Grandstand Road used to be one of the worst places to cycle in Gosforth, even with marked cycle lanes. With heavy traffic, often travelling in excess of the 40mph speed limit, cycle lanes barely wider than a set of handlebars and deteriorating surface, it was both scary and unforgiving. 

The picture above shows how it is now (May 2018) with a new road surface, and slightly wider cycle lanes provided by removing the central hatching which previously separated the two traffic lanes. The square bracket in the picture is to show where you and/or your family are expected to cycle.

What does this mean?

Clearly the changes are an improvement, though arguably not by much:

• The newly finished road surface is more comfortable to cycle on.
• The extra width of the cycle lane, now just meeting current minimum standards, gives a little bit more space.
• Removing the central hatching might help reduce the speed of the fastest vehicles.

Google Street View from 2012 showing the previous layout with central hatching.

The main thing that hasn’t changed is that people cycling are still expected to share the road with vehicles including buses and lorries, which can travel legally up to 40mph. Although collisions are thankfully rare, partly because few people would want to cycle in such conditions, if someone was to be hit by a vehicle at 40mph then nine out of ten times that would be the end of their life. If the vehicle is larger, say a bus as in the title picture, or is travelling faster, or the person is frail, a child or an older adult, then the chances of their survival would be even less.

Driving in the cycle lane

If everyone drives in the main carriageway and cycles in the cycle lane then there wouldn’t be a problem of course, but as with the title picture we know that won’t always happen. Plus, because the lanes are advisory, marked as a dashed line, it is perfectly legal for cars and buses to be driven in the cycle lanes.

Logically we know that if there was someone cycling, the bus driver would most likely have taken more care, slowed down and given additional space, as required by the Highway Code which says to give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room when overtaking as if overtaking a car. It is doubtful though that a parent deciding whether to cycle along Grandstand Road with their child would take much comfort from that.

So was the bus a one-off, or do lots of vehicles drive in the cycle lane? We went to have a look to see. The following four photos show four vehicles all driving in the cycle lane. See if you can guess how long it took to take these pictures – there’s a clue in the photos.

Did you spot the clue? On the first photo you can see a person walking towards the camera on the pavement just by the electronic sign. By the fourth photo he has walked three lampposts from where he started. So how long between the photos? About one minute or one vehicle in the cycle lane every fifteen seconds.

Cycling in the driving lane

Again, it’s perfectly legal to cycle on the main carriageway, but why would anyone do so given the choice? The lane itself is sufficiently wide (just) for a normal cycle and the surface is ok too.

Conveniently in the few minutes we spent watching, someone came past to illustrate exactly why. To be fair to the person cycling (who we don’t know) for most of the length of the road they were in the cycle lane. About where he is in the photo though it ceases to be of much use if travelling straight on towards Blue House roundabout.

Here’s a photo a few seconds later. Because the cycle lane stays to the left of the left turn lane, anyone wanting to go straight on who stayed in the cycle lane would have been trapped.

If that’s not very clear, here’s another photo. This bus is about to turn left.

The cycle lane isn’t a lot of help for anyone wanting to turn left onto the shared path either. A better design might have allowed left turns for people cycling bypassing the traffic signals, which is the standard approach for “cycle-proofed” junctions, though this would make little difference overall.

We also saw someone heading in the opposite direction heading up Cow Hill, quite sensibly avoiding the traffic by cycling on the pavement. Although pavement cycling is not ideal, Government guidance suggests this is acceptable where cycling on the road doesn’t feel safe, as is likely to be the case for many on Grandstand Road,  so long as the person cycling also shows consideration to other pavement users.

What if you don’t want to cycle or drive?

Back in 2015, in our letter to the Council about Blue House, we said Blue House should “be linked to footpaths and cycleways that traverse the length of the Northern Access Corridor from Cowgate in the west to Killingworth Road and Benton Park Road in the North so that those that wish to use this route have a full set of choices for how they do so“.

Travel planning via Google Maps shows that if you want to take public transport from Fenham to Gosforth/Haddricks Mill the only way to do so is to take two bus journeys via the centre of Newcastle, which wouldn’t be especially cheap or quick.

Actually cycling is competitive for this sort of distance, or at least would be if there was a cycling route that more people were willing to use. Whereas the bus journey is predicted to take 23 minutes, cycling is 13 minutes, car 8-18 minutes depending on traffic and 52 minutes to walk.

Who would use this route?

As we said on our Twitter feed back in 2017, if this route was made into a traffic-free path it could be used by children travelling from Gosforth to schools in Fenham such as Sacred Heart and St Cuthbert’s High schools. Many people will be travelling in the other direction to work in Gosforth and Longbenton.

With only one current viable travel option for most people – to drive – it is no wonder that Grandstand Road and Blue House are so busy. If we want to avoid increases in traffic here, then at the very least there need to be alternatives that give people options so they can choose to cycle or take the bus even if only for a few days each week.

… this isn’t suitable for children, but @StCharlesPrimNE & @StOswaldsRCgos kids could go to Fenham secondaries & others go to @DameAllans… pic.twitter.com/UwgDBSzmSI

— space for gosforth (@space4gosforth) June 6, 2017

The good news is that we know there is space to make a wider shared path on the Town Moor side of the road using the space that would no longer be required for the on-road cycle lanes. This would most likely also make it more pleasant for people who are walking. The Fenham side of Cow Hill already has a good quality shared path so should not require any further upgrade.

… & would really help with #BlueHouse issues especially as Fenham side of Town Moor really nice for roadside route https://t.co/LBFkRcyZt4 pic.twitter.com/gKcMjNCrTE

— space for gosforth (@space4gosforth) June 6, 2017

We hope that this simple upgrade, to enable travel between Gosforth and Fenham, can be completed as part of the overall Northern Access Corridor works that includes changes to Haddricks Mill and Blue House junctions.

Thanks to the Cycle Embassy of Great Britain for their ‘Insert loved one here‘ tool used in the title picture.

The post Grandstand Road appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

Newcastle City Council has announced the start of the works to replace the Killingworth Road Metro bridge and widen Killingworth Road. From 20 July 2017 for up to nine months, Killingworth Road will be shut to all traffic including people walking and cycling. Salters Bridge and Castle Farm Road will also be shut to motor traffic.

The Council have established a ‘Mitigation Board’ to plan for and manage the impact of the works. They tell us “We’ve got a lot of data about the impact of the closure of Killingworth Road on the network from all the monitoring we have done during the temporary closures so far. The Mitigation Board are confident that they have anticipated the issues and created an effective traffic management plan, having said that, there is always the potential for people to start behaving differently so we will continue to monitor flows and volumes and throughout the closure … the Mitigation Board will continue to meet and take action if issues arise that haven’t been anticipated.”

The key word here is ‘behaviour’. While some people will have little choice but to drive, many more can change when they travel, how they travel or even if they travel at all. In the British Social Attitudes Survey from 2013 “a third ( 33%) said that they could just as easily catch the bus for many of the journeys of less than two miles they now travelled by car, 37% said they could just as easily cycle (if they had a bike) and 40% of people agreed that they could just as easily walk“.

The table below is from the study Disappearing Traffic? The Story So Far that looked at over 70 examples of where roads had been closed, mostly planned but in a few cases as a result of natural disasters with no notice at all. The consistent conclusion was that traffic levels  adjust to the new capacity and that “predictions of traffic problems are often unnecessarily alarmist“. As if to prove a point, this was the headline from the Chronicle’s coverage of the works in March: Killingworth Road roadworks LIVE: Updates as traffic chaos expected at major Newcastle junction.

That doesn’t mean to say that road closures / road works don’t need to be planned for. Good planning, and good communications, can significantly reduce the short term impact while people adjust to the new circumstances, especially where these short term impacts might put vulnerable road users, for example children walking to school, at greater risk. We’ve compiled a checklist below that we will also be sending to the Council’s Mitigation Board.

Mitigation Planning Checklist

Planned Works

This is an important location for walking and cycling improvements. The current road (shown on the right) is both extremely unpleasant to use and is one of the few locations heading north out of the city where people walking and on bikes can cross the metro line on the level without having to use a bridge.

It’s worth noting that the air pollution measurements from by the care home in the picture below were, in 2015, the worst of any in the Gosforth Air Quality Management Area. Making it easier to walk and cycle, and allowing buses to bypass queuing traffic, should all help improve the air quality in this area, however this may be offset if separate plans for the Haddricks Mill junction increase vehicle capacity and induce additional traffic.

The changes to be carried out are those that were consulted on as part of the Blue House / Haddricks Mill proposals in the summer of 2016. While we haven’t seen final designs we believe they are largely unchanged from those originally presented i.e.

• Replacing and widening the Metro Bridge.
• Creating on-street parking spaces for residents living on Killingworth Road.
• Widening the pavement and removing the need for pedestrian railings.
• Creating a new south-bound bus lane and 2-way cycle track.

The original consultation and residents’ comments can still be seen on the CommonPlace consultation website. Planned changes to the Haddricks Mill junction are not in scope of this change and will be published separately.

Ecological Impact

One further aspect of this scheme that deserves scrutiny is the impact on the wooded verge on the east side of the road. The associated planning application (reference 2017/0641/01/GRA) includes:

• Removal of 500 smaller trees plus 35 semi-mature and 3 mature trees to be replaced by 2100 native woodland trees and shrubs and 44 large standard oak trees.
• Planting 2000 daffodil and bluebell bulbs and 150 native wild flowers.
• Installation of bird boxes, bat boxes and hibernacula for smaller mammals.
• A management plan for the area.

Details of the full Ecological Impact Assessment and associated mitigation plans can be found on the Planning Applications website.

Longer term, helping people walk and cycle more will not only help reduce the devastating impact of air pollution on us, but also on plant and animal life.

Residents’ Letter

This is the letter that was sent to local residents by the Council.

The post Killingworth Road – Metro Bridge Replacement appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

A packed Trinity Church at the SPACE for Gosforth Blue House Meeting

In our look back at 2015, the year SPACE for Gosforth was formed, we wrote that this was only the beginning and that in 2016 we had a whole year to make a difference.  What we could not have anticipated at that time was the immense difference that 2016 would bring to our community.

Something old … Gosforth High Street

A better Gosforth High Street was the reason SPACE for Gosforth was founded in 2015, and we continued to focus on the High Street 2016.

A High Street filled with hidden dangers!

We began the year by publishing an account of a walk by one of our members on Gosforth High Street to raise awareness of the challenges faced by those with a visual impairment.  Our member was blindfolded and accompanied by a volunteer guide from Guide Dogs for the Blind, and his walk revealed a High Street filled with hidden – and not so hidden – dangers.  This would be an issue for any community given that the UK has an ageing population, but it is a particular issue for Gosforth as three Gosforth schools house Newcastle City Council’s Visual Impairment Additionally Resourced Centres.

Gosforth High Street

Newcastle City Council also agreed to work with SPACE for Gosforth and local traders to improve plans for Gosforth High Street.  These improvements will take place in stages – the first stage to be agreed was improvements for pedestrians, which has recently been the subject of a consultation.

South Gosforth AQMA

Gosforth High Street is part of the South Gosforth Air Quality Management Area.  The South Gosforth AQMA was declared due to high levels of nitrogen dioxide, and is one of two AQMAs in Newcastle upon Tyne (the other is the City Centre AQMA, which has even higher levels of nitrogen dioxide).  SPACE for Gosforth began investigating this issue in 2015 and we continued to highlight the issue of air pollution during 2016 as well as other costs to the community of the negative impacts of traffic.  By contrast, research confirms that increasing cycling has a positive effect on local business.

Air pollution monitor on Gosforth High St.

During the autumn, we were able to track daily readings from the Gosforth High Street air pollution monitor thanks to Newcastle University’s Urban Observatory project.

We were very worried to note the increase in levels of nitrogen dioxide on Gosforth High Street before Christmas  – and a similar increase in the City Centre Air Quality Management Area.

This is an issue SPACE for Gosforth intends to continue investigating due to the risk to residents’ health from air pollution.

Responses to Brunton to Broadway Consultation

Further north from Gosforth High Street on the Great North Road, we also looked at the responses to the proposed new cycle route between Broadway and Brunton Lane, a proposal that received strong support during the consultation.  The graph on the left shows the reasons why respondents liked the proposals.

Despite this, there have been concerns raised relating to the introduction of a toucan crossing.  We examined the issues relating to this crossing, in particular the need for a fully accessible crossing at this point.

Something new … adding to the local debate

SPACE for Gosforth was founded to add new information to the local debate and to take action on the challenges facing Gosforth, and we did this in a number of ways in 2016.

One important local issue we wished to examine at was the issue of drivers speeding on many of Gosforth’s residential streets, so we obtained and analysed traffic counts from Newcastle City Council to provide residents with accurate data about this issue.

When  Gosforth’s speed cameras made the local news, we analysed speed camera data to show that there has been a reduction of accidents since these cameras have been installed.

East Gosforth crash map

We returned to the issue of speeding at the time of the East Gosforth Ward Survey and Priority Event, when we also examined air pollution levels and road traffic casualties in East Gosforth Ward to provide residents with information on this issues .

Protected cycle lane on the Great North Road

Another issue we examined was children’s experience of cycling in our community.  We began by looking at safe cycling routes for children when we applied the research of Dr Rachel Aldred of Westminster University to our local cycling routes.  We found that while Gosforth does have examples of routes that are safe for children to cycle, these do not link together to form a coherent network and many streets are unsuitable for children.

We were also able to give an insight into how children see their school run in March, when we were privileged to be given permission by Archibald First School to publish a letter written by some of their pupils describing the near misses they have experienced on their way to school and requesting that parents drive safely around their school.

In April several local schools took part in The Big Pedal, a challenge to encourage children to cycle safely to school.  We reported on the results at the end of the first week and at the end of the Big Pedal, when three Gosforth headteachers all commented on how much their pupils enjoyed travelling by bike.

A close pass at the Regent Centre

We also looked at the Safe Overtaking petition, a parliamentary petition for a safe overtaking distance, and published a YouTube video clip showing a close pass near a Gosforth primary school.

The petition closed with 23,834 signatures, however the Government responded that it does not currently have any plans to change the legislation.  This is concerning as many of our members have shared their experience of suffering close passes when cycling in our city.

Electric bike in the park

Also in April we organised a taster session of Electric Parks in Gosforth Central Park.  Despite torrential rain, this session proved popular and one resident even arrived before the session began as he was so keen to try the bikes.  “Just brilliant” was the verdict of our members who collected the bikes from the Cycle Hub!

SPACE for Gosforth would like to see more events like this in Gosforth and we were pleased to see Go Smarter to Work organising an event in December at Trinity Church.  We also created the Bike Bingo Card for Bike Week.

John Dobson Street

2016 also saw the opening of Newcastle’s flagship cycle route on John Dobson Street, and we were impressed to find that the improvements have humanised a street that was previously inhospitable for both pedestrians and cycling.

Newcastle / Amsterdam

During the media debate following the opening of the John Dobson Street route Newcastle was often compared with Amsterdam, so we looked at what the two cities have in common.  We found that while both have iconic bridges, lively nightlife and great architecture, there is much we can learn from Amsterdam as it has higher numbers of cyclists, higher driver satisfaction and a much higher GDP.

Something borrowed … working with others

Crash Map for Station Road

In January SPACE for Gosforth members met East Gosforth Councillor Henry Gallagher on Station Road to investigate residents’ concerns about proposals for parking, which were felt to be a possible danger to cyclists.  The plans were later withdrawn and other plans included as part of the Haddricks’ Mills proposals (more on these proposals below).

We ended January by holding a talk with a guest speaker, Professor Mark Tewdwr-Jones of Newcastle University, about the City Futures project, which looked at what Newcastle might look like in 2065.

Monitor on the High Street

Following our air pollution monitoring on Gosforth High Street in 2015, we held a joint meeting in April with the Tyne and Wear Public Transport Users Group on air pollution with guest speakers Professor Margaret Bell and Dr Anil Namdeo from Newcastle University to explain this threat to our health.

The Netherlands is an inspiration for Almere Consulting

Finally in November, we held a meeting with Tom Bailey of Almere Consulting as our guest speaker to introduce his Garden City Guide to Active Travel.  Tom created his Guide after realising there was a gap in design standards for new large scale developments – and with so many new estates planned for Newcastle and its neighbouring communities, this was a gap that urgently needed filling.

Something Blue … Blue House Roundabout, Jesmond Dene Road and Haddricks Mill

The Blue House roundabout

In April we looked at the North-East Combined Authority’s survey on the future of transport in our region.  NECA’s vision of the future for Gosforth became clear in July when plans for “improvements” to the Blue House roundabout, Jesmond Dene Road and Haddricks’ Mill roundabouts were published.

The proposals for Blue House

All three proposals caused outrage throughout the Gosforth Community and beyond, particularly Blue House, which would have had a devastating effect on Newcastle’s iconic Town Moor.

The iconic Town Moor cows

SPACE for Gosforth objected to these proposals on these grounds and due to the risk to public health,  and because the proposals would not work.  We wrote an open letter to the NE Local Enterprise Partnership, who were contributing funding for the proposals and later received this reply.

Protest ribbons on the Little Moor

As SPACE for Gosforth believed that improvements for pedestrians and cyclists were needed at all three locations, we arranged a public meeting at Trinity Church to discuss alternatives.  We thought it was important that our community must not only say what it did not want, but also what it did want.

SPACE for Gosforth public meeting at Trinity Church

The result of the unprecedented community rejection of these plans led to a public meeting organised by Chi Onwurah, MP for Newcastle Central, and also attended by Catherine McKinnell MP (Newcastle North), Cllr Ged Bell and Graham Grant (Head of Transport Investment).

Chi Onwurah MP speaking at Trinity Church

Following this meeting SPACE for Gosforth was invited to join the Blue House Working Group. Information about the group can be found on the Blue House Working Group website, and we have also blogged about the first, second, fifth and sixth Blue House meetings.

Graphic Representation of the 2nd Blue House Meeting

The future of Blue House will continue to be decided during 2017, and we set out a series of measures of success for both policies and for people movement against which the final plans (when published) can be judged.

Poor planning at Gosforth Business Park

Shortly after the Blue House public meeting, plans were submitted to North Tyneside Council for a development on Gosforth Business Park which illustrated how planning can influence the type of journeys we make. We were very concerned to find that these plans made no reference to the nearby South Gosforth Air Quality Management Area and were likely to increase traffic in the AQMA.  With many other nearby developments planned, planning will remain an issue of concern in 2017.

And 2017?

Looking back on 2016, we are amazed at challenges our community has faced and are proud that we have added to local debate and have taken action to improve road safety and air quality in our community.

But these challenges will continue in 2017 – please join us to help make a difference!

The post SPACE’s 2016: some things old, new, borrowed and BLUE appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

As with all our meetings, there has been 100% attendance from all of the groups invited, which highlights the importance and acceptance of the process that Newcastle City Council has adopted.  Not forgetting that everyone is also volunteering their time and clearly cares about the outcome.

At our sixth meeting we covered the following:

1. Communications and website
2. Consideration of proposals for Jesmond Dene Road/Osborne Road (small groups)
3. Comparative performance data for main junction options
4. Review of main junction options (small groups)
5. Next steps.

Most importantly there is the opportunity for you to contribute to the Working Group with your thoughts and ideas which we’ll cover at the end of this blog.

Please read the notes provided by the Council for a full account of meeting there was considerable discussion on vehicle movements and the impact of the various junctions on traffic, however in this post we’ll focus on topics of particular interest to SPACE.

The questions surrounding communications and the website focussed on how best to activate engagement  with the wider community beyond the groups attending the meetings.  Digital Civics Open Lab have been maintaining the website and providing graphical illustrations and photography of the meetings.  A question was raised on how this is being funded since Digital Civics have dedicated considerable effort.  Open Lab confirmed that they are a research body and costs are covered as part of their research funding. Clara Crivellaro explained: “This is part of a larger agenda within digital civics, looking into the potential role of digital technologies and design to support meaningful public discussions and processes of public consultations around the future of the places that matter to us in the city.”

The original plan for Blue House created considerable public engagement against the plan, the challenge for everyone is to harness the same degree of engagement for people to inform the Working Group and the Council on what they do want to see.

The Working Group expressed their appreciation for the time and effort that the Digital Civics team had put into supporting the Working Group.

The Working Group was once again broken up into smaller groups to discuss the proposals for Jesmond Dene Road as provided by the Council (note this is a large file).

Jesmond Dene Road Proposed Plan

Following on from our last meeting on this topic, SPACE is disappointed that changes had not been made to the previous proposed plan to address the issues we highlighted at the last meeting:

• The footpath/cycle track terminates at Ilford Road
• There is no provision for people cycling beyond Ilford Road
• SPACE proposed that there was sufficient space on Ilford Road and Moorfield (East) to provide protected cycle lanes
• A potential area of conflict between vehicles and cycles is the junction on Moorfield (East) and Jesmond Dene Road
• There is potential for rat running (bypassing Blue House roundabout) where vehicles use the residential street Moorfield joining at the lights with Jesmond Dene Road
• The plan needs to consider how people cycling could travel between High West Jesmond and West Jesmond (the path alongside La Sagesse was suggested as a compromise)
• The Ilford Road and Moorfield junction needs to be reviewed in conjunction with other changes.

SPACE reiterated the above points and other members in the Working Group raised the potential for placing a 2 way cycle bridge across Metro line adjacent to the current road bridge.

Suggested two way cycle bridge and track – Jesmond Dene Road

This would ensure a continuous route travelling east – west, but does however raise a number of other challenges:

• The bridge and cycle track would impinge on the area currently utilised as allotments – Newcastle City Council are investigating
• Crossing points would need be provided at the ends of Ilford Road and Moorfield
• How would the connectivity work for people cycling to the South of Jesmond Dene Road (assuming in-flow cycle lanes running to/from Haddricks Mill)
• Is there budget to implement such a scheme?

The revised plan did incorporate a pedestrian crossing point between Moorfield and Beatty Avenue.

A toucan crossing was also proposed by the council to link  ‘the cut’ (aka ‘Friday Fields Cut’) running alongside La Sagesse at the top of Matthew Bank.

The Cut connecting Jesmond Dene Road with Towers Avenue (click image for Google Maps)

This is a frequent crossing point for residents living in 5 Admirals estate to access Jesmond and its shops and facilities.

Comparative performance data for main junction options

Data was provided analysing the junction performance (in terms of volume and queue lengths) for vehicles approaching the junctions for the three junctions previously assessed in the meetings.  Both John Dales and Graham Grant commented that they need to do further work on the information that was being presented in the statistics and forecasting since there appeared to be discrepancies.

It was interesting to note that the new designs did not improve on the current traffic situation.  However, the designs have to be considered in relation to the current safety record which the council has a duty to address.

From SPACE for Gosforth’s perspective none of the junctions under study address the fundamental issues of pollution.  The data under study reflects the current volumes of traffic, and we already know that this is producing unacceptable levels of pollution since it is part of the Air Quality Management Area since 2011.  During the discussion the meeting raised the issue of the goal of less traffic together with better traffic flow to reduce pollution.

John Dales summarised the areas of emerging consensus in the working group – the new junction should be at the current location, there should be little or no tree loss, better walking and cycling facilities are essential, and, there is an acceptance that the Blue House itself may be required in terms of space.

We should add that no final design has yet been agreed at the Working Group.

Graham Grant is preparing a paper to discuss the overall options with the Freemen of the Town Moor in January 2017.  John Dales will prepare a paper summarising the outcomes from the last six meetings.  In addition, both will look in more detail at the traffic modelling data and make revisions to the plans in preparation for the next meeting.

Next steps

The council said that the Cycling Strategy would be refreshed in 2017 and to this end issued the Working Group with a map of proposed cycling routes which interconnect with the Strategic Cycle Routes.

A comment from the meeting was that it is important to understand people’s journeys before devising routes.

These routes are purely suggestions at this stage, and the Working Group was asked to consider this map and bring any suggestions to the next meeting.

In addition, the Working Group was issued with blank maps of the area surrounding the Blue House junction and asked to consult with their members on areas where ‘rat running’ was taking place or where it was likely to increase as a result of changes.  Finally, the Working Group was asked to consult with its members to generate ideas on how to address the issue of forecasted vehicle movements in 2031, and what the council might do to change people’s travel habits in order to ensure that the predicted demand does not emerge.

SPACE will follow up on this ‘homework’ but in the meantime we would welcome your thoughts on the topics of ‘rat running’ streets and any ideas you may have to address behaviour change.

If you have any questions or comments, you can email SPACE at [email protected], add comments to this post, make comments on our Facebook page or add comments to the bluehousegroup.org posts.

The date of the next meeting is likely to be end of January 2017.

The post Blue House and Jesmond Dene Road Working Group | Meeting #6 appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

• Quality of provision for walking
• Quality of provision for cycling
• Quality of provision for buses

We have focused on these three areas as they conform with Newcastle City Council’s policy regarding  hierarchy of users discussed in our previous article on ‘Compliance with Adopted Policies’.  SPACE will discuss vehicle movements in our next article ‘Blue House Measures of Success Part 3 | Traffic’.

The Blue House junction poses a particular challenge when designing an alternative proposal in that the Great North Road is simultaneously a road and a street. In its Manual for Streets the Department for Transport distinguishes roads and streets as:

2.2.1  A clear distinction can be drawn between streets and roads. Roads are essentially highways whose main function is accommodating the movement of motor traffic. Streets are typically lined with buildings and public spaces, and while movement is still a key function, there are several others, of which the place function is the most important (see ‘Streets – an historical perspective’ box).

The Town Moor is clearly a much loved public space for people to visit (the ‘place’ function), while the junction has historically been designed to accommodate motor traffic (the ‘movement’ function).  We would like to challenge that definition of movement, as we believe that moving people in the most efficient, clean, safe way must be the primary objective.  The success of the Blue House junction will be the volume of people who can safely traverse junction regardless of their chosen mode of transport.

Quality of provision for walking

Pedestrians are reasonably well serviced in the quality and extent of pavements around the Town Moor.  Some stretches have “shared space” with cyclists and this needs to be delineated so that it is clear which is pavement and which is cycle track/lane.

However, the major issue is with the crossing points around Blue House.  There is currently no safe way to cross the road on foot at the junction, especially as the speed limit is 50mph at the crossing points.

People are abandoned on the refuge islands surrounded by four lanes of vehicles when only half way across the road.  This feels intimidating and unsafe, and as a result for many people dangerous and frightening.   In addition, the junction discriminates against people with disabilities, visually impaired and blind people, people in wheelchairs, older people, people with prams/buggies, and children.

Living Streets says:

“Everybody should be able to cross the road safely, directly and without delay.  Crossings should be positioned in the right place and give everyone enough time to cross the road.”

SPACE recommends the following measures of success for people walking:

• Walking is perceived as a safe, practical and attractive travel option for residents of all ages and abilities
• The crossing points need to follow the desire line for pedestrians
• Crossings need to be signalised and provide sufficient time to cross
• SPACE recommends the assumed walking speed should be 0.8m/s to be used in calculating crossing times. This is to assist those who cannot walk so quickly to cross the road.
• The crossings should be a single phase with no pedestrian refuge area.  It should be possible to cross the whole road in one go rather than having to wait in the middle.
• People crossing the junction must be clearly visible and within the line of sight of people driving with no visual impediments such as signage.

Quality of provision for cycling

Best practice for cycling on this type of road requires separated cycle lanes/tracks which are continuous and as far as possible interruption free.  Cycling is not serviced well around the Blue House junction and the issues that face people cycling are similar to those for people walking. All of the pavements are classified as shared space with pedestrians, this can result in areas of conflict and discomfort for both pedestrians and cyclists.

In particular, the current crossing points are designed to accommodate one or two pedestrians and are not wide enough to accommodate a bicycle and certainly not a bicycle with trailer.

SPACE believes that there is sufficient space around the Blue House roundabout and on its approaches to accommodate separated cycle tracks in conjunction with single phase Toucan crossings safe crossing points.

To provide people with a safe, easy to use and comfortable cycling experience which in turn will encourage more people to take up cycling, SPACE recommends that the following measures, as documented in the London Cycling Design Standards 2014 are used to measure successful outcomes.  SPACE is aware that Newcastle City Council engineers utilise these standards (as well as others) to assist in the design of the city’s cycle network.

The London Guide documents six core outcomes which ‘together describe what good design for cycling should achieve: Safety, Directness, Comfort, Coherence, Attractiveness and Adaptability. These are based on international best practice and on an emerging consensus in London about aspects of that practice that we should adopt in the UK. They are important not just for cyclists but for all users of streets, public spaces, parks and riversides, where investment in cycling has the potential to improve the quality of place’.

In conjunction with the six successful outcomes documented above, the junction itself can be assessed utilising the Cycling Level of Service (CLoS) assessment tool which is based on these six design outcomes.  CloS breaks down each outcome into further levels of detail, for example, the safety outcome contains three factors: collision risk, feeling of safety and social safety.

For the Blue House junction we don’t need to cover the whole CLoS assessment, we can analyse the proposed junction from the perspective of cyclist movements and provide an estimation of potential conflict.  We can also use these tools and techniques in a wider context to help develop a walking and cycling network.  The Blue House roundabout is after all just one point in someone’s journey when travelling E-W N-S and all points in between.

Jesmond Dene Road is also being considered by the working group.  The critical point on this route is the bridge at the top of Osborne Road.  There is clearly insufficient space for everyone, whether walking, cycling or driving.  The CLoS assessment tool will be particularly useful in deriving a solution and successful outcomes for this key junction.

Quality of provision for buses

Buses can help large numbers of people travel through the junction quickly and efficiently. A full bus at rush hour can carry the same number of people as over 60 cars.

The best outcome for buses is one where they, and their passengers, are able to reach the junction quickly and reliably without being delayed by other vehicles.  Bus lanes are already in place on approaches to the junction from the north and south. North bound on Great North Road a continuous lane from the Haymarket stops at the Forsyth Road junction then continues towards Gosforth after the Blue House roundabout.  South bound the bus lane runs from Moor Crescent and stops at the Blue House roundabout.

Increasing the number of people who can reach their destination quickly through the junction is a key measure of success.  While we can review the volume of buses negotiating the junction there is no data available (to our knowledge) on the numbers of people who are using the buses through the junction and/or their journeys (regarded as commercially sensitive data).  For an effective public transport system this poses a particular challenge in assessing a change in behaviour where more people use the bus rather than drive.

There are approximately 96 buses per hour crossing Blue House travelling north – south into and out of the city centre. There is only one bus service which services both Gosforth High Street and Osborne Road.

Bus services from Gosforth High Street to Blue House roundabout

There are no bus services running down Grandstand Road and onwards to Haddricks Mill.  If you need to head to one of the employment zones to the east – for example the Freeman Hospital, Cobalt Business Park, Benton Park View (the ‘Ministry’) – it is necessary to take two buses changing at Haymarket.  Bearing in mind one of the key reasons for the previous roundabout plan was the forecasted figures of people taking to cars from the new housing developments to the north and north west of the city it is vital that people are provided with fast reliable and where possible direct public transport services.

The current bus services provide the opportunity to carry approximately 5,640 people through the junction per hour.

Speed of traffic at the junction can have a detrimental effect on buses attempting to negotiate the Blue House roundabout.  Currently the junction sits within a 50mph limit.  Cars and vans move much quicker on the junction itself and this can limit the number of opportunities a bus can pull away.  This can cause delays and waiting buses add further to levels of air pollution.

SPACE sees the following as measures of success for buses:

• Buses are able to reach the junction ahead of queuing traffic
• Minimise waiting time at the junction
• Bus service reliability is improved
• Future capacity on east – west routes.

In our final article on this topic, Blue House Measures of Success Part 3, we will be looking at the following criteria for traffic:

• Quality of provision for general motor traffic
• Area traffic management / knock on effects

Please do let us know if you have any questions, comments or suggestions for how these measures could be improved to meet SPACE for Gosforth’s objective of a Safe Pedestrian and Cycling Environment for Gosforth.  We look forward to hearing from you.

The post Blue House Measures of Success Part 2 | People Movement appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

In this post we look at the Environmental Impact Assessment Screening & Scoping Report (“the EIASSR”) lodged as part of the planning documents for the original plans for the Blue House roundabout and Jesmond Dene Road.  The EIASSR’s aim was to identify the different types of environmental assessments that would have been needed had those plans gone ahead.

Despite the plans not going ahead, SPACE for Gosforth wanted to look at the EIASSR as it contains a substantial amount of information about the ecosystem of the Town Moor and its relationship with the surrounding communities.  In short it gives us an insight into the many different reasons why Newcastle Town Moor is not only special to the surrounding communities, but an iconic location known throughout the North East of England and beyond. This information remains important as alternative plans for the Blue House roundabout and Jesmond Dene Road are formulated.

THE EIASSR also contains information about the background and scope of the previous plans –  again important information for new plans. As the previous plans were so comprehensively rejected, one question relating to them was whether it was the plans themselves that were flawed, or the objectives that the plans aimed to fulfil?  And are there any issues not included in the EIASSR that ought to be looked at when alternatives are created?

What is the EIASSR and who wrote it?

The EIASSR was lodged with Planning Application documents for the Blue House Roundabout and was prepared for Newcastle City Council by AECOM.  Its purpose was to identify which environmental reports would be needed to assess the impact of the plans for Blue House and Jesmond Dene Road.  The proposals for Haddricks Mill were not considered in the EIASSR.

It was originally lodged in a version dated the 18 July 2016 and then amended during the consultation to the version dated 28 July 2016.  The EIASSR contains 17 sections each dealing with a different aspect of the original application or the Town Moor.

What is the wider context of the plans for the Blue House roundabout and Jesmond Dene Road?

The first section introduces the proposal and confirms that the proposals for Blue House, Jesmond Dene Road (as well as Haddricks Mill) are part of the Northern Access Corridor, which:

“runs in an east to west direction approximately 1 km north of Newcastle Upon Tyne City Centre and is intended to enhance and integrate the major routes into and through Newcastle in the north of the city.” (1.1.1)

The Gosforth section of the Northern Access corridor is shown above.

This section also confirms that the proposals would require land take from Registered Common Land.  This would require separate consent, which would be sought in conjunction with the planning application (1.3.2).  The version of the 18 July stated that a proposal had been agreed in principle between Newcastle City Council and the Freemen of Newcastle upon Tyne. However, the later version replaced that statement with the following:

“Any land take from Registered Common Land will require separate consent which would need to be sought in conjunction with the planning application. NCC has discussed the issue of a land swap with the Freemen. Currently no agreement is in place as this relies on a detailed design which is not yet in place and is also subject to public consultation. During these early discussions the Freemen of the City have noted that any changes at this location should ensure that the city’s growth and success in future years is secured. Further, that if major changes are made in this location that they should be done sympathetically to the surrounding areas and be designed in such a way as to ensure that further roadworks or changes are not required in this location for decades.” (1.3.2)

What does the EIASSR tell us about the Town Moor?

1. Wildlife

The EIASSR brings together a substantial amount of information about Newcastle’s Town Moor, and the surrounding open space and communities.

Newcastle’s Town Moor is known to be common land, but the EIASSR confirms that Duke’s Moor, Little Moor and the allotments adjacent to Jesmond Dene Road are also areas of Registered Common Land (13.2.3).
The EIASSR lists the different species that live on the Town Moor (Table 8.1), these include protected species such as:

•  bats;
• 5 species of birds that are on the red list of birds of conservation concern (skylark, house sparrow, mistle thrush, song thrush and starling) and 3 species on the amber list (swift, housemartin and meadow pipit).  Swifts have also been identified as a species under particular threat locally.  These classifications result from all native birds in the UK being split into three groups. Red is the highest conservation priority, with species needing urgent action. Amber is the next most critical group.  Green are species that occur regularly in the UK, but are not classed as amber or red. The RSPB also explain that with the right action, species can recover and be moved on to the green list.  One such success is a bird that has become an iconic bird for Gateshead: the red kite.
• There are no records of reptiles on the survey area, but the EIASSR states that the Little Moor allotments
  could provide habitat for them, most probably for slow worms, another protected species.
• Hedgehogs are also to be found in the area, and while not protected, they have been identified as a species under threat locally.  The photograph on the right was taken on Linden Road in Gosforth the same day the article in the last link was published and illustrates the threat to wildlife posed by human lifestyles.

The EIASSR also confirms that the Town Moor is a site of local conservation interest (8.2.6) and that there is a  wildlife corridor that runs from the Town Moor, through the junction of Jesmond Dene Road and Osborne Road and the Little Moor to the Metro line (8.2.7).  The previous proposals for the Blue House Roundabout were identified as potentially having these effects on wildlife:

• construction phase: loss or degradation of habitat; mortality of protected species; damage to retained trees (8.4.1);
• operational phase: severance / fragmentation of habitat and disturbance due to changes in lighting and traffic volumes (8.4.1).

2. Cultural heritage and historical significance

The EIASSR also acknowledges the Town Moor’s historic status, by noting that it was granted as common land by King John around 1213 and that its boundaries are largely unchanged (Appendix D).

The EIASSR also confirms that Newcastle City Council recognise that the Town Moor is a special space and that it is one of 6 areas in Newcastle considered to be of “exceptional landscape value” and that development that will “demonstrably harm” it will not be allowed (7.1.3).  Figure 7.1 in Appendix C confirms that both Duke’s Moor and the Little Moor are included in the definition of “exceptional landscape value”.  All 3 moors are also  designated parkland (7.1.8), and the Town Moor and Duke’s Moor are considered to be an “Area of Countryside Character” (7.2.7).

Section 6 gives details of the buildings and other items of cultural heritage in the area of study, but concludes that they are “low value” (6.3.1), with the exception of the Town Moor Boundary Stone (pictured right, a grade II listed building deemed “medium value” by the report), the Town Moor itself and the conservation areas of Gosforth and Jesmond Dene.

The Blue House itself is a locally listed building, as is the Laing Memorial Fountain (pictured left), and both of these could have been affected by the previous proposals (6.4).

Another locally listed building close to the Blue House is the Colvill Memorial Fountain (pictured right).

What threatens the landscape of the Town Moor?

1. Japanese Knotweed

It may seem surprising that an area of exceptional landscape value could also be “land in a contaminated state”, but the Town Moor is due to the presence of Japanese knotweed.  One risk of the proposed construction works is that they risk spreading this species (8.4.1). The EIASSR does not contain any information about action being taken to remove this species.

2. Air pollution

The Blue House Roundabout is within the South Gosforth Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) (see map right for the extent of the AQMA) due to the high levels of nitrogen dioxide in this area.  The readings quoted in the EIASSR confirm that levels of this pollutant are decreasing, however some readings are still in excess of the air quality standard, and the AQMA is still required (5.2.3).

The EIASSR considered that proposed development had the potential to cause air pollution which would have affected public health in the following ways (5.4.1):

• changes in traffic flows/composition/speeds could affect pollutant concentration
• changes in location of sources of air pollution due to changes in the road layout could also affect pollutant concentration, and
• construction related dust emissions could affect dust deposition rates.

The EIASSR does not include any other pollutants as the AQMA has only been declared for nitrogen dioxide.  However, SPACE for Gosforth’s own monitoring of pollution on Gosforth High Street (one of the roads leading to the Blue House roundabout) detected levels of another pollutant, fine particles, that were always above the WHO levels for that pollutant, and at times above higher EU level.  Nor does the EIASSR include any discussion of the many medical conditions where air pollution is thought to be a contributing factor.

3. Noise

The previous proposals for the Blue House and Jesmond Dene Road had the potential to increase noise levels, both from construction work and any increase in traffic (10.4).  For more information about current noise levels in Gosforth, Defra have an interactive map showing estimated noise levels from major roads, railways and industrial premises.  The EIASSR confirms that the junction of Jesmond Dene Road and Osborne road is within an noise important area associated with the metro line  (10.2.1).

4. Water

The original proposals had the potential to affect both the drainage systems on the Town Moor and the Ouseburn (11.4.1), to cause water pollution to surface water (11.4.3), and also to adversely affect an acquifer (11.4.4).

What is missing from the report?

The post Why is the Town Moor special? appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

SPACE for Gosforth has received a response to our Open Letter to The North East Local Enterprise Partnership. In that letter we sought assurances that the funding for the Blue House, Jesmond Dene Road and Haddricks Mill proposals would only be released if those proposals met the NELEP’s own commitments to reduce carbon emissions from transport and supported the use of shared and sustainable modes of transport.

We would like to get your views. Do you feel reassured by the response below? Should NELEP be doing more to ensure that the schemes it funds will meet its own strategy of carbon reduction and supporting walking and cycling? Please let us know by 23 September and we will share your thoughts and suggestions with the NELEP and ask for a further response.

The post Blue House funding – feeling reassured? appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

You can download the slide decks:

• Context (ppt pdf)
• Alternatives (ppt pdf)
• Action: What you can do (ppt pdf)

It is important to challenge the proposed plan by Sunday 21st August 2016 to ensure that your voice is heard.  You can do this via the Newcastle City Council’s Commonplaces website   (remember to move the “slider” on the form to red/negative) or by writing to:

Graham Grant
Head of Transport Investment
Newcastle City Council
10th Floor
Civic Centre
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8QN

Please do consider these questions when composing your response:

• What sort of a city do we want to live in?
• How do we get around?
• What sort of a city do we want our children to inherit?
• What do we need to change to achieve it?

Feel free to leave comment here and let us know your views.  SPACE is particularly interested in creating alternatives to the current monstrous plan.  While the Blue House plan is creating considerable interest/anger/astonishment don’t forget to include in your comments suggestions on how to resolve the variety issues Haddrick’s Mill to Blue House proposals indentify.

The post Follow-up: Public Meeting: Blue House junction – issues and solutions appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.