NewCycling

‘It no longer looks like a car park’ – praise for huge Grey Street changes to cut down on traffic

22nd August 2020 NewCycling Press

Chronicle – 7 August 2020 (Daniel Holland) Parking bays and a lane of traffic have been removed from Newcastle’s most beautiful street to make way for cyclists, pedestrians, and more pavement cafes A major redesign of Newcastle’s most iconic street to cut down on city centre traffic has been applauded by local businesses and cyclists. Huge changes on Grey Street were introduced last week – removing most of its parking bays and restricting traffic to southbound only to create extra social distancing space for pedestrians, pavements cafes, and a new cycle lane. The Georgian street, once named the best in[…]

‘Ludicrous’ or ‘wonderful’? Reaction from day one of Newcastle rat run bridge closures

22nd August 2020 NewCycling Press

Chronicle – 13 August 2020 (Daniel Holland) Newcastle City Council closed five bridges in residential neighbourhoods to traffic on Thursday morning, in an experimental move that has sparked fierce debate in recent weeks. Controversial traffic bans on five Newcastle bridges have come into force – and were met with a mixture of anger, joy, and calls for constructive talks after weeks of fierce debate. Traffic cones and closure signs appeared on Thursday morning in the first stage of Newcastle City Council’s plans to cut rat-running by shutting five crossings to traffic – Salters Bridge in Gosforth, Castle Farm Road next[…]

New images reveal how five rat run Newcastle bridges could look after vehicles are banned next week

9th August 2020 NewCycling Press

Chronicle – 7 August 2020 (Daniel Holland) Newcastle City Council is set to close five crossings in residential neighbourhoods to vehicles from next Thursday, August 13, in an effort to cut pollution and create safer space for walking and cycling. The affected sites will be Salters Bridge in Gosforth, Castle Farm Road next to Jesmond Dene, Haldane Bridge in Jesmond, the Argyle Street Bridge near Manors Metro station, and Stoneyhurst Bridge in South Gosforth. The Stoneyhurst closure in particular has sparked a fierce debate among locals, some of whom fear that cutting off access will lead to heavy congestion on surrounding roads.[…]

Councils urged not to back down amid anger over huge road changes to boost walking and cycling

20th July 2020 NewCycling Press

Evening Chronicle – 17 July 2020 (Daniel Holland) Opposition from motorists and businesses has led campaigners to fear that emergency overhauls of busy streets across the region could be watered down or scrapped Campaigners are pleading with North East councils to not back down over emergency walking and cycling measures being installed, amid mounting objections from motorists and businesses. Busy roads across the region are seeing major changes to help pedestrians and cyclists get around while safely social distancing, with highway space and parking for vehicles reduced or road traffic completely banned. … Sally Watson, from the Newcastle Cycling Campaign,[…]

North Tyneside schemes for #SpaceForDistancing and #activetravel

12th July 2020 NewCycling News

What has happened Not so far from Newcastle, North Tyneside Council is also making use of the government funding to put in place temporary measures across the borough to create space for distancing and increase active travel. These are progressive and more ambitious than anything that Newcastle has proposed yet and could prove to be transformative for the coast both in terms quality of life for its residents and as an attractive destination for visitors. Here we look at what their plans are and how they are getting on with it. Phase 1 plans were publicly announced on 11 June[…]

What do we know about Newcastle City Council’s #SpaceForDistancing plans?

10th July 2020 NewCycling Uncategorised

The Government has now announced the successful funding bids for measures to make walking and cycling safer in response to COVID-19. They state that there is an urgent need to keep people cycling: The coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has had a terrible impact on the lives and health of many UK citizens, as well as severe economic consequences. But it has also resulted in cleaner air and quieter streets, transforming the environment in many of our towns and cities. And millions of people have discovered, or rediscovered, cycling and walking. In some places, there’s been a 70% rise in the number[…]

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,[…]