Newcastle Cycling Campaign

Latest Posts

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

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.[…]

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

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,[…]

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Queen Victoria Road – July Update #SpaceForDistancing

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In June we gave our opinions on the temporary scheme that the council put in place on Queen Victoria Road. Click here for that article. The council have continued to review the scheme and have now improved it. The changes have led to the cycleway now being one lane in each direction with the flow of traffic, and the installation of poles to separate the cycle lanes from motor traffic. Both these changes are great improvements. The move to with flow cycle lanes was one of our suggestions when we looked at the initial measures in June. This change makes[…]

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Shopping Streets #SpaceForDistancing

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In a previous post we outlined recently confirmed funding and government guidance for local authorities to enable the creation of safe walking and cycling space in response to COVID-19. Newcastle council has now published the first of its plans for #SpaceForDistancing in neighbourhood shopping streets. Four of its five shopping streets proposals have been announced, leaving Shields Road in Byker still to come. You can see the plans and provide feedback by following the links below: Adelaide Terrace West Road Gosforth High Street Chillingham Road Shields Road General Feedback If you go shopping at any of these streets, we recommend[…]

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North Tyneside schemes for #SpaceForDistancing and #activetravel

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[…]

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Newcastle Bridge Filters #SpaceForDistancing

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Some good news! Newcastle City Council has announced plans to filter a number of bridges across the city as part of its Covid-19 response. Click here for their article. We welcome the news that Newcastle is to trial the removal of through motor traffic on five bridges across the city. We think these filters are a fantastic first step towards creating low traffic neighbourhoods, making Newcastle a more liveable city and enabling more journeys to be made on foot or by cycle. The five bridges will be filtered using temporary measures. The bridges are: Salters Bridge – At the eastern[…]

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

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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[…]

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Huge support for safer neighbourhoods

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.[…]

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Queen Victoria Road #SpaceForDistancing

News

Newcastle City Council have rolled out their first emergency Covid-19 related scheme on Queen Victoria Road, outside the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI). We would like to congratulate the council on this for two key reasons: The speed at which the scheme has been rolled out. The removal of car parking to create space for cycling. The cycle route runs directly in front of the RVI, providing a link between Exhibition Park to the north and Leazes Park to the south. It provides a much needed link for key workers at the hospital. The measures are not just limited to a[…]

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

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[…]

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