In 2020 two people were killed and over fifty seriously injured on Newcastle's roads alone. These are not 'statistics', they were mums, dads, children, friends and neighbours. Four of those serious injuries were on or near Gosforth High Street. Almost two thirds of those seriously injured were classified in official reports as being pedestrians or cyclists.
Although the vast majority of incidents are still not reported in the media, other than to warn of potential delays, thanks to local press Read more [...] Traffic Crash Injury 2020
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In 2020 two people were killed and over fifty seriously injured on Newcastle's roads alone. These are not 'statistics', they were mums, dads, children, friends and neighbours. Four of those serious injuries were on or near Gosforth High Street. Almost two thirds of those seriously injured were classified in official reports as being pedestrians or cyclists.
Although the vast majority of incidents are still not reported in the media, other than to warn of potential delays, thanks to local press Read more [...] 
The Government is reviewing The Highway Code, in particular "to improve safety for pedestrians, particularly children, older adults and disabled people, cyclists and horse riders."
As part of this review, between July and October 2020, the Department for Transport asked for views on proposed changes "on overtaking, passing distances, cyclist and pedestrian priority at junctions, opening vehicle doors and responsibility of road users." This blog sets out SPACE for Gosforth's response to 
Newcastle City Council has now confirmed that legal orders to close local bridges to vehicle traffic will be in place by Thursday 13 August. This is to prevent "inappropriate levels of traffic for small structures, using the bridges as a shortcut through residential streets."
As with any traffic-related changes these proposals have generated a lot of debate in Gosforth. To help ensure this debate is an informed one we published a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Enabling Safe Walking and 
Newcastle City Council has announced plans, as part of its Covid-19 response, to close five local bridges to through traffic, so they can be used in safety by people who don't currently feel comfortable walking or cycling because of the volume of traffic. 
In December 2015, responding to the Council's initial consultation, we said "Currently this is a busy dual carriageway with frequent busses and fast-moving traffic: it is hard for pedestrians to cross and is largely unsuited to all but the bravest of cyclists." Now crossing is easier and local residents can cycle safely in relative comfort along this stretch of road, and it is now one of the few places in Newcastle where it is possible to cycle safely along a main road. 
Newcastle City Council have proposed that Blackett Street and parts of New Bridge Street are made into a pedestrian area linking Northumberland Street, Monument and Old Eldon Square. This blog is our response to the Council's consultation. 
In 2019 we started to track local media stories about people hurt or killed in road traffic collisions in Newcastle. As it turns out, there are quite a lot of them. 
The Council say that these junctions have been identified as "problem junctions that need investment to improve efficiency and journey time reliability, as well as provide greener and more active travel choices and improving road safety." 
We know from our own measurements that there is space for separate, good quality walking and cycling provision at Haddricks Mill, but that the Council has chosen, contrary to its own policy and legal obligation to reduce air pollution, to prioritise high-speed and potentially dangerous vehicle movements instead. 
Earlier this year, Newcastle City Council updated its proposals for High West Jesmond as part of the overall Jesmond Streets for People plans. The council signalled that it was considering other options for how the budget might be used to improve walking and cycling.