On Thursday 7th May local elections will be taking place in Newcastle. This year, due to changes to ward boundaries, all 78 seats on the council – 3 in each ward – are up for election. This means that for the first time for many years it’s possible there many be a change is which party controls the council after the elections.
It is likely over the next month you’ll be hearing from some of the candidates who would like you to vote for them.
We have put together three key points that we would like to see parties back in order to improve cycling in the city in the future. They are
- Connected Network
- School Streets
- Shopping Locking
Connected Network
There have been quite a few sections of cycling infrastructure build across the city in the last few years. We want to see these connected together to form a comprehensive and coherent cycling network that people feel safe and confident using.
Recently the council released its Local Highway Transparency Report for 2025/26. The report included statistics on the length of roads, footways and cycleways in the city which highlighted how far there is to go still, with the length of the city’s cycleways only 3.42% that of roads.
The same report mentioned above also detailed how, at the last assessment in 2024, 16.07% of the city’s unclassified roads were in a ‘red’ condition meaning they should be considered for maintenance with 9.51% of B and C roads in the same condition. These are the roads most likely to be used by people cycling as they often have the least traffic. By comparison 2% of A roads were in a ‘red’ condition.
Large parts of the city are accessible within a 15 minute cycle from the city centre (with Monument being used as a start point) and all of it within a 30 minute cycle but for people in a lot of areas there are no safe routes available, particularly to the Outer West and the north eastern fringes of the city where there are a lot of new house being built.
We’d like to see all areas accessible by safe cycling routes so new and existing residents can get around safely, quickly, and cheaply.
School Streets
School Streets have been one of our priorities for a number of years.
Traffic in Newcastle, as measured by the number of vehicle miles driven, is rising at 5% per year. Increased traffic brings with it increased danger and increased pollution, both of which are a big risk close to schools.
At the start and end of the school day children and their parents are often squeezed on to narrow pavements, which are frequently obstructed with parked cars, and are left struggling to cross roads safely to make their journey home.
The city council has implemented a number of school streets but in 2024 the programme was cancelled.
In 2025 the city council announced it had adopted a set of principles to become a Marmot City. The principles adopted include giving every child the best start in life and creating and developing healthy and sustainable places and communities.
School streets could be key in helping to meet the principles of a Marmot city as they create a safe space for children before and after school, making it easier for them to travel to school actively, which helps them be healthier. More people walking and cycling to school could also help the wider community to become a better place too though reduced noise and pollution.
Shopping Locking
We would like to see every parade of shops across the city have cycle parking available so people can leave their cycle in confidence while shopping. Practical, accessible bike stands in sensible, convenient locations will make it easier for people to carry out daily tasks by cycle.
Cycle parking is not only a benefit for people cycling but also for the businesses it’s situated near. A Government review of the economic benefits of cycling found that cycle parking allows 5 times more retail spend than the same space for car parking and that cycle friendly neighbourhoods can have greater retail spend.