Author Archives: SPACE for Gosforth

Sat Navs are ruining Gosforth

The website CityMonitor recently published an article "How Google Maps is ruining your neighbourhood". The article explains that, since they were introduced in 2009, Sat Nav apps have caused an increase of traffic on minor roads. While the sales pitch of Sat Nav apps is that they enable drivers to avoid congestion, the actual outcome is that minor roads can now be just as congested as main roads.

In effect traffic has been displaced from main roads onto minor roads. Read more [...]

Haddricks Mill – Return of the Traffic

In this blog we assess the impact of Haddricks Mill roadworks and closing Dene Bridge to motor vehicles.

Just like for Stoneyhurst Road and Salters Bridge, a large proportion of people who responded to the Dene Bridge consultation thought that it would result in displaced traffic and additional congestion on surrounding roads. Read more [...]

Station Road Traffic

Newcastle City Council confirmed in February, following an eighteen-month trial and six-month consultation, that the arrangements at Stoneyhurst, Dene and Salters Bridges would be made permanent to help make local streets safer, cut carbon emissions from driving and promote active travel. Read more [...]

Local Elections 2022

Elections for Newcastle City Council are due to be held on 5 May 2022. This blog looks at what has happened since the local elections in 2021, and what local candidates and political parties are offering now. We have looked at local election manifestos as these are where the parties set out what they want to achieve and how they will prioritise resources to achieve it.   Read more [...]

We still love Gosforth High Street

It is now over eighteen months since wands were installed on Gosforth High Street as part of the Council's response to Covid. This blog looks beyond the look and feel of the wands, focusing instead on their impact on traffic volumes, air pollution and road safety, and suggests specific actions that could be taken to help the High Street thrive in future. Read more [...]

How much less will we use our cars in future?

In March 2020, the Secretary of State for Transport said "Public transport and active travel will be the natural first choice for our daily activities. We will use our cars less and be able to rely on a convenient, cost-effective and coherent public transport network." This begs the question how much less will we use our cars? Read more [...]

Traffic Crash Injury 2021

This is our third blog sharing local media stories about people killed or injured in road traffic collisions in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2021 there have been two fatalities and over seventy serious injuries on Newcastle's roads.

Serious injury and death on the roads is not inevitable. To a large extent, injuries from road traffic collisions are the result of political choices that have prioritised saving a few seconds on a journey over people's wellbeing and safety. When we see articles praising Read more [...]