Station Road – May 2022

Residents have reported high volumes of motor traffic and delays on Station Road, with this often being attributed to the effect of closing a number of minor roads to through traffic in 2020. In this blog we take another look at local traffic count data to see what is going on.

Closing local bridges – Recap

In May 2022, we looked at traffic levels on Station Road after local bridges were closed to through traffic. We found that traffic levels on Station Road did not increase after local bridges were closed to traffic, and in fact stayed at a similar level to 2018, as shown in the graph below.

Traffic Volumes on Station Road, measured 30m west of Bowsden Terrace – Data Extract May 2022

Traffic levels remained similar right up to March 2022, the latest month we had data for at the time, 19 months from when the bridges were closed in August 2020 and 12 months from when schools reopened (and traffic fully returned to normal) following Covid lockdowns in March 2021.

What happened then?

Now we have another year of data and we can see traffic levels on Station Road did increase after April 2022, by up to 10% in some months. This is shown on the red line (2022) and higher blue line (2023) in the graph below.

Traffic Volumes on Station Road, measured 30m west of Bowsden Terrace – Data Extract May 2023

In November 2022, traffic levels on Station Road were extremely high, averaging 18,525 vehicles per day over the month.

Why did traffic increase?

If the bridges were to have an effect it would most likely have been immediately after they were closed to traffic i.e. August/September 2020, and not at some random time over two years later, and they wouldn’t explain the unusually high traffic levels in November 2022.

One explanation could be overall growth in traffic, and consequently growth in traffic jams, aided by the Government’s fuel duty freeze. Since the start of the freeze in 2010 up to 2019, miles driven in Newcastle increased by nearly 7%, but again this would not explain the unusually high traffic levels in November 2022.

There was a local traffic ‘event’ in the autumn of 2022 – emergency roadworks for gas repairs on Jesmond Dene Road. These works lasted from May to December 2022, with the main works (and greatest disruption) between 24 October and 2 December.

A189 Jesmond Dene Road, reports of failed temp traffic signals at the junction of Moorfield for the works being carried out by @NGNgas #Newcastle pic.twitter.com/9roIBPVP0k

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) November 29, 2022

Between 4 – 14 November Jesmond Dene Road was closed to all traffic at the junction with Moorfield.

https://twitter.com/NewcastleCC/status/1588573686000394240

We reported at the time that Google Live Traffic was showing heavy traffic on The Grove and, to a lesser extent, Ilford Road. The maps in the tweets below also show slow moving traffic on Station Road.

Google Live Traffic shows lots of driving on residential streets. We need low traffic neighbourhoods so that main road traffic stays on the main road network. pic.twitter.com/rWFzwKLdS8

— space for gosforth (@space4gosforth) November 7, 2022

Residents of The Grove also reported traffic was very busy, as well as higher noise levels and a collision as a result of the additional traffic.

Comment on Gosforth Traffic Facebook 11 November 2022

Traffic using The Grove as an alternative route would have been picked up by the Station Road traffic counter, explaining the increase in traffic levels between May and December. We can see from weekly traffic counts that the most traffic on Station Road was the week where Jesmond Dene Road was closed completely (7 November).

Displaced traffic

We also have traffic volumes for Haddricks Mill Road for the same period. The graph below shows that, from the start of roadworks in May 2022, there is a corresponding reduction in traffic levels on Haddricks Mill Road.

This may come as a surprise to residents of Haddricks Mill Road, for whom this whole period (apart from when the road was fully closed) was marked by continual traffic jams due to the road works.

This is to be expected though, as a temporary reduction in road capacity caused by temporary traffic lights will cause both traffic jams and a reduction in traffic volumes on the affected roads as some people take alternative routes.

Total gridlock (and CO2 galore) outside our homes EVERY morning in #SouthGosforth. I guess it makes a change from the dangerous speeding… @NewcastleCC any plans to address?? This isn’t sustainable. pic.twitter.com/iwiPrByUf6

— Ciara Small (@SmallWorldNE) May 24, 2022

This contrasts with permanent or longer-term road capacity reductions where it has been found that “significant reductions in overall traffic levels can occur, with people making a far wider range of behavioural responses than has traditionally been assumed“. This is why traffic changes are often trialled over a 6-18 month period, and why other long-term local road closures have shown no increase in traffic volumes on parallel roads.

Following completion of the road works, traffic counts also show that Haddricks Mill Road traffic levels didn’t immediately return to where they were, taking until March 2022 to return to previous levels.

Conclusion

• Traffic levels did increase on Station Road in 2022, up to about 10%, with a corresponding decrease on Haddricks Mill Road. The most likely reason for this was the road works on Jesmond Dene Road.
• Some of the traffic that would have used Haddricks Mill Road rerouted to use Station Road via The Grove. Roads east of Stoneyhurst Bridge remained largely traffic-free.
• This contrasts starkly with previous local road closures. No additional traffic was recorded on parallel routes following Stoneyhurst Road, Castle Farm Road or Killingworth Road closures. This may be because the roadworks on Jesmond Dene Road were announced with very short notice, and were only for a short period, so people weren’t able to or didn’t feel the need to adjust.
• Traffic using The Grove instead of Jesmond Dene Road will have created additional delay for people travelling by car/bus from Gosforth High Street to Haddricks Mill.
• Where there is short-term disruption, traffic will divert via whatever routes are available. While these routes are open to through-traffic, neither residents nor people wishing to walk or cycle away from heavy traffic can rely on them remaining low-traffic routes.
• Traffic levels on Station Road and Haddricks Mill Road appear to be returning to closer to historical (still very busy) levels since March 2023, however while motoring is relatively cheap compared to public transport and there is a lack of safe cycling routes, traffic levels are likely to continue to rise. Higher levels of traffic contribute to increased pollution, carbon emissions and danger for other road users, much more than localised congestion.

Reference – Other Traffic Reports

• Temporary traffic lights due to gas main work and roadworks on A189 Jesmond Dene Road at Moorfield – May 2022.
• Temporary traffic lights due to gas main work on A189 Matthew Bank at Jesmond Dene Road – September 2022
• Temporary traffic lights due to gas main work on A189 Jesmond Dene Road at Moorfield –  December 2022

The post Station Road traffic went up – what happened? appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

Church Avenue, Gosforth, just west of Station Road

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

The map below shows the location of Salters and Stoneyhurst Road bridges and average annual daily traffic levels on Station Road between 2013 and 2021. Both bridges were closed to motor traffic in August 2020. Salters Bridge was previously closed to traffic during the Killingworth Road roadworks between July 2017 and October 2019.

Station Road traffic count shows 2021 was lower than all years other than 2016 and 2020.

One of the main concerns raised by people responding to the Council consultation was that (they believed) these closures would lead to “displaced traffic / congestion”. We now have nineteen months of traffic data since August 2020 that shows traffic levels on Station Road and Sandy Lane (north of Gosforth Racecourse) are broadly unchanged from previous years.

Station Road and Sandy Lane are neither busier nor more congested following closure of the bridges. Meanwhile Hollywood Avenue and Stoneyhurst Road have much less traffic.

Traffic Volumes on Station Road, measured 30m west of Bowsden Terrace

This is one reason why the Council could “set aside” any objections due to displaced traffic, as there simply isn’t any evidence of additional traffic on adjacent main roads. The Council needs to share this information so people commenting on future LTN consultations better understand the likely impact on traffic in their local area.

Even if traffic levels had increased on Station Road (which didn’t happen), there still wouldn’t be a good case for using Stoneyhurst Road or Hollywood Avenue as overflows for ‘displaced’ main-road traffic, as these minor roads are neither intended nor designed for high levels of vehicle traffic. 

Despite this, the Council was still (in our view unfairly) accused of “ignoring” residents’ views. Clearly there is still a need for education so that people more widely understand how traffic reacts (and has reacted) to road changes. Local Councillors and community groups could help with this, and reduce community tensions, by sharing facts and relevant information in local leaflets. 

This effect of “disappearing traffic” is well known and understood by traffic professionals. Researchers looking at over 70 case studies found that “predictions of traffic problems are often unnecessarily alarmist, and that, given appropriate local circumstances, significant reductions in overall traffic levels can occur, with people making a far wider range of behavioural responses than has traditionally been assumed.“

Station Road looking towards South Gosforth Metro with longstanding “modal filter” at the end of Church Road

While the traffic levels on Station Road will have benefited from more home-working and people travelling less due to fuel costs, the study shows that “disappearing traffic” would happen even without these.

We can conclude that the bridge closures have helped to reduce traffic levels locally in Gosforth and have contributed towards the necessary 20-50% reduction in miles driven by 2030 to help achieve net zero targets.

That doesn’t mean that traffic levels on Station Road are ok. Just like before 2019, it still has high levels of traffic making it hard to cross and dangerous to cycle. These could be mitigated, for example with additional crossings and protected cycle lanes. The east end of Station Road is also part of the South Gosforth Air Quality Management Area and in 2016, before Killingworth Road roadworks, pollution measurements exceeded the legal limit. 

If you live on the A191 – Church Road, Church Avenue or Station Road, or other main roads around Gosforth – please let us know what you think could be done to cut traffic and/or make the road safer.

Further information is provided below about feedback to Newcastle City Council’s Stoneyhurst Road and Salters Bridge consultations, and on traffic levels on Station Road and Sandy Lane. 

Stoneyhurst Bridge closure: main themes from ETRO correspondence

Main feedback themes – Support

• Walking / cycling shift enabled – 13% of responses*
• Pedestrian and cyclist safety improved – 12%
• Reduced traffic / air pollution – 11%

Main feedback themes – Opposition

• Displaced traffic / congestion – 72% of responses*
• Road access needed – 48%
• Longer journeys – 15%
• Discriminatory – 13%

* NB there was no geographical restriction on who could respond, nor any limit on the number of responses per person. 

As we have said, traffic levels on Station Road and Sandy Lane did not increase. Road access for vehicles was retained to all properties. We have also previously looked at journey lengths and our analysis was that very few journeys would be noticeably longer as a result of this change. 

The Council’s Integrated Impact Assessment says “data does not indicate an impact on the operation of the wider highway network from any of the bridge closures to vehicles to indicate that they need to be reopened to alleviate this issue. Despite having been closed, (even when three bridges impact on the same surrounding highways), those highways have not seen significant differences in journey times or speeds.“

The fact that traffic in Newcastle grew by 14% between 2010 and 2019, which has never been the subject of consultation, is much more likely to have negatively impacted journey times.

Salters Bridge closure: main themes from ETRO correspondence

Main feedback themes – Support

• Reduced traffic / air pollution – 46% of responses
• Pedestrian and cyclist safety improved – 45%
• Walking / cycling shift enabled – 38% 

Main feedback themes – Opposition

• Displaced traffic / congestion – 36% of responses
• Increased air pollution – 35%
• Longer journeys – 33%
• Impact on local businesses – 30%

As there is no additional traffic, there is no reason to think air pollution will be any worse on Station Road as a result of these changes. There is substantial evidence that investing in active travel benefits local businesses, for example this report from Transport for London or our blog Can protected cycle lanes be good for business? 

Station Road, looking towards Haddricks Mill

Traffic Volumes – Station Road 

Traffic Volumes on A191 Station Road, Gosforth, measured 30m west of Bowsden Terrace

The graph above shows that traffic volumes in 2021 and 2022 are largely unchanged compared to 2018 and 2019. These traffic volumes are also largely unchanged from 2013-2017.

Traffic Volumes – Sandy Lane 

Traffic Volumes on A1056 Sandy Lane, Gosforth, measured east of the MOT station.

Traffic on Sandy Lane in 2021 and 2022 is also unchanged from 2018 and 2019.

Reports setting out the Council’s decisions for each of the five bridges are published here:

• Argyle St – https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=10801
• Haldane – https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=10799
• Dene Bridge / Castle Farm Rd – https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=10798
• Stoneyhurst – https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=10802
• Salters Bridge- https://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=10800

Further information on low traffic neighbourhoods In Newcastle can be found at https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/neighbourhoods

https://twitter.com/SustransNorth/status/1527581684769644545

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