Newcastle Cycling Campaign

Tag: Gosforth SCR

Public statement: Brandling Park

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People travelling into Newcastle from Jesmond, Gosforth and further afield will have noticed that the construction works have now started on Brandling Park. This follows a physical trial at the junction with Clayton Road a few months back. It is not unfair to state we think, that there is more than a real chance of the money not being used to the best, or even a good, effect. A sum of over £100,000 is thrown at the construction phase. Newcastle City Council has been working, on and off, on the design and consultation for options on Brandling Park for the[…]

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Newcastle Great North Road worries over missing safety audit and debate

Press

A road safety audit (RSA) has still not been made publicly available (see 1), leaving a campaign group worried and uncertain about fair process. The group understands that the RSA’s objective “is to ensure that the road safety implications of all Highway Improvement Schemes are fully considered for all users of the motorway” and should attach “great importance to the improvement of road safety” (refer to 2) and Great North Road should not be an exception. The relevant highway standard goes on to describe that “Road Safety Auditors must examine the overall layout of the Highway Improvement Scheme. All users[…]

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consultation response image

Brandling Park plans including Village and school

Consultation replies

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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Caring designs are not always sharing

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You reported – we acted. An observant and concerned Campaign member sent us a couple of photos and was asking – what’s happening here then? The honest answer is – we really don’t know and we would love to find out! After some considerable radio silence, Newcastle City Council have now started the Gosforth Strategic Cycle Route (SCR4) works North of Regent Centre. Spade in the ground time, cards on the table so to speak. But council forgot to share their Detailed Design drawings! All we had seen through the official process (traffic orders and technical group) was – what’s[…]

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YouReport – air quality

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A member and Gosforth resident had a good look at air quality, zooming in from the EU and national situation to the subject’s relevance to Gosforth High Street – one of Newcastle Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) (1). This youReport article rightly argues that air pollution caused by motor traffic should be recognised as a serious public health crisis, and as such must be adequately addressed, as were open sewers and smoking in the recent and more distant past. As a campaign group we hope that an alliance with partnering organisations will get the subject of air quality a due[…]

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Jesmond update

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Happy New Year! 2014 saw some interesting proposals for cycle infrastructure in Jesmond. It’s not always easy interpreting council plans and process, so below is written in good faith. Acorn Road Most controversial were the plans for Acorn Road which were put forward by the council in association with Sustrans. The aim is to make Acorn Road less congested and safer and more pleasant for pedestrians and cyclists as a destination. Following an informal consultation in the spring, Sustrans put together a design which allowed for widened pavements by making the road one way while retaining most of the parking[…]

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Gosforth meeting – a member’s letter

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Alistair Ford, a member who lives in Gosforth, has written to the Gosforth Councillors following the Town Hall Meeting. Here is his robust and forward-thinking letter. To facilitate communication, we would be delighted to post the Councillors’ reply. Dear councillors, I am writing to you regarding the ‘Gosforth Town Meeting’ which I attended last week. I would like to congratulate you all on calling such a meeting, and providing an opportunity for the people of Gosforth to get together and discuss issues which are important to them. I thought it was excellent to hear a range of views and for[…]

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Gosforth Town Hall Meeting – member’s action

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Here is Bill, a Gosforth resident, reporting on the Town Hall Meeting held on Thursday 27th November. Shown below, is the question he posed to the Councillors and audience. The public meeting had been called by Councillors of East and West Gosforth and Parklands wards to discuss ‘controversial’ issues. Over 200 people attended, and debated transport plans for Gosforth, including the High Street, Salter’s Road and Hollywood junctions, amongst more general aspects of mobility, accessibility, liveability and quality of life. I was extremely disappointed with the approach taken by the seven Gosforth Councillors present who were very much against improvements for cyclist and pedestrians. The latest round of consultation carried[…]

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