If you were asked to name one place that's more in thrall to the car than the UK, most people would say the USA. That's why, when American cities concerned about road safety, pollution and congestion have wanted to rebalance their roads to favour healthier and less polluting alternatives, they have had to make their case in very strong terms. This has resulted in studies that show the impact of pedestrian and cycling improvements on safety as well as on travel preferences, on house prices and on
Read more [...]
In October 2016 SPACE for Gosforth arranged a review of recent changes to the Salters Road / Gosforth High Street junction with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association , engineers from Newcastle City Council and Zoe the Guide Dog. Read more [...] 
In this post we want to look at the new street layout on John Dobson Street, and whether it has improved the experience of those who use this street. The improvements are a flagship project for Newcastle upon Tyne City Council, with a new traffic-free cycle lane that links Newcastle Civic Centre at St. Mary's Place and the Blue Carpet in front of the Laing Art Gallery and the Journey (Newcastle's healthy travel centre) on New Bridge Street West.
1. Walking
The new cycle lane has 
In this post we look at the Environmental Impact Assessment Screening & Scoping Report ("the EIASSR") lodged as part of the planning documents for the original plans for the Blue House roundabout and Jesmond Dene Road. The EIASSR's aim was to identify the different types of environmental assessments that would have been needed had those plans gone ahead. 
Newcastle Council have published new plans for Haddricks Mill and Blue House roundabouts. These will be major changes that will considerably alter both locations. Changes are also proposed for Jesmond Dene Road at the junction with Osborne Road.
The Council's stated motivation for these schemes include safety, air quality and improving the efficiency of the roundabouts for motor vehicle traffic. All of these locations currently have high volumes of vehicle traffic and poor records 
The East Gosforth online ward event survey closes this Wednesday and the East Gosforth Annual Ward Priority Event for all residents is on Monday 18 July. They will help determine how the East Gosforth ward budget of £5,630 is spent, and they're important ways to have your say for your area.
Each ward in the city now has a survey and event rather than the previous system of four ward meetings per year. This new system results from recent changes to the council wards in Newcastle. West Gosforth 
On Monday evening, three SPACE for Gosforth members met Councillor Henry Gallagher (who represents East Gosforth Ward) at Station Road. The meeting was organised at very short notice due to safety concerns raised by SPACE members relating to proposals for Station Road. A member of the infrastructure team from local cycling campaign group Newcycling was also able to attend to discuss issues relating to cycling.
SPACE members have concerns about these proposals however because Station Road, 
Imagine you are a child waking up on Boxing Day in Gosforth - yesterday you received the most wonderful Christmas present, a beautiful, shiny new bicycle. In your head, you are Sir Bradley Wiggins setting the hour record or Lizzie Armistead winning the rainbow jersey. But there is one problem. Where is there space in Gosforth for a child to ride?
A generation ago it was a common sight to see children riding in the street - and many parents are still nostalgic about riding their 
For most of 2015 SPACE for Gosforth was a collection of ideas. Ideas about the sort of place we want to live, about how streets can be designed for people and made safer for everyone, about Gosforth as a destination rather than a "transport corridor" and about how we as a community of residents, friends and neighbours take responsibility, how we engage with proposed changes and ensure that we are informed about issues and understand the solutions being proposed.
SPACE for Gosforth was