Safety Archives - SPACE for Gosforth https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/category/safety/ Sun, 15 Sep 2024 20:46:37 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/cropped-s4gfavicon-1-32x32.jpg Safety Archives - SPACE for Gosforth https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/category/safety/ 32 32 Gosforth High Street Bus Lane Decision https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/gosforth-high-street-bus-lane-decision/ Sun, 15 Sep 2024 20:46:37 +0000 https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/?p=8073 Newcastle City Council has confirmed the outcome of its Gosforth High Street bus lane trial.

In a Twitter/X post featuring a long out-of-date picture of Gosforth High Street, the Council announced the decision, saying that they are "investing in your commute" by making the bus lane on Gosforth High Street permanent.

In doing so, the Council have acknowledged that the intention of the trial was never to support High Street businesses, nor to enable people to travel safely to the shops. 

The post Gosforth High Street Bus Lane Decision appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

]]> Man on a bicycle overtaking a van parked in the bus lane on Gosforth High Street

Newcastle City Council has confirmed the outcome of its Gosforth High Street bus lane trial.

In a Twitter/X post featuring a long out-of-date picture of Gosforth High Street, the Council announced the decision, saying that they are “investing in your commute” by making the bus lane on Gosforth High Street permanent.

In doing so, the Council have acknowledged that the intention of the trial was never to support High Street businesses, nor to enable people to travel safely to the shops. 

https://twitter.com/NewcastleCC/status/1831694501494059415

In the associated news story, they claim that “data has shown that the bus lane has had a minimal impact on other journeys”. The only data about “other journeys” shared in the story to justify this statement relates to journeys through the High Street by car.

No consideration appears to have been given to people travelling to the shops, nor to the impact on people walking or cycling to, along or across the High Street.   

Safety Considerations

The Council’s delegated decision report does acknowledge there has been what the Council phrases “a slight rise in injury collisions”.

They say “There have been 8 collisions involving personal injury on High Street since the introduction of the ETRO, 18 months ago. As a comparison, in the 5 years before the ETRO there were 20 recorded injury accidents.”

Data from the NE Road User Casualties Dashboard shows there have been ten injuries due to road traffic collisions since April 2023 when the bus lane was installed, all on different dates and all between Elmfield Road and Salters Road. This suggests the Council may have missed two collisions from their analysis, possibly more as the data will not yet be up to date for the full 18 months the ETRO was due to run.

Of the Council’s “20 recorded injury accidents” in the 5 years before the ETRO, 4 were south of Elmfield Road leaving sixteen between Elmfield Road and Salters Road, an average of 3.2 per annum, compared to 9 in the first year of the ETRO. Hardly a “slight rise”.

The Council go on to say “When looking into the collision reports in some more detail, the presence of the bus lane infrastructure is not attributed as a contributory factor in any of those accidents over the past 18 months.” We have submitted a FOI request to the Council to ask for these collision reports, but our assumption is that these are Police incident reports. It is extremely concerning if Council officers are relying on Police reports to assess the safety of a road layout rather than using their own professional judgement and highway design best practice and standards.

In our FOI we have also requested the Council’s analysis (if it exists) of whether the bus lane trial meets the objective set out in the original ETRO to “avoid danger to persons or other traffic using the road [Gosforth High Street] and for preventing the likelihood of any such danger arising”. This is a much higher, and more appropriate, standard than simply ‘not attributed to’.

Conclusion and Next Steps

SPACE for Gosforth believes the Council has prioritised speed over safety, and has failed to properly consider the impact of the scheme on most users and uses of Gosforth High Street.

Council decision making right now feels incoherent – for example compare the Gosforth High Street decision to Heaton LTN where safety was given as a reason for removing the scheme without any injuries being recorded, and to Jesmond where driving from the front to the back of someone’s house was given as a key reason for removing the LTN.

Our suspicion is that the Council was under pressure to claim Gosforth High Street was a success whatever the evidence, after having failed in their attempt to improve road safety in Jesmond, Fenham and Heaton, having given up on Blackett Street and ending the School Streets programme with only four School Streets implemented. If they had not decided to retain the bus lane it would have been the fourth ETRO in a row to be removed.

We have written to Councillor Kilgour (Acting Council leader) and Councillor William (Cabinet lead for transport) to seek answers. You can see our letter below.

One possible silver lining is that the Council have recognised that “A common theme of the feedback from the people taking part in the consultation centred around a perceived lack of active travel as part of the scheme.” and that they “are working on a separate phase [originally promised March 2023] to provide safer routes for more vulnerable road users that will not only encourage the use of the High Street as a destination but also provide improved connections to schools and other local amenities.”

They have also said in answer to a question at September’s City Council “The Council is committed to ensuring the success of district centres and as we have set out, we are committed to improving road safety, creating better public transport links and encouraging active travel around the Gosforth High Street area.”

Our expectations for this further phase is low though, certainly as far as cycling is concerned. This is partly due to the perception that the Council do not currently view road safety as a priority but also because the bus lane between Elmfield Road and Salters Road will prevent direct cycling access to the shops (because Gosforth High Street is multiple destinations not just one) and will act as a barrier preventing the implementation of safe crossings to connect residents with schools and other local amenities on the other side of the High Street to where they live.

We also believe it will do little for High Street businesses. Being able to cycle safely with children, and move safely between shops on Gosforth HIgh Street by bike, will (and has been proven to) help local businesses. Saving 90 seconds on a bus journey after most of the shops have shut will not.   

SPACE for Gosforth’s letter to Newcastle City Council 

Dear Councillor Kilgour and Councillor Williams,

Re: Gosforth High Street road safety concerns

We are writing to express our concern about the Council’s recent decision to make the Gosforth High Street ETRO permanent despite serious concerns about the safety of the road layout.

On 28 April 2024, we wrote to Councillor Kemp and Councillor Williams to ask them to expedite the removal of the failed Gosforth High Street bus lane trial due to the dramatic increase in injuries on the central section of Gosforth High Street in the year following implementation of the ETRO. 

Since then:

  • Neither they, nor the service our letter was forwarded to, have responded to our letter. 
  • No changes have been made to address safety concerns.
  • Councillor Woodwark had to table a formal question at June’s City Council before the Council would even acknowledge the existence of safety concerns on Gosforth High Street.
  • In Councillor Kemp’s response to that question, despite it being six weeks after we sent our letter, he said he was still “’not sure whether there is an upward trend in accidents”.
  • A further injury occurred on 17 May 2024 to a 21-25 year-old motorcyclist by the junction with Hawthorn Road.
  • The Council has published its report saying “there have been 8 collisions involving personal injury on High Street since the introduction of the ETRO” whereas the NE England Road User Casualty Dashboard clearly shows ten separate injuries all on different dates (see diagram below), casting doubt on the Council’s analysis.
  • Despite all the above, the Council has made a decision that the ETRO design will be retained, despite officers advising that the design does not meet the Council-adopted road safety standard LTN1/20.
  • The Council has not published collision reports nor any explanation of why it believes the trial layout was not in any way responsible for the increase in injuries, instead advising us (via social media) that if we have doubts about the Council’s analysis (which it hasn’t published) we should submit a FOI. This we have done.

Graphic showing location, date and type of 10 collisions on Gosforth High Street between April 2023 and May 2024

We had hoped that, as a minimum, when the Council published its delegated decision report it would include an assessment of the injuries recorded and whether the ETRO had achieved the aim set out in the Statement of Reasons to “avoid danger to persons or other traffic using the road [Gosforth High Street] and for preventing the likelihood of any such danger arising.”

This is the right standard to use. This is why streetlights are installed to make it safe to walk in the dark, and why the PCC has committed to safer public transport. 

Instead, the delegated decision document claims that the collision reports (which the Council has not published) say “bus lane infrastructure is not attributed as a contributory factor”, a much lower standard than ‘preventing the likelihood of any such danger arising’.

Even this is contradicted by Councillor Kemp’s response to Councillor Woodwark’s question, in which he said “Two of the bus accidents involved vehicles changing lanes at West Avenue.” which would not have been possible prior to the ETRO being implemented as there was only one north-bound lane.

Release the Safety Analysis

The Council (via social media) confirmed on that it had “closely analysed accident data”. As a first step the Council should publish this analysis as soon as possible to reassure the community that the Council still takes the safety of residents seriously. 

We believe the Council has a number of further questions to answer regarding the Gosforth High Street trial and the decision to retain the bus lane between Elmfield Road and Salters Road. 

  1. Did you seek or receive any advice from officers relating to road safety on Gosforth High Street following our letter of 28 April 2024?
  2. Did you authorise Council officers to lower the safety standard against which the Gosforth High Street would be assessed (from preventing danger to simply avoiding blame)?
  3. Was the Council’s failure to implement improved road safety in Jesmond, Heaton and Fenham a factor in the decision making for Gosforth High Street? We are concerned the bus lane may have been approved to avoid another Council PR disaster.
  4. How do you explain the inconsistency between the decision to retain the dangerous ETRO layout as the starting point for further measures and Council decisions at Jesmond, Heaton and Fenham to remove LTN measures and start again from scratch, despite minimal evidence of danger?
  5. Why have proposals “to make it safer, easier, and better for people to get around on foot and on bike” still not been published despite a commitment on 20 March 2023 “to share in the coming months”? 
  6. Why did Cabinet Members sign off a design not compliant with the LTN1/20 cycle design standard having previously supported the unanimously agreed November 2022 City Council motion requesting proposals for Gosforth High Street “are designed to the highest possible safety standards for both pedestrians and all road users, including LTN1/20”?
  7. Is the commitment (para 9.6 of the delegated decision report) to “address any road safety issues in the next phase of proposals” a genuine commitment or simply a device to deflect from the Council’s failure to address safety concerns during the ETRO?
  8. Will the Council commit to a safe future design that will allow all ages and abilities to cycle safely to and between the shops on Gosforth High Street, and which meets the LTN1/20 standard that Council Cabinet confirmed under your leadership “would apply to all schemes brought forward by the City Council”? 
  9. Will the Council commit to adopting the Road Collision Reporting Guidelines and stop using the term “accident” which (to quote the guidelines) “risks making crashes seem inevitable and unavoidable”? 
  10. Given the decisions at Jesmond, Fenham and Heaton, the recent closure of the school streets programme, and long overdue lack of action to improve safety at Linden Road and Hyde Terrace in Gosforth, how does the Council leadership expect residents to believe both that the Council still considers their safety when travelling to be a priority and has the means and will to do something about it?

We look forward to receiving your answers to these questions. 

We have also published this email on our website [link provided].

Copies sent to

  • Gosforth Ward Councillors and
  • Councillor Ferguson and Councillor Penny-Evans as Chair and Vice Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Coordination Committee.

Kind Regards, 

SPACE for Gosforth

Timeline and References

 

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]]> Gosforth High Street discussed at City Council https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/gosforth-high-street-discussed-at-city-council/ Tue, 18 Jun 2024 07:25:28 +0000 https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7989 At 12 June 2024 City Council, Councillor Woodwark (Lib Dems, Gosforth Ward) asked a question about injuries recorded on Gosforth High Street since the Council's bus lane trial was installed.

The post Gosforth High Street discussed at City Council appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

]]>

Screenshot from the City Council YouTube recording. Councillor Kemp is responding. Words on screen say "have had eight collisions on Gosforth High Street since the introduction of the bus" lane

Councillor Kemp responds

At the 12 June 2024 City Council meeting, Councillor Woodwark (Lib Dems, Gosforth Ward) asked a question about injuries recorded on Gosforth High Street since the Council’s bus lane trial was installed.

Item 7: Oral question 2 to Councillor Williams from Councillor Woodwark

Accident data from the North East Road Users Casualty Dashboard indicates that in the last year, pedestrian accidents have increased nearly threefold on Gosforth High Street, compared to the average across the past decade, since the new bus lanes were introduced.

Given that the Council’s policy on transport and travel is clearly in flux, given U-turns on a range of schemes across the City, does the Cabinet member believe that the policy for Gosforth High Street should similarly be reviewed in light of the concerning trend of increasing pedestrian accidents?

City Council meetings are recorded on You Tube. You can see Councillor Kemp’s response from about 33 to 38 minutes, or in our transcript below, along with SPACE for Gosforth’s response to Councillor Kemp’s comments.

Response from Councillor Nick Kemp, leader of the Council

“We have had eight collisions on Gosforth High Street since the introduction of the bus lane. There was a pedestrian accident at the crossing adjacent to North Cross Street where the pedestrian was hit by a car. A person got their fingers caught when exiting a taxi. Two accidents involved cyclists turning into and out of the side streets. Four accidents involved buses and included passengers falling on the bus. Two of the bus accidents involved vehicles changing lanes at West Avenue. The speed limit on Gosforth High Street is 20mph. Officers are continuing to monitor data, including accident data, before deciding whether to make the scheme permanent and any decision will be informed by the data and feedback from the consultation process which is now closed.”

Councillor Woodwark’s Supplemental Question

“Given the the upward trend that the accident statistics on the High Street clearly show and given the implementation of the bus route is against what was unanimously agreed by this Council in 2019, would the leader of the Council say that there was any ability for a move towards looking at using a District Centre which is what Gosforth High Street is rather than a thoroughfare conscientious it is the cause of these accidents?”

Councillor Kemp’s response

“I’m not in a position to answer directly behalf of my cabinet colleagues but what I would say is I’m not clear that what you state or suggested as being empirically accurate. I’m not sure whether there is an upward trend in accidents if incidents such as an individual catching their fingers in a taxi door counts as an accident in this instance because I think we are correlating a number of issues together and I think it would be worthwhile looking a bit more in detail at the accidents, the causation of the accidents where there’s a relation to. The principle of district hearts I am entirely wedded to, but that’s not the same as saying a point around the bus lanes. I am committed and have been committed for a long long time about the rebirth, regeneration and repurpose of district hearts across the whole of our city.”

Councillor Ferguson’s (Lib Dem, Gosforth Ward) Supplemental Question

“Picking up on your final comments there Councillor Kemp, would you then agree with the Liberal Democrats that the High Street should be a destination, not a thoroughfare as it is currently configured?”

Councillor Kemp’s response

“I find it always quite difficult to agree with the Liberal Democrats to but honest Councillor Ferguson but hey I think actually it is slightly more semantic than you are suggesting because for many people the district heart is a district heart, and it is a destination for many people who visit to access the facilities and services that exist there rather than a thoroughfare. I think some of it is about perception. I would like to see Gosforth HIgh Street continue to thrive and grow and develop and provide increased local services for people both locally and further afield.”

SPACE for Gosforth’s response

These are the nine injuries recorded on the central section of Gosforth High Street between April 2023 and February 2024, recorded on the NE Road User Casualty dashboard.

In line with Media Reporting Guidelines for Road Collisions we don’t say “accidents‘ as road traffic injuries are caused by preventable factors such as poor driving and badly designed road layouts. 

Infographic showing the site of each of the 9 collisions and who was injured.

Councillor Kemp states that he is “not sure whether there is an upward trend in accidents”.

The bar chart below shows the number of people injured by year on Gosforth High Street. The nine injuries in the year following the installation of the bus lane in April 2023 is the highest recorded for at least a decade.

The 20 mph limit, implemented in May 2020, should mean there are fewer collisions, not more. After a default 20 mph limit was introduced in Wales, injuries dropped by a third. 

There have been ten injuries since Newcastle Councillors, including the current Cabinet, voted unanimously for Gosforth High Street to be “designed to the highest possible safety standards for both pedestrians and all road users.”

Bar chart of injuries in the central section of Gosforth High Street by year.

Based on Councillor Kemp’s statement we now know seven of the collisions on Gosforth High Street collisions are linked to or were made more likely by the new road layout.

  • Two people cycling hit by a vehicle when turning into or out of a side street. Turning across two lanes of traffic is more dangerous than turning across one lane.
  • Two bus passengers injured due to vehicles changing lanes at West Avenue.
  • The other two bus passengers injured falling while on a bus, most likely due to rapid acceleration or deceleration.  
  • A person hit by a car driver when crossing by North Cross Street – possibly due to traffic lights being obscured by a bus in the left hand lane as we highlighted in our safety briefing. 

If any of the Council’s other recent traffic trials had led to nine people being injured they would have been removed immediately. Why is Gosforth High Street being treated differently?

The Heaton LTN was recently removed in part because Newcastle City Council considered that road safety risks there were a “major concern”, even without any actual injuries being recorded.

Councillors need to show some leadership, not shift the blame for poor decisions to Council Officers. Over ten people were injured every week on Newcastle’s roads in 2023, two of them seriously. Road danger isn’t a problem that will just go away with more “monitoring”.

Gosforth High Street needs a new design that meets the “highest possible safety standards for both pedestrians and all road users” that Councillors voted for, and residents supported in consultation feedback. 

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]]> Gosforth High Street rethink needed after ‘dramatic’ jump in injuries https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/gosforth-high-street-rethink-needed-after-dramatic-jump-in-injuries/ https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/gosforth-high-street-rethink-needed-after-dramatic-jump-in-injuries/#comments Sun, 28 Apr 2024 20:32:31 +0000 https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7900 According to the North East Road User Casualties dashboard nine people have been injured on Gosforth High Street between April 2023, when the bus lane trial was introduced, and the end of February 2024. The average for the same period in the previous ten years, 2014 to 2023, was 3.4.

The post Gosforth High Street rethink needed after ‘dramatic’ jump in injuries appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

]]> Infographic showing the site of each of the 9 collisions and who was injured.

According to the North East Road User Casualties dashboard nine people have been injured on Gosforth High Street between April 2023, when the bus lane trial was introduced, and the end of February 2024. The average for the same period in the previous ten years, 2014 to 2023, was 3.4.

SPACE for Gosforth has been quoted in The Chronicle calling for a rethink and has sent an open letter to Councillor Kemp (Leader of Newcastle City Council) and Councillor Williams (Cabinet Member for a Clean, Connected City), which we have published below.

Councillor Kemp knew before the bus lane was installed that there were safety issues with the Council’s road layout, because SPACE for Gosforth sent him and other Cabinet Members a safety briefing in February 2023. We explained these issues in our blog Gosforth High Street – Safety Concerns.

Council Officers were also very clear that the design that was implemented would not meet LTN1/20 Cycling Design Standards, a standard which Newcastle City Council has formally adopted, and was explicitly mentioned in a Council motion about Gosforth High Street that Councillor Kemp and other Cabinet Members voted for.

This is SPACE for Gosforth’s open letter. If you wish to write to Councillor Kemp, Councillor Williams or your own local Councillors about this you can find their contact details on the Council website.

Dear Councillor Kemp and Councillor Williams,

Re: New plea for another Gosforth High Street rethink after ‘dramatic’ jump in injuries
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/new-plea-another-gosforth-high-29062354

We are writing to ask you to expedite the removal of the failed Gosforth High Street bus lane trial.

Since the trial bus lane was installed, the number of people injured in traffic collisions has increased dramatically. From April ’23 to February ’24 there have been nine injuries on the central 20mph section of Gosforth High Street, including four bus passengers. The equivalent average from 2014 to 2023 was 3.4.

We note that other experimental schemes in Jesmond and Heaton have been removed for far less serious concerns. At Jesmond you demonstrated you could act quickly. Given this precedent, you should now act quickly to remove the trial bus lane on Gosforth High Street. Indeed, given your previous actions, it would be hypocritical for you to retain the bus lane any longer than necessary, especially as – unlike in Jesmond and Heaton – people have actually been injured in Gosforth.

If you need further evidence, it is clear the trial has not achieved any of the objectives unanimously agreed by City Council in November 2022.

  • It has not supported the development of Gosforth High Street as a thriving local destination.
  • It does not meet the Council’s adopted safety standards, in particular LTN1/20 which was called out specifically in the November 2022 City Council motion.
  • It has not enabled any additional low-carbon transport options. Cycling remains dangerous, there are no improvements for people walking, and no more buses than prior to the trial.
  • It has had minimal impact on traffic levels and is therefore unlikely to have reduced pollution or greenhouse gas emissions.
  • It has not enhanced green infrastructure on Gosforth High Street.
  • It was developed and implemented without the support of elected representatives and without any meaningful engagement with local residents.

Clearly the ETRO objective “to avoid danger to persons or other traffic using the road and for preventing the likelihood of any such danger arising” has also not been achieved. Based on the TADU injury data the bus lane has increased danger in the central 20mph section of Gosforth High Street.

Proposed Next Steps

  1. To prevent further injury, the Council should confirm urgently that the bus lane will be removed and confirm its vision for the High Street as a destination and not a through-route as it is currently laid out.
  2. The Council should install a temporary safe layout while residents are consulted on next steps. We believe that this needs to be one lane of traffic (maximum) in each direction (a) to achieve required levels of safety and prevent further injuries and (b) as air quality legal limits have only been achieved on Gosforth High Street with one general traffic lane in each direction. Newcastle City Council has also previously confirmed that there was “minimal impact on the travelling public with the traffic reduced to two lanes through the High Street.”
  3. As set out in the Council motion, the Council should consult with residents on a new layout that meets safety standards and is consistent with the objectives agreed at City Council. This should include proposals promised in March 2023 (but never published) for improving access to and along Gosforth High Street for people walking or cycling. The latter, cycling, has the greatest potential to increase the customer base of Gosforth High Street without requiring extra land for more parking and without increasing pollution or greenhouse gas emissions.
  4. Lastly, there needs to be an investigation into how this was allowed to happen. Why were (a) Officer advice that the trial layout did not meet design standards and (b) the City Council motion asking for Gosforth High Street to be “designed to the highest possible safety standards” both ignored?

Councillors have unanimously agreed the objectives. We know funding is available. This was confirmed by the Assistant Director for Transport at the recent Gosforth Ward meeting and your own Manifesto refers to £7.7m Active Travel funding for Newcastle. All that is needed is for you to make a decision. We urge you to do so quickly.

We have also published this email on our website www.spaceforgosforth.com

Yours faithfully,

SPACE for Gosforth

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]]> https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/gosforth-high-street-rethink-needed-after-dramatic-jump-in-injuries/feed/ 2 Traffic Crash Injury 2023 https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/traffic-crash-injury-2023/ Tue, 06 Feb 2024 21:16:02 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7131 This is our fifth annual blog sharing local media stories about people killed or injured in road traffic collisions in Newcastle upon Tyne in 2023. In 2023 there were 5 fatalities, 91 serious injuries and 473 slight injuries on Newcastle’s roads, an average of 11 people injured every week.

The post Traffic Crash Injury 2023 appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

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This is our fifth annual blog sharing local media stories about people killed or injured in road traffic collisions in Newcastle upon Tyne in 2023. In 2023 there were 5 fatalities, 91 serious injuries and 473 slight injuries on Newcastle’s roads, an average of 11 people injured every week.

While County Durham and Northumberland had substantially higher rates of people being killed or seriously injured in road traffic injuries, Newcastle upon Tyne had the worst record of the five urban local authorities that make up the remainder of the NE region.  

Local Authority Killed Serious Injuries Slight Injuries Total
County Durham 22 185 394 601
Northumberland 17 156 427 600
Newcastle upon Tyne 5 91 473 569
Sunderland 4 70 339 413
Gateshead 1 78 285 364
North Tyneside 2 48 250 300
South Tyneside 2 27 139 168
Total NE Mayor region 53 655 2,307 3,015

In the NE region as a whole, made up of the seven local authorities that be part of the new NE Mayoral authority from May 2024, there were 50 fatalities, 628 serious injuries and 2,233 slight injuries. Based on Department of Transport estimates, these injuries will have cost the NE region £315 million in 2023. Collisions where no one is injured and near misses are not recorded.

553 of those killed or injured in the NE region were pedestrians, including:

  • 15 fatalities – 28% of total fatalities
  • 158 serious injuries – 24% of the total
  • 390 slight injuries

306 people were injured in road traffic collisions while cycling, 81 of which were serious. In 2023, no cyclists were killed on NE roads.

In the Northumbria Police region, which does not include County Durham, there were

  • 31 fatalities
  • 470 serious injuries
  • 1,913 slight injuries

In the year April 2022 to March 2023 in Newcastle and Gateshead, North East Ambulance Service attended a total of 412 calls related to road traffic collisions.  These consisted of:

  • 12 Category 1 incidents for people with life-threatening injuries
  • 317 category 2 “emergency calls”
  • 83 category 3 “urgent calls”  

Categories and target response times are explained on the NHS England website.

Stopping death and injuries due to road traffic collisions is the joint responsibility of government, local authorities and emergency services.

  • The government sets road safety law and safety standards and provides funding for road safety projects.
  • Local authorities are responsible for designing safe road layouts that minimise the likelihood of a collision and minimise the impact where collisions do happen.
  • Police are responsible for deterring and preventing dangerous and careless driving.
  • Ambulance and fire services ensure there is an appropriate and timely response when collisions do happen.

From May 2024, it will be the new NE Mayor’s responsibility to ensure the safety of people traveling on the main roads that make up the (yet to be defined) Key Route Network, whether walking, cycling, driving or using public transport.

Newcastle City Council had started to implement proven road safety interventions such as low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) and school streets, including the school street at Grange First School which has now been made permanent. Progress appears to be faltering though with recent schemes at Fenham and Jesmond removed, due to Newcastle City Council choosing to prioritise vehicle journey times over road safety. The roll-out of further school streets to improve safety for children travelling to school also appears to be on hold.

Meanwhile the government has withdrawn statutory guidance aiming to make roads safer for people walking and cycling, and is now focused on a “Plan for Drivers“. This does little to address road danger and appears to be based on conspiracy theories rather than any actual evidence of what would make roads safer.

Earlier this year SPACE for Gosforth responded to Northumbria Police’s consultation on its Police and Crime plan setting out evidence that fear of being caught is the greatest deterrent to dangerous driving. We are not aware of any changes made to road traffic policing following this consultation. 

As in previous years, the vast majority of incidents where people are hurt due to road traffic collisions are not reported in the media, so this is only a snapshot. It also doesn’t show any of the indirect consequences of dangerous driving e.g. children not being allowed to play outside or walk or cycle to school.

Again we want to express our thanks to everyone who is working towards making NE roads safer, and to media and other organisations continuing to highlight the terrible toll of road traffic collisions in our region.

Data on injuries from road traffic collisions is taken from the NE Road User Casualty website. Data on ambulance call outs was obtained by freedom of information request.

2023

JANUARY 2023

The West End Speeders feed was sadly stopped by its owner in February 2023 due to Twitter (now X) introducing charges for automated reporting, having recorded multiple instances of vehicles travelling in excess of 100mph on Central Motorway. 

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1615630704515207169?s=20

https://twitter.com/northumbriapol/status/1615653049594253315?s=20

 

FEBRUARY 2023

https://twitter.com/ManorParkLD/status/1626170282309197826?s=20

MARCH 2023

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1641099578844880897?s=20

APRIL 2023

Teenage pedestrian taken to Newcastle RVI after being hit by car in Kenton 29/04/2023

MAY 2023

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1661013932881104903?s=20

Rogue North East drivers who have been caught drinking, racing away or even causing serious injury ChronicleLive 29/5/2023

 

JUNE 2023

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1671172683491602435?s=20

JULY 2023

Banned Benwell driver claimed he was someone else despite being shown photo of himself 2/7/2023

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1676258861626408960?s=20

 

AUGUST 2023

Vehicle crashes into Westway Vets on West Road, Newcastle. August 11, 2023

 

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1694964429299884426?s=20

 

SEPTEMBER 2023

https://twitter.com/ChronicleLive/status/1698751773480001563?s=20

OCTOBER 2023

Newcastle Road closed following one vehicle collision15 October 2023

 

Drink-driver caught after travelling to Byker McDonald’s following bust-up with girlfriend ChroncileLive 22/10/2023

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1717578238631821796?s=20

 

NOVEMBER 2023

Newcastle drink-driver caught ‘weaving’ down road after thinking he only drank juice at party
ChronicleLive 5/11/2023

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1724356959170662494?s=20

 

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1730271603756351748?s=20

DECEMBER 2023

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1731720859843252712?s=20

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1732426933072548050?s=20

Fenham drug dealer snared after fiddling with his waistband during police stop for speeding 10 December 2023

Footnote – SPACE for Gosforth always aims to use collision or crash rather than ‘accident’ to describe road traffic collisions. Road traffic collisions are preventable. Road Peace, a charity that supports people bereaved or injured by road crashes, explains.

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]]> Gosforth High Street – Safety Concerns https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/gosforth-high-street-safety-concerns/ Wed, 20 Sep 2023 06:27:30 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7242 Gosforth High Street is our most important local destination in Gosforth. We want the shops to be successful and, as we set out in our previous blog, an important part of that is enabling people to get to and move around Gosforth High Street safely. 

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Picture of the north end of Gosforth HIgh Street, with a sign 'new road layout ahead'.

Gosforth High Street is our most important local destination in Gosforth. We want the shops to be successful and, as we set out in our previous blog, an important part of that is enabling people to get to and move around Gosforth High Street safely. 

The trial design implemented by Newcastle City Council doesn’t even adhere to the most basic safety principle, namely to separate people walking and cycling from heavy, fast moving vehicles. Instead they expect people cycling along or across the High Street to share a lane with buses, or separated only by paint from heavy traffic.

If you want a better, safer, more ambitious, plan for Gosforth High Street, you need to respond to the Council’s consultation ASAP. Please also be clear you don’t want a return to the pre-Covid layout as that was no better!

Have your say on Gosforth High Street bus priority measures
consultation ends 21 September 2023

In this blog we look at safety concerns with the current layout and reveal the alternative safer option rejected by the Council, which we have obtained via a Freedom of Information request.

Issue 1. Forcing people and heavy vehicles to share road-space is not designing to the “highest safety standard for all road users”

In November 2022, Newcastle City Councillors voted for a new design for Gosforth High Street that met the “highest safety standard for all road users”.

If people were happy to cycle in heavy traffic we might see more people cycling on Gosforth High Street. Department for Transport surveys have consistently shown a majority of people (>60%) think it is too dangerous to cycle on the roads due to motor traffic.

In the central section of the High Street there is now a north-bound bus lane and a south-bound advisory lane for cycling.

People cycling are able to use bus lanes but they aren’t designed for that purpose. Department for Transport guidance states that bus lanes “do not provide an environment attractive to a wide range of people and should therefore not be regarded as inclusive. Some bus lanes also allow taxis and motorcycles to use them [as is the case on Gosforth High Street], which can signifcantly increase traffc fows, thereby acting as a deterrent to cycling while also increasing risk of confict.” Conflict, in this scenario, could include collisions and / or injuries, most likely to the person or people cycling.

The same guidance advises that advisory lanes are “not be suitable for all people and will excluded some potential users and/or have safety concerns” given the volume of traffic, and that “Advisory lanes are not recommended where they are likely to be blocked by parked vehicles.“

picture of a van parked in the Gosforth High Street bus lane

Van illegally parked blocking the Gosforth High Street bus lane

The presence of parked vehicles almost doubles the risk to people cycling. 

Designing only for confident and experienced cyclists, as the Council have done on Gosforth High Street, excludes most people who could cycle, especially older and younger people who would be most at risk in a collision. 

Photoshopped image of young children cycling on a road with lorries

Photoshopped picture from the Department for Alternative Transport Blog.

The Council’s proposal implies that people including children, families and older people who wish to cycle to or between shops on the main section of Gosforth High Street should either:

  1. cycle in a bus lane or painted cycle lane, without any physical separation or protection from heavy motor traffic; or
  2. be prevented from travelling in the way that they wish, counter to the Council’s commitment to inclusive design to be safe for all users as well as its policy of encouraging sustainable travel.

Providing an alternative route on Moor Road is useful for people travelling from north of Gosforth to the city centre. However, this is a diversion away from the High Street, which for many people will be their destination, and neither resolves safety issues on the High Street nor helps travel within or across the High Street.

Issue 2. Close Passes – by design

South of The County, existing painted cycle lanes have been retained. DfT guidelines stated that painted lanes on busy roads “exclude some potential users and/or have safety concerns.” Adding an extra traffic lane makes these even less usable.

Picture of a bus passing a cyclist on Gosforth High Street

Drivers should leave at least 1.5m when overtaking cyclists

Specifically, the new Highway Code requires drivers to leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists. This was just about possible with previous lane widths south of Elmfield Road, but is now much harder with an extra vehicle lane squeezed in – as the diagram below shows.

Streetmix.net mock up of High Street lane widths before and after,. Cycle lanes have been reduced to 1.5m

Drivers, including bus and taxi drivers, can be prosecuted for close passes within 1.5m. Northumbria Police operate a ‘dash cam submission’ website where people can submit video evidence. Even so, close passes are deeply uncomfortable and potentially dangerous for the person who has been ‘close passed’, and will most likely put off even some experienced cyclists from cycling along Gosforth High Street.

This safety risk could be partially mitigated by having cycle lane ‘defenders’ to physically separate people and vehicle traffic, but the current trial doesn’t include this and lanes would still be non-compliant with standards due to being too narrow.

Issue 3. High Street Crossings

Prior to the wands being installed residents complained regularly that vehicles either ignored or did not see the pedestrian traffic lights by the shopping centre. The picture below from Google StreetView (pre-Covid) shows why this happens.

This can be partially mitigated by moving the stop line back and away from the crossing, though won’t be fully resolved while there are multiple north-bound vehicle lanes.

picture of Gosforth High Street pre-Covid, with text: Crossing Risks: (a) Drivers don't see the red light as the nearside traffic light is blocked by a bus; (b) Drivers don't see people crossing as they are blocked by the bus.

To make it easier for people to move around Gosforth High Street, pedestrian crossings also need to be set to change quickly once the button has been pressed and allow plenty of time for people to cross.

Issue 4. Severance

The November 2022 Council motion stated the new design should “enable low-carbon options to enable people to travel to, along and across the High Street”. This is to prevent ‘community severance‘, the widely-studied effect where a busy road or other transport infrastructure splits adjacent built-up areas making it harder to travel between the two.

In the trial layout, anyone cycling from east to west or vice versa across Gosforth High Street has to share a lane with heavy traffic as most crossings are offset, and most people are not willing to cycle using offset crossings that require mixing with heavy traffic. Without safe cycle-crossings on Gosforth High Street east-west cycling journeys become much harder as there are only a few places where people can safely cross The Great North Road. If cycling is made harder then people are less likely to travel and/or may drive instead.

Map showing the lack of safe crossings of Gosforth High Street by bike.

Failure to Design to UK Standards

The November 2022 Council motion called for Gosforth High Street to be designed to be safe for all users and in accordance with LTN1/20 standards. LTN1/20 is the safety standard for cycling. 

A design in accordance with LTN1/20 would allow people to cycle to, through and across the High Street, stop outside shops and ride safely between shops e.g. if picking up a bottle of wine at Carruthers and Kent, then getting a takeaway from Gosforth Chippy or the New New Bengal. 

Infographic showing the benefits of designing to the LTN1/20 cycle safety standard

This would enable more people to travel to shop on Gosforth High Street without adding to existing high levels of pollution and congestion, and would make Gosforth High Street itself a more attractive destination by creating a gap between the pavement and heavy traffic. This would also allow some of the black bollards to be removed enabling the full width of the pavements to be used. 

We sent a briefing containing all these points to the Newcastle City Council Cabinet (who in November 2022 all voted for the highest possible safety standards!) on 19 February 2023, a month or so prior to the new layout being implemented..

The Alternative Plan

Newcastle City Council did produce an alternative plan that they didn’t use. This included the extended bus lane up to Hawthorn Road, but with protected cycle lanes through the main section of the High Street.

This wouldn’t have resolved all the issues listed above but would be a substantial improvement on what is there now, allowing both for reliable bus times and greater safety for all road users.

Newcastle City Council plan for Gosforth HIgh Street including protected cycle lanes through the central section

The consultation for the trial bus-priority measures runs until 21 September and you can share your thoughts on the Council’s CommonPlace website. 

Commenting on a new funding for a cycle route on Elswick Road in May, the Council said “We want everyone in Newcastle to be able to choose and benefit from active travel. This leads to better physical and mental health; stronger, connected communities and a better, more sustainable environment for future generations.” We just want the same for Gosforth High Street.

 

Extract from “Gosforth High Street’s future” – motion approved unanimously by City Council November 2022

Council welcomes proposals to replace the bollards on Gosforth High Street with a permanent scheme developed collaboratively with people in the local area to make Gosforth High Street more people-friendly and improve facilities for active travel and public transport.

…

Council resolves to ask Cabinet to ensure proposals for Gosforth High Street:

  • Support the development of Gosforth High Street as a thriving local destination with a diverse range of shops and services.
  • Are designed to the highest possible safety standards for both pedestrians and all road users, including LTN1/20* which was recently adopted as the standard by Cabinet.
  • Enable low-carbon transport options to enable people travel to, along and across the High Street, cut pollution and support the city’s ambition to achieve net zero by 2030.
  • Enhance the green infrastructure on Gosforth High Street, in line with the Council’s commitments on biodiversity and maximising nature-based ways to reduce air pollution.
  • Are delivered urgently to achieve these benefits as soon as possible, but not without meaningful engagement with local residents about the options and impacts of various schemes.

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]]> Hoppings Traffic Management https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/hoppings-traffic-management/ https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/hoppings-traffic-management/#comments Mon, 10 Jul 2023 20:08:50 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7376 A few weeks back the Hoppings arrived to take over the Town Moor. In this blog we look at transport-related issues raised by this event and hope that everyone involved in its organisation, including The Freemen, the Council and Northumbria Police, will learn and improve so that next year's Hoppings can be safe and accessible for all visitors.

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]]> Road sign: The Hoppings Fair. No parking on verges. No parking in estates.

A few weeks back the Hoppings arrived to take over the Town Moor, not just the biggest funfair in Newcastle but one of the biggest in Europe regularly attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors. For those of us in Gosforth, there’s an added bonus that it is practically on our doorstep.

In this blog we look at transport-related issues raised by this year’s event and hope that everyone involved in its organisation, including The Freemen, Newcastle City Council and Northumbria Police, will learn and improve so that next year’s Hoppings can be safe and accessible for all visitors.

“No parking on verges”

Despite the many signs, many vehicles were parked on the footpath and grass next to The Great North Road, in some cases right next to the signs saying no ‘parking on verges’.

Vehicles parked on the pavement in front of a 'no parking on verges' sign

In some places the pavement, which is a shared footpath / cycleway, was almost completely blocked by parked vehicles.

Vehicles blocking the pavement.

To quote from the Council’s website: “Parking on pavements can also cause serious problems for people who have walking difficulties, people who are blind or visually impaired, wheelchair users and people pushing prams and buggies“

Also, for event organisers, “The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 gives disabled people equal rights to attend, participate in and enjoy organised events. Event organisers could face legal challenges from disabled people unable to access an organised event.“

Similar problems occurred on Grandstand Road, with drivers just ignoring the cones laid out to say no parking. In the distance you can see a cone that has been moved from the road onto the grass.

Vehicle parked on the pavement in front of a 'no parking' traffic cone

In our research for our response to the Police and Crime Commissioned consultation we found that “the risk of detection [by Police] as perceived by road users is generally held to be the most important factor in achieving successful deterrence” 

Northumbria Police were present at the Hoppings but completely ignored the obstructed pavements, despite having patrols walking along The Great North Road right past where vehicles were parked.

Police car parked on the verge

Parking on the Town Moor

The Hoppings did provide a car park for visitors arriving by car, with plenty of space, but this didn’t come without issues.

Hoppings Car Park

Vehicles exiting the Hoppings are directed to leave via the gate at the far side of the Town Moor onto the Central Motorway. This means, frequently fast-moving, vehicles on the Town Moor tracks that are normally traffic-free. 

Car being driven on Town Moor gravel tracks with dust in the air

Photo from 2022

Further along, drivers are directed to use the tarmac tracks by Exhibition Park, which are also the (usually traffic-free) route from Gosforth to the park via the Town Moor used by families and dog-walkers.

It is clear from the photo below that some drivers completely ignored the signs and drove straight across the Town Moor.

Picture of Town Moor tracks, with vehicle tracks and gravel indicating vehicles had driven straight across the grass.

There also an incident where a man’s leg was broken by a van driver. According to the Chronicle Article “A white Vauxhall van which was being driven by a showman crashed into him and ran over his left leg and arm” while the victim was “was sat on grass enjoying the atmosphere and entertainment.”

The victim said “[The driver] went over my left leg and left arm, stopped and reversed back over me.”

Despite this, and without explanation, Northumbria Police released a statement saying officers were “satisfied it was an accident and no criminal offences had been committed.” 

Event Management

The City Council issued a statement prior to the Hoppings saying they, Northumbria Police and NE1 were putting on extra staff to deter anti-social behaviour, but this appears – other than a few ineffective signs – to have completely overlooked anti-social behaviour related to event parking.  We hope the Safe Newcastle partners will learn from this. 

https://twitter.com/NewcastleCC/status/1669661875397697536?s=20

We also hope that in future years there is a much greater emphasis on enabling people to attend the Hoppings without needing a car, consistent with the City Council’s plans to make “healthy active choices such as cycling and walking a first choice for everyone.”  

Many people did use the bus or Metro but, from what we saw, there was little promotion of either option. Nor was there any obvious engagement with Neuron eScooters. 

Likewise, we don’t believe there was any cycle parking nor any alternative route for anyone wanting to cycle east to west across the Town Moor.

Notes & Links

The Town Moor is required by legislation to be maintained as an “open space in the interests of the inhabitants of the city… to afford air and exercise for the enjoyment of the public”. It may also be used for exhibitions or entertainment like the Hoppings. 

Safe Newcastle “is a partnership working together to help make Newcastle a safe city to live and work.” Safe Newcastle covers a range of issues including hate crime and domestic abuse, but does not include traffic crime in its list of priorities despite there being over 3,000 injuries from road traffic collisions in Newcastle since 2018, including 26 deaths.

According to the Newcastle City Council website, all major events in Newcastle should have an Event Plan, which should include the management of transport and parking and how to keep people safe.

Newcastle City Council website links:

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]]> https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/hoppings-traffic-management/feed/ 1 Gosforth High Street – Good Policy, Terrible Plan https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/gosforth-high-street-good-policy-terrible-plan/ https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/gosforth-high-street-good-policy-terrible-plan/#comments Sun, 12 Feb 2023 13:59:18 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=6997 Newcastle City Council has proposed a new layout for Gosforth High Street. SPACE for Gosforth is very concerned this plan won't make the High Street any safer, doesn't do anything to improve the shopping environment and doesn't appear to be the result of any meaningful community engagement. This is the SPACE for Gosforth response.

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Picture of a traffic jam on Gosforth High Street 2018

Gosforth High Street – September 2018. Definitely not a Safe Pedestrian and Cycling Environment.

Newcastle City Council has proposed a new layout for Gosforth High Street. SPACE for Gosforth is very concerned this plan won’t make the High Street any safer, doesn’t do anything to improve the shopping environment and doesn’t appear to be the result of any meaningful community engagement. 

Less than three months ago, in November 2022, Councillors unanimously supported a motion saying Gosforth High Street proposals should be designed to the “highest possible safety standards for both pedestrians and all road users”.

As well as asking Council Cabinet to prioritise safety, the motion proposed by Gosforth Councillors asked that future plans should:

  • Support the development of Gosforth High Street as a thriving local destination with a diverse range of shops and services.
  • Enable low-carbon transport options to enable people travel to, along and across the High Street, cut pollution and support the city’s ambition to achieve net zero by 2030.
  • Enhance the green infrastructure on Gosforth High Street, in line with the Council’s commitments on biodiversity and maximising nature-based ways to reduce air pollution.
  • Achieve these benefits as soon as possible, but not without meaningful engagement with local residents about the options and impacts of various schemes.

Councillor Byrne, Cabinet Member for Transport, who is responsible for signing off transport plans including Gosforth High Street, responded with the amended motion that was voted on. This motion was supported by the Leader of the Council, other members of the Council Cabinet, as well as Councillors from across the city and in Gosforth.

Gosforth High Street is one of the most complex and congested roads in the city, with multiple competing demands all in a relatively small space. Before 2020, it suffered from high levels of air pollution and a poor safety record, in part due to the prioritisation of through-traffic over its role as a local destination. Consultations and community-engagement have come and gone, but none have succeeded so far in coming up with a sustainable long-term plan.

The motion doesn’t provide an answer to all the trade-offs needed, but it does at least provide a baseline and some common ground to work from. Whether you walk, ride, drive or take the bus, no sensible community-minded person is going to want others to be harmed just so they can save a few seconds over a short stretch of road. 

Unfortunately, despite unanimous agreement at Council, we seem to be no further forward.

Dissonance

On Thursday 9 February 2023, the Council outlined its plans for Gosforth High Street in a confusing and, at times, contradictory news article “New bus priority measures for a key transport corridor to be introduced“.

The main features of this appear to be:

  • Removing the extra pedestrian space, which to be fair was rarely used by people on foot though did make crossing the road a bit safer.
  • Removing the limited protection for cycling north of Elmfield Road.
  • Adding a north-bound bus-lane, possibly also to be shared with taxis and motorcycles.

Not only does this fail to support the motion that all Councillors supported, it pretty much does the opposite.

Anyone who has been involved in past consultations will know that it is not possible both to ‘Support the development of Gosforth High Street as a thriving local destination’ and to prioritise its function as a ‘transport-corridor’. One of the main themes from previous community feedback has been to ask the Council to stop treating Gosforth High Street as somewhere to pass through, and start focusing on Gosforth High Street as a destination.

By bringing forward this plan, Council leadership appear to have completely ignored its own Councillors who, only a few months ago, set out very clearly what they wanted: a thriving local destination designed to the highest possible safety standards enabling people to walk and cycle safely to, along and across the High Street.

The new plan:

  • doesn’t improve safety on Gosforth High Street and potentially makes it worse, especially for people who might want to cycle.
  • doesn’t create any new safe routes to enable more customers to walk or cycle to the High Street. 
  • doesn’t do anything to improve the shopping environment.
  • doesn’t appear to be the result of any meaningful community engagement. 

SPACE for Gosforth has submitted many ideas to improve Gosforth High Street over the years but none of these are included in the Council’s news article. 

We think the Council leadership needs to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new plan aligned to what they themselves committed to in November i.e. addressing safety concerns and prioritising Gosforth High Street as a destination, not a through-route.

Longer-term we would support a process similar to the Blue House workshops that brought together different interests to work collaboratively to come up with a consensus for a future layout.

If you wish to make your views known on this plan you can contact your local Councillors and the Cabinet Member for a Connected and Clean City, whose portfolio includes transport. 

According to the Council news article, the Council plans “to install the bus priority changes in the coming weeks.”

The Newcastle City Council motion below, which was supported unanimously by City Councillors, is from the minutes of City Council November 2022.

The original motion was proposed by Councillor Woodwark, who represents Gosforth Ward. The amended motion below, that was voted on and approved unanimously, was proposed by Cllr Byrne who is the Cabinet Member responsible for transport in Newcastle.

Gosforth High Street’s future – motion approved by City Council November 2022

Council welcomes proposals to replace the bollards on Gosforth High Street with a permanent scheme developed collaboratively with people in the local area to make Gosforth High Street more people-friendly and improve facilities for active travel and public transport.

Council notes:

  • The bollards imposed on Gosforth High Street during the COVID pandemic have not been used as intended and have outlasted their intended timeframe
  • That District Centres across the City have suffered in some part from the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, with support from the Council in improving those areas City wide.
  • That Gosforth High Street has had unacceptable pollution rates for a number of years, despite several interventions by the Council
  • The opportunity this heralds to help achieve the City Council’s Climate Change Emergency goals, reducing harmful emissions in this important part of the City.

Council resolves to ask Cabinet to ensure proposals for Gosforth High Street:

  • Support the development of Gosforth High Street as a thriving local destination with a diverse range of shops and services.
  • Are designed to the highest possible safety standards for both pedestrians and all road users, including LTN1/20* which was recently adopted as the standard by Cabinet.
  • Enable low-carbon transport options to enable people travel to, along and across the High Street, cut pollution and support the city’s ambition to achieve net zero by 2030.
  • Enhance the green infrastructure on Gosforth High Street, in line with the Council’s commitments on biodiversity and maximising nature-based ways to reduce air pollution.
  • Are delivered urgently to achieve these benefits as soon as possible, but not without meaningful engagement with local residents about the options and impacts of various schemes.
  • Are consistent with City Council policy and motions as set out above.

*Local Transport Note (LTN) 1/20 is the Government guidance for local authorities for designing high-quality, safe cycle infrastructure.

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]]> https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/gosforth-high-street-good-policy-terrible-plan/feed/ 3 Northumbria Police and Crime Plan 2023 https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/northumbria-police-and-crime-plan-2023/ https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/northumbria-police-and-crime-plan-2023/#comments Sat, 28 Jan 2023 09:30:54 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=7164 SPACE for Gosforth supports well-evidenced initiatives to ensure walking and cycling are safe for anyone who wishes to walk or cycle, regardless of age or ability. An important part of this is road policing, to minimise dangerous and careless driving and other behaviours that create risks for people while walking or cycling.

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Picture of a speed camera with text, police and crime plan.

The Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner is seeking views on crime and safety across Northumberland, Tyne & Wear for a review of the 2022 update of the Police and Crime Plan.

You can fill in the Commissioner’s survey here until 17:00 on Sunday 29 January 2023, or contact the Police and Crime Commissioner directly. 

You can view the current Police and Crime plan here. The current priorities are:

  • Anti-social behaviour
  • Reducing crime
  • Preventing violent crime
  • Neighbourhood policing
  • Support for victims
  • Tackling Domestic abuse and Sexual Violence

The current plan includes an objective to “reduce harm on the roads and promote safer driving” and a commitment to invest in public transport safety. 

https://twitter.com/NorthumbriaPCC/status/1612484193933529089

The SPACE for Gosforth response to the PCC Consultation

Dear Ms McGuinness,

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Northumbria Police and Crime Plan. 

SPACE for Gosforth supports well-evidenced initiatives to ensure walking and cycling are safe for anyone who wishes to walk or cycle, regardless of age or ability. An important part of this is road policing, to minimise dangerous and careless driving and other behaviours that create risks for people while walking or cycling.

We support the current objective to “reduce harm on the roads and promote safer driving” but, given the level of death and injury due to road traffic collisions caused by dangerous and careless driving in the Northumbria Police area, we feel this needs to be given much greater focus.

In our response we set out why road policing should be given greater priority and four Key Areas where Northumbria Police can take action to prevent harm and save lives.

Why Road Policing Should be a Priority

According to the National Road Policing Strategy “Preventing harm and saving lives is a core mission of policing”, and that “everyone should be able to use our roads in a safe and healthy way.”

This isn’t possible now though. Between 2001 and 2018, “land transport accidents” was the second most common cause of death for 5-34 year olds in England, being the cause of a quarter of all deaths for that age group. British Social Attitude to Transport surveys have consistently found that over 60% of people “agree or strongly agree that “It is too dangerous for me to cycle on the roads”. 

In the last five years 150 people were killed and 2,307 seriously injured in road traffic collisions in the Northumbria Police area. A further 10,265 people received slight injuries.

Uninsured drivers are more likely to be involved in a collision and also more likely to be involved in other criminal activity. The most recent estimates we can find suggest that in the UK as a whole 800,000 (1 in 40) drivers don’t have a license and a million (1 in 38) drive without insurance.  In 2021, the Government reported that 719,000, 1.9%, of all vehicles used on the roads are untaxed.

Road Policing can help address this. Research by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) confirms that “there is clear evidence that an increase in enforcement will lead to a reduction in both fatal and serious injury collisions” and that “the risk of detection [by Police] as perceived by road users is generally held to be the most important factor in achieving successful deterrence, and in determining the overall effectiveness of road traffic law enforcement.”

The National Road Policing Strategy goes on to say that “anything which prevents the safe, lawful and fluid way in which people can travel causes significant economic loss and disruption.”

Cycling UK, amongst others, have identified that fear of traffic and harassment from other road users particularly effect women’s willingness to cycle. Enabling more people to cycle fits with the Commissioner’s Fighting Poverty strategy as being able to cycle local journeys has been estimated to be equivalent to a 8% pay rise. 

Even what might be considered minor road offences can have serious consequences. A report by Guide Dogs found that “Four in five people with sight loss said pavement parking causes them a problem at least every week, and around half them saying it was a daily difficulty. – One in five people with sight loss has been injured because of a vehicle parked on the pavement. – Almost a third (31 per cent) of people with sight loss said that pavement parking made them less willing to go out on their own.”

Four Key Actions to Prevent Harm and Save Lives

1. Set a “Vision Zero” target of no one to be killed or seriously injured on the region’s roads in line with the North East Transport Plan 2025 objective. 

We would like Northumbria Police to adopt an objective similar to the Police and Crime Plan for London 2022-25, which says: “The Mayor will continue to work with TfL, the MPS and local authorities to achieve Vision Zero for London’s streets by reducing illegal, reckless and dangerous road user behaviour which contributes to fatal and serious injury collisions.”

2. Create a Road Danger Reduction Unit to: 

  1. Ensure road crime is given the same priority as other crimes that cause similar levels of harm measured in terms of deaths, serious and slight injuries, impact on local communities and other personal and economic loss, including the negative impact of dangerous and careless driving on people’s travel choices.
  2. Set clearly defined objectives and key performance indicators.
  3. Lead on implementing best practice road policing in the Northumbria Police area, building on work done by the West Midlands Road Harm Reduction team and the Metropolitan Police Road Crime team. 
  4. Create an analytical capability to identify risks and threats on the road network, particularly focused on the sources of danger. Figure 1 below shows the EU analysis of which types of vehicle are the greatest source of road danger. 
  5. Continue to focus on the ‘Fatal 4’ most dangerous behaviours: speed, distractions, drink/drug driving and not wearing seatbelts.
  6. Create ‘template’ road safety initiatives to address sources of road danger for use by local teams e.g. for speeding or obstructing pavements, with regular evaluation to establish their effectiveness. 
  7. Publish information on road crime, sanctions given, and the impact of road safety initiatives.
  8. Establish best practice for media communications in line with the Media Road Collision Reporting Guidelines to ensure accurate reporting of road traffic collisions.
  9. Creating a communication strategy for communicating with drivers and other road users that present dangers to others using examples from Police enforcement activities (A) to reinforce the need to drive safely and not put others at risk and (B) to make clear that failure to drive in a safe and considerate manner will lead to prosecution by the police.
  10. Work with Local Authorities and other partners using a ‘Safe Systems‘ approach to road safety, supporting updates to road design and other local changes to cut traffic deaths and serious injury, and best-practice in post-crash care for victims of road traffic collisions.
  11. Achieve the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Vision Zero target.

Figure 1. Road Traffic Fatalities in the EU in 2019 by road user and (other) ‘main vehicle’ involved in the crash.

3. Support Community Road Policing by

  1. Enabling local teams to tackle residents concerns over anti-social driving such as speeding and pavement parking, using template operations created by the Road Danger Reduction Unit.
  2. Responding to community feedback on concerns to update and create new enforcement operations based on existing best practice like OpClosePass, OpZigZag, OpParkSafe all developed by West Midlands Police.
  3. Continuing to support and improve dash-cam reporting to allow members of the public to submit evidence of road crimes. 
  4. Using road policing as a way of disrupting other criminal behaviour.
  5. Increasing the use of technology where it will be effective at reducing harm, e.g. average speed cameras to prevent speeding on main roads, reducing bike theft.
  6. Promoting walking and cycling, which pose little threat to other road users, by taking positive and co-ordinated action to increase safety and address barriers.
  7. Enabling effective communication of the sources and impact of road danger, addressing “motornormativity” bias that leads people to underestimate the impact of road crime, and ensuring people understand that if they speed or break other traffic laws that put people in danger there is a substantial chance they will be caught and prosecuted.
Infographic showing chances of a pedestrian surviving if hit by a car at 20, 30 and 40mph.

Figure 2 Why speed enforcement matters, including in 20mph zones.

4. Support Net Zero by

  1. Setting a Net Zero target, to align with Local Authorities in the Northumbria Police area.
  2. Create a Net Zero action plan to set out how Northumbria Police will meet that target.
  3. Create a Net Zero Policing Strategy that (A) sets out how Policing will adapt to the impact of more extreme weather events and (B) sets out the action to be taken to prevent criminal behaviour that undermines or prevents others from reducing their carbon footprint e.g.
    1. dangerous driving that discourages people from walking or cycling,
    2. anti-social behaviour on public transport, or
    3. vehicles with catalytic converters or diesel particulate filters removed. 

These Net Zero actions, together, will help reduce future harm and lives lost in the UK and abroad due to the Climate Crisis.

Conclusion

Thank you again for the opportunity to comment on the Police and Crime Plan. This is an incredibly important aspect of policing that aligns with five of six of the current Police and Crime Plan priorities. 

Road crime is anti-social, with many violent deaths and serious injuries, impacting on every neighbourhood in the Northumbria Police area. 

Even ‘minor’ road crime prevents parts of society, especially women, children, older residents and people with disabilities from travelling how they want to.

We hope appropriate focus can be given to road crime to mitigate the risks and achieve Vision Zero.

SPACE for Gosforth

www.spaceforgosforth.com

Useful Links

 

The post Northumbria Police and Crime Plan 2023 appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

]]> https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/northumbria-police-and-crime-plan-2023/feed/ 3 Traffic Crash Injury 2022 https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/traffic-crash-injury-2022/ Sun, 01 Jan 2023 17:10:56 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=6473 This is our forth blog sharing local media stories about people killed or injured in road traffic collisions in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2022 there have been four fatalities and over seventy five serious injuries on Newcastle's roads.

The post Traffic Crash Injury 2022 appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

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This is our forth blog sharing local media stories about people killed or injured in road traffic collisions in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2022 there were four fatalities and over seventy five serious injuries on Newcastle’s roads.

The North East Transport Plan, approved on 16 March 2021 stated an aim “for there to be no fatalities or serious injuries on the regions’ road network by 2025,” but nearly two years later there is still no region-wide plan to achieve this.

We think Councillors should have the courage to make the North East’s roads safer.

One positive in 2022 was the change to The Highway Code, to include the hierarchy of road-users and the ‘Dutch Reach’. The new code confirms that “those in charge of vehicles that can cause the greatest harm in the event of a collision bear the greatest responsibility to take care and reduce the danger they pose to others.”

As in previous years, the vast majority of incidents where people are hurt are not reported in the media, so this is only a snapshot.

2022

JANUARY 2022

Cyclist fighting for life after being hit by car in Newcastle on New Year’s Day

“A serious collision in Newcastle resulted in a cyclist being rushed to hospital this morning with potentially life-threatening injuries. The driver of the car, a 29-year-old male, was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and remains in police custody at this time.”
ChronicleLive 1/1/2022

https://twitter.com/northumbriapol/status/1477275292343447553?s=20

Cyclist remains in critical condition after being knocked over by car in Newcastle on New Year’s Day
ChronicleLive 5/1/2022

Newcastle man spared jail after driving to see his dog whilst over four times the limit
ChronicleLive 3/1/2022

https://twitter.com/ManorParkLD/status/1478075454573748234?s=20

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1479356556907094022?s=20

https://twitter.com/NPRoadSafety/status/1479958764019228673?s=20

Driver and passenger injured in serious two vehicle crash in Gosforth

“The North East Ambulance Service were called to the two vehicle collision at the junction of the A191 and The Grove, Gosforth at 6.18pm on Wednesday night.” Note that the picture incorrectly shows the other end of The Grove and not the site of the collision.

https://twitter.com/NPSpecials/status/1481941923187380225?s=20

https://twitter.com/OpDragoon/status/1482159845201563650?s=20

https://twitter.com/OpDragoon/status/1483756363356463106?s=20

‘Sleep tight bonny lad’ – Heartfelt tributes paid to young motorcyclist killed in Byker crash
ChronicleLive 31/1/2022

FEBRUARY 2022

Pensioner left with ‘life-threatening’ injuries following collision while walking dog in Newcastle
ChronicleLive 1/2/2022

https://twitter.com/NPRoadSafety/status/1493586455075164170

Driver refused breath test after ploughing car into skip then going to the pub
ChronicleLive 19/2/2022

https://twitter.com/NorthumbriaPCC/status/1496089371640053760

Denton plumbing engineer caught drug driving twice in a month banned from roads
ChronicleLive 25/2/2022

Uninsured Heaton driver crashed into parked cars and fled – directly in front of cop
ChronicleLive 26/2/2022

https://twitter.com/NPRoadSafety/status/1497412392136974336

MARCH 2022

https://twitter.com/NPRoadSafety/status/1499002124469948416

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1499437108766908416

https://twitter.com/northumbriapol/status/1503711595771408389

Speeding Scotswood drink driver seriously hurt friend by crashing and flipping van onto roof
ChronicleLive 18/3/2022

Heaton drink driver crashed into three parked cars on way to pick up pal
ChronicleLive 27/3/2022

APRIL 2022

https://twitter.com/NPSpecials/status/1518145228024262657

Driver ends up in court after travelling around Newcastle with shattered windscreen
ChronicleLive 28/4/2022

MAY 2022

Newcastle parking row ended in violence when man attacked stranger with baseball bat
ChronicleLive 1/5/2022

Audi drink driver caught after travelling ‘at speed’ through Newcastle city centre
ChronicleLive 4/5/2022

Pensioner dies after a crash near Newcastle Falcon’s Kingston Park Stadium

https://twitter.com/ChronicleLive/status/1523977947211776000

https://twitter.com/northumbriapol/status/1529059995681230849

https://twitter.com/Tyne_Wear_FRS/status/1530136526750945280

JUNE 2022

Newcastle drink driver broke nose after ploughing into RVI wall while picking up takeaway
ChronicleLive 3/6/2022

 

JULY 2022

https://twitter.com/ChronicleLive/status/1544943045279350784

Gosforth drink driving primary school teacher had ‘frighteningly’ high breath reading
ChronicleLive 9/7/2022

AUGUST 2022

SPACE for Gosforth is quoted in the following article, saying that “no one deserves to be killed or injured just trying to get from A to B” also calling for action to redesign roads and cut speed limits. A spokesperson for group added: “North East Councils have committed through Transport North East to no more deaths or serious injuries on the region’s roads by 2025. It is time for Newcastle City Council and Northumbria Police to deliver on that commitment.”

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1555568217409585153

SEPTEMBER 2022

OCTOBER 2022

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1579868801075929089

NOVEMBER 2022

Jesmond trainee teacher crashed into car while over the limit then drove off
ChronicleLive 7/11/2022

Benwell drink driver caught by leaving trail of car tyre marks after fleeing scene of crash
ChronicleLive 20/11/2022

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1595429841188360192

DECEMBER 2022

Crash victim thanks brave responders who saved his life after he was pinned against wall in terrifying smash
ChronicleLive 13/12/2022

https://twitter.com/northumbriapol/status/1607718885314236417

Thank you from SPACE for Gosforth to the officers and staff at Northumbria Police and Newcastle City Council who are working to reduce road danger to make Newcastle’s streets safe to walk and cycle on, and to NHS and Ambulance staff for helping those that are injured.

Summary information for injuries due to road traffic collisions can be found on the CrashMap website or on the North East Road User Casualty Dashboard maintained by the Traffic and Data Unit (TADU). The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) has also produced a Constituency Road Safety Dashboard.

We have recorded injuries from road traffic collisions in previous years in our blogs Traffic Crash Injury 2021, Traffic Crash Injury 2020 and Traffic Crash Injury 2019.

 

The post Traffic Crash Injury 2022 appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

]]> Sat Navs are ruining Gosforth https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/sat-navs-are-ruining-gosforth/ https://www.spaceforgosforth.com/sat-navs-are-ruining-gosforth/#comments Sat, 27 Aug 2022 10:51:33 +0000 https://spaceforgosforth.com/?p=6731 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.

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Queuing traffic on Elmfield Road (picture taken pre-Covid)

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.

How has Google Maps affected local traffic? Since 2008 – when the Google Maps mobile app first launched – traffic has increased, with the number of vehicles on UK streets rising from 34 million to nearly 39 million at the end of 2019. However, traffic on the UK’s motorways and ‘A’ roads – major roads intended to provide large-scale transport links within or between areas – has stayed relatively flat.

How might Sat Navs be affecting traffic in Gosforth?

Clearly there are quite a few minor roads in Gosforth that are busy with traffic, including Elmfield Road pictured above.

We’ve had a look at what routes Google Maps recommends for driving through Gosforth. As the CityMonitor article says, many of these routes use minor roads that are not designed for high volumes of traffic.

Not all roads are affected. Some, like Bath Terrace in the picture below, have traffic “filters” that prevent vehicle traffic using them as through routes.

Picture of continuous pavement and bollards preventing vehicles exiting from Bath Terrace onto Church Road.

Bath Terrace, Gosforth

Newcastle’s Main Road Network

Newcastle has a main road network, defined as part of its Local Plan. The map below shows the main roads for driving in the Gosforth area.

These are the roads that are intended for, and designed to cope with, large volumes of traffic.

Newcastle main road map. Primary distributor roads are marked in red, secondary distributor roads in orange.

There are three types of main road in Newcastle’s plan.

  • Strategic Roads (in blue) are nationally significant roads used for the distribution of goods and services, and a network for the travelling public.  The nearest strategic roads to Gosforth are the A1(M) Western Bypass and the A19.
  • Primary Distributor Roads (in red) are the preferred roads for motorised vehicles and generally connect to strategic roads.  The primary distributor roads in Gosforth are Grandstand Road, part of Jesmond Dene Road, Matthew Bank, Haddricks Mill Road and Killingworth Road.
  • Secondary Distributor Roads (in orange) generally connect strategic and primary roads to smaller areas and [in theory] carry significantly lower volumes of traffic than either of those categories, and fewer HGV’s.  Gosforth High Street is a secondary distributor road, as are Salters Road, Church Road, Station Road, Broadway West, Wansbeck Road, Kenton Road, and Great North Road north of Gosforth High Street.

Other roads, shown in white, are considered to be minor roads for access to people’s homes and local destinations.

Displaced Traffic

We found nine example part-routes where Google Maps has recommended using minor roads that are not part of the main road network.

In some cases the minor roads were quicker, but not always. Where minor roads are quicker, this is likely to be temporary as Sat Navs direct more traffic to the route undoing any benefit.

Noticeably, both historic and new Low Traffic Neighbourhoods like Brunton Park, Melton Park, Gosforth Terraces and Garden Village do not have any routes through them because they have been designed to prevent through traffic.

It is also noticeable that in many cases it would be just as quick, if not quicker, to cycle rather than drive.

In each case we have highlighted which minor streets are being used.

Route 1: via Elmfield Road and The Grove.

Map showing a driving route recommended by Google Maps.

Route 2: via Lindon Road, Hawthorn Road and The Grove.

Map showing a driving route recommended by Google Maps.

Route 3: Via Regent Farm Road.

Map showing a driving route recommended by Google Maps.

Route 4: via Church Road, Hyde Terrace and Christon Road.

Map showing a driving route recommended by Google Maps.

Route 5: via Linden Road and Elmfield Road.

Map showing a driving route recommended by Google Maps.

Route 6: via Moorfield, Moor Road South, Hawthorn Road and Linden Road.

Map showing a driving route recommended by Google Maps.

Route 7: via Moorfield, Moor Road South and Moor Road North.

Map showing a driving route recommended by Google Maps.

Route 8: Via Regent Road North and Regent Road.

Map showing a driving route recommended by Google Maps.

Route 9: Via North Avenue, Elmfield Road, Westfield Drive and Fernville Road.

Map showing a driving route recommended by Google Maps.

What can be done?

It is worth saying that it is completely legal currently for people to drive on these minor roads to avoid main road traffic. The effect of this though, is more noise, exhaust fumes, and more danger for people who live on these roads or using them to walk or cycle.

Higher levels of traffic at peak times of day, just when children will be travelling to or from school, act as a barrier to prevent families walking or cycling the school-run. DfT estimate one in four cars on the road at peak times are on the school run. For more families to commit to walking or cycling, traffic levels have to be consistently low at the times they want to travel, not just on a quiet Sunday morning.

From an engineering perspective, it is quite simple to stop traffic being displaced from main roads onto minor roads. All it needs is a few bollards and/or some planters to prevent through traffic, just like on Bath Terrace (see previous picture).

We know, not least from experience on Salters Bridge, Stoneyhurst Road and Castle Farm Road, that stopping through traffic on minor roads has practically no impact on adjacent main roads but it does improve quality of life for residents, reduce road traffic collisions, and enables more people to walk and cycle.

It is also a necessary pre-cursor to any traffic calming to make main roads safer.

If you think we have missed any routes please do let us know via the comments, and please do let your local Councillors know if you are concerned about traffic on minor roads.

If you want to read more, this is the City Monitor article.

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