NewCycling

New cycleway to be built outside Newcastle’s RVI next year in major upgrade to ‘dangerous’ route

3rd October 2022 NewCycling Press

Chronicle – 28 September 2022 (Daniel Holland) Work to install a permanent, segregated cycleway on Queen Victoria Road is due to begin in the new year A permanent redesign of the road outside Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) is finally set to get under way next year. City transport chiefs have announced the latest on plans for a major transformation of Queen Victoria Road. Temporary cycle lanes have been in place on the busy city centre street since the pandemic summer of 2020, brought in as a means of supporting social distancing by giving road space over to walkers and[…]

Heaton junctions to be shut off to cars as council reveals latest crackdown on rat runs

3rd October 2022 NewCycling Press

Chronicle – 27 September 2022 (Daniel Holland) City transport bosses have confirmed that ‘low traffic neighbourhood’ plans to stop drivers cutting through a series of residential streets will come into force next month Multiple road junctions in Heaton will be shut off to cars in latest efforts to crack down on rat running. City transport bosses have confirmed that ‘low traffic neighbourhood’ plans to stop drivers cutting through a series of residential streets will come into force next month, almost a year after they were first set out. The changes, due to be made on October 24, will mean that[…]

Cyclists’ fury as Gosforth High Street bollard removal plans branded ‘massive backwards step’

3rd October 2022 NewCycling Press

Chronicle – 23 September 2022 (Daniel Holland) Campaigners have claimed the plans “won’t help reduce pollution” or bring in more shoppers Long-awaited plans to redesign Gosforth High Street have been branded a “massive backwards step” by furious cycling campaigners. Newcastle City Council announced on Thursday that it plans to remove the much-criticised bollards that have lined the high street for two years and install wider pavements, promising a more “people-friendly” area with new seating and greenery. But the proposals were met with an immediate backlash over a lack of any dedicated space for people on bikes. While campaigners had hoped[…]

Newcastle’s active travel schemes – progress and funding – update September 2022

19th September 2022 NewCycling News, Politics

Last year the government published Gear Change: One Year On, featuring Newcastle’s own Queen Victoria Road. It stated that ‘plans are underway to make the temporary changes permanent, following positive public feedback’. We are still waiting to find out when the work will begin here. Further Active Travel funding was announced this year, which makes Newcastle City Council one of the highest recipients of active travel funding in England (outside London), showing the level of ambition our Councillors have for our city. Active Travel England has now been set up to oversee the delivery of the Active Travel Fund and[…]

Consultation response: Concerns about new Grey Street plan only showing one-way cycling

5th January 2022 NewCycling Consultation replies

Newcastle City Council are consulting on a permanent scheme for Grey Street, but unlike the current temporary scheme, there is no protected northbound cycleway in their plan and northbound cycling will not be permitted. By not providing two way cycling on the street, we feel this proposal is significantly flawed and undermines all the other very positive changes such as widened pavements and reduced traffic. We have asked for clarification on this plan and have been promised a meeting with officers to discuss the changes. We hope that city leaders will ensure that the scheme outlined in the funding bid,[…]

ECF Letter to governments at COP26

10th November 2021 NewCycling Uncategorized

More than 300 organisations including Newcastle Cycling Campaign have signed a letter requesting world leaders to commit to boosting cycling levels to reduce carbon emissions and reach global climate goals quickly. The letter can be found here. It calls for: “Promoting cycling in all its forms, including cycling tourism, sports cycling, bike sharing, riding to work or school and for exercising Recognising cycling as a climate solution, establishing a clear link between how an increase in bicycle trips and a decrease in private car trips reduce CO₂ emissions Creating and financing national cycling strategies and collecting data on cycling to[…]

2021 Council Elections – Newcastle City Council

14th April 2021 NewCycling Politics

Council elections take place on Thursday 6th May this year. You can find out who is up for election in your ward here. We have written to the transport leads for the four main parties, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Conservatives, to ask for their views on active travel. You can see their responses below. These are the questions we put to the parties: 1. How do you propose to built a cycling network (a combination of cycleways on main roads and filtered neighbourhoods where through traffic is removed) which would achieve mode shift and meet climate change commitments in[…]

Heaton Streets for People update – Tintern Crescent

13th April 2021 NewCycling News

In 2017 a new cycleway was built on Heaton Road, between the junctions of Cardigan Tce and Meldon Tce, as part of Cycle City Ambition Fund Round 1 (CCAF1). A roundabout at the Heaton Rd/Heaton Park View junction was replaced by traffic lights to provide a safe crossing for pedetrians and cyclists. One of the side effects was that some drivers heading southbound down Heaton Rd were opting to cut down Tintern Crescent and onto Heaton Park View instead of wating at the traffic lights. Drivers were also ignoring the ‘No Motor Vehicles’ sign at the junction and were driving[…]

Streets for People – updated September 2022

13th April 2021 NewCycling News, Politics

Newcastle City Council launched their Streets for People programme in 2016 as part of Cycle City Ambition Fund Round 2 (CCAF2). The aim was to make safer, cleaner and more attractive neighbourhoods in Heaton, Jesmond and Fenham & Arthur’s Hill through delivering walking and cycling schemes. We will update this page when we have further news on these schemes so please check back here for news on progress. The aim of Streets for People was also to build on the work started under Cycle City Ambition Fund Round 1 (CCAF1), which aimed to create strategic cycle routes radiating from the[…]

Emergency Active Travel schemes – updated September 2022

13th April 2021 NewCycling Consultation replies, News

Last summer the Council implemented a number of experimental and temporary Government-funded Emergency Active Travel schemes intended to improve space for walking and cycling in response to the pandemic. The Government also published new guidance for walking and cycling schemes. We think these are very important and welcome changes which will make walking and cycling easier and more attractive and, very importantly, will help the Council to meet its net zero plans. We will update this page when we have further news on these schemes over the coming months so please check back for news on progress. Queen Victoria Road[…]