Station Road – May 2022

Residents have reported high volumes of motor traffic and delays on Station Road, with this often being attributed to the effect of closing a number of minor roads to through traffic in 2020. In this blog we take another look at local traffic count data to see what is going on.

Closing local bridges – Recap

In May 2022, we looked at traffic levels on Station Road after local bridges were closed to through traffic. We found that traffic levels on Station Road did not increase after local bridges were closed to traffic, and in fact stayed at a similar level to 2018, as shown in the graph below.

Traffic Volumes on Station Road, measured 30m west of Bowsden Terrace – Data Extract May 2022

Traffic levels remained similar right up to March 2022, the latest month we had data for at the time, 19 months from when the bridges were closed in August 2020 and 12 months from when schools reopened (and traffic fully returned to normal) following Covid lockdowns in March 2021.

What happened then?

Now we have another year of data and we can see traffic levels on Station Road did increase after April 2022, by up to 10% in some months. This is shown on the red line (2022) and higher blue line (2023) in the graph below.

Traffic Volumes on Station Road, measured 30m west of Bowsden Terrace – Data Extract May 2023

In November 2022, traffic levels on Station Road were extremely high, averaging 18,525 vehicles per day over the month.

Why did traffic increase?

If the bridges were to have an effect it would most likely have been immediately after they were closed to traffic i.e. August/September 2020, and not at some random time over two years later, and they wouldn’t explain the unusually high traffic levels in November 2022.

One explanation could be overall growth in traffic, and consequently growth in traffic jams, aided by the Government’s fuel duty freeze. Since the start of the freeze in 2010 up to 2019, miles driven in Newcastle increased by nearly 7%, but again this would not explain the unusually high traffic levels in November 2022.

There was a local traffic ‘event’ in the autumn of 2022 – emergency roadworks for gas repairs on Jesmond Dene Road. These works lasted from May to December 2022, with the main works (and greatest disruption) between 24 October and 2 December.

A189 Jesmond Dene Road, reports of failed temp traffic signals at the junction of Moorfield for the works being carried out by @NGNgas #Newcastle pic.twitter.com/9roIBPVP0k

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) November 29, 2022

Between 4 – 14 November Jesmond Dene Road was closed to all traffic at the junction with Moorfield.

🚧Jesmond Dene Road (A189) will be closed to all traffic at the junction of Moorfield from midnight (4 Nov) for up to 10 days for emergency repairs by @NGNgas

✅ Access remains open for people on foot. Diversions will be in place. pic.twitter.com/rYaS5Wjp0K

— NewcastleCityCouncil (@NewcastleCC) November 4, 2022

We reported at the time that Google Live Traffic was showing heavy traffic on The Grove and, to a lesser extent, Ilford Road. The maps in the tweets below also show slow moving traffic on Station Road.

Google Live Traffic shows lots of driving on residential streets. We need low traffic neighbourhoods so that main road traffic stays on the main road network. pic.twitter.com/rWFzwKLdS8

— space for gosforth (@space4gosforth) November 7, 2022

Residents of The Grove also reported traffic was very busy, as well as higher noise levels and a collision as a result of the additional traffic.

Comment on Gosforth Traffic Facebook 11 November 2022

Traffic using The Grove as an alternative route would have been picked up by the Station Road traffic counter, explaining the increase in traffic levels between May and December. We can see from weekly traffic counts that the most traffic on Station Road was the week where Jesmond Dene Road was closed completely (7 November).

Displaced traffic

We also have traffic volumes for Haddricks Mill Road for the same period. The graph below shows that, from the start of roadworks in May 2022, there is a corresponding reduction in traffic levels on Haddricks Mill Road.

This may come as a surprise to residents of Haddricks Mill Road, for whom this whole period (apart from when the road was fully closed) was marked by continual traffic jams due to the road works.

This is to be expected though, as a temporary reduction in road capacity caused by temporary traffic lights will cause both traffic jams and a reduction in traffic volumes on the affected roads as some people take alternative routes.

Total gridlock (and CO2 galore) outside our homes EVERY morning in #SouthGosforth. I guess it makes a change from the dangerous speeding… @NewcastleCC any plans to address?? This isn’t sustainable. pic.twitter.com/iwiPrByUf6

— Ciara Small (@SmallWorldNE) May 24, 2022

This contrasts with permanent or longer-term road capacity reductions where it has been found that “significant reductions in overall traffic levels can occur, with people making a far wider range of behavioural responses than has traditionally been assumed“. This is why traffic changes are often trialled over a 6-18 month period, and why other long-term local road closures have shown no increase in traffic volumes on parallel roads.

Following completion of the road works, traffic counts also show that Haddricks Mill Road traffic levels didn’t immediately return to where they were, taking until March 2022 to return to previous levels.

Conclusion

• Traffic levels did increase on Station Road in 2022, up to about 10%, with a corresponding decrease on Haddricks Mill Road. The most likely reason for this was the road works on Jesmond Dene Road.
• Some of the traffic that would have used Haddricks Mill Road rerouted to use Station Road via The Grove. Roads east of Stoneyhurst Bridge remained largely traffic-free.
• This contrasts starkly with previous local road closures. No additional traffic was recorded on parallel routes following Stoneyhurst Road, Castle Farm Road or Killingworth Road closures. This may be because the roadworks on Jesmond Dene Road were announced with very short notice, and were only for a short period, so people weren’t able to or didn’t feel the need to adjust.
• Traffic using The Grove instead of Jesmond Dene Road will have created additional delay for people travelling by car/bus from Gosforth High Street to Haddricks Mill.
• Where there is short-term disruption, traffic will divert via whatever routes are available. While these routes are open to through-traffic, neither residents nor people wishing to walk or cycle away from heavy traffic can rely on them remaining low-traffic routes.
• Traffic levels on Station Road and Haddricks Mill Road appear to be returning to closer to historical (still very busy) levels since March 2023, however while motoring is relatively cheap compared to public transport and there is a lack of safe cycling routes, traffic levels are likely to continue to rise. Higher levels of traffic contribute to increased pollution, carbon emissions and danger for other road users, much more than localised congestion.

Reference – Other Traffic Reports

• Temporary traffic lights due to gas main work and roadworks on A189 Jesmond Dene Road at Moorfield – May 2022.
• Temporary traffic lights due to gas main work on A189 Matthew Bank at Jesmond Dene Road – September 2022
• Temporary traffic lights due to gas main work on A189 Jesmond Dene Road at Moorfield –  December 2022

The post Station Road traffic went up – what happened? appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

Elections for Newcastle City Council are due to be held on 4 May 2023. This blog looks at what has happened since the local elections in 2022, and what local candidates and political parties are offering now.

It is important to distinguish between elections and consultations. Elections decide the party that will lead the Council and the policies they will implement. Consultations are to engage with residents on how (rather than if) those policies will be implemented.

We have looked at local election manifestos again as these are where the parties set out what they want to achieve and how they will prioritise resources to achieve it.  Litter picks and reporting potholes are fine but don’t really distinguish between candidates, and obviously you don’t need to be elected a Councillor to do these things.

While SPACE for Gosforth is focused on transport and the environment, manifestos can cover the full range of Council services including social care, schools, waste, planning and public health. We have included links below where we have them, so you can find what parties are proposing in these other areas.

Labour’s 2022 Manifesto commitments

The Labour Party, with 58 of 70 Councillors, currently run Newcastle City Council. In 2022, the Labour Party manifesto committed to:

• Working with schools, parents and local communities to make walking and cycling to school safer for parents and children through safer streets and junctions as well as through awareness of air pollution.
• Working with partners to deliver the carbon zero action plan. This includes (action T10) development of a “City-wide Low Carbon Transport Vision”
• Reviewing the plans for the City Centre and Old Eldon Square.
• Introducing more Play Streets / Low Traffic Neighbourhoods / School Street pilots.

To deliver on these commitments Labour have:

• Trialled School Streets at Hotspur, Grange,  Chillingham Road and Ravenswood schools.
• Implemented trial low traffic neighbourhoods in Heaton, Jesmond east of Osborne Road and Five Admirals estate in Gosforth, and are consulting on proposals for West Fenham.
• Applied for new traffic enforcement powers to improve safety at the Christon Road / Gosforth High Street junction.
• Consulted on a permanent cycle route on Queen Victoria Road, next to the RVI and Newcastle University.
• Completed the Heaton Road cycle lane.
• Started work on the new Grey Street layout to widen the pavement and create space for pavement cafes.
• Received £3m funding for the West Road to address traffic safety issues.
• Produced a report, presented at October Cabinet, titled ‘Reframing Transport’ to ‘agree the basis of future interventions on our city’s highways network in neighbourhoods, on main corridors, and in the city centre – while also adopting higher standards for street design in future developments.’
• Held a Youth Climate Summit, the outcomes of which included asks from the youth participants to “reduce car travel by building more cycle lanes”, creating a ‘Green Zone’ in the city centre widening “bike routes and lanes within this zone and introduce more electric charging points” and “a review of Newcastle Airport’s masterplan in line with the city’s climate Net Zero targets.” The Council has yet to respond to these requests.

🚴🏻 We’re delighted to host National Active Travel Commissioner, Chris Boardman in Newcastle today. He popped down to see our School Street at Hotspur Primary, as well as learn about our plans to improve walking and cycling across the city, to create safer neighbourhoods. pic.twitter.com/ABQcp1YUlc

— NewcastleCityCouncil (@NewcastleCC) September 30, 2022

In addition, they have:

• Implemented the long-delayed City Centre Clean Air Zone, though delayed (again) from July 2022 to  30 January 2023. [air quality limits should have been met by 2010]
• Extended the Neuron e-Scooter hire scheme until May 2024.
• Installed new more robust cycle lane ‘defenders’ between Salters Road and Regent Centre.

Less positively, Labour introduced a new layout on Gosforth High Street removing protected space for walking and cycling and reducing the width of existing cycle lanes south of Elmfield Road, despite being advised by officers that this layout does not meet the LTN1/20 traffic safety standard the Council committed to both in the October ‘Reframing Transport’ report and at November full Council. We wrote about the new Gosforth High Street layout here.

Proposals to remove traffic from Blackett Street made by the Labour administration but before Cllr Kemp became Leader of the Council were also abandoned. This is the second time Labour have abandoned a city centre scheme designed to cut pollution, improve the environment and improve safety for people cycling. The other time was Percy Street in 2019. This severely inhibits people’s ability to cycle to and across the city centre.

Play Streets have not been progressed either and the Council website currently says applications for play streets are paused. Nor has the Council (to our knowledge) implemented any safer streets or junctions for children walking or cycling to school, other that School Streets in the immediate vicinity of the four schools where this has been trialled.

Labour’s 2023 local election manifesto includes:

• Making streets and neighbourhoods cleaner and greener.
• Help people stay healthy and active by investing in leisure, sport and getting out and about, with a new plan for walking and cycling.
• Supporting safe, active travel by improving walking/wheeling and cycling routes.
• Working with partners, Nexus and bus companies we will work to improve public transport, reducing traffic idling by raising awareness of the health impact and increasing enforcement
• Working to become a UNICEF Child friendly city.

The Council website also states that the next phase of Gosforth High Street will look at improvements for walking and cycling.

In Parklands ward, the Labour candidate says he supports more schemes like Salters Bridge and believes “we must act quickly to reduce CO2 levels in our city”.

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats are the official opposition in Newcastle with 21 of 78 Councillors.

In the last year they proposed, and gained cross-party support for, a full Council motion on Gosforth High Street asking Council Cabinet (made up of Labour Councillors) 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 all road users, including LTN1/20.
• 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.
• 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.

Labour Councillors, including the Council Cabinet, also supported this motion. Following the Council meeting officers drew up two options for Gosforth High Street, one of which complied with LTN1/20 as written in the motion. The Labour Council Cabinet chose the other option.

Linked to this, Lib Dem Councillors launched two petitions.

1. Save our Shops – to improve the shopping experience and “enhance Gosforth High Street as a healthy, green and thriving district shopping centre”.
2. Save our Streets – Safer, Greener, Cleaner Neighbourhoods “to counteract measures on Gosforth High Street” including “safe walking routes; cycle network; low traffic neighbourhoods; reduced emissions; clear traffic signage and diversions.”

Gosforth Ward Councillors also commissioned the new planters on Gosforth High Street at the junction with Woodbine Road and next to the St Nicholas Avenue traffic lights.

Newcastle Liberal Democrats have published their City Council Election May 2023 – Manifesto. This includes:

• Supporting “more walking, cycling and public transport to change people’s travel habits.” Reinvigorating “strategic network planning, funded by a workplace parking levy, to make it easier for people to make greener choices.”
• Creating a “holistic plan for joined up a public transport system that is fast, reliable and cheap; that makes low emissions possible for everyone, whether this is through low emission buses, better park and ride and cycle schemes, or safe and secure walking routes.”

More recently Newcastle Lib Dems have tweeted their support for school streets and all age and ability cycle lanes.

We’re supportive of the school streets initiative, and want to see quicker roll out: there’s clearly demand for it. Our call to move to reinvigorated strategic transport network planning would include all destinations, not just home-to-office.

— Newcastle Lib Dems 🔶 (@NewcastleLibDem) May 1, 2023

Conservatives

Newcastle Conservatives continue to campaign against Conservative Government policies to introduce Clean Air Zones and safer local streets, albeit that the Conservative Government only agreed to tackle illegal levels of pollution after being instructed to by the High Court following years of inaction.

Meanwhile the Conservative candidate for Gosforth Ward ran a petition, claiming that the orange wands on Gosforth High Street had slowed journey times and contributed to air pollution, neither of which turned out to be true. According to Council measurements, the “Covid” layout made minimal difference to journey times for motor vehicles and air pollution improved compared to previous years.

In March, the Conservative government announced a significant cut in funding for walking and cycling, all while continuing to pump billions of pounds into low-value high-emission road schemes. As a recent Sustrans petition pointed out, only 8p of every £100 spent on transport in England (0.08%) currently goes towards active travel infrastructure.

NEW: Significant cuts announced for walking and cycling

£710m was approved for active travel in the 2021 Spending Review.

£230m has been spent so far. Today’s announcement of £100m for the remaining two years, means a cut of £380m. https://t.co/Wf3bO2kkWC

— APPG for Cycling & Walking (@APPGCW) March 9, 2023

In previous years Newcastle Conservatives have not produced a manifesto or policy document for local elections. We have asked if they will produce a local election manifesto for 2023, and will share a link here if/when they confirm.

Conservative Party Chair Oliver Dowden MP did try cycling in Gosforth when he visited for the previous local elections, though only on a quiet side road and not on Gosforth High Street where safe space for cycling is desperately needed.

Then Conservative Party Chairman Oliver Dowden on a bike in Gosforth.

Link to video

Green Party

Newcastle Green Party has updated its Greenprint for Newcastle for the 2023 elections. This includes proposals to:

• Improve school transport (e.g. using walking school buses and widespread school streets).
• Free space for pop-up parks, and areas for children to play safely outside.
• Segregated, protected cycling infrastructure that is suitable for all ages.
• The introduction of workplace parking levies.
• Shifting the transport of goods to more sustainable methods, including the use of cargo bikes.
• Invest in more, safe cycle storage across the city.
• Create Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) and School Streets to encourage more parents and children to walk and cycle to and from school.
• Ensure that there are safe cycle routes both between popular student areas (Jesmond, Heaton, Sandyford and Arthur’s Hill) and from these student areas to the universities.

No other parties or independents have put candidates forward for election in the four Gosforth Council wards.

The post Local Elections 2023 appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

Six months ago, Newcastle City Council changed the road layout on five bridges so that they could only be used by people walking, in wheelchairs, or on bikes/scooters. The Council’s aim in doing so was to achieve safer residential streets by reducing motor vehicles speeding and to remove ‘through traffic’ from residential areas.

To close these bridges to motor vehicles the Council used an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), with the first six months of the order being a public consultation period. This allowed the Council to implement the changes quickly as required by Government to ensure (in the Government’s words) “transport networks support recovery from the COVID-19 emergency and provide a lasting legacy of greener, safer transport”.

According to Commonplace, there have been approximately 10,000 comments made on the Council’s consultation website, which is a sizeable response and shows much greater public engagement than previous more traditional ‘in advance’ consultations.

This blog sets out SPACE for Gosforth’s response to the bridges’ consultation focused mainly on policy, evidence and best practice. In summary, there is strong evidential support for the changes and, in our view, no local evidence to suggest that benefits won’t be achieved.

Those benefits include:

• Generally creating more pleasant local places for people to live e.g. from less traffic noise
• Improving road safety, including for children on the school run
• Making it easier to walk and cycle, increasing people’s choices for how to travel
• Improving health from more walking and cycling
• Helping people on lower incomes because walking/cycling are cheaper than driving or the bus, including people travelling through the area & across Jesmond Dene to local employment sites.
• Reducing emissions to address the Climate Emergency with minimal cost or impact on lifestyles compared to e.g. road pricing, carbon taxes or forcing people to buy expensive new electric vehicles.
• Incredible value for money given how effective they are, how cheap they are to implement and the range of policy areas supported.

These support the Council’s longer term vision of a “safer, cleaner, greener Newcastle”.

Clearly many people still have concerns about the plans. We have looked at some of these in our previous blogs Enabling Safe Walking and Cycling via Local Bridges and Stoneyhurst Bridge – Review of Concerns.

There is good news that predictions of traffic chaos haven’t happened and traffic levels on surrounding roads remain lower than usual for the time of year, and there’s no reason to believe that traffic levels will increase substantially because they didn’t when Killingworth Road and Salters Bridge were both closed for road works.

Further information on the changes can be found on the Council’s Frequently Asked Questions web page.

SPACE for Gosforth response – Prohibition of driving of motor vehicles on local bridges

Dear sir/madam,

Re: Prohibition of driving of motor vehicles on local bridges

We are writing to SUPPORT the continued prohibition of driving of motor vehicles and associated changes made in the following orders, and to support these orders being made permanent.

We also wish to thank the Council for implementing the changes using an experimental order, to allow residents to experience the changes prior to them being implemented permanently. This has clearly led to much greater engagement and discussion of the pros and cons than would have been possible had the Council used a standard three-week online consultation. The consultation for the Broadway to Brunton Cycle lane, by comparison, only received 78 comments in total.

Our reasons for supporting the permanent prohibition of motor traffic on local bridges

1. Improved Safety

The Council has a legal obligation under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of pedestrian and cycling traffic.

These bridges and roads connecting to them frequently felt unsafe due to high volumes of traffic. Speeding counts, where we have them, also show that a majority of drivers using these routes do not drive within the 20mph speed limits set for these roads and nearby streets. As a result people choose either not to walk or cycle, or have to take long inconvenient detours to find an alternative way of reaching their destination. This is particularly true of Salters Bridge and Castle Farm Road, neither of which have adequate pavements.

The first of five principles in the world-leading Sustainable Safety approach is that roads should have a defined functionality e.g. for carrying traffic or alternatively for access to homes or destinations, and that street layouts should be designed accordingly. For minor residential streets this means restricting traffic only to vehicles being used to access those streets. It is also a pro-active approach, so changes should be made before crashes occur, rather than only reacting to past collisions and injuries.

https://sustainablesafety.nl

Council policy DM13 – Road Hierarchy confirms that all five bridges are on minor roads, and are for access only and not for the movement of vehicle traffic.

Council vehicle count and speed data confirms that there have been speeding issues on local streets connecting to these bridges as well as inappropriately high volumes of traffic.

For example, only 15% of drivers adhered to the speed limit on Ilford Road when measured in 2014.

It has also been established that injury rates per vehicle mile travelled are generally higher on minor roads. “For killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties the rate per billion motor vehicle miles is 17% higher on minor roads (47 against 40 KSIs per billion vehicle miles), while for slight injuries it is 66% higher (188 against 123 slight injuries per billion vehicle miles).”

https://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/10.1680/jmuen.16.00068

Evidence from the London Borough of Waltham Forest where low traffic neighbourhoods were implemented in 2015-2016 likewise found that “walking, cycling, and driving all became approximately 3-4 times safer per trip. There was no evidence that injury numbers changed on boundary roads.”

https://findingspress.org/article/18330-the-impact-of-introducing-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-on-road-traffic-injuries

In winter, ensuring vehicle traffic uses main roads that are on the Council’s gritting network, rather than cutting through untreated minor roads, also supports improved road safety. We understand residents’ concerns about Dene Crescent near Stoneyhurst Road bridge even though it is part of the Council’s gritting network. Hopefully the experience of the recent cold snap has reassured people that the Council’s gritting approach is effective. Certainly reports we have seen, and from our own regular walks in the area, suggest that Dene Crescent has been usable safely by motor vehicles.

The approach to prohibit vehicle traffic at these local bridges is therefore both consistent with best practice for road safety and with Council Policy that implements that best practice.

2. Better Health and Physical Activity

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on Physical activity and the environment NG90 paragraph 1.2.5 states “Ensure pedestrians, cyclists and users of other modes of transport that involve physical activity are given the highest priority when developing or maintaining streets and roads. (This includes people with limited mobility.)” One way it recommends for achieving this is to “Restrict motor vehicle access (for example, by closing or narrowing roads to reduce capacity).”

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG90

The Council has confirmed there have been no issues with Emergency Services response times. This is consistent with what has been found elsewhere in the UK. A survey of Ambulance Trusts in areas where low-traffic neighbourhoods, popup cycle lanes, widened pavements and other walking and cycling schemes were introduced in response to the Covid-19 also found these have “have not hindered ambulance response times”.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/13/covid-bike-and-walking-schemes-do-not-delay-ambulances-trusts-say

The approach to prohibit vehicle traffic at these local bridges is therefore consistent with NICE Guidance NG90 to increase physical activity and improve health.

3. Improved local air quality

A review of air quality measures by Public Health England showed that “driving restrictions produced the largest scale and most consistent reductions in air pollution levels, with the most robust studies.”

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-outdoor-air-quality-and-health-review-of-interventions

The approach to prohibit vehicle traffic at these local bridges is therefore consistent with best practice guidance for improving air quality.

We also wish to note that opening additional routes, for example by ending the prohibition of vehicle traffic on these local bridges, is not recommended in any best practice guidance or evidence for what is effective to improve air quality. Based on measurements we have seen we don’t believe there is increased pollution on any local main roads as a result of these orders but even if there was, re-allowing vehicle traffic on these local bridges would not be an appropriate or effective response to that pollution.

4. Increasing Walking

Research on London “mini-Holland” schemes, which make extensive use of vehicle prohibitions, estimated an average increase in walking of 32 minutes per week compared to people living in comparable areas with no mini-Holland.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2018/jun/26/mini-holland-schemes-have-proved-their-worth-in-outer-london-boroughs

While it is not certain that the limited vehicle prohibitions at local bridges will have such a strong effect, they are certainly consistent with measures that have been shown to increase walking levels and are unlikely to have any negative effects.

5. Enabling more people to cycle

Pre-lockdown traffic levels and speeds on both Hollywood Avenue and Castle Farm Road were high enough, according to Government Local Traffic Note 1/20, to exclude most people who might otherwise be willing to cycle. Even if they were technically open for cycling, in practice they were not.

Pre-lockdown traffic levels and speeds on Ilford Road, and possibly also Stoneyhurst Road itself, were by the same measure sufficient to exclude some or most people who might otherwise be willing to cycle.

In practice, although these roads were technically ‘open’ for all traffic including people to cycle many would choose not to, or would be forced into long inconvenient diversions to find an alternative safer way of reaching their destination.

The National Travel Attitude Study Wave 3, 2020, reported that nationally “66% either agree strongly or agree somewhat with the notion that cycling on roads is too dangerous“, with the figure being 72% for 65-74 year olds and 75% for over 74 year olds. Reducing traffic levels on roads near the bridges is a cheap and easy way to make roads safer so more people, especially older people, feel comfortable to cycle.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-travel-attitudes-study-wave-3

The Tyneside Bike Life survey found that “25% of all Tyneside residents do not cycle but would like to start. Yet only 33% of residents feel that cycling safety is good.“ while 86% said that it was important to improve routes and facilities for safe cycling.

https://www.sustrans.org.uk/bike-life/bike-life-tyneside

In Local Traffic Note (LTN) 1/20 section 7.3.1 it says “Encouraging through traffic to use main roads can provide benefits for pedestrians and residents, particularly children and vulnerable adults, as well as enabling cycling. This can be achieved through implementing measures such as turning bans and one way streets, and by mode filtering”

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-infrastructure-design-ltn-120

The Newcastle City Council motion on cycling from September 2019, supported by Councillors in Dene and South Gosforth and Parklands wards, stated:

• Cycle and walking routes should be abundantly available especially within a 3-mile radius of the city centre or major transport interchanges.
• Cycle routes should wherever possible not share space with any road that experiences more than light traffic so that people feel safe on their bikes.

https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/documents/s150085/Minutes%2004092019%20City%20Council.pdf

The approach to prohibit vehicle traffic at these local bridges is therefore consistent both with Government guidance on how to remove barriers to cycling and with Council policy to enable cycling for local journeys and with the specific City Council motion on cycling.

To achieve high levels of cycling for local journeys the Council will need to continue to invest to create a good quality network of safe routes that can be used by all ages and abilities, not just by current cyclists who are willing to cycle on roads with heavy traffic. These orders are a step towards that aim.

6. Safer, healthier school travel

On 2 October 2020 the Council released a news story urging families to use alternatives to the car on the school run, saying that “Nationally, around half of all journeys to school for primary children are made by car, creating pollution and high traffic levels around schools. The council would like to see more people walking or cycling to school as part of their plans to reduce traffic in local neighbourhoods, making it clear that neighbourhood streets should prioritise people, not vehicles.”

https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/citylife-news/people-urged-ditch-car-walk-school-week-5-9-october

Asking people nicely hasn’t worked though. If the Council wants parents to walk or cycle with their children to school, the Council needs to provide safe routes to allow them to do so.

Research from Newcastle City Council over 10 years ago in 2009 showed just how many school pupils, especially those of Primary School age, wanted to cycle to school compared to those that actually did.

See Big Pedal 2016 – Final results for Gosforth

According to the Department for Transport, school traffic makes up one in four vehicles on the road at peak times, adding significantly to pollution and congestion.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/21/clean-air-campaigners-call-for-school-run-ban-cut-pollution

We also know that walking or cycling to school helps children concentrate better while at school.

http://sciencenordic.com/children-who-walk-school-concentrate-better

Salters Bridge, Stoneyhurst Road Bridge and Castle Farm Road are all useful active travel routes connecting to South Gosforth First School, Gosforth East Middle School, Gosforth Academy and St Mary’s High School.

Commonplace comments for Stoneyhurst Road Bridge note that parents have started to “park and stride” rather than drive all the way to the school gate.

We have previously summarised research showing parents would not be happy cycling with children on busy residential streets, which would include the roads connecting to these bridges, but would be willing to cycle on streets with no through traffic.

See: Lots of children want to cycle to school, but hardly any do. How do we make space for child cycling in Gosforth?

The approach to prohibit vehicle traffic at these local bridges is therefore consistent with Council policy and with research demonstrating that filtered streets are suitable for children to cycle and that children will benefit from an active travel journey to school.

By giving children greater choice in how to travel and enabling more independent travel his will also support Newcastle in its aim to become a UNICEF ‘Child Friendly City’.

7. Improving access to employment and the local economy

The Department of Transport report “The Value of Cycling” states that “Cycling facilities can overcome difficulties in accessing employment opportunities” as well as reducing staff turnover and absenteeism, and boosting productivity.

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

Salters Bridge, Stoneyhurst Road Bridge and Castle Farm Road are all useful active travel routes to major employment centres including The Freeman Hospital, the Ministry, the Regent Centre and Gosforth High Street. The Council’s Medium-Term Plan for 2021-22 and 2022-23 includes investing in transport as a way of supporting increases in employment including:

• developing local cycling and walking plans.
• developing Newcastle Streets for People and 15-minute neighbourhoods.

https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Build%20Forward%20Better%20-%20our%20medium-term%20plan%20for%202021-22%20and%202022-23.pdf

It has also been estimated that cycling more often rather than driving is the equivalent of an 8% pay increase, money that could be spent in the local economy.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/cycling-cost-saving-is-equivalent-of-an-8-per-cent-pay-rise-1-4430374

The approach to prohibit vehicle traffic at these local bridges is therefore consistent with Council Policy to support employment and the local economy.

8. Improving accessibility

Research by Sustrans found that ” An estimated 84% of disabled people living in the UK’s biggest cities never cycle for local journeys, yet one third (33%) say they would like to start cycling” and includes the recommendation “Reduce the volume and speed of vehicles on local streets, and create streets where people walking and cycling have priority, and cars are guests. ”

https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/news/2019/june/one-third-of-disabled-people-in-uk-cities-would-like-to-start-cycling/

In the Tyneside Bike Life survey 2019, 68% of disabled people thought cycle safety needed to be improved and that only 8% of people who are disabled cycled once a week compared to 17% of people who are not disabled.

https://www.sustrans.org.uk/bike-life/bike-life-tyneside

The approach to prohibit vehicle traffic at these local bridges can therefore support accessible and inclusive streets, along with further initiatives for example dropped kerbs, removing obstacles, widening pavements for wheelchair access, raising sections of roadway to make crossing easier, and ensuring on-street cycling facilities cater for the range of cycles used by disabled people.

Prior to these orders being put in place, the narrow pavement at Salters Bridge and complete lack of pavement on Castle Farm Road meant these routes were almost completely inaccessible for anyone with mobility issues unless using a vehicle, putting disabled people wanting to use these routes at a substantial disadvantage compared to people who are not disabled.

9. Reducing carbon emissions

Along with other local authorities in the NE of England, the Council has committed to make Newcastle upon Tyne carbon neutral by 2030. This was proposed in April 2019 by one of our local Dene and South Gosforth Councillors, the Council ward covering Stoneyhurst Road Bridge and Castle Farm Road, and was supported by Councillors in Dene and South Gosforth and Parklands wards.

https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/documents/s143777/April%20Council%20minutes.pdf

The Net Zero Newcastle – 2030 Action Plan says (p63) “Low Traffic Neighbourhoods implement the principle of ensuring vehicular traffic does not take precedence in residential areas. While people should be able to drive to residential neighbourhoods (if needed), they should not have the right to drive through. In line with the Carbon Management Hierarchy approach, through traffic should use the established road hierarchy”

https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/our-city/climate-change-newcastle/net-zero-newcastle-2030-action-plan

We know that when both Killingworth Road and Salters Bridge were closed to traffic due to recent road works there was an area-wide reduction in traffic levels and little or no increase on surrounding roads, strongly suggesting a reduction in the total number of vehicle miles driven.

The phenomenon of ‘Disappearing Traffic’ has been observed over and over around the world, including here in Newcastle when Killingworth Road was closed. It is well understood that reducing available capacity for vehicle travel reduces the number of vehicle journeys as people find other ways of doing what they need, which might include car sharing, using public transport, walking or cycling.

See: Roadworks, Air Quality and Disappearing Traffic

It has also been shown that vehicle miles driven are correlated to carbon emissions, but congestion levels are not. To reduce carbon emissions it therefore makes more sense to focus on reducing miles driven that aiming to reduce congestion.

https://usa.streetsblog.org/2017/07/06/urban-myth-busting-congestion-idling-and-carbon-emissions/

The approach to prohibit vehicle traffic at these local bridges is therefore consistent with Council Policy both to become carbon neutral and to use Low Traffic Neighbourhood principles to achieve that, as well as being supported by strong scientific evidence. The use of Experimental Orders has also allowed action to be taken quickly, which is particularly important in light of the Council’s net zero targets and the Climate Emergency.

10. Enabling east-west walking and cycling across the Ouseburn and Metro

We have previously highlighted the lack of routes to cross the Ouseburn / Jesmond Dene if walking or cycling. We produced the map below prior to these orders being published.

These orders go a long way to addressing these concerns by providing traffic free routes across the Ouseburn at Salters Bridge and Castle Farm Road and reducing traffic on connecting streets. While gradient and lighting could potentially still be issues, a reduction in traffic reduces makes these routes far more usable and reduces the risks due to both.

Haddricks Mill – Alternative Routes before orders were implemented

Much the same is true of crossing the Metro line, where the main alternatives to Stoneyhurst Road are Station Road and Jesmond Dene Road, both main roads with heavy traffic that would put off most people from cycling. Consideration could also be given to prohibiting vehicle traffic on Moorfield Road bridge as part of a wider low traffic neighbourhood covering High West Jesmond and Ilford Road Metro.

11. Reducing Crime

Research looking at the London Borough of Waltham Forest showed that “The introduction of a low traffic neighbourhood was associated with a 10% decrease in total street crime (95% confidence interval 7% to 13%), and this effect increased with a longer duration since implementation (18% decrease after 3 years).”

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348468915_The_Impact_of_Introducing_a_Low_Traffic_Neighbourhood_on_Street_Crime_in_Waltham_Forest_London

Northumbria Police has said “We have often called for environmental changes to address speeding and the closure of Salters Bridge will have a significant impact on speeding. It’s a far more effective way of addressing speed than relying on a camera van to be deployed.”

We have often called for environmental changes to address speeding and the closure of Salters Bridge will have a significant impact on speeding. It's a far more effective way of addressing speed than relying on a camera van to be deployed.

— Northumbria Police (@northumbriapol) August 13, 2020

This is likely to be true for other local bridges as well, including Ilford Road as a result of the order relating to Stoneyhurst Road bridge.

The approach to prohibit vehicle traffic at these local bridges is therefore consistent with objectives to reduce crime levels.

12. Impact on surrounding main roads

When the orders were first put in place some predicted ‘traffic chaos’ and ‘increased pollution’ as a result of these changes, but this has not happened and traffic is certainly no worse than it has been in previous years.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/stoneyhurst-bridge-closure-traffic-gosforth-18681528

Traffic and Accident Data Unit (TADU) monitoring of vehicle traffic on Station Road, Gosforth High Street and Sandy Lane all show vehicle volumes did not exceed those in previous years even when lockdown was mostly lifted in September and October 2020. Haddricks Mill Road was slightly higher but that was more likely as a result of previous years being low due to Killingworth Road works rather than any additional traffic.

Traffic counts on Station Road shown in the graph below, show that by the time the orders were implemented on 13 August traffic levels had already returned to close to normal, and that implementing the orders made no substantial difference to the trend, which levelled off a few weeks later and stayed broadly flat after that.

Average daily traffic count 2017 – 2020, measured on Station Road, Gosforth

When Salters Road and Killingworth Road were both closed together pre-pandemic, traffic levels on Church Road were not significantly different, and Great North Road traffic levels were unchanged.

In September, when traffic was at its highest, air pollution at nearby sensors on Gosforth High Street were lower than normal.

Even if surrounding main roads were more congested and/or polluted than normal (which they weren’t) diverting traffic onto parallel minor roads would not be an appropriate response, and it is also very unlikely that it would be effective.

13. Value for Money

Interventions to support and enable more active travel are generally less costly than changes to roads to support or improve vehicle travel. Witness for example the hundreds of millions of pounds of public money being spent on the Western Bypass to add additional vehicle capacity, even though both local and national policy suggests that we should all drive fewer journeys in future.

The type of change proposed in these orders is almost certainly one of the cheapest, quickest and most effective way of enabling more people to walk and cycle more often and meet other policy objectives including addressing public health targets and the Climate Emergency.

They are also effective at improving road safety over a wide area, not just by the bridges.

• Castle Farm Road Bridge has reduced traffic and improved road safety right along the full length of Castle Farm Road.
• Salters Bridge has reduced traffic and improved road safety along the full length of Hollywood Avenue.
• Stoneyhurst Road Bridge has reduced traffic and improved road safety on Stoneyhurst Road and on Ilford Road / Rectory Drive.

Using experimental orders also means benefits can be achieved even more quickly at very low cost using temporary materials. This is especially important for issues such as the Climate Emergency that require urgent action to meet Council, national and global targets.

14. Public acceptance

Changes to street layouts almost always prove to be controversial initially, and longer-term tend to become more supported as people start to feel the benefits and realise that predictions of traffic chaos are unfounded, or at the very least have been substantially overstated.

This substantially explains the results from the local Councillor baseline survey, which was started a full month prior to the closures on 15 July 2020.

https://www.facebook.com/dsgward/posts/4094735390567874

We also note that the Commonplace website allows comments from any geographical location, so some of the comments are likely to be from people outside of the local area who use these bridges as short cuts as part of a longer journey to avoid busy main road routes.

When we surveyed Gosforth residents in 2018 we found 88% of residents supported safe walking and cycling routes to school and 85% supported reducing through traffic on residential streets.

This is consistent with more recent YouGov polling, which found that where people had opinions on LTNs, positive views were more than three times more prevalent than negative ones.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2020/oct/22/despite-a-loud-opposing-minority-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-are-increasingly-popular

There are many existing examples of local roads where motor vehicles are prohibited to prevent those roads being used for through traffic. All of these would have caused some vehicle journeys to be longer, and will have prevented main road traffic from using these streets as a short cut rather than sticking to main roads. None of these are controversial and no one is suggesting these should be opened for vehicle traffic to reduce congestion or pollution on adjacent main roads.

15. Enabling future changes to benefit active travel and health

Salters Bridge and Castle Farm Road Bridge orders are sufficient by themselves to improve safety adjacent minor roads including all of Hollywood Avenue.

In the area bounded by Gosforth High Street, Haddricks Mill Road and Church Road / Station Road, the prohibition of vehicle traffic on Stoneyhurst Road bridge improves safety but there are still nearby minor roads with high levels of vehicle traffic including Moor Road North and South (a signed cycle route) and The Grove.

In our blog “East Gosforth – Streets for People” we looked at one possible configuration of an area wide low traffic neighbourhood, which included a prohibition of vehicle traffic at Stoneyhurst Road bridge. This suggests that the Stoneyhurst Road Bridge order is consistent with and would enable a wider area low traffic neighbourhood in future and support the 15-minute neighbourhood concept.

East Gosforth – Streets for People

16. The Status Quo is not working

The status quo isn’t working. According to the Neighbourhoods and Public Health Report to Newcastle City Council on 3 February, 2020 Newcastle leads the “UK Healthy Cities Network”, but Newcastle is not currently a healthy city.

According to the 2019 report “for a typical Newcastle annual school reception intake of 3,500 children, 500 would be overweight, 460 obese and 120 severely obese.“ By Year 6 this increases to 540 overweight, 860 obese and 220 severely obese, together close to half of all children in Year 6.

https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/documents/s154182/Neighbourhoods%20Public%20Health%20Portfolio%20Report.pdf

According to Public Health England, less than half (45.7%) of children in Newcastle are considered to be physically active.

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/physical-activity/data#page/1/gid/1938132899/pat/6/par/E12000001/ati/201/are/E08000021/iid/93014/age/298/sex/4/cid/4/page-options/ovw-do-1_cin-ci-4_map-ao-4_car-do-0

The British Heart Foundation Physical Activity Report 2017 found that 42% of adults in the North East were classed as being inactive, putting them at greater risk of heart and circulatory disease.

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/publications/statistics/physical-inactivity-report-2017

In 2015, the BBC reported “A lack of exercise could be killing twice as many people as obesity in Europe, a 12-year study of more than 300,000 people suggests.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30812439

Currently relatively few people cycle (including children), and those that do are often forced into long inconvenient detours to avoid busy local streets.

The Tyneside Bike Life survey found that women, older and disabled people were then less likely to cycle in Tyneside but in all cases a majority wanted improvements in cycle safety. The report, to illustrate what could be possible, says “55% of all cycling trips in the Netherlands are made by women” where safe cycling facilities are widely available and “over 65 make 24% of their trips by cycle.”

https://www.sustrans.org.uk/bike-life/bike-life-tyneside

It is pretty clear that current cycling facilities in Newcastle, where most journeys involve having to use busy roads, mean women, older and disabled people are at a substantial disadvantage. These orders will help to address and remove that disadvantage.

As a result of high traffic levels people in Newcastle also suffer from congestion, pollution and every year people are killed and seriously injured on Newcastle’s roads through no fault of their own.

See: Traffic Crash Injury 2020 and Traffic Crash Injury 2019

Nationally, “motoring on minor roads doubled between 2009 and 2019.” This is not something we were ever consulted about, and if nothing is done will only get worse due to increasing availability of in-car Sat Nav systems.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/25/rat-running-residential-uk-streets-satnav-apps

Unless something is done now, these trends of increasing obesity, inactivity and ill health look set to continue while pollution and carbon emissions will not reduce. The Council has recognised that a “whole-systems approach to tackle rising obesity levels in the city” is needed.

https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/citylife-news/lifestyle/new-whole-systems-approach-tackling-obesity-newcastle

These orders support that whole-systems approach supporting a wide range of policy objectives covering health, economy, accessibility and the environment in a way that can be implemented quickly at a very low cost.

Summary and Next steps

In summary, we support the continued prohibition of driving of motor vehicles and associated changes made in the listed orders, and support these orders being made permanent.

Only a decision to make these orders permanent would align with Council policy. A decision to revoke these orders would make it harder for the Council to achieve its policy aims in future. This is also the perfect time to implement these changes while the roads are relatively quiet and people are willing to try out other ways of travelling around their local neighbourhoods.

“Doing nothing” or delaying action won’t encourage more people to walk or cycle, won’t improve health, won’t make it safer for children to travel to school and won’t reduce pollution or green house gas emissions.

We don’t believe there are any other alternative options currently available to the Council that would achieve the same level of benefits, for the same low cost across so many policy areas. Our assessment is that all of the substantive issues that have been raised, that we are aware of, can be adequately mitigated without re-opening these bridges to vehicle traffic.

The consultation has given residents the opportunity to share concerns. We hope the Council will assess these with due regard to the facts of the situation including any relevant evidence. For example, a comment by a member of the public opposing one of the bridge closures on our website asserts that, as a result of Stoneyhurst Road bridge being closed, people would be prevented from using their cars, which is clearly not true. The Council will also need to assess the impact of those false statements and other ‘trolling’ comments on Commonplace to determine whether these have skewed the overall consultation response.

For those concerns that are assessed to be factual and supported by relevant evidence, we hope the Council will give serious thought as to how those concerns could be addressed in a way that is consistent with Council policy and enables the prohibition of motor traffic at local bridges to be retained. For example:

• Using parking controls at the junction of Dene Crescent and Haddricks Mill Road to implement with Highway Code Rule 243, which says do not park opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction.
• Options for enabling vehicles travelling in opposite directions on Balmoral Terrace, Windsor Terrace, Sandringham Road and Audley Road to pass, no doubt made harder because more people are working at home so there are fewer gaps as residents’ cars remain parked all day.
• Implementing further “point closures” to link up walking and cycling routes and prevent traffic being displaced onto other local residential streets that aren’t part of the Council’s primary and secondary distributor road network.
• Creating a safe cycling link between Dene Crescent and Castle Farm Road along Haddricks Mill Road.
• Continued monitoring of pollution and traffic levels on distributor roads, including Church Road / Station Road, and consideration of (i) further road-space reallocation and better crossings in line with statutory guidance and (ii) extending the proposed Clean Air Zone so it bounded by he Tyne, the A1, the Metro line and the A19 as we set out in our response to the Council’s Air Quality consultation and (iii) other traffic demand management measures to improve quality of life for residents living on local distributor roads.

We also hope the Council will also use the feedback to identify suitable topics for future communications such as:

• Communication of objectives such as reducing air pollution and carbon emissions or making roads safer so more people will walk and cycle, and what road layout changes are likely to be needed to achieve those objectives.
• Communication to address popular misconceptions e.g. that “point closures” will increase emissions (they don’t) or that a large proportion of traffic will displace to adjacent streets (it doesn’t).
• Communication to explain the need to make road layout changes to direct through traffic onto distributor roads, which are safer and better-designed for higher volumes of vehicle traffic than local residential streets – and that it is neither appropriate nor acceptable to use local residential streets as alternative main road routes.
• Case studies showing where the Council has made these changes and the benefits achieved.

A number of organisations have provided a useful summary of evidence relating to low traffic neighbourhoods, which we have referenced in Appendix A. Linked SPACE for Gosforth blogs are listed in Appendix B.

Yours Sincerely,

SPACE for Gosforth

www.spaceforgosforth.com

Appendix A Summaries of evidence relating to low traffic neighbourhoods

Sustrans
https://www.sustrans.org.uk/for-professionals/infrastructure/an-introductory-guide-to-low-traffic-neighbourhood-design/an-introductory-guide-to-low-traffic-neighbourhood-design-contents/design-guide/all/5-a-guide-to-the-evidence-around-low-traffic-neighbourhoods

London Cycling Campaign
https://www.lcc.org.uk/articles/ltns-work-new-research-shows-evidence-of-success-on-multiple-criteria

We are Possible.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d30896202a18c0001b49180/t/60003fabf3791928a02b707f/1610629036655/LTN+Briefing_FINAL.pdf

Transport Findings
https://findingspress.org/article/18330-the-impact-of-introducing-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-on-road-traffic-injuries

Journal of Transport and Health
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214140520301626

Rachel Aldred
http://rachelaldred.org/research/low-traffic-neighbourhoods-evidence/

Appendix B SPACE for Gosforth blogs

SPACE for Gosforth has produced three blogs relating to these orders.

1. We assessed a number of other concerns relating specifically to Stoneyhurst Road bridge in our blog “Stoneyhurst Bridge – Review of Concerns” published here: https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/stoneyhurst-bridge-review-of-concerns/
2. Our blog Enabling Safe Walking and Cycling via Local Bridges is published here: https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/enabling-safe-walking-and-cycling-via-local-bridges/
3. East Gosforth Streets for People – in which we propose a possible layout for a low traffic neighbourhood including the area around Stoneyhurst Road and show that closing Stoneyhurst Road Bridge to vehicle traffic would have minimal impact to most vehicle journey times. https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/east-gosforth-lcwip/

The post Safe Newcastle Bridges appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

Stoneyhurst Road 30 July 2020, just before 9am.

Newcastle City Council has now confirmed that legal orders to close local bridges to vehicle traffic will be in place by Thursday 13 August. This is to prevent “inappropriate levels of traffic for small structures, using the bridges as a shortcut through residential streets.”

As with any traffic-related changes these proposals have generated a lot of debate in Gosforth.  To help ensure this debate is an informed one we published a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Enabling Safe Walking and Cycling via Local Bridges explaining likely benefits, possible issues and how residents will be able to have a say on the proposals.

Legal orders to close Salters Bridge, Castle Farm Rd (Dene Bridge), Haldane Bridge, Argyle St Bridge and Stoneyhurst Bridge to traffic will be in place from 13 August. This is to reduce traffic and encourage more walking and cycling. Read more at https://t.co/QTfnJWBXHw. pic.twitter.com/Pz7jzN57hd

— NewcastleCityCouncil (@NewcastleCC) August 4, 2020

Since then, we’ve become aware of some further concerns, relating to the consultation process and specifically to the area around Stoneyhurst Road Metro bridge. Where there are legitimate issues it is important that these are raised, but also where residents’ concerns are likely to be unfounded it is important that residents have the necessary information to be able to make this judgement.

This blog is to look at some of those concerns. Where we have included quotes about concerns, these are from comments or email correspondence sent to SPACE for Gosforth.

Summary

1. There’s no justification for the suggestion that 20mph “single track” roads leading to Station Road are dangerous for people who are driving, or that the junctions onto Station Road are in any way different or more dangerous than other similar junctions.
2. Challenges faced by residents in snowy or icy conditions will be no worse than on many other local roads. Residents who can’t avoid travelling and have to use a car still have two relatively level entry/exit routes via Balmoral Terrace and Windsor Terrace.
3. Traffic levels should reduce overall on Audley Road, Sandringham Road, Windsor Terrace, Balmoral Terrace and other local streets. This should improve safety for people who do walk or cycle, including when the roads are icy.
4. Generally the change will result in opportunities for residents to save money, as walking or cycling are much cheaper than driving, with a minimal impact on driving times or distances other than for very short local journeys.
5. Council comms confirm that vehicle capacity at Haddricks Mill has been increased.
6. The Council, and Government, are acting on a democratic mandate to make streets safer for walking and cycling. These changes have a substantial potential to help improve people’s health and wellbeing.

Our thinking & analysis to support these summary statements is below.

In our previous FAQ blog Enabling Safe Walking and Cycling via Local Bridges, we also confirmed that:

• Based on experience when Killingworth Road was closed, we don’t expect any substantial increase in traffic on Station Road. Pollution levels measured at the bottom of Station Road actually improved.
• Emergency Services have confirmed they have no issue with the proposal.
• The consultation approach will be more effective by allowing residents to “try before they buy”.

Update 9/9/2020: The Council have also published a response to Frequently Asked Questions on its SafeNewcastleBridges website.

Concern 1: It isn’t safe to exit by car onto Station Road

“the exits from Sandringham, Audley or Windsor are not the safest ways to get out of the area as they are single track.”

We can find absolutely no justification for the statement that single track roads with a 20mph speed limit, such as those described, present any substantive safety risk to anyone travelling by car. Vision Zero guidelines suggest that cars should be limited to 70kmph/43mph where there is a possibility of a frontal impact between cars, so 20mph is certainly safe enough.

Safety for people walking and cycling (vulnerable road users) is affected by speed and volume of traffic including on Stoneyhurst Road. Safety should be improved on these local streets because of the reduction in traffic levels (see below). As we explained in our blog Enabling Safe Walking and Cycling via Local Bridges, this should help enable more people to  walk or cycle local journeys.

The junctions with Station Road are little different to many other similar junctions, and may actually be safer due to relatively tight corners that require drivers to slow down before turning.

If this does become an issue (which we don’t think it will), one option might be to reset the speed limit for that section of Station Road to 20mph. This would also make it safer for people walking or cycling on Station Road, and would be likely to reduce pollution levels as a vehicle accelerating to 20mph uses less fuel than one accelerating to 30mph. We hope this might be considered as part of the consultation review.

Concern 2: Dene Crescent cannot be used in winter

“the exit onto Haddrick’s Mill Rd from Dene Crescent is lethal in winter even with the grit box”

To look at this we have assessed whether the proposal will lead to more or fewer people using Dene Crescent by car in wintery conditions, and other options for exiting the estate if Dene Crescent is not usable.

The Highways Code Rule 228 is very clear that you should not drive in icy or snowy weather unless your journey is essential. If your journey is essential and you have no choice but to drive, you should “drive with care, even if the roads have been treated.”

This should mean the volume of traffic if icy or snowy should be much lower than on a normal day, especially now many of us are able to work from home. That will be true whether this proposal is implemented or not.

Closing Stoneyhurst Road bridge to motor traffic should also reduce the volume of traffic, as vehicles that would have used Stoneyhurst Road bridge to get to Dene Crescent, possibly by non-local drivers who would be less aware of the dangers, can no longer do so.

Having fewer vehicles using Dene Crescent in winter is a safety benefit in itself. Dene Crescent is also one of only a few residential streets that are on the Council’s published gritting route. Even if that is not sufficient, residents who need to make essential journeys by car have other options and contrary to some claims we have seen, no one is being “forced” to use Dene Crescent.

GoogleMaps states that Balmoral Terrace drops 4m over a distance of about 350m, which is a gradient of not much more than 1%,  which is likely to be less steep than the transverse slope  that is required on roads to allow drainage. It is also likely to be less than the gradient of the speed bumps on Stoneyhurst Road. The gradient on Windsor Terrace is not much greater.

For residents living on Sandringham Road and Audley Road, which according to GoogleMaps have average gradients of about 2.8%, the main challenge will be exiting those roads especially if facing uphill. That would be no different from now though, and would be unaffected by the proposed change.

By comparison nearby Keyes Gardens has a gradient of 3.6%, Hunter’s Road next to Haddricks Mill is close to 7% and many other streets bordering Jesmond Dene are steeper than this.

That’s not to say that driving in winter will be all plain sailing, only that the challenges faced by residents will be no worse than on many other local roads, and that an overall reduction in traffic levels should improve safety for people who do walk or cycle.

Concern 3: “more traffic using Audley, Sandringham, Windsor & Balmoral“

In our FAQ, question 6 we provided evidence to show that there was unlikely to be any substantial impact to local main roads as a result of the bridge closures. This concern is a bit different in that it relates to local streets.

We shared the picture below in our FAQ blog, of nine locations in Newcastle where similar approaches have been taken, and none of these areas are prone to “chaos” or “road rage” as some have suggested will happen on Stoneyhurst Road, in fact quite the opposite. All are very quiet, pleasant streets.

The benefit of the consultation approach, of course, is that we don’t have to agree on what we think the impact will be, as we will be able to see what actually happens once people have had a chance to adjust to the new layout, and residents can provide feedback on that basis.

We sought clarification from the person who made this comment. Their reasoning is that “If the bridge is closed there will be increased traffic as cars cannot disappear instantly from people’s lives. The traffic would have one less exit point so Audley, Sandringham, Windsor or Balmoral would be used”

There are a number of issues with this statement. ‘Cars not disappearing‘ doesn’t mean people can’t change how they travel for particular journeys, and certainly doesn’t justify the statement ‘increased traffic’. We can all help reduce traffic by ‘leaving our cars at home’ and walking, cycling or taking the bus. It also focuses specifically on just one scenario (residents exiting or entering the estate) without taking into account other types of journey on those streets including from through traffic.

To try to explain this a bit more we’ve sketched out four examples of what might happen to show the likely effect.

Example 1 shows the specific journey type referenced to justify the concern. It involves a car journey starting on Audley Road heading west along Church Avenue. Currently the driver might choose to cross Stoneyhurst Road bridge and turn onto Church Avenue by the Grove. A new possible route would be via Windsor Terrace. The diagram below shows these two options but only the parts of the routes up to the point where they exits onto Church Avenue/Station Road.

Example 1: Exiting by car facing south onto Church Avenue / Station Road

By itself this example does suggest that traffic on Windsor Terrace might increase, but it is worth remembering that while the focus of opponents to the proposals has been east of the bridge, the streets on the west side are also residential and will, in this example, have a corresponding reduction in traffic.

If we measure distance driven in the estate before exiting onto a main road there is actually a reduction of 300m or 37% compared to the current route.

This example assumes the vehicle was parked facing south. If facing north, as shown on the map below, that would be an even greater (~82%, 900m) reduction in distance driven within the estate, and one fewer journey on Windsor Terrace.

Example 1b: Exiting by car facing north onto Church Avenue / Station Road

Example 2 shows the opposite where someone returning from the east would currently enter the estate by Audley Road, but with the new layout would travel via the Grove. This reduces traffic on the east of the bridge, with a corresponding increase on the west.

Example 2: Returning home

Again though, the distance travelled in the estate is reduced, in this case by 18%, and in both cases traffic reduces in the area around the bridge itself and the turning into Alnmouth Drive next to South Gosforth First School.

Because of this offsetting, it is unlikely that any one street would see any substantive increase in traffic levels, but actually we’re expecting overall traffic to reduce so we need to look at two further scenarios to see why this is.

Example 3 shows a route that might be taken by someone who doesn’t live on the estate who is using these streets to avoid heavy traffic on the main road. If the change encourages this person to use the main road network instead, which is arguably where they should have been in the first place, then that represents a reduction in traffic on the estate.

Example 3: Using main roads instead or local streets

Example 4 shows someone who currently drives but as the change reduces traffic levels now feels comfortable cycling and can use the bridge to access off-road / quiet cycle routes leading into the city centre or elsewhere in Newcastle.  Again this is a reduction in traffic on estate streets without any corresponding increase on other roads.

Example 4: Cycling instead of driving

Many people have started cycling during lockdown and this change, and changes like it, are important to enable them to continue as traffic levels rise again.

In our FAQ blog we shared evidence that when similar changes have been made elsewhere people walk and cycle more. We also know from national surveys that many journeys that people currently drive are relatively short and that a substantial proportion of people say themselves that they could just as easily walk, cycle or use public transport for those journeys.

All four of the examples lead to less distance being driven on estate streets, which strongly suggests (as has happened elsewhere) that there will be a reduction in traffic levels on the estate despite claims to the contrary. But as we said previously, the benefit of the approach taken is that you don’t have to take our word for it.

“You get the traffic you build for….Years of research conclude that building more roads generates additional traffic, and reducing the amount of road-space evaporates some traffic”. In this sense traffic behaves more like a gas that evaporates than a liquid that displaces. pic.twitter.com/6E1Ozfxyop

— Robert Burns (@robertburns73) August 5, 2020

Concern 4: Increased cost of local taxi journeys

“potentially the fare will be higher as the taxi sits in a traffic jam in Sandringham Rd caused by the closure of the Stoneyhurst Rd Bridge.”

We demonstrated in our blog East Gosforth – Streets for People that for longer journeys this change will make practically no difference to journey times. Very short, local journeys though may become a little longer if a car is used, although in most cases by no more than a few hundred metres. As above, with less traffic travelling through the estate there’s no reason to believe that queues to exit onto Sandringham Road will be any worse than now.

Generally the intention of low traffic neighbourhoods is to encourage people who can walk or cycle shorter local journeys, up to say 2-3 miles, to do so. Everyone benefits from this. For the person making the journey, they save money and get a bit of exercise while they travel. For everyone else, traffic on local streets is reduced so roads are quieter, less polluted and easier to use for those that do need to use a vehicle.

A big social justice issue related to transport is that a lack of alternatives to driving can mean people on lower incomes are forced to dedicate large parts of their income to paying for a car. Strategic point closures to motor traffic, such as at Stoneyhurst Road bridge, along with cycling safety measures on main roads, create an environment where people feel safe cycling, enabling them to avoid the costs of car ownership and driving.

We also need to be aware in our own thinking to avoid status quo bias, where the status quo is taken as a reference point, and any change from that point is perceived as a loss. This means taking care to consider both positive and negative effects of change and weighing them up as a whole. In general enabling people to walk or cycle helps people save money, potentially equivalent to a 8% pay rise.

Another example of status quo bias is the idea that preventing through traffic from using minor streets displaces traffic onto major roads, whereas it is equally or perhaps more valid to suggest that the absence of point closures is the thing that causes main-road traffic to re-route via minor streets.

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods do not 'displace' through-traffic onto main roads; their absence displaces main road traffic onto residential roads. Other people's neighbourhoods should not be used as a pressure release valve for the fact that there are too many cars on the road.

— Jon Burke 🌍 (@jonburkeUK) July 14, 2020

Concern 5: Lack of Capacity at Haddricks Mill junction

Although there is evidence to suggest that neighbouring streets won’t see any substantial increase in traffic, we have seen concerns that the new Haddricks Mill junction does not have sufficient capacity if these changes were to lead to increased traffic on Station Road or Haddricks Mill Road.

While we have many, many concerns about the Haddricks Mill junction, lack of vehicle capacity is not one of them. Arguably it will have too much capacity and will induce extra traffic onto surrounding roads contrary to the Council’s own environmental ambitions.

This additional capacity has been created in two ways: through the repositioning of the mini-roundabouts; and through the use of the pedestrian lights to control traffic flow onto the junction to favour busier routes. We have been told by Council engineers that the new design has a similar increased capacity to the much bigger roundabout that was originally proposed. The Council’s news release has further information on this. 

2016 Haddricks Mill proposals, now superseded.

Concern 6: The use of Experimental Traffic Orders is not “democratic” 

“in democracies, it is usual to consult first and take advice from the electorate.”

Actually the electorate has been consulted on the need to enable active travel, via both national and local elections. The consultation for the bridges can, and should, take an even wider range of inputs including the views of under 18s who are not entitled to vote at local elections but who are just as much users of local streets as anyone else.

The Conservative government, which is funding these changes and setting the conditions as to what can or cannot be done with the money, has a democratic mandate to implement its manifesto commitments including to “support commuter cycling routes, so that more people can cycle safely to work and more families can go out together.” The Conservative Party said it would “create a new £350 million Cycling Infrastructure Fund with mandatory design standards for new routes.” Our blog on party manifestos for the 2019 General Election is here.

The mandatory standards are now reflected in the Government’s funding conditions and require Councils to take urgent action that will be effective to enable people to walk and cycle. So, for example, a suggestion we received to implement “yellow lines around the school and on the bridge and a leaflet campaign to ask parents to use cars less & act with consideration” would not be funded, unless part of a wider scheme because by itself it would not comply with the mandated standards.

Local political parties also made manifesto commitments supporting active travel, and the Council itself has consulted on its proposals for air quality, climate change both of which require a reduction in vehicle emissions, and has specifically sought input from residents on how to enable more walking and cycling.

Residents’ comments made in response to the Council’s consultation on walking and cycling

The purpose of consultation on specific schemes is slightly different. The Council already has a democratic mandate to improve road safety and air quality and enable more people to walk and cycle, and is entitled to put forward proposals that it believes will be effective in doing so.

In this case, the Council is using an experimental traffic order, which allows for changes to be put in place using temporary materials so people can see and experience, and so better understand the impact of the change before commenting. Many of the concerns mentioned as reasons to stop the bridge closure such as air quality, traffic queues or environmental impact would actually be better addressed by allowing the closure to go ahead.

While the Council has had to use this approach due to Government funding conditions stating work must start quickly, it is neither new or unusual. Emergency legislation due to Covid-19 only adjusted how Council’s need to advertise changes and not the process itself.

We set out in our FAQ (question 1) why we think this approach is likely to lead to a more informed debate and therefore a better outcome than holding a full consultation in advance. This should be the case even if you believe the changes will (despite all evidence to the contrary) lead to increased traffic, danger or pollution. As it stands the Council would dismiss those concerns as not being supported by evidence, whereas neither the Council nor opponents of the closure can dismiss what actually happens. As above, and in line with available evidence, our expectation is that this change will lead to quieter, safer local streets.

Priorities

More importantly, this change is about health, to enable more people to walk or cycle safely and to avoid crowding on public transport. An estimated 84,000 people die each year in England and Wales due to inactivity and 40,000 in the UK die due to air pollution. Children, who only a generation ago would have enjoyed a substantial amount of freedom are now driven even short journeys because of the danger from other vehicles. The NHS advises that “As you get older, it becomes even more important to remain active if you want to stay healthy and maintain your independence.” Walking and cycling are amongst the most effective ways of achieving this. Many studies have shown the significant health benefits from enabling people to walk or cycle more, as well as a potential £17bn saving to the NHS.

While the changes proposed won’t achieve all of these benfits by themselves, they are a start. We understand there will be opposition to any change, but we hope people will keep an open mind and consider the potential benefits, as well as any downsides, when evaluating the proposals and providing feedback.

The Council’s feedback website for all five bridges that will be closed to motor traffic is here. Please do click on the link and let the Council know what you think of the proposals.

The post Stoneyhurst Bridge – Review of Concerns appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

Elections for Newcastle City Council are due to be held on 2 May 2019.

As with last year we’re keen to find out how the candidates propose to address transport-related issues in our community. To do that we’ve come up with five statements or pledges and we have asked each of the candidates whether they support these or if not what they plan to do instead. These are the same as we used for 2018 and you can see candidate’s responses from the 2018 Local Elections here.

Below the candidate’s responses, which we’ll update as they are received, we have also written a bit of background about why we have chosen these particular statements.

Please keep checking back in advance of the elections on 2 May and if one of your candidates has not yet answered please do encourage them to do so. The very least we should expect from future local councillors is a willingness to engage with local residents and share their vision for the future of Gosforth.

THE SPACE FOR GOSFORTH PLEDGES

The five pledges we have asked candidates to support are:

1. Streets that are safe (and feel safe) for children to walk and cycle to school, to the shops or to the park.

2. Air pollution in Newcastle brought within legal limits as soon as possible.

3. Residential streets that are pleasant, safe and attractive places to live and where children can play out.

4. Rapid implementation of temporary changes to trial interventions to support these objectives.

5. Constructive community engagement about how to address the public health impacts of travel and the benefits of active travel.

Please see below for more on why we have chosen these pledges and what they mean in practice. We have updated this since last year to reflect recent updates on air pollution, what residents think and how trials work, and as part of the first pledge we are also asking candidates to support a bid for Streets for People to be expanded to Gosforth.

RESPONSES

Candidates are listed in the same order as on the Newcastle City Council local election website. Where a response is shown as a link, please click on the link for further details of the candidates response.

*** We have now contacted candidates and will update this table with responses as and when responses are received. See also below for a note on Air Pollution***

Dene and South Gosforth Ward

Fawdon and West Gosforth Ward

Gosforth Ward

Parklands Ward

Note on Air Pollution

The requirement set by Government, to be compliant with UK law, is that the Council produces a plan that will meet air quality limits in the shortest possible timescales.

The Council has set out in this ChronicleLive Article why some form of road charging will be required to achieve this. “Tyneside clean air tolls: Council bosses explain why we can’t avoid them” 

While we welcome ideas that will lead to a longer-term reduction in air pollution, these ideas in themselves are unlikely to be sufficient for the current planning process. If a candidate or party wishes to propose an approach without tolls as a viable alternative, they would have to demonstrate that approach would be likely to achieve compliance in the same timescales or quicker than the proposed Charging Clean Air Zone (CAZ). 

WHY HAVE WE CHOSEN THESE PLEDGES?

Pledge 1. Streets that are safe, and feel safe, for children to walk and cycle to school, to the shops or to the park.

Everyone should be able to travel safely whether they walk, cycle, use public transport or drive and should feel safe while they do so, but this isn’t currently the case in Gosforth. Often, traffic is fast and heavy, which is intimidating to many people.

In the SPACE for Gosforth Your Streets – Your Views survey, 88% of respondents supported safe walking and cycling routes to schools.

Children are less able to look out for themselves and are more likely to be injured or even killed in the event of a collision, so focusing on children, whether travelling independently or with an adult, is a good way to make Gosforth safer for everyone.

As part of this pledge we are asking candidates to support a bid for Streets for People to be expanded to Gosforth.

Pledge 2. Air pollution in Newcastle brought within legal limits as soon as possible.

In the last official figures from 2017, Gosforth High Street had the highest air pollution reading in Newcastle, substantially higher than the legal limit which should have been met by 2010.

SPACE for Gosforth has set out the many negative health impacts of air pollution including via this recent blog Which works best: Tolls or a Clean Air Zone? Latest estimates are that air pollution is responsible for 64,000 early deaths each year in the UK as well as a wide range of illnesses.

As a result of this Public Health crisis, Newcastle City Council has been mandated by DEFRA to produce a plan, which is currently open for consultation. DEFRA has also written to Newcastle City Council threatening legal action if there are any further delays to its plan.

This plan must meet legal limits in the shortest possible timescales. In practice this means some sort of road charging is inevitable. The Council can still determine who is charged and how much, as long as its plan is demonstrably likely to meet legal limits by 2021. It can also seek funding for other measures such as grants or loans to upgrade older vehicles.

Map showing air pollution levels in the City Centre in 2017

Pledge 3. Residential streets that are pleasant, safe and attractive places to live and where children can play out without fear of traffic.

Streets aren’t just about movement of traffic. They are also where we live, shop and socialise, and for children also where they are most likely to play outside near their homes.

In the SPACE for Gosforth Your Streets – Your Views survey, 85% of respondents supported reducing through traffic on residential streets.

Low-traffic neighbourhoods with streets that are safe for children are better for everyone with less noise, less danger and cleaner air.  It’s even been shown that people living on streets with less traffic have more friends and a better social life than those that live on streets with heavy traffic.

Newcastle City Council Road Hierarchy.

Pledge 4. Rapid implementation of temporary changes to trial interventions in support of these objectives.

If Pledges 1-3 are to mean anything there must be some meaningful and urgent action as a result. One option is to use trial interventions that can be implemented quickly to let residents experience changes before they are made permanent. If there are issues with the scheme, residents can provide feedback and action can be taken with local Councillors to resolve those issues.

As well as providing safety benefits earlier than might otherwise be achieved, this removes any guesswork as to what the effects might be and ensures that schemes can be evaluated on their actual merits.

Pledge 5. Constructive community engagement about how to address the public health impacts of travel and the benefits of active travel.

Making streets safer and cutting air pollution should be objectives that everyone supports, but it is still important that the council and local councillors engage with the community to ensure that residents understand what the issues are and have a chance to help solve those issues. Air pollution in particular is invisible and we’ve found that many people haven’t been aware that it has been, and continues to be, a problem in Gosforth. Nor are people generally aware of the very serious health impact of sedentary lifestyles which cost taxpayers billions of pounds every year and are responsible for even more early deaths than air pollution.

Likewise it is often challenging to put ourselves in others’ shoes, to understand for example what it is like to be a child on Gosforth’s streets, what it is like to be a parent cycling or walking with children (or even alone) on busy streets during the rush hour, or what it is like for residents or visitors with disabilities or conditions for whom travel is a challenge. It is only by having this broad engagement that we can ensure that Gosforth’s streets are safe and accessible for everyone.

These five pledges are based on SPACE for Gosforth’s objectives which you can see here. They don’t cover all the SPACE for Gosforth objectives but we welcome input from candidates about how they will go about meeting other aspects of those objectives to make streets in Gosforth more healthy, liveable, accessible and safe for everyone of all ages and abilities.

If you don’t live in Gosforth please feel free to ask your local candidates to support these pledges as well. We know very well that Gosforth isn’t the only area that suffers from these issues.

You can follow SPACE for Gosforth on Facebook or Twitter. If you support the SPACE for Gosforth objectives please do join us. Information about how to join SPACE for Gosforth is here.

The post Newcastle City Council Elections 2 May 2019 appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.