Newcastle Cycling Campaign

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

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,[…]

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North East Transport Plan consultation: Action for members!

The North East Transport Plan consultation is open until Thursday 14 January 2020. This is the first region-wide transport plan and sets priorities up to 2035. We welcome the development of the plan and we are commending political leaders on the vision statement and objectives (see page 6 of the plan). However the content of the plan does not support this vision and fails to set out the transformative interventions and the “standard” to deliver a green, healthy, dynamic and thriving North East. It is important that you respond to the consultation and make your voice heard in support of active travel. Please[…]

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Retail Core Proposals – Our Response

The council are currently seeking views on changes to the main retail area of the city centre, covering Blackett Street, Northumberland Street and the surrounding streets. The information on the scheme is available here: https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/our-city/transport-improvements/city-centre-improvements/transforming-our-city . If you also wish to provide personal feedback to the council, time is limited as the survey is only available until Friday 31st January. Our Response We are delighted to see that the Council is finally looking at making more improvements to the city centre. What has been shared for engagement has many positives, but for cycling there seem to be a number of[…]

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Open letter to Cllr Arlene Ainsley, cabinet member for Transport and Air Quality

Newcastle’s new cabinet member for Transport and Air Quality, Cllr Arlene Ainsley, has now been in post for over a year. On 7th November 2018 she delivered a report on transport and air quality to the council. We have a number of questions to raise with the council in relation to this report and have written to Cllr Ainsley: Dear Cllr Ainsley We read with great interest your report on transport and air quality, which you delivered to full council on 7th November 2018. It is fantastic to see you acknowledging the important part cycling infrastructure can play in improving[…]

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Our response to the Highways England A1 Consultation

In August 2017, we responded to the online Highways England A1 (between Scotswood and North Brunton) consultation and expressed our strong disagreement with the proposal and its complete lack of consideration for cycling and walking. About the scheme To what extent do you agree, or disagree, with the need for improvements on the A1 between Scotswood and North Brunton? Strongly disagree I support the proposed improvement option for the A1 between Scotswood and North Brunton. Strongly disagree Please provide more details on why you are in support, or not in support, of this option.: The widening of A1 will in the[…]

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NECA Transport Manifesto consultation – deadline

Dear member, There is a preliminary consultation on the future transport in the North East. Please reply to it and mention the construction of a good quality cycle network and the six principles of Space for Cycling as much as you can. Please fill in the NE survey and mention cycling https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/neca_transport_manifesto_consultation There are several questions in the online questionnaire. Be not put off, not all need filling in. The only compulsory question is whether you reply as an individual or on behalf of an organisation. There is plenty of freetext to mention building cycleways and liveable neighbourhoods (reducing through motor traffic), creating safe routes to schools and cycle-friendly[…]

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National consultation – road traffic law enforcement

We are replying as newcycling.org (Newcastle’s cycling campaign) to the Inquiry on traffic law enforcement by the Transport Select Committee. We have 1,600 local members; and we are an organisation entirely run by volunteers, a constituted community group, formed in 2010. We would like to take this opportunity to make a strong point about the ‘wider picture’ which appears to be missing from the inquiry: There are benefits of structuring the UK road safety system more effectively (to avoid death and damage to occur in the first instance and avoid state resources getting wasted). Government departments should start cooperating much[…]

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John Dobson Street – formal order

We again congratulate the council planning to reallocate space to walking and cycling along the length of John Dobson Street. Reducing its strangling motorway appearance and improving its sense of place will be an asset to the public environment and to people using it. As a constituted community group with 1,600 local members we respond on their behalf to the newly reiterated plan for John Dobson Street. See bottom of page for the plan we are commenting on. Please note, that comments and questions have remained from the earlier plan. Creating and designing context For the city centre economy to[…]

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Brandling Park plans including Village and school

The latest proposal is a relatively minor improvement on a currently entirely unacceptable situation for cycling, walking and a council that states it wants to design a city where people have clear alternatives to the car.  The proposal, in many ways, is a step backwards from the previous plans we have seen and commented on. Our earlier replies and communications concerning Brandling Park situated on the Gosforth SCR4 can be seen here. As a constituted community group with 1,600 local members we respond on their behalf to the newly reiterated Brandling Park plans, which have now been widened by the[…]

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City Centre 20mph expansion TRO

We would firstly like to express our thanks and support to the the council for extending the city centre 20mph. This is something we have been asking for over the past few years and we are glad to see that this is happening. We would also like to take this as opportunity to raise a few questions and points that we have about the 20mph zone. Firstly, we feel that a number of streets should also be included in the 20mph zone: Barras Bridge, between Claremont Road and Haymarket The Quayside – in particular the section East of the swing[…]

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