In January 2018, SPACE for Gosforth, together with SPACE for Heaton and SPACE for Jesmond wrote to Newcastle City Council to express our concern that no cycle ways and few pavements are cleared of ice in winter, despite it being the Council’s own policy to encourage people to walk and cycle more often.

– Letter to the Council January 2018
– Update 9/11/2018 Winter Service Policy November 2018

UK Roads Liaison Group best practice for local authorities suggests that snow and ice clearing approaches should be developed with local stakeholders and so we asked that this be discussed as part of the Cycle Stakeholder Forum on Thursday 25 January 2018.

We also shared the following map that shows that if you were to try to cycle using the currently gritted network you would have to use either 40mph+ or multi-lane roads  to enter the city from the north, east or south.

Following discussion at the Cycle Stakeholder Forum, we understand that:

1. The Council does have a winter service plan that covers current operation including some pavements but not cycle lanes.
2. The Council will do a review after March of the service plan and will consider the points raised in our letter as part of that review.
3. The output from that review will be brought back to the Cycle Stakeholder forum for further discussion and action.

Details for the Newcastle Cycle Stakeholder Forum can be found on the Newcastle City Council website.

This is the letter that we sent to the Council.

Re: De-icing pavements and cycle routes in winter.

We are writing as we are concerned by the Council’s current stance that no cycle ways and few pavements are cleared of ice in winter and that this is leading to a number of negative consequences, not least the potential and actual injury of people cycling or walking.

From speaking to Council officers we understand that budget is a significant issue, although also a matter of prioritisation as clearly the Council does have a budget for gritting including via its contract with Colas Ltd (1). That prioritisation however seems to be largely at odds with the Council’s own strategy. It is also at odds with UK Roads Liaison Group best practice guidance (2) as applied to the implementation of section 41 part 1A of the Highways Act 1980 which states that Newcastle Council as a highways authority is “under a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice.” (3)

Clearly under current policy, safe passage for people walking or cycling is endangered, and many might consider advice for people cycling to stick to the gritted network to be unacceptable given the only gritted routes into the city are dual carriageway and often with speeds that mean any collision would lead to serious injury or death.

It is also easy to determine that it would be reasonably practicable to de-ice the City’s main cycle routes and pavements both from the fact that a number of other local authorities do so and from the legal definition of ‘reasonably practicable’ that requires that risks must be averted unless there is a gross disproportion between the costs and benefits of doing so (4). In this case the benefits are obvious in reducing harm, in supporting Council strategy to promoting sustainable transport choices (Policy CS13); in meeting national air quality targets; and in maintaining access to the city for people who wish to, or have no choice but to, walk or cycle.

If the Council is serious in its wish to support the growth of active travel to improve the health, environment and economy of the City and its residents, then this is an issue that needs to be addressed. The question is not if but when, and planning for this should start immediately.

We are grateful that the Council has already taken up our request to publicise the lack of ice clearance so that people wishing to cycle are aware of the potential dangers.

In addition we ask that the Council prepares a target Winter Service Policy for walking and cycling networks with stakeholders (as suggested in the UK Roads Liaison Group best practice) including the Cycle Stakeholder Forum. This should include routes to be cleared, effective approaches for how they are to be cleared and also consideration of funding, though work on the former should not be delayed while funding is sought.

To support this work we have included below links to Highway Authorities in London, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Nottingham and Cambridgeshire, all of which have plans for clearing snow and ice from their cycling networks.

I would be grateful if you could include this on the agenda for the next Cycle Stakeholder Forum along with a draft plan from the Council for how it will develop the Winter Service Policy.

Kind regards,

SPACE for Gosforth, SPACE for Heaton, SPACE for Jesmond.

Notes

(1) Newcastle City Council’s contract with Colas Ltd. https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/news/keeping-city-moving-winter-weather

(2) UK Roads Liaison Group, Well-maintained Highways – Code of Practice: http://www.ukroadsliaisongroup.org/en/utilities/document-summary.cfm?docid=C7214A5B-66E1-4994-AA7FBAC360DC5CC7  See in particular section 13.2

(3) Highways Act 1980 Section 41: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/section/41

(4) Legal definition of ‘reasonably practicable’: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwards_v_National_Coal_Board

Update 9/11/2018 Winter Service Policy November 2018

The revised Winter Service Policy is to be presented to Council Cabinet on Monday 19 November. Details can be found on the Council’s website.

The updated policy (item 6 on the agenda) includes statements on both walking and cycling.

Certain walking routes will be treated if frost or ice is expected to last more than 48 hours, or if snow is expected to remain for more than 24 hours.

Most of the walking routes to be treated are in the city centre but they also include Gosforth High Street, Ashburton Road, Kenton Park shops, Park Avenue shops, Brunton Park shops, Melton Park shops and Wansbeck Road shops.

Cycling routes will not be treated except where they are on a road that will be gritted e.g. a shared bus and cycle lane, or where they share a pavement with one of the named footpaths.

The updated policy also contains a statement in a section on legal responsibility (page 3) that says that “it is recognised that it would not be practical for a Highway Authority to treat every road and footpath in the event that ice forms and/or snow falls.”

This does not exactly align to Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 that says that Highway Authorities must “ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice.”  We would welcome any input from any legal professionals to assist in clarifying the extent of the Council’s legal responsibilities.

The post Snow and Ice appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

• Consultation
• Street Trees and Bus Shelters
• Newcastle City Council Update | 8 January 2018
• Newcastle City Council Update | 9 February 2018

Newcastle City Council have published their final plans for the Broadway to Brunton Cycle Lane and construction is due to start soon in a series of phases to minimise disruption.

As we said in our review of the initial consultation, residents’ feedback showed that there was broad support, with most people agreeing with the aims of the scheme but with a number of detail points that needed addressing. In this blog we take a look at the consultation process and the changes made by the Council as a result of that feedback.

Residents’ feedback on the proposals from the Commonplace website.

The new cycle route should be suitable for residents of all ages and abilities and, apart from two short sections, the use of shared space where people walking and cycling are expected to use the same space has been avoided. The new crossings will make it easier for local residents to cross the Great North Road, especially at the Three Mile Inn where currently there is only a footbridge that is not useable for people with mobility issues.

As well as increasing the choice for how people can travel, wider benefits for the community include better health for those who walk or cycle, better air quality for everybody and fewer cars on the road for those who travel by car or bus. The new cycle lanes will also help people access local shops and potentially allow families to cycle to schools, including Broadway East following its proposed relocation to The Great Park. Current middle and high schools for children in this area are all south of Broadway and there are no alternative routes.

https://youtu.be/6ryvzvla1sQ

“Fly through” video of the original proposal produced by Newcastle City Council.

Consultation

The initial consultation, based on the City Council Transport Development Process, was via the Commonplace website at the end of 2015 where comments can still be viewed. In addition the Council held three community drop-in meetings in Brunton Park where residents could submit comments on paper forms. According to the engagement report over 900 people visited the Commonplace website with 120 attending the drop-ins.

To publicise the consultation the Council sent letters to everyone living in Brunton Park, Melton Park and Melbury (the purple boundary on the map) as well as to statutory consultees including  local councillors, MPs, emergency services, bus and taxi companies, disability groups, walking and cycling groups (though not SPACE for Gosforth), the Federation of Small Businesses and the Chamber of Commerce, the Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association.

SPACE for Gosforth also shared a blog with some thoughts on the proposals via our Facebook, Twitter and other local social media sites.

Local councillors in the Parklands ward shared news on the proposal via the Parklands Focus newsletters, reporting in issue 41 on a meeting supported by the Council transport department that was attended by 150 local residents. Further updates were provided in issues 42 and 43.

We also know that North Gosforth Parish Council discussed this matter regularly at their meetings and met council officers on a number of occasions to discuss the entrance to the service road and other concerns. Minutes of parish council meetings are posted on community noticeboards.

There was further opportunity to comment in August 2016 when the Council sought views on an amendment to the entrance to the GNR service road north of Polwarth Drive to respond to concerns raised by residents on that road.

A separate consultation was held for the toucan crossing by the Three Mile Inn in November 2016, which SPACE for Gosforth also wrote about here. This consultation, in part because of concerns about the adjacent footbridge, was also shared widely on social media and via  two Chronicle articles: Fears over plan to ‘axe’ Gosforth footbridge crossing one of Newcastle’s busiest roads and Community is divided over plans for pedestrian crossing at key city route.

For both the cycle lane and toucan crossing a further and final stage of consultation was held on the legal traffic orders. At this stage letters were sent to those directly affected by the works (in the blue boundary on the map), residents with whom the Council had discussed plans, as well as to statutory consultees, with adverts placed on local lampposts and in the local press and on-line via the Let’s Talk Newcastle website.

Objections submitted at this stage were considered by the Traffic, Regulatory and Appeals Sub-Committee (RASC). The minutes for these meetings can be found here for the cycle lane and here for the toucan crossing. This completed the consultation process.

Design Changes

A number of design changes were made to the scheme as can be seen by comparing the initial design, available here, with the final version published on the Council website.

Two overall changes have been made. One is that the final plan does not include the original proposal to reduce the speed of this road to 30mph from 40mph, although a 30mph limit will be in force during road works. We believe the Council still intend to do this but via a separate proposal.

The second is that in a number of places the cycle lane has been re-aligned to be alongside the footpath although still in its own space. We understand this was partly to reduce costs but also helps to minimise tree loss across the scheme. It will also make it more comfortable for people cycling being further away from traffic.

The Three Mile Inn Toucan Crossing

The following plan was published as part of the consultation for the Three Mile Inn Toucan crossing to help people cross who are unable to use the bridge due to mobility issues and for those that wish to cross with a cycle. This also showed updated plans for the adjacent bus stops and a statement saying that the footbridge would be removed once the Toucan crossing is installed, though the consultation itself was only in relation to the crossing.

In this original plan, additional pavement space was included for people waiting for or alighting from buses. People walking or cycling past the bus stops would go behind this new pavement with continuous lanes unlike further south where the space behind these boarding areas is shared. Although relatively new for Newcastle this arrangement is thoroughly proven in other UK locations and in countries with more established cycling cultures.

Three Mile Inn Toucan Crossing – Original Plan

The final plans however show that the footbridge will not be removed as part of this scheme, no doubt in part due to the Keep Our Three Mile Footbridge Petition. If the footbridge requires maintenance or removal in future this will have to be funded out of general council budgets.

While the south-bound bus stop design is unchanged, on the north-bound side the separate lanes have been merged to be shared as the support struts for the retained footbridge mean there is insufficient space for separate walking and cycling paths. This appears to be an inadvertent negative consequence of the petition, although if the bridge is removed in future it would be possible to reconfigure this area to have separated space as was originally planned.

Three Mile Inn – Final Plans

McCracken Park to Polwarth Drive

This section is the most changed between the original and final plans. Comments on the original plan focused on car parking for residents living south of the roundabout, lack of (and provision of) two way cycling and access to the service road. The latter was a subject of a petition documented in the Chronicle Petition against ‘dangerous’ Great North Road cycle route to be heard by Newcastle City Council.

Polwarth Drive roundabout – Original Plans

The Council, we know, had a number of discussions with residents of the GNR service road about access. Following an automated traffic count that showed very low volumes of traffic, the Council agreed to leave this open for access but with a raised hump to slow vehicle speeds off the roundabout to ensure safety of all who might be cycling.

Traffic Volumes and Speeds on the Great North Road Service Road

The final plans also show:

• On-street parking provision south of the roundabout.
• The toucan crossing now has dedicated and separate walking and cycling paths rather than shared space and is moved slightly closer to the roundabout. This means the south-bound bus stop is slightly closer for people coming from or going to Brunton Park.
• An extension to the 2-way cycle lane to McCracken Park so people leaving McCracken Park can travel directly to Brunton Park and not have to go via the Three Mile Inn crossing.
• The geometry of the roundabout has also been changed to reduce the speeds of vehicles entering Polwarth Drive from the south.

Polwarth Drive roundabout – Final Plans

Newlands Avenue to Norwood Avenue

The GNR crossing between Newlands and Norwood Avenue is the other part of the scheme that uses shared space. This has been retained to avoid tree loss at this location that would have been required with a wider separate paths. The wiggle is for a similar purpose to route the path around an existing mature tree.

In addition, there is a new section of 2-way cycle track to allow people from Newlands Avenue to travel north directly rather than have to go south first via the crossing south of Polwarth Drive, which would have been a considerable diversion.

Newlands Avenue to Norwood Avenue – Final Plans

Brunton Lane

At Brunton Lane the shared space on the crossing has again been replaced by separate cycle and walking paths. In addition footpaths into Glamis Avenue that were shown as being removed in the original plans have been retained. The only other difference is a minor change to the west side of the crossing so people cycling are directed straight onto the service road.

Brunton Lane – Original Plans

Brunton Lane – Final Plans

Requests for change not incorporated into the final plans

Not all feedback led to changes. In considering feedback, council officers have to take account of safety and comfort of road users (especially vulnerable road users), council policy, scheme objectives and budgets. Even if a proposed change is extremely popular it still might not be accepted if, for example it might put some groups in danger or cost more than is available in the scheme budget.

The table below sets out the main requests that were not taken forward and the reasons for that decision. As a number relate to one-way vs two-way cycling, it is worth noting that in cities and countries where cycling is more established, a road this wide would almost certainly have two-way cycle tracks on both sides of the road so that people cycling always have a direct route without having to cross the road (and potentially require traffic to stop) multiple times.

Street Trees and Bus Shelters

While the formal consultation finished in March 2017 with the RASC meeting for the Three Mile Inn toucan crossing, late changes have been sought in the last few days before work is due to commence by individuals running a local Facebook group in relation to two stone bus stop shelters marked for removal and, according to their site, 13 trees of which about half would be scheduled for removal in any case due to being in a poor condition. [See Update 8/1/2017 below for Council figures relating to trees]

At this late stage we believe the Council has no duty or obligation to take these points into account. Almost certainly contracts will have been signed for contractors to undertake the work, and equipment and other resources scheduled to be ready for work to commence. Any delay at this stage could increase costs for the Council, which may need to be funded by local taxpayers.

Having said that, if it is possible for the Council to consider these points without delaying completion of the scheme or incurring additional costs for taxpayers then we have no reason to object to that. Street trees in particular are an important part of the character of Gosforth and can help mitigate a number of the public health issues suffered by residents as a result of an excess of traffic. If it is possible to retain healthy mature trees then we would support that.

Extract from the original plans

It is worth noting that both issues were considered as part of the consultation. The two stone bus shelters were specifically marked for removal and trees were mentioned by quite a few residents in their feedback mostly (but not all) in favour of retaining trees where possible.

We hope therefore that the Council will be able to present a reasoned and balanced view as to why these aspects of the scheme are as proposed so that we can all be properly informed as to the pros and cons of retaining the existing street trees and bus shelters vs replacing the bus shelters and planting additional trees to replace those that would be removed.

Lessons

Our main disappointment on this scheme is that it has taken so long from the original consultation to work commencing. With significant benefits promised, certainly compared to comparable more expensive traffic schemes, and with broad community support it should be expected that the work could have been complete far quicker. The city of Seville in Spain transformed its entire city in less time, with 50 miles of new protected all-ability cycle lanes and an eleven-fold increase in cycling.

That said, the incorporation of feedback into the scheme has clearly led to improvements compared to the original plans and we support the importance of the Council engaging with residents to seek input and support. There will always be calls for more communication and engagement, both of which we support, however we also recognise that there must be a point of diminishing return beyond which the cost of further consultation will outweigh any potential benefits.

Ultimately there is a need for leadership by councillors and council officers to learn these lessons to make sure future schemes are designed in a consistent manner both to meet best practice and to take into account known issues of community interest and concern.

Just as importantly we need leadership to create a sense of urgency to resolve issues with air quality, health and a lack of choice for how we travel that are currently designed into our environment.

Update 8/1/2018

Newcastle City Council have released a statement published in the Chronicle which clarifies the number of trees affected and, which relate to the cycle route and which are to be removed for unconnected reasons:

“We have designed dedicated cycle facilities on the Great North Road, between Broadway and Brunton Lane, in order to make the area – a well-used cycle route, including by people riding to schools – safer for those on bikes.

“As part of the development we have identified that three trees, of differing ages and quality, would need to be removed for the project. A further eight trees, while not required for the project, may also be removed for other reasons, one of these trees we consider to be dangerous due to its condition.

“Two stone bus shelters, which are unpopular with many passengers – though apparently popular with others in the community – would also need to be removed and would be replaced by shelters that include seats.

“One of the three trees that need to be removed is a very young tree that we would replant and we would then be planting two more trees for every one that is removed.

“A petition from people objecting to the loss of trees and bus shelters will be presented to a meeting of the city council on Wednesday [10 January 2018]. Work will not start until after councillors’ response to the petition has been taken into account.”

Update 9/2/2018

On Tuesday 24 January SPACE for Gosforth attended a meeting organised by Newcastle City Council in response to the Gosforth Traffic Facebook page petition relating specifically to the removal of trees and the two stone bus shelters on the east of the Great North Road.

This is the Council’s update giving a summary of actions agreed at the meeting including the opportunity for the North Gosforth Parish Council to adopt the stone bus shelters and a number of other points raised by residents during the meeting. The update also includes copies of the slides presented at that meeting.

Further information and updates are available from the City Council website for the scheme. Work on the scheme started on Monday 29 January, initially including the introduction of a temporary 30mph speed limit and application of new lane markings on the road.

Broadway to Brunton Update February 2018

A petition, organised by Gosforth Traffic, a social media community site, that challenged the removal of trees and stone bus shelters was presented to the January meeting of the City Council. At the direction of Cllr Ainsley, Cabinet Member for Transport and Air Quality, a meeting was subsequently arranged between council officers and local ward councillors, petitioners, and other community groups who had been in touch about the Broadway to Brunton scheme including Save Newcastle Wildlife and SPACE for Gosforth.

The actions arising from the meeting on Tuesday January 24^thwere:

• to have a site meeting on Newlands Avenue with local residents;
• to investigate an alternative compound location;
• to consider fencing off around the group of 9 trees on the eastern side of the carriageway in the vicinity of Glamis Avenue;
• to provide background data on collision statistics;
• to contact the Parish Council regarding the potential for an asset transfer of the stone bus shelters; and
• to consider writing to all local residents to inform them of the scheme and what would happen next.

Following this meeting, and the subsequent site meeting we have had further correspondence by email and have responded below.

Whether or not all residents in the surrounding area will be sent a letter to provide them with a full update on the scheme?

At this point, no they will not. We will be posting information online and also providing updates to people whose email addresses we have. We will be sending out further updates about the scheme as we progress to future phases of works.

Can we use an alternative site compound?

 Yes, an alternative site compound is being used.

 What is the timeline for removal of trees?

The trees are currently programmed to be removed in the week commencing Monday 12.02.18 (weather and existing workload permitting). Even if not removed next week, all trees that need to be removed, will be before the end of February.

The sapling located in the central reserve that was identified for replanting was replanted on Monday 05.02.18. Following further investigations, another tree has been identified for removal, this tree is not being removed to facilitate the scheme, it is being removed due to structural defects making it potentially dangerous. This is a tree at the entrance to Melton Park / Newlands Ave and was identified when council arborists were on site in the two weeks following the meeting.

The survey of the central reservation trees as discussed at the meeting will be undertaken when the funding is confirmed, hopefully during the summer months and any removals and replanting, plus the east verge planting, will take place during the next planting season November 2018 to February 2019.

What information is available on trees?

Please see presentation slides attached. As noted above an additional mature tree adjacent to and south of Newlands Ave junction has been identified as being in a dangerous condition and will require removal at the same time. As discussed at the meeting, the Council will also remove the tarmac around the group of 9 trees and fence these off for the period of the works to support them.

What is the situation with the bus shelters?

As discussed at the meeting, the Parish Council are keen to explore taking on responsibility for these shelters. Since the meeting, Officers have been in touch with a Parish Councillor who was at the meeting and a briefing pack has been issued to all Parish Councillors earlier this week.

At the site meeting, residents discussed their concerns over changes to the height of crossing over Newlands Avenue – has anything been done?

Following on from the site meeting, we do intend to install the raised table at Newlands Avenue but with amendments to the design to take into account comments we have received. The raised table will now have a 14m long approach ramp that will only provide an increase in gradient from 6.3% to 6.8%. To mitigate this marginal increase we will resurface the carriageway in a material with higher skid resistance than the existing road. In addition, we will review the requirement for a grit bin in this location when we undertake our annual review of bin locations in preparation for the following winter.

Residents have concerns about the specifics of the design giving indication that people on foot or bikes have ‘priority’ as they pass over the junctions. Why is the Council providing this priority?

The type of crossing proposed at Newlands Avenue, where people on foot and bikes do have priority, can be found in many UK and European cities and elsewhere in Newcastle.  We are trying to promote a more tolerant mix of road users, where vigilance and awareness of our most vulnerable is expected and understood. Such measures help to reduce speeds and the principle of slowing motor vehicles at crossing points to and from residential areas is reasonable.

Why is the Council not undertaking an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) to remove the bus lane during the works or change the operating hours to being peaks hours only?

It is important to note that an ETRO is only an appropriate use of power if there is the intention to make the Traffic Regulation Order permanent at the end of the ‘experiment’. Bus Lanes are in place to enable buses to get priority and are generally placed in locations to enable advance access to key junctions. The review of bus lanes we’ve recently undertaken does not recommend moving toward operation only in peak hours however despite this we note your request and will give it further consideration during the period of the delivery of this scheme.

Why are bus lanes out of action?

As noted at the meeting, the first elements of work are to remove the road markings and then re-lay them. We cannot do this work in live running lanes so the lane has been suspended while our sub-contractors undertake this work to remove, and then re-apply road markings. When this is done it will have created sufficient space for us to keep the running lanes at two for the majority of the work.

What is the work you have been doing in the past week?

We have been preparing the eastern side of the carriageway for the installation of a cycleway, in line with the scheme designs. The petition and subsequent discussions have been on aspects of design and the future of the stone shelters.

Please can we have a breakdown of costs?

Please see the Finance section of the report that accompanied the Delegated Decision.

http://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/documents/s121681/REPORT.pdf

Where is the funding coming from?

Please see the Finance section of the report that accompanied the Delegated Decision.

http://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/documents/s121681/REPORT.pdf

Please can you explain the increase in costs?

 We do not agree that there has been an increase in costs. The scheme has been estimated at various stages and an appropriate contingency level given at each stage. The report referenced above outlines the cost of the scheme.

Please can you provide the data that you using to justify the safety improvements?

Data on road traffic collisions can be found here. We use an algorithm that ‘clusters’ locations of collisions and resulting injuries which enables us to understand how different areas of the city are performing in terms of road safety. The algorithm takes into account the number of injuries in different years and we use a ‘rolling’ five year average to ensure that the impact of collisions and resulting injuries are understood but that one incident in a location does not disproportionately distort consideration of ‘hotspots’. Example maps are attached that show the position before the series of changes on Great North Road took place. We have included maps that show injuries to all users of the highway network, and also those specifically on bikes.

Please can you provide details of cycle counts and locations of counters

Information is attached that shows cycle counts for the stretch of cycle route between Broadway Roundabout and Hollywood Avenue. If you would like further information on cycle count data please go to https://gis.gateshead.gov.uk/gatesheadmaps/ctf/app.html. On this website you can view an online map that shows counters and data that can be retrieved directly.

These were the slides that were presented at the meeting on 24th January

The post Broadway to Brunton Cycle Lane – Consultation Review appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

The month of May is Living Streets National Walking Month and with your help we want to build a map of all the different ways in which the streets of Gosforth could be made better for walking.

We’ve included some examples and ideas below. If you know of somewhere in or around Gosforth that could be improved for walking please add it via the comments section and tell us where it is, what the issue is and/or any suggested solutions. We will add your ideas to our interactive map over the course of the month.

There are a number of ways in which streets can be made better for walking. For example:

• By making it easier to cross busy roads or other ‘barriers’ to walking such as railway lines or rivers.
• Local improvements focused on areas where lots of people walk e.g. around schools or shops or where people work.
• Changes that help children, older people or people with disabilities.
• Reducing traffic speeds – e.g. by having narrower traffic lanes and/or tighter corners – or reducing traffic volumes.

Barriers to walking

In recent posts we’ve written about improving the High Street for pedestrians, issues faced by the visually impaired and a plan for a more accessible crossing on the Great North Road, and there are plenty more places to look for inspiration.

Living Streets have written a document Creating Walking Cities – A Blueprint for Change that says we should design ‘healthy streets; that are accessible and inviting to everyone, including disabled and older people, so everyone can enjoy walking and spending time there’.

Transport for London in their Healthy Streets Guide include the following indicators for ‘healthy streets’ including being easy to cross, having shade and shelter, places to stop and rest and where people feel safe and relaxed.

The Local cycling and walking infrastructure plans technical guidance and tools released alongside the Government’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy on 21 April also contains a long list of ideas for improving streets for walking, including how to determine and assess a walking network. The technical guidance says that walking routes should be attractive, comfortable, direct safe and coherent.

The ‘Who is the pedestrian?’ diagram at the top of this post was taken from an illustrated Charter of Pedestrian Rights drawn by Edgarseis, an illustrator and designer for sustainability, political participation, community-building, urban transport, and related projects.

The Charter sets out that as pedestrians we should have the right to:

• Cross the street calmly and safely
• A city that fits my needs
• Adequate public transportation services
• Organised urban centres
• Socialize in public spaces
• Play in the streets
• Suitable street furniture
• Spacious sidewalks
• A health environment and enjoyment of the space
• Walk calmly on the streets

Wider Benefits

Walking isn’t just good for your health. Living Streets have published research on the Pedestrian Pound that found that ‘Investing in better streets and spaces for walking can provide a competitive return compared to other transport projects; walking and cycling projects can increase retails sales by 30%.’ and that ‘Many car journeys are short and as the volume of goods purchased is small, these trips could be made on foot.’

It is also more than just being about transport. Wikipedia defines ‘placemaking‘ as creating public spaces that promote people’s health, happiness and well being. The Project for Public Spaces says ‘Great public spaces are those places where celebrations are held, social and economic exchanges occur, friends run into each other, and cultures mix. They are the “front porches” of our public institutions – libraries, field houses, schools – where we interact with each other and government. When theses spaces work well, they serve as the stage for our public lives.’  They also have lots of advice for what makes great public space.

Your ideas

Please use the comments section below to tell us your ideas for how we can make Gosforth’s streets better for walking. Please try to be as specific as possible. E.g.

• What improvement is needed? E.g. slower traffic or safer crossings
• Where specifically is this needed? E.g. outside a school, or on a particular street
• If you have an idea for how the improvement might be achieved e.g. a zebra crossing or tactile paving.

You can also rate your walk on the Living Streets Website to help them build a national picture and potentially win a family city break.

The post National Walking Month – May 2017 appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

I didn’t stop at the shops or get a coffee.  No, I was blindfolded by a nice gentleman called David, accompanied by my new pal Hazel.  They weren’t leading me to an execution or a surprise although both transpired in a sense later on.  David is a volunteer Guide for the Guide Dogs charity and Hazel volunteers for RNIB, Guide Dogs and a several other enterprises supporting the visually impaired and blind.

Hazel has lived near the High Street most of her life and knows every inch of it, literally, for she  has been blind from birth and knows every lump, bump, gaps between buildings, every door way and every shop. Hazel is often on the High Street.

I met Hazel a few months ago, we got chatting about getting around, walking, cycling and buses.  It was pretty clear that we had exactly the demands for our streets and pavements, they just run in parallel.  Hazel’s from a blind pedestrian’s perspective and mine from a bloke who sometimes gets about on a bike.  We both want safe separated infrastructure.  Not just for us, but for everyone from 8 to 80, of all abilities.  Don’t worry if you’re 7 or 79 it’s just two ages that are pretty wide ranging and sound good together!  Hazel thought it would be good for me to experience the challenges that visually impaired people experience every day, and recommended I undertook a blindfold walk along our High Street with her and David to keep me safe.

So, on that sunny Wednesday a few weeks ago here I am with the challenge of getting up to The County, cross over, down to the Salters car park, cross over and back to Costa, blindfolded. Well actually at the beginning David put some glasses on me which he could adjust to allow me to experience both tunnel vision and complete loss of sight. I’ve got a video camera stuck on my forehead too to record what I won’t be able to see.

My new view of the world!

David explains the importance of finding my ‘inner line’ – that’s what feels like a safe place away from the road, close to the buildings and the position I need to always find and follow.  Some quick instructions on sweeping the long cane in front of me and we are off.  Well actually ‘off’ probably gives the wrong impression.  What  happens is  a 55 year old guy edges tentatively forward like a 10 month old baby learning to walk.  Hazel and David are off!   I can vaguely see them through the pin holes, but I have no peripheral vision so I can barely work out whether I am moving in a straight line. It’s completely disorientating and really frightening. You have a tiny amount of vision in front of you but see nothing around you, people pass by and just appear in front of you.

David and Hazel are waiting, so I try my best at shuffling forward, concentrating on sweeping my cane.

The very first thing you realise is how bumpy our pavements are.  An inch of raised slab is enough to jar the cane which is really annoying when you’re concentrating on not walking into the road or a bollard at the side of the pavement.  A bollard designed to perfectly bang your shin and topple you over in front of the oncoming X11.

Edging along I eventually get to the crossing at Lloyds and David explains the use of the tactile paving at the crossing. If you’ve ever wondered how tactile paving works, it’s pretty simple. At a crossing you’ll often see a patchwork of ‘blisters’ running from the back wall (where possible) to the crossing point.  You’ll feel the blisters underfoot and they guide you to the crossing point.  The use of tactile paving is currently being reviewed nationally by the government to create a new set of standards.  You might have seen vertical lines at various places around Newcastle, these are used to warn the visually impaired that they are about to walk into a different area, perhaps a cycle lane or the end of a pedestrian only area.

Anyway, it’s a relief to know I’m standing somewhere that feels safe.  Then comes my first crossing at Lloyds Bank. David grabs my elbow and we wait for the signal to cross.  Pedestrian crossings are confusing, some make bleeping noises some don’t.  There’s a twiddly thing under the crossing button box that rotates when the green man comes on, but I am fumbling around trying to find it as there’s no bleeping sound at this crossing.  Waiting just at the crossing is scary, a white van suddenly appears in front of me really close, not the driver’s fault just the little amount of space there is.

The lights change and David grabs my arm and marches  me across to sanctuary.  Without David and Hazel I would have been marooned, this was a situation I found myself in repeatedly on my journey.

Edging along I bang my shoulder on my first lamppost.  It’s perfectly placed on my ‘inner line’.

Just before Thorpe’s David changes the setting on the glasses to lose all vision.

I am now blind.

The tunnel vision was scary, now it’s absolutely terrifying.  I thought I was moving slowly before, but now a snail could overtake me.  I edge along past the shops, my cane hitting the shop display and it gets stuck under something.  After a bit of concerted waggling it’s free and I’m on the move.

Near the bus stop everything narrows, my cane hits objects both on the left and right. Hazel explains to me it’s ‘A boards’ and that over the years the number of A boards has increased dramatically.  I take the A boards for granted and have never really considered the impact.  Hazel explains that she understands the need for shops to advertise themselves but wished that they took a little time to consider the impact they can have on the visually impaired.  A boards are frustrating since they immediately slow you down, but they also are generally pretty heavy and hurt when you walk into one.

David guides me around the obstacles, I’m already feeling exhausted and I haven’t got to the half-way point yet.

Then I walk into some shubbery that’s overhanging onto the footpath. It’s not a major problem as I’m moving so slowly, but for Hazel who confidently moves a lot quicker it can really hurt, a faceful of sticks when you least expect it.

I’m about to cross over to the County but… there’s no tactile paving and it’s a dropped kerb.  Without David I would have just walked out into the road.  David takes my elbow and we cross over to the County round the corner to the Pelican, relief, tactile paving and the Pelican makes a bleeping noise. Over the road and edging along and everything narrows again, another lamppost.

I guess you can just about squeeze a double buggy through the gap.  Onwards to Hawthorn Road and another dropped kerb with with no tactile paving. Hazel of course knows the area well and can feel the change in the pavement with her cane.

Over the road and I walk into one of those bollards! 

Negotiating the car on the pavement and various bits of street furniture slows me down even more.

The journey down the High Street is going slowly, keeping to my ‘inner line’ and then I walk into a carefully positioned bin on a lamppost.  It’s another lamppost on my inner line, with the added obstacle of a bin.

What a great idea!

David displays the greatest patience with me as I head towards West Avenue and Trinity Church.  West Avenue – dropped kerb, no tactile paving.

I now have the greatest of respect for everyone with visual impairments. Walking along the High Street is a nightmare and it’s supposed to be a pleasant place to be.   My concentration is focused on touch and sound.  The noise of the traffic is often deafening and feels really, really close.  We’re walking at lunchtime so traffic is relatively quiet, the noise must be unbearable at rush hour.

We pass Trinity Square and then David points out that I’m currently standing in the middle of the Ivy Road junction. It’s a raised pavement which is great, except there’s no tactile paving before the junction to warn me.  My elbow is grabbed and I’m safely across Ivy Road.

By now I’m beginning to get a headache just from the intense concentration on the simplest of tasks, walking along a shopping street.  Everywhere I go is a challenge and really feels dangerous, it is little wonder that lots of people with visual impairments end up house bound. Hazel explains that she does a considerable amount of voluntary work helping people who are losing their sight to gain in confidence to leave their homes and try and maintain an independent life.

I can’t see people waiting at the bus stop in front of me and how narrow the pavement is again.

The video footage shows everyone kindly moving out of my way as I sweep my cane and tap their feet.

Yet more narrow gaps and a lack of space.

The constantly narrowing pavement continues.

We reach the end of Woodbine Road and David explains to me the ‘cordoned’ area denoted by cobble stones so that I can feel under my feet when I move into this area and find the phone box and bench.

We get to the crossing at the Queen Vic. I am super cautious as I’ve had near misses from a number of red light jumpers at this junction.

While we wait for the green man signal to cross David explains the difficulties that the fence along the pavements can present.

If someone with visual impairments goes ‘off line’ when crossing the road they can find themselves stuck on the road at a barrier not knowing whether to go left or right or indeed how the long the fence is.  David marches me across the road, explaining that pedestrian refuge in the middle of the four lanes is no real refuge for me since I don’t know it’s there!

Finally, I’m on the home stretch and I’ve been edging my way along our High Street for a good 45 minutes now.  Hey presto, let’s put a lamppost bang smack in the middle of the pavement.  That’s helpful!

My confidence hasn’t increased much, and I’m concerned that I’m consuming lots of David and Hazel’s time so I increase my speed from snail to sloth.

The bumpy pavement jars my cane at the Halifax again, then a face full of shubbery…

before I walk into another A board!

Finally we’re back at Costa and I can take off my blindfold.  I am drained, exhausted and shattered but pleased that I’ve undergone the experience. Hazel and David just laugh, they’re so used to all these problems.

There is so much that is wrong with our High Street.  It seems that the last people we have considered are those with visual impairments.  It’s worrying considering the number of older residents in Gosforth and the huge impact our poor pavement quality and pedestrian space will be having on their everyday lives.

Newcastle City Council is about to release plans for a series of major changes to our High Street.  I will be writing to the Officers urging them to go on  a blindfold walk.  If we can design our streets to meet the needs of the visually impaired it’ll be a much safer and more pleasant place for everyone. This should be the absolute baseline for any changes undertaken.

If you see me about feel free to stop me and ask me any questions.

Finally, a massive thank you to Hazel and David for their incredible patience, good humour and expertise at keeping me safe.

Please do show your support for these wonderful organisations:

Guide Dogs: http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/supportus/campaigns/streets-ahead
RNIB:
http://www.rnib.org.uk/campaigning/current-campaigns/my-street

Trapped at Home: https://www.supportsolutions.co.uk/blog/client_groups/disability/visually_impaired_feel_trapped_at_home.html

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