Thanks Katja, yes it all boils down to space and how much space we want to allocate. My personal preference is people. I’d like to see the pavements doubled in width along the High St and a separate cycle lane run running alongside where possible.
I’ve noticed a few comments on other social media sites complaining about the rise in electric mobility scooters and the “menace” they cause on pavements. Where best to for on older person or someone with disabilities to scoot around on? That’ll be a safe cycle lane!
Newcycling’s position statement sums up the issues and resolution to pavemnet cycling perfectly. Thanks.

Thanks AP appreciated,
Everyone I know who cycles uses the cycle lanes on GNR. But sadly in all forms of transport you get the inconsiderate few. Fortunately a minority but stay safe.
On your point about street mess, you can contact Envirocall at the Council on 0191 278 7878 to sort out. All the best

Thanks Richard.
Hazel and I will be writing a follow-up article – if there’s anything we’ve missed that you’d like to include please do email me petervmacdonald@gmail.com

There are generally three groups of people who cycle on the pavement; children, people scared of the roads, and the inconsiderate. There’s not a lot anyone can do about the latter.
But for the first two, all we need to implement is safe separated infrastructure to make cycling from A to B a pleasant safe experience for people. Hopefully the inconsiderate would follow too!

Pleasure Caroline. The reality is that if we can fix the High Street for the visually impaired everyone by default benefits! That’s why I believe it’s the starting point.

Hazel and I will be doing a follow-up article – if there’s anything you or your husband would like us to include, perhaps we missed something particularly annoying, do let me know. email: petervmacdonald@gmail.com

Thanks Liam.

Yes it’s been forwarded to the Heads of Transport/Roads/Pavements at NCC for comment.

Hazel and I will be writing a follow-up article shortly on what we’d like changing and we’ll include the response from NCC.

As Peter hints at, I think… clearly defined spaces are important, I daresay the solution. Question for the high street therefore must be: how much space do we want to relent to car driving and parking? A grating question with some – yet if we do not address the elephant in the room (eh, in the high street), it risks to remain as it is: hostile to walk and very uncomfortable to cycle.

Let’s agree to keep it as a bus route – and perhaps with separated cycling, and separated walking facilities along it.

newcycling.org, Newcastle’s cycling campaign, has a statement wrt pavement use, here it is http://newcycling.org/position-statement-pavement-cycling