NewCycling

Huge support for safer neighbourhoods

14th June 2020 NewCycling News

A big thank you for those who responded to our call for action, wrote to Newcastle City Council and want to see safer streets in their neighbourhoods for social distancing. In this article, we would like to share the thoughts and stories of local residents in Newcastle. We hope we can amplify their voices, inspire others to re-imagine their neighbourhoods and ask for change to support local decision-making. The pop-up cycle lane on Queen Victoria Road in the city centre is a a great start and a clear example of road space reallocation and how quickly it can be done.[…]

Huge social distancing changes to Newcastle’s iconic Grey Street are still weeks away from starting

4th June 2020 NewCycling Press

Evening Chronicle – 3 May 2020 (Daniel Holland) Plans were unveiled in May for a major reconfiguration of the historic city centre street to give pedestrians and cyclists extra space as more shops and businesses reopen. A dramatic redesign of Newcastle’s iconic Grey Street will not start until the end of June. Plans were unveiled in May for a major reconfiguration of the historic city centre street to give pedestrians and cyclists extra space for social distancing. But while new cycle lanes and one-way pavements have been introduced on busy routes around the Royal Victoria Infirmary, it will still be several weeks[…]

Action you can take! Campaign: Safe streets for social distancing

16th May 2020 NewCycling Politics

Newcastle City Council has announced ambitious plans to make more space for walking and cycling in response to Covid-19. We need your help to let them know how urgent and necessary this work is and where changes are needed in your neighbourhood to enable you to get around safely at this time. You can use one of the links below to generate an email to the Leader of the Council, Cllr Nick Forbes, and the Cabinet Member for Transport and Air Quality, Cllr Arlene Ainsley. If these don’t work, you can copy and paste the text below. Please consider adding[…]

Dramatic changes to Grey Street unveiled which will give people more space to walk and cycle

16th May 2020 NewCycling Press

Evening Chronicle – 15 May 2020 (by Daniel Holland) The temporary plans include one-way walking routes, markings on the ground to indicate a safe two metre distance, the removal of benches, and new cycle lanes. Dramatic changes to Newcastle city centre have been revealed to make sure people can maintain social distancing as lockdown is eased. Newcastle City Council bosses have revealed an initial set of measures, which will start coming into force next week, to give cyclists and pedestrians extra space as workplaces and shops begin to open again in the coming weeks. Sally Watson, of the Newcastle Cycling Campaign,[…]

Cycling, walking and Covid-19: Our thoughts on what Newcastle can do now to help keep people safe

29th April 2020 NewCycling Uncategorised

The spread of Covid-19 and the lockdown have dramatically changed the way we live and move around our city. It’s looking increasingly likely that physical distancing is going to be with us for a while and we want to take a look at some ideas that Newcastle City Council could consider implementing now to make living in the city safer and easier. We think that these ideas could be implemented quickly and with limited resources – eg. with temporary measures such as those used in roadworks. The dramatic reduction in traffic in Newcastle appears to have resulted in considerably more people walking and cycling, whether[…]

Our response to Newcastle City Council’s climate change call for scientific evidence

28th January 2020 NewCycling Consultation replies, News

This is Newcastle Cycling Campaign’s response to the Newcastle City Council climate change call for scientific evidence 2020. Individual responses can be sent through through a survey here. Who we are The Newcastle Cycling Campaign is a constituted community group, with more than 1,600 members. It was established in October 2010 to address economic, social and spatial inequalities in the transport system by lobbying for high quality cycling infrastructure to enable people of all ages and abilities to cycle in an around the city. What we do Over the last ten years, we have documented our actions and demands using evidence,[…]

Calls to keep cyclists safe as Newcastle’s most dangerous roads for bikes are revealed

12th November 2019 NewCycling News, Press

Evening Chronicle – 3 November 2019 A cycling campaigner has called for action as the North East’s most dangerous roads for bikes are revealled. Newcastle’s New Bridge Street roundabout and parts of the Great North Road are hotspots for crashes. At Bluehouse Roundabout, on the Great North Road, police recorded five accidents involving a cyclist in which at least one person was hurt between January 2017 and December 2018. Sally Watson, a pro-cycling activist from the Newcastle Cycling Campaign, said many of the areas highlighted were well-known to be dangerous, and had been considered for improvements by Newcastle City Council. For the full[…]

Call for new commissioner to tackle ‘woefully underfunded’ walking and cycling in Newcastle

18th August 2019 NewCycling Press

Evening Chronicle – 30 July 2019 Campaigners are calling for a ‘Walking and Cycling Commissioner’ in the North East. A new figurehead could be appointed to spearhead efforts to improve “woefully underfunded” walking, cycling, and public transport infrastructure in the North of Tyne. Campaigners are calling on metro mayor Jamie Driscoll to appoint a new ‘Walking and Cycling Commissioner’ to help tackle the region’s air pollution and climate crisis. Sally Watson, chair of Newcastle Cycling Campaign, said “Walking, cycling and public transport are woefully underfunded, despite being the cleanest and greenest options. In the light of a climate emergency, now declared by[…]

‘Clean Air Coalition’ demands new vision to solve Tyneside’s pollution crisis – on top of the toll

27th May 2019 NewCycling Press

Evening Chronicle – 13 May 2019 Prominent action groups are urging Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside chiefs to do more to convince people of the need to slash toxic emissions. Campaigners have united behind demands for council bosses to deliver more innovative plans to cut dangerous pollution levels on Tyneside – on top of a new clean air toll. Sally Watson, chair of Newcastle Cycling Campaign said: “They need to move away from behaviour change campaigns which put the responsibility on individuals to change their behaviour and should outline concrete plans for a high-quality walking and cycling network. “People will choose[…]

‘A real shame’ – cyclists react to Mobike’s Newcastle exit and demand action from council

25th May 2019 NewCycling Press

Evening Chronicle – 1 May 2019 The cycle hire firm confirmed on Tuesday that it is pulling all of its bikes out of Newcastle and Gateshead from the beginning of May. ampaigners say that a Mobike-style project will not work in Newcastle until more action is taken to make the city’s roads safer for cyclists. … Newcastle Cycling Campaign leaders say that efforts to get more people cycling in the city through bike-sharing schemes are doomed to fail unless there are big changes to boost cycle routes. Sally Watson, of the Newcastle Cycling Campaign, said: “This is a real shame, but it[…]