to report violations of the bus lane.

2 The trial layout is not compliant with Newcastle City Council policy

Newcastle city Council adopted LTN1/20 for Highway Schemes (Oct 2022 cabinet). This scheme is not LTN1/20 compliant.

The reframing transport report restated the Council’s “ambition to introduce a walking, wheeling, and cycling network that connects every school, to every park, to every high street.” The trial layout instead creates community severance due to lack of safe opportunities to cycle across the High Street. This acts as a barrier e.g. for families living west of Gosforth High Street to visit Gosforth Central Park, or families living east of the High Street to get to Archibald First School or Newcastle School for Boys.

Section 11.12 of the Core Strategy states an intention to create ‘sustainable communities, centres and new developments where priority is given to sustainable modes of transport’ setting out the hierarchy of sustainable modes of transport. In the trial layout, the speed of public transport, freight and car traffic has been prioritised over the safety of people cycling, contrary to that hierarchy.

Section 5.1.2 of the Development and Allocations Plan (DAP) states that cycling ‘routes must be legible, inviting, direct, pleasant and easy to use.” This clearly isn’t currently the case on Gosforth High Street.

Section 5.1.5 of the DAP states “An important factor in encouraging people to walk and cycle is ensuring that key local facilities and services, such as shops, schools and public transport are easily accessible on foot and by cycle.” LTN1/20 confirms that bus lanes “do not provide an environment attractive to a wide range of people and should therefore not be regarded as inclusive.”

Appendix 2 of the DAP states that on Secondary Distributor Roads “Pedestrian and cycle movements should be segregated from traffic” and “pedestrian and cycle movement should be controlled by formalised crossing points.” While this is true for pedestrian movement, the same has not been achieved for cycle movement in the current design.

The Council’s commitment to Net Zero will require changes to maximise the use of walking and cycling for short journeys, and support residents to access local shops and services.

NB Moor Road, east of Gosforth High Street could, with some work, be made inviting, pleasant and easy to use, but it would still not be a direct route to the shops, nor would it (a) improve safety for anyone cycling on Gosforth High Street or (b) support movement around Gosforth High Street between shops and services.

The layout also conflicts with approved Council motions Greater Focus on Cycling (October 2019) and Use of eCargo Bikes (October 2021).

3 The layout contradicts the LCWIP approved by Council Cabinet

In the LCWIP, approved by Cabinet June 2021, Gosforth High Street is shown as part of the proposed city’s cycle network.

It also acknowledges that “High levels of vehicle traffic discourage people from using active and sustainable transport (either in terms of people fearing for their safety or because of delays caused to the public transport network).” The current layout will discourage people from cycling to Gosforth High Street, whereas to meet Council policy it should be encouraging more people to visit (to support Gosforth High Street as a District Centre), by more sustainable means (for better health, better access to employment opportunities on the High Street and to cut air pollution and carbon emissions).

4 The layout is not compliant with modern safety standards

The Council’s own plan emailed prior to installation confirms the Council’s understanding that the layout is not LTN1/20 compliant.

Between 7pm and 7am, the bus lane is not in force so offers no protection to anyone cycling.

Between 7am and 7pm, the bus lane is not enforced effectively so can be blocked by parked vehicles, forcing anyone cycling into the general traffic lane.

We are concerned that buses in the inside lane will block drivers’ visibility of the pedestrian crossing lights by Trinity Church. Residents have for years reported many near misses at this location caused by drivers driving through a red light.

5 It is not inclusive, excluding vulnerable and older and younger users of Gosforth High Street.

LTN1/20 states that “Cycling [and walking] should be accessible to people of all ages and abilities. The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on public sector authorities to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty in carrying out their functions. This includes making reasonable adjustments to the existing built environment to ensure the design of new infrastructure is accessible to all.”

It goes on to say that bus lanes “do not provide an environment attractive to a wide range of people and should therefore not be regarded as inclusive. Some bus lanes also allow taxis and motorcycles to use them [as is the case on Gosforth High Street], which can signifcantly increase traffc flows, thereby acting as a deterrent to cycling while also increasing risk of conflict.” Conflict, in this scenario, could include collisions and / or injuries, most likely to the person or people cycling.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-infrastructure-design-ltn-120

Also, it advises that advisory cycle lanes are “not be suitable for all people and will exclude some potential users and/or have safety concerns”.

Users likely to be excluded by the Council’s current design include younger and older users and disabled cyclists.

6 It doesn’t support customers to travel sustainably to Gosforth High Street.

The bus lane doesn’t help customers travelling from east, west or north of Gosforth, where the vast majority of customers will live. Few will arrive from the south by bus because the Town Moor creates a natural barrier, and most people living immediately north of the Town Moor but south of the shopping area are within a 15 minute walk of the High Street so are less likely to use a bus.

The layout has not enabled any additional sustainable transport options compared to previous layouts. Prior to Covid there were 48 buses per hour using the High Street in each direction. This number will not have increased due to the new trial layout. The maximum desired frequency in the Transport North East Bus Service Improvement Plan is one bus every 5-10 minutes or 6-12 per hour in each direction, substantially less than on Gosforth High Street. The plan says to make bus services “more comprehensive, with overprovision on a few corridors reduced to boost provision elsewhere”, suggesting the Council’s strategy is to reduce bus frequency on Gosforth High Street in order to increase coverage elsewhere. To ensure these current bus journeys remain sustainable, some of those journeys will have to be made by walking or cycling in future.

While we do support quicker bus journey times and increased punctuality and reliability, these should not be achieved by putting other road users in greater danger.

More people can get to Gosforth High Street in 15 minutes cycling than by any other sustainable travel mode. Our estimate is that approximately three times more people could get to Gosforth High Street in 15 minutes cycling than can do so by bus, and many of those 15 minute bus journeys could be walked in a similar time. Cycling is the only sustainable transport mode where everyone who lives closer to Gosforth High Street than another District Centre can get to the High Street in under 15 minutes.

The trial layout does not support cycling to Gosforth High Street nor movement within the High Street between shops when people get there.

Two benefits of cycling for the user are speed and ability to carry heavier loads than if walking. These benefits are both lost if people are required to park their cycles away from the shops they want to visit rather than being able to move freely (and safely) between shops.

7 It doesn’t achieve the objectives Councillors and Council leaders voted for in the November 2022 Council motion.

The new layout

  • doesn’t improve options for customers to get to or move around the High Street
  • doesn’t meet current (let along ‘highest’) safety standards
  • hasn’t enabled any new low-carbon travel options
  • has done nothing to enhance green infrastructure
  • appears to ignore (rather than align with) previous engagement with residents, local Councillors and business owners.

8 Safe walking and cycling routes would be a much better use of the space

Cllr Byrne is quoted in a May 2023 Council news article as saying ‘development of a new cycle lane, new pedestrian crossings, changes to traffic access on a number of side roads and the installation of secure cycle parking facilities’ on Elswick Road is
(a) ‘fantastic news for residents in this area of the city, which is going to benefit from a significant investment to provide high quality and safer cycling and walking routes.’
(b) As well as helping people get to schools, shops and other local facilities, this will also open up opportunities to access jobs and training and will enable more people to enjoy and feel confident about active travel.
(c) “The new cycle lane will also link up with existing routes helping to further extend our cycling network across the city.
(d) ‘We want everyone in Newcastle to be able to choose and benefit from active travel. This leads to better physical and mental health; stronger, connected communities and a better, more sustainable environment for future generations’

These same benefits could be achieved on Gosforth High Street if safe walking and cycling routes are prioritised to get to and move between shops on the High Street. These benefits would be 24/7 unlike time saved on bus journeys which will mostly only occur in the evening peak and even then will make only marginal difference to overall journey times.

Safe cycling routes also support micro-mobility like the Neuron eScooters.

Additionally, the DfT report “The Value of Cycling” found (amongst many other benefits) that:

  • Cyclists visit local shops more regularly, spending more than users of most other modes of transport
  • Per square metre, cycle parking delivers 5 times higher retail spend than the same area of car parking
  • A compact town optimised for walking and cycling can have a “retail density” (spend per square metre) 2.5 times higher than a typical urban centre.
  • Public realm improvements, including those that cater for cycling, have been shown to result in increased trade at local businesses; up to 49% in New York City

Value of Cycling report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/509587/value-of-cycling.pdf

Suggested approach

We suggest that instead of continuing with the current plan, the Council uses the remaining 12 months of the ETRO to consult on an alternative that is safe, inclusive and supports Council policy. This should prioritise safe walking and cycling to get to and move around Gosforth High Street.

Some examples of what could be considered include:

  • Safe cycling facilities usable by all ages and abilities both along and to the High Street.
  • Declutter the pavement and trial removing the black bollards which take up over half a metre of pavement space on each side.
  • Reduce pedestrian crossing wait times, and ensure that there is sufficient time for people to cross.
  • Pedestrianise side street-ends so people walking along the High Street have priority over turning vehicles in line with the new Highway Code.
  • Reduce non-local traffic using streets either side of the High Street to make it safer and more pleasant for people to walk or cycle to Gosforth High Street.
  • Look for opportunities to improve the pedestrian environment e.g. for street cafes, planting or benches, including at ends of side streets.
  • Extend the 20mph zone north past Gosforth Academy, west past Gosforth Junior Academy and south to the Little Moor.

We included some further ideas in our email of 9 August 2023 [published in our blog Gosforth High Street – Small Changes].

Kind regards,

SPACE for Gosforth

References – SPACE for Gosforth blogs
Gosforth High Street – Safety Concerns
Gosforth High Street has been designed like a bypass rather than a shopping destination
Gosforth High Street – Good Policy, Terrible Plan
We still love Gosforth High Street
Your Streets – Your Views – Gosforth High Street
A Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan for Gosforth

The post Gosforth High Street – our response appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

]]> Gosforth High Street – Small Changes https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/gosforth-high-street-small-changes/ Wed, 04 Oct 2023 06:55:06 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7556 In August we had a team walk along Gosforth High Street to see if we could come up with some ideas for what could be tried out fairly cheaply as part of the current trial arrangements. Below are 10 ideas, which we hope Newcastle City Council will consider.

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]]> Picture of Gosforth High Street showing a pavement with cordoned off area for cafe seating

In August we had a team walk along Gosforth High Street to see if we could come up with some ideas for what could be tried out fairly cheaply as part of the current trial arrangements. In particular we were looking for ideas that wouldn’t require changes to the road layout or need new traffic orders to implement.

Below are 10 ideas, which we hope Newcastle City Council will consider. Most of them, if successful, could be implemented at multiple locations on Gosforth High Street.

If you have any other ideas for small changes that could easily be trialled please let us know in the comments below.

We have commented on the scheme overall in our blogs Gosforth High Street – Good Policy, Terrible Plan, Gosforth High Street has been designed like a bypass rather than a shopping destination and Gosforth High Street – Safety Concerns.

Map showing location of the proposed changes

Idea 1. Narrow the exit to Elmfield Road so it is only one vehicle lane. Extend the pavement on the left hand side where the double yellow line is now. Possibly install a Sheffield stand for cycle parking if there is space. Car parking remains unaffected.

Benefit: Shorter, safer crossing for people walking along Gosforth High Street. Additional cycle parking for customers.

Picture of the end of Elmfield Road

Google Street View

2. Install a Sheffield Stand between two black bollards parallel to the road (like on Acorn Road). This would allow some cycle parking without obstructing the pavement.

Benefit: Additional cycle parking for customers.

Picture of Gosforth High Street showing a pavement with cordoned off area for cafe seating

Google Street View

3. Increase the pavement space outside Gosforth Central Park (picture below). This shouldn’t impact turning vehicles and doesn’t affect access to the shopping centre car park.

Benefit: Improved entrance to the park

Google Street View

4. Trial an implied Zebra crossing, or alternatively a raised crossing, over the entrance to the car park ramp.

Benefit: Safer crossing.

Picture showing the bottom of the ramp to drive to Gosforth Shopping centre car park.

Google Street View

5. Properly drop the kerb at the entrance to Gosforth Central Park for wheeled users, including mobility scooters. (This may not be needed if pavement is extended).

Benefit: Improved access for wheeled users.

Picture showing the kerb at the entrance to Gosforth Central Park

Google Street View

6. There is an opportunity for a bit of planting and a small tree in the Salters Road car park, rather than just grass. This should also reduce maintenance.

Benefit: More greenery

Picture of grassed area in Salters Road car park

Google Street View

7. Move the bench so it is not hidden behind the bush, possibly to just right of the photo. This is also a really poor location for cycle parking as the racks are not well used (whereas the racks next to the pub are used) so the Council could consider moving these to another location, maybe outside the gym on Ivy Road to replace the poor quality cycle parking currently there?

Benefit: More usable bench and cycle parking.

Picture of bike racks and a bench in the central island next to Gosforth Hotel

Google Street View

8. Wait times for pedestrian crossings to be reduced / or to be instant outside of rush hour. The time allowed for pedestrians to cross could also be increased. This is a particular problem at the crossing next to the Little Moor.

Benefit: Better for people walking.

Picture of pedestrian lights by Little Moor

Google Street View

9. Installing cycle lane defenders to enable safer east-west crossings of he High Street by bike. From Ivy Road / West Avenue to St. Nicholas southbound (shown). Elmfield to The Grove north and south bound, Moorfield to Moor Crescent north bound. These are only short sections and are not used for loading or any other purpose so there should be minimal/no conflict of usage.

Benefit: Safer cycling facilities.

Picture of Gosforth High Street showing the south bound cycle lane next to Gosforth Shopping Centre

Google Street View

10. Tightening the corners at The Grove. Alternatively, or as well as, at the entrance to the car park immediately north of The County. This would make the junction safer by reducing the speed of turning traffic. Newcastle Council proposed similar measures in 2016 (see https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/pedestrian-priority/).

Benefit: Safer crossing.

Satellite picture showing the junction with The Grove

Google Street View

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]]> Air Quality Update 2022 https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/air-quality-update-2022/ Wed, 27 Sep 2023 07:32:52 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7499 This is SPACE for Gosforth's seventh annual pollution blog covering official air quality monitoring in Newcastle upon Tyne. In all seven years, air pollution in Newcastle has exceeded legal limits. In 2022, the highest reading was 92μg/m3, over double the limit.

The post Air Quality Update 2022 appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

]]> This is SPACE for Gosforth’s seventh annual pollution blog covering official air quality monitoring in Newcastle upon Tyne. In all seven years, air pollution in Newcastle has exceeded legal limits.

The main pollutant of concern in Newcastle is Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). The legal maximum for NO2 is 40μg/m3 (micro grams per cubic metre) averaged over a calendar year. In 2022, the highest reading was 92μg/m3, over double the limit. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend NO2 should be no more than 10μg/m3 averaged over a year.

2022 Highlights:

  • With no Clean Air Zone (originally planned for January 2020) air pollution in Newcastle still didn’t meet UK legal limits.
  • Haymarket was the most polluted location in the city centre.
  • The worst pollution recorded across all Newcastle was 92μg/m3 on The Coast Road by the junction with Jesmond Park West, the same location as 2021.
  • Measurements from Gosforth were all within UK legal limits for the third year running, though still substantially higher than the WHO’s recommended maximum.

For anyone thinking that there must be a better way to cut air pollution than a Clean Air Zone, the Council’s city centre Air Quality Plan, in place since 2008, has 38 non-CAZ actions to improve air quality. This isn’t specific to Newcastle, most local authorities with Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) have had similarly ineffective plans. If these other measures were effective, pollution would already be well below legal limits.

Newcastle City Centre

In the city centre, Haymarket was the most polluted with a Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) reading of 53μg/m3, a slight increase on 2021 and substantially above both the 40μg/m3 legal maximum for the UK and the WHO recommendation.

Strawberry Place, which was the most polluted location in 2021 with 54μg/m3, recorded 46.4μg/m3 in 2022.

Map of Newcastle City Centre showing locations of air pollution readings.

City Centre Air Quality Management Area (AQMA)

These are the city centre locations where air pollution exceeded the legal limit in 2022

  • 53.3 μg/m3 DT29/DT30/DT31 (triplicate co-location site, Percy Street)
  • 50.5 μg/m3 DT12/Dt117/DT118 (8 Mosley Street)
  • 48.9 μg/m3 DT81 (Stephenson Road)
  • 46.6 μg/m3 DT65 (Blackett Street/Old Eldon Square)
  • 46.4 μg/m3 DT128 (Strawberry Place)
  • 46.3μg/m3 St Marys Place/John Dobson Street (DT5, DT115,DT116)
  • 45.1 μg/m3 DT102 (John Dobson Street)
  • 44.7 μg/m3 DT8 (Market Street)
  • 43.5 μg/m3 DT13 (Neville Street/Westgate Road)

In most cases readings were very similar to 2021.

In 2019 (pre-Covid), Blackett Street was the most polluted location in the city centre with a measurement of 71μg/m3. Also higher in 2019 were Central Station (69μg/m3), Haymarket (66μg/m3) and Grainger Street (65μg/m3).

Traffic camera picture of Blackett Street. Picture taken 22/9/2023.

Air pollution on Blackett Street in 2022, including from buses, was above the legal limit, measured at 47μg/m3.

PM2.5, very small particulate matter pollution, is also measured in the city centre at the Civic Centre. In 2022 the reading was 6.5μg/m3  (down from 7.1μg/m3 in 2021) which is less than the UK Legal limit 20μg/m3, but higher than WHO guidance that the annual average should be no more than 5μg/m3.

Central Motorway and Coast Road

The Council’s pollution plan analysis from 2019 was that air quality on The Coast Road would be compliant in 2021 and that no additional measures would be required. Clearly that hasn’t worked out as two locations were still above legal limits in 2022, one substantially so (almost 2.5 times the limits).

Map of Central Motorway and The Coast Road showing locations of air pollution readings.

City Centre AQMA and Coast Road NO2 in 2022

These are The Coast Road locations where air pollution exceeded the legal limit in 2022

  • 92.2 μg/m3, DT81 (Stephenson Road, entrance to Jesmond Park West)
  • 41.4μg/m3, DT84 (A1058 Coast Road, Wills Building)

This is the combined result of about 50,000 vehicles using this route every day in 2022.

Drivers and car passengers who use this route every day will continue to expose themselves to significant levels of pollution, especially as the concentration of pollution within vehicles is typically much higher than the air outside.

Gosforth

In 2022, all Gosforth High Street monitors recorded pollution levels within legal limits, again debunking irresponsible scaremongering claims of “significantly more toxic fumes” due to the High Street Covid scheme which was replaced in March 2023.

Map of Gosforth showing locations of air pollution readings.

Gosforth Air Quality Management Area (AQMA)

The four pollution measurements shown in Gosforth (all within UK legal limits) are:

  • 35.5μg/m3, DT50 (84 Station Road)
  • 33.8μg/m3, DT43 (53 High Street, Gosforth)
  • 27.3μg/m3, DT44 (102 – 104 High Street, Gosforth)
  • 36.4μg/m3, DT45 (201 Gosforth High St)

Unless traffic dramatically increases again on Gosforth High Street it is likely pollution readings will now remain within UK legal limits, although still much higher than WHO recommended levels.

The graph below shows that air pollution at the three High Street monitoring sites and average daily traffic measured just north of The Grove are clearly linked. Because of this, doing anything that increases vehicle capacity on Gosforth High Street would potentially be in violation of the Air Quality Regulations.

Graph showing air pollution recorded at three locations on Gosforth High Street and average daily traffic, showing the correlation between traffic levels and pollution.

Air pollution and average daily traffic on Gosforth High Street

Average daily traffic in 2023, up to the end of July, is still less than 16,000 vehicles a day so pollution in 2023 is likely to remain under the UK legal limit.

Air pollution at Haddricks Mill, 35.5μg/m3 in 2022, is broadly unchanged from previous years. 

Denton Burn

Other than Cowgate, all the readings west of the city were also within legal limits.

The A1 Scotswood to North Brunton road widening was completed 10 October 2022. The average measurements at Cowgate in November / December 2022 following completion were > 50μg/m3 so there is a risk that pollution levels will have increased here in 2023 due to induced demand from the additional capacity on the A1.

Map of Denton Burn, west of Newcastle, showing locations of air pollution readings.

Denton Burn air pollution readings

The Clean Air Zone

The Clean Air Zone (CAZ) came into force from January 2023, so it is possible that next year we might finally have some good news – eighteen years after UK Air Quality Limits should have been met in Newcastle!

This Government’s Air Quality Technical Guidance states that charging the most polluting vehicles is one of the most effective ways to reduce pollution, so the CAZ is likely to be effective to cut pollution in the city centre.

Cleaner buses, taxis, vans and HGVs will also benefit roads outside the city centre, but we don’t know whether that will be sufficient for air quality, for example on Central Motorway, Cowgate or The Coast Road.

The table below shows the split of traffic on The Coast Road, St James’ Boulevard, Tyne Bridge and Gosforth High Street in 2022. As it shows, Gosforth High Street has the highest proportion of buses, HGVs and heavy vans so is likely to gain the most. Coast Road traffic is only 7% buses, HGVs or heavy vans so may not benefit as much.

Location Cars* Heavy Vans Buses & HGVs
Coast Road 93% 6% 1%
St James’ Boulevard 91% 8% 1%
Tyne Bridge 93% 4% 2%
Gosforth High Street 88% 6% 6%

* “cars” includes taxis and light vans.

We hope the Council will be able to release air pollution monitoring data sooner in future, so that we can find out quickly what impact the CAZ has had.

SPACE for Gosforth has previously summarised official air pollution measurements for 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016.

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]]> Gosforth High Street – Safety Concerns https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/gosforth-high-street-safety-concerns/ Wed, 20 Sep 2023 06:27:30 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7242 Gosforth High Street is our most important local destination in Gosforth. We want the shops to be successful and, as we set out in our previous blog, an important part of that is enabling people to get to and move around Gosforth High Street safely. 

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]]>

Picture of the north end of Gosforth HIgh Street, with a sign 'new road layout ahead'.

Gosforth High Street is our most important local destination in Gosforth. We want the shops to be successful and, as we set out in our previous blog, an important part of that is enabling people to get to and move around Gosforth High Street safely. 

The trial design implemented by Newcastle City Council doesn’t even adhere to the most basic safety principle, namely to separate people walking and cycling from heavy, fast moving vehicles. Instead they expect people cycling along or across the High Street to share a lane with buses, or separated only by paint from heavy traffic.

If you want a better, safer, more ambitious, plan for Gosforth High Street, you need to respond to the Council’s consultation ASAP. Please also be clear you don’t want a return to the pre-Covid layout as that was no better!

Have your say on Gosforth High Street bus priority measures
consultation ends 21 September 2023

In this blog we look at safety concerns with the current layout and reveal the alternative safer option rejected by the Council, which we have obtained via a Freedom of Information request.

Issue 1. Forcing people and heavy vehicles to share road-space is not designing to the “highest safety standard for all road users”

In November 2022, Newcastle City Councillors voted for a new design for Gosforth High Street that met the “highest safety standard for all road users”.

If people were happy to cycle in heavy traffic we might see more people cycling on Gosforth High Street. Department for Transport surveys have consistently shown a majority of people (>60%) think it is too dangerous to cycle on the roads due to motor traffic.

In the central section of the High Street there is now a north-bound bus lane and a south-bound advisory lane for cycling.

People cycling are able to use bus lanes but they aren’t designed for that purpose. Department for Transport guidance states that bus lanes “do not provide an environment attractive to a wide range of people and should therefore not be regarded as inclusive. Some bus lanes also allow taxis and motorcycles to use them [as is the case on Gosforth High Street], which can signifcantly increase traffc fows, thereby acting as a deterrent to cycling while also increasing risk of confict.” Conflict, in this scenario, could include collisions and / or injuries, most likely to the person or people cycling.

The same guidance advises that advisory lanes are “not be suitable for all people and will excluded some potential users and/or have safety concerns” given the volume of traffic, and that “Advisory lanes are not recommended where they are likely to be blocked by parked vehicles.“

picture of a van parked in the Gosforth High Street bus lane

Van illegally parked blocking the Gosforth High Street bus lane

The presence of parked vehicles almost doubles the risk to people cycling. 

Designing only for confident and experienced cyclists, as the Council have done on Gosforth High Street, excludes most people who could cycle, especially older and younger people who would be most at risk in a collision. 

Photoshopped image of young children cycling on a road with lorries

Photoshopped picture from the Department for Alternative Transport Blog.

The Council’s proposal implies that people including children, families and older people who wish to cycle to or between shops on the main section of Gosforth High Street should either:

  1. cycle in a bus lane or painted cycle lane, without any physical separation or protection from heavy motor traffic; or
  2. be prevented from travelling in the way that they wish, counter to the Council’s commitment to inclusive design to be safe for all users as well as its policy of encouraging sustainable travel.

Providing an alternative route on Moor Road is useful for people travelling from north of Gosforth to the city centre. However, this is a diversion away from the High Street, which for many people will be their destination, and neither resolves safety issues on the High Street nor helps travel within or across the High Street.

Issue 2. Close Passes – by design

South of The County, existing painted cycle lanes have been retained. DfT guidelines stated that painted lanes on busy roads “exclude some potential users and/or have safety concerns.” Adding an extra traffic lane makes these even less usable.

Picture of a bus passing a cyclist on Gosforth High Street

Drivers should leave at least 1.5m when overtaking cyclists

Specifically, the new Highway Code requires drivers to leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists. This was just about possible with previous lane widths south of Elmfield Road, but is now much harder with an extra vehicle lane squeezed in – as the diagram below shows.

Streetmix.net mock up of High Street lane widths before and after,. Cycle lanes have been reduced to 1.5m

Drivers, including bus and taxi drivers, can be prosecuted for close passes within 1.5m. Northumbria Police operate a ‘dash cam submission’ website where people can submit video evidence. Even so, close passes are deeply uncomfortable and potentially dangerous for the person who has been ‘close passed’, and will most likely put off even some experienced cyclists from cycling along Gosforth High Street.

This safety risk could be partially mitigated by having cycle lane ‘defenders’ to physically separate people and vehicle traffic, but the current trial doesn’t include this and lanes would still be non-compliant with standards due to being too narrow.

Issue 3. High Street Crossings

Prior to the wands being installed residents complained regularly that vehicles either ignored or did not see the pedestrian traffic lights by the shopping centre. The picture below from Google StreetView (pre-Covid) shows why this happens.

This can be partially mitigated by moving the stop line back and away from the crossing, though won’t be fully resolved while there are multiple north-bound vehicle lanes.

picture of Gosforth High Street pre-Covid, with text: Crossing Risks: (a) Drivers don't see the red light as the nearside traffic light is blocked by a bus; (b) Drivers don't see people crossing as they are blocked by the bus.

To make it easier for people to move around Gosforth High Street, pedestrian crossings also need to be set to change quickly once the button has been pressed and allow plenty of time for people to cross.

Issue 4. Severance

The November 2022 Council motion stated the new design should “enable low-carbon options to enable people to travel to, along and across the High Street”. This is to prevent ‘community severance‘, the widely-studied effect where a busy road or other transport infrastructure splits adjacent built-up areas making it harder to travel between the two.

In the trial layout, anyone cycling from east to west or vice versa across Gosforth High Street has to share a lane with heavy traffic as most crossings are offset, and most people are not willing to cycle using offset crossings that require mixing with heavy traffic. Without safe cycle-crossings on Gosforth High Street east-west cycling journeys become much harder as there are only a few places where people can safely cross The Great North Road. If cycling is made harder then people are less likely to travel and/or may drive instead.

Map showing the lack of safe crossings of Gosforth High Street by bike.

Failure to Design to UK Standards

The November 2022 Council motion called for Gosforth High Street to be designed to be safe for all users and in accordance with LTN1/20 standards. LTN1/20 is the safety standard for cycling. 

A design in accordance with LTN1/20 would allow people to cycle to, through and across the High Street, stop outside shops and ride safely between shops e.g. if picking up a bottle of wine at Carruthers and Kent, then getting a takeaway from Gosforth Chippy or the New New Bengal. 

Infographic showing the benefits of designing to the LTN1/20 cycle safety standard

This would enable more people to travel to shop on Gosforth High Street without adding to existing high levels of pollution and congestion, and would make Gosforth High Street itself a more attractive destination by creating a gap between the pavement and heavy traffic. This would also allow some of the black bollards to be removed enabling the full width of the pavements to be used. 

We sent a briefing containing all these points to the Newcastle City Council Cabinet (who in November 2022 all voted for the highest possible safety standards!) on 19 February 2023, a month or so prior to the new layout being implemented..

The Alternative Plan

Newcastle City Council did produce an alternative plan that they didn’t use. This included the extended bus lane up to Hawthorn Road, but with protected cycle lanes through the main section of the High Street.

This wouldn’t have resolved all the issues listed above but would be a substantial improvement on what is there now, allowing both for reliable bus times and greater safety for all road users.

Newcastle City Council plan for Gosforth HIgh Street including protected cycle lanes through the central section

The consultation for the trial bus-priority measures runs until 21 September and you can share your thoughts on the Council’s CommonPlace website. 

Commenting on a new funding for a cycle route on Elswick Road in May, the Council said “We want everyone in Newcastle to be able to choose and benefit from active travel. This leads to better physical and mental health; stronger, connected communities and a better, more sustainable environment for future generations.” We just want the same for Gosforth High Street.

 

Extract from “Gosforth High Street’s future” – motion approved unanimously by City Council November 2022

Council welcomes proposals to replace the bollards on Gosforth High Street with a permanent scheme developed collaboratively with people in the local area to make Gosforth High Street more people-friendly and improve facilities for active travel and public transport.

…

Council resolves to ask Cabinet to ensure proposals for Gosforth High Street:

  • Support the development of Gosforth High Street as a thriving local destination with a diverse range of shops and services.
  • Are designed to the highest possible safety standards for both pedestrians and all road users, including LTN1/20* which was recently adopted as the standard by Cabinet.
  • Enable low-carbon transport options to enable people travel to, along and across the High Street, cut pollution and support the city’s ambition to achieve net zero by 2030.
  • Enhance the green infrastructure on Gosforth High Street, in line with the Council’s commitments on biodiversity and maximising nature-based ways to reduce air pollution.
  • Are delivered urgently to achieve these benefits as soon as possible, but not without meaningful engagement with local residents about the options and impacts of various schemes.

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]]> Gosforth High Street has been designed like a bypass rather than a shopping destination https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/gosforth-high-street-has-been-designed-like-a-bypass-rather-than-a-shopping-destination/ Sun, 10 Sep 2023 17:26:58 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7483 Gosforth High Street has been designed like a bypass rather than a shopping destination. If you want a better, more ambitious, plan for Gosforth High Street, you need to respond to the Council's consultation ASAP.

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Gosforth High Street has been designed like a bypass rather than a shopping destination.

Bus lanes designed to get buses through as fast as possible. Customers wanting to cycle to the shops forced by heavy traffic to go elsewhere. Dominated by traffic passing through without stopping and no real improvement to the pedestrian environment.

The new trial layout on Gosforth High Street has been in place for five months, with just a few weeks left for residents to comment, and pretty much it is working (or rather not working) exactly as we predicted.

It doesn’t create any extra space for pedestrians because bollards are still needed to separate people walking from traffic. It doesn’t work for the vast majority of people who could cycle because (unlike the bollards) paint doesn’t provide any separation from traffic. It doesn’t work for deliveries which inevitably end up blocking either the bus lane or a cycle lane, and it doesn’t work for buses because there’s little or no enforcement to stop people parking in the bus lane. 

If you want a better, more ambitious, plan for Gosforth High Street, you need to respond to the Council’s consultation ASAP. See below for our suggestions. Please also be clear you don’t want a return to the pre-Covid layout as that was no better!

A Better Alternative

SPACE for Gosforth wants a design for Gosforth High Street that prioritises its role as a shopping street and community hub: a street where all of the community feel welcome, a street that is safe, attractive and accessible, a street that prioritises movement to and between the shops rather than non-stopping passing traffic.

The table below describes how priorities for a shopping street / community hub would differ from what is currently being trialed.

Current Trial Design Priorities Priorities for a Shopping Street / Community Hub
  • Designed for vehicle through-put
  • Journey speed
  • Passing through
  • Functional
  • Cycling only for confident adults
  • Traffic distributor
  • Long distance vehicle travel for journeys passing through Gosforth without stopping
  • Pollution within legal limits
  • Designed to maximise customer experience
  • Customer dwell-time
  • Stopping & spending money at local shops
  • Attractive, welcoming and accessible
  • Cycling for all ages and abilities
  • Community destination
  • Local walking and cycling to and between shops and services
  • Pollution as low as possible

If you agree and want Gosforth High Street to be designed as a community hub / shopping destination please let Newcastle City Council know by 21 September. We have included some specific, practical suggestions for how to do this below.

Newcastle City Council’s consultation on Gosforth High Street ends 21 September 2023. You can make your views known here: https://gosforthhighstreet.commonplace.is/

Target market

We have mapped Newcastle’s District Shopping Centres showing that people who will use Gosforth High Street, rather than one of Newcastle’s other District Centres, will mostly live within about a mile and a half of Gosforth High Street – a 30 minute walk or a 10 minute bike ride (where there are safe low-traffic routes). 

District Centres are classified in the Council’s Local Plan as being a “focus for a wider range of convenience goods and services which serve a wide catchment area. They usually contain at least one supermarket / superstore, offer a range of non-retail services (for example, shops, banks, cafes, restaurants and public houses), have good public transport links, strong walk-in catchments and some contain local / community facilities, such as a library.” The Local Plan also designates local centres like Ashburton Road, Station Road and Acorn Road, which “contain a smaller range of shops and services which support the daily needs of a smaller catchment area.”

The purple dashed line in the diagram below shows the main catchment area for Gosforth High Street compared to other District Centres. That’s not to say people won’t travel from further away, but most likely the majority of customers will likely live in this area.

Overlaying travel times shows:

  • about a third of the people in this area (within the purple dashed line) could walk to Gosforth High Street in 15 minutes.
  • about two thirds could get to Gosforth High Street in 15 minutes by bus.
  • everyone in this area could get to Gosforth High Street in 15 minutes (most likely much less) by cycling.

If local streets were safe for people to cycle to the shops then that would enable many more customers to access the shops and services on Gosforth High Street with no additional noise or air pollution and no additional congestion. It would also free up parking spaces for those that need to drive, whether for health or any other reason.

Goods and Services

Gosforth High Street is unlikely ever to be able to compete with the internet or giant out of town stores on range, price or volume/bulky goods.

Gosforth High Street will have a competitive advantage when it comes to:

  • Convenience – if you need something quickly
  • Service – if you need in-person advice or support
  • Entertainment and experience – especially pubs, cafes and restaurants
  • Other in-person services like opticians or medical services
  • Perishable goods like fresh bread or flowers
  • “Top-up” shopping – if you need a few extra bits and pieces rather than a big shop
  • Having a mix of shops and services, including a mix of independent shops and national chains.
  • Unusual or specialist goods.

Local independents like Carruthers and Kent, Jump, Yumlush and Thorpes are successful (in our view) because they take advantage of multiple of these, especially service, convenience and experience, and together they are part of Gosforth High Street’s unique character that sets it apart from the city centre and other local district centres.

From a design perspective, it is important to note that none of these require a customer to own a car and, while you can buy a fridge (at Argos) or lawnmower (at Thorpes), stores selling larger goods will deliver if needed.

What does this mean in practice?

These are the main changes that would support Gosforth High Street to be a community hub and shopping destination, enabling as many customers as possible to access the High Street safely and without adding to existing congestion and pollution.

  1. Returning the central section of Gosforth High Street (about 500m) to a single minimum-width vehicle lane in each direction. Narrow lanes are both safer and mean more space for other uses.
  2. Retain the north-bound bus lane up to Elmfield Road. This will be sufficient to ensure consistent bus journey times.  In future look to using Regent Centre as an interchange for long-distance buses, as it was designed for.
  3. Install safe cycling facilities usable by all ages and abilities as committed to at the November 2022 City Council Meeting, both along and to the High Street.
  4. Declutter the pavement and trial removing the black bollards which take up over half a metre of pavement space on each side. 
  5. Reduce pedestrian crossing wait times, and ensure that there is time for people to cross. 
  6. Pedestrianise side street-ends so people walking along the High Street have priority over turning vehicles in line with the new Highway Code. 
  7. Reduce non-local traffic using streets either side of the High Street to make it safer and more pleasant for people to walk or cycle to Gosforth High Street.
  8. Look for opportunities to improve the pedestrian environment e.g. for street cafes, planting or benches, including at ends of side streets. 
  9. Extend the 20mph zone north past Gosforth Academy, west past Gosforth Junior Academy and south to the Little Moor.

If you support these changes you need to make your view known to the Council.

Newcastle City Council’s consultation on Gosforth High Street ends 21 September 2023. You can make your views known here: https://gosforthhighstreet.commonplace.is/

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