Councillor Kemp responds

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

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

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

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

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

Response from Councillor Nick Kemp, leader of the Council

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

Councillor Woodwark’s Supplemental Question

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

Councillor Kemp’s response

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

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

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

Councillor Kemp’s response

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

SPACE for Gosforth’s response

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He said that complaints of a 'dramatic' jump in accidents included a person getting their fingers caught in a taxi doorhttps://t.co/2Znpg5HoiE

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 14, 2024

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

In March 2023, Newcastle City Council announced that it would trial a new layout on Gosforth High Street using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), with a consultation to last the first six months of the eighteen month order. This blog is to share SPACE for Gosforth’s response to that consultation.

While the Council made a number of changes, not all of these required a traffic order. The changes included in the ETRO were:

• A new 7am to 7pm bus lane running north-bound from Moor Crescent to Graham Park Road.
• A continuation of the bus lane running north-bound from Elmfield Road to Woodbine Road.
• Double yellow lines on the east (south-bound) side from The Grove to Moorfield.
• Double yellow lines on the west (north-bound) side from Moorfield to The Poplars.
• No loading and unloading between 7am and 7pm on the west (north-bound) side the full length of Gosforth High Street from Moorfield to Salters Road.

The ETRO specified that the bus lanes can be used by Buses, Taxis, Motor Cycles, Pedal Cycles and other (undefined) Authorised Vehicles. The only exemptions given for the no loading / unloading restriction were universal service provider vehicles, Council bin lorries and emergency services.

The main purpose of the measures being consulted on is to increase the speed of vehicles passing through Gosforth High Street by:

• enabling buses, taxis and motorcycles to undertake queuing traffic,
• enabling traffic to overtake stopped buses,
• prevent parked vehicles from blocking one or more traffic lanes.

The decision to prioritise speed over safety means that Gosforth High Street is not a safe pedestrian and cycling environment, despite the Council’s commitment in November 2022 that any new design would be to the “highest possible safety standards for all road users”.

Our suggestion to the Council is that it uses the remaining 12 months of the ETRO to consult on an alternative design that is safe, inclusive and supports Council policy, prioritising safe walking and cycling to get to and move around Gosforth High Street for all ages and abilities. This, rather than prioritising vehicle speeds, would better support Gosforth High Street as a shopping street and a community hub.

Dear sir / madam,

We are writing to OBJECT to the High Street, Gosforth – Experimental Bus Lanes Order and Traffic Regulation Order 2023. GH/P44/1318

Specifically, we wish to object to:

• The Bus Lane northbound (nearside lane) – from Elmfield Road to Woodbine Road. This should be removed and replaced by cycle lanes that meet the Council’s LTN1/20 adopted standard for all ages and abilities to ensure they meet the requirements set out in The Equality Act 2010 (which the current layout does not achieve).
• The Bus Lane northbound (nearside lane) – from 22 metres north of Moor Crescent to Graham Park Road. This should be either removed, or cycle lane defenders added to create a physical barrier between the bus and cycle lanes.

Our grounds for objecting to the ETRO are:

1. The reasons set out in the ETRO have not been achieved
2. The trial layout is not compliant with Newcastle City Council policy
3. The layout contradicts the LCWIP approved by Council Cabinet
4. The layout is not compliant with modern safety standards
5. It is not inclusive, excluding vulnerable and older and younger users of Gosforth High Street.
6. It doesn’t support customers to travel sustainably to Gosforth High Street.
7. It doesn’t achieve the objectives Councillors and Council leaders voted for in the November 2022 Council motion.
8. Safe walking and cycling routes would be a much better use of the space

Please note that we also have no wish to return to the pre-Covid layout either which was no better and would share many of the same issues and, we believe, lead to increased pollution levels similar to those recorded prior to Covid.

We suggest that instead of continuing with the current plan, the Council uses the remaining 12 months of the ETRO to consult on an alternative that is safe, inclusive and supports Council policy. This should prioritise safe walking and cycling to get to and move around Gosforth High Street for all ages and abilities.

Gosforth High Street is only approx 600m, so traffic using a single traffic lane in each direction for this distance will not significantly impact overall travel times. The Council’s previous monitoring has confirmed this to be the case.

“Journey time data, which has been collected over four years, show that there has been minimal impact on the travelling public with the traffic reduced to two lanes through the High Street.” https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/citylife-news/changes-gosforth-high-street-gets-underway

If north-bound journey time is an issue then extending the north-bound bus lane further towards Blue House roundabout or to Broadway roundabout could be better options.

Likewise, unless the Council intends to ban cycling on Gosforth High Street (which we don’t believe is possible) there will be a need to ensure the safety of people who do cycle to, along or across the High Street, and to achieve the LTN1/20 standard that the Council has formally adopted for all Highway Schemes.

In more detail…

1 The reasons given in the TRO have not been achieved

(a) “To avoid danger to persons or other traffic using the road and for preventing the likelihood of any such danger arising.” This is not achieved as the road layout requires people cycling to share a busy bus lane with heavy traffic. Specifically, it does not achieve the standards set out in LTN1/20. It has also led to vehicles switching between lanes to overtake slower traffic, higher vehicle speeds in the bus lane directly adjacent to the pavement, and an additional safety risk at the Trinity Church crossing due to buses blocking sight of the traffic lights for drivers in the north-bound general traffic lane.

(b) “support the Council’s commitment to improve public transport across the City” We have previously been informed by Council officers that there is little benefit to out-bound bus lanes. They will have little impact on journey-time reliability for most of the day and, even if required, similar journey-time reliability could be achieved with a north-bound bus lane that ends at Graham Park Road.There is also (our observation and reported by our members) practically no enforcement of the bus lane nor any way for the public to report violations of the bus lane.

2 The trial layout is not compliant with Newcastle City Council policy

Newcastle city Council adopted LTN1/20 for Highway Schemes (Oct 2022 cabinet). This scheme is not LTN1/20 compliant.

The reframing transport report restated the Council’s “ambition to introduce a walking, wheeling, and cycling network that connects every school, to every park, to every high street.” The trial layout instead creates community severance due to lack of safe opportunities to cycle across the High Street. This acts as a barrier e.g. for families living west of Gosforth High Street to visit Gosforth Central Park, or families living east of the High Street to get to Archibald First School or Newcastle School for Boys.

Section 11.12 of the Core Strategy states an intention to create ‘sustainable communities, centres and new developments where priority is given to sustainable modes of transport’ setting out the hierarchy of sustainable modes of transport. In the trial layout, the speed of public transport, freight and car traffic has been prioritised over the safety of people cycling, contrary to that hierarchy.

Section 5.1.2 of the Development and Allocations Plan (DAP) states that cycling ‘routes must be legible, inviting, direct, pleasant and easy to use.” This clearly isn’t currently the case on Gosforth High Street.

Section 5.1.5 of the DAP states “An important factor in encouraging people to walk and cycle is ensuring that key local facilities and services, such as shops, schools and public transport are easily accessible on foot and by cycle.” LTN1/20 confirms that bus lanes “do not provide an environment attractive to a wide range of people and should therefore not be regarded as inclusive.”

Appendix 2 of the DAP states that on Secondary Distributor Roads “Pedestrian and cycle movements should be segregated from traffic” and “pedestrian and cycle movement should be controlled by formalised crossing points.” While this is true for pedestrian movement, the same has not been achieved for cycle movement in the current design.

The Council’s commitment to Net Zero will require changes to maximise the use of walking and cycling for short journeys, and support residents to access local shops and services.

NB Moor Road, east of Gosforth High Street could, with some work, be made inviting, pleasant and easy to use, but it would still not be a direct route to the shops, nor would it (a) improve safety for anyone cycling on Gosforth High Street or (b) support movement around Gosforth High Street between shops and services.

The layout also conflicts with approved Council motions Greater Focus on Cycling (October 2019) and Use of eCargo Bikes (October 2021).

3 The layout contradicts the LCWIP approved by Council Cabinet

In the LCWIP, approved by Cabinet June 2021, Gosforth High Street is shown as part of the proposed city’s cycle network.

It also acknowledges that “High levels of vehicle traffic discourage people from using active and sustainable transport (either in terms of people fearing for their safety or because of delays caused to the public transport network).” The current layout will discourage people from cycling to Gosforth High Street, whereas to meet Council policy it should be encouraging more people to visit (to support Gosforth High Street as a District Centre), by more sustainable means (for better health, better access to employment opportunities on the High Street and to cut air pollution and carbon emissions).

4 The layout is not compliant with modern safety standards

The Council’s own plan emailed prior to installation confirms the Council’s understanding that the layout is not LTN1/20 compliant.

Between 7pm and 7am, the bus lane is not in force so offers no protection to anyone cycling.

Between 7am and 7pm, the bus lane is not enforced effectively so can be blocked by parked vehicles, forcing anyone cycling into the general traffic lane.

We are concerned that buses in the inside lane will block drivers’ visibility of the pedestrian crossing lights by Trinity Church. Residents have for years reported many near misses at this location caused by drivers driving through a red light.

5 It is not inclusive, excluding vulnerable and older and younger users of Gosforth High Street.

LTN1/20 states that “Cycling [and walking] should be accessible to people of all ages and abilities. The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on public sector authorities to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty in carrying out their functions. This includes making reasonable adjustments to the existing built environment to ensure the design of new infrastructure is accessible to all.”

It goes on to say that bus lanes “do not provide an environment attractive to a wide range of people and should therefore not be regarded as inclusive. Some bus lanes also allow taxis and motorcycles to use them [as is the case on Gosforth High Street], which can signifcantly increase traffc flows, thereby acting as a deterrent to cycling while also increasing risk of conflict.” Conflict, in this scenario, could include collisions and / or injuries, most likely to the person or people cycling.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-infrastructure-design-ltn-120

Also, it advises that advisory cycle lanes are “not be suitable for all people and will exclude some potential users and/or have safety concerns”.

Users likely to be excluded by the Council’s current design include younger and older users and disabled cyclists.

6 It doesn’t support customers to travel sustainably to Gosforth High Street.

The bus lane doesn’t help customers travelling from east, west or north of Gosforth, where the vast majority of customers will live. Few will arrive from the south by bus because the Town Moor creates a natural barrier, and most people living immediately north of the Town Moor but south of the shopping area are within a 15 minute walk of the High Street so are less likely to use a bus.

The layout has not enabled any additional sustainable transport options compared to previous layouts. Prior to Covid there were 48 buses per hour using the High Street in each direction. This number will not have increased due to the new trial layout. The maximum desired frequency in the Transport North East Bus Service Improvement Plan is one bus every 5-10 minutes or 6-12 per hour in each direction, substantially less than on Gosforth High Street. The plan says to make bus services “more comprehensive, with overprovision on a few corridors reduced to boost provision elsewhere”, suggesting the Council’s strategy is to reduce bus frequency on Gosforth High Street in order to increase coverage elsewhere. To ensure these current bus journeys remain sustainable, some of those journeys will have to be made by walking or cycling in future.

While we do support quicker bus journey times and increased punctuality and reliability, these should not be achieved by putting other road users in greater danger.

More people can get to Gosforth High Street in 15 minutes cycling than by any other sustainable travel mode. Our estimate is that approximately three times more people could get to Gosforth High Street in 15 minutes cycling than can do so by bus, and many of those 15 minute bus journeys could be walked in a similar time. Cycling is the only sustainable transport mode where everyone who lives closer to Gosforth High Street than another District Centre can get to the High Street in under 15 minutes.

The trial layout does not support cycling to Gosforth High Street nor movement within the High Street between shops when people get there.

Two benefits of cycling for the user are speed and ability to carry heavier loads than if walking. These benefits are both lost if people are required to park their cycles away from the shops they want to visit rather than being able to move freely (and safely) between shops.

7 It doesn’t achieve the objectives Councillors and Council leaders voted for in the November 2022 Council motion.

The new layout

• doesn’t improve options for customers to get to or move around the High Street
• doesn’t meet current (let along ‘highest’) safety standards
• hasn’t enabled any new low-carbon travel options
• has done nothing to enhance green infrastructure
• appears to ignore (rather than align with) previous engagement with residents, local Councillors and business owners.

8 Safe walking and cycling routes would be a much better use of the space

Cllr Byrne is quoted in a May 2023 Council news article as saying ‘development of a new cycle lane, new pedestrian crossings, changes to traffic access on a number of side roads and the installation of secure cycle parking facilities’ on Elswick Road is
(a) ‘fantastic news for residents in this area of the city, which is going to benefit from a significant investment to provide high quality and safer cycling and walking routes.’
(b) As well as helping people get to schools, shops and other local facilities, this will also open up opportunities to access jobs and training and will enable more people to enjoy and feel confident about active travel.
(c) “The new cycle lane will also link up with existing routes helping to further extend our cycling network across the city.
(d) ‘We want everyone in Newcastle to be able to choose and benefit from active travel. This leads to better physical and mental health; stronger, connected communities and a better, more sustainable environment for future generations’

These same benefits could be achieved on Gosforth High Street if safe walking and cycling routes are prioritised to get to and move between shops on the High Street. These benefits would be 24/7 unlike time saved on bus journeys which will mostly only occur in the evening peak and even then will make only marginal difference to overall journey times.

Safe cycling routes also support micro-mobility like the Neuron eScooters.

Additionally, the DfT report “The Value of Cycling” found (amongst many other benefits) that:

• Cyclists visit local shops more regularly, spending more than users of most other modes of transport
• Per square metre, cycle parking delivers 5 times higher retail spend than the same area of car parking
• A compact town optimised for walking and cycling can have a “retail density” (spend per square metre) 2.5 times higher than a typical urban centre.
• Public realm improvements, including those that cater for cycling, have been shown to result in increased trade at local businesses; up to 49% in New York City

Value of Cycling report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/509587/value-of-cycling.pdf

Suggested approach

We suggest that instead of continuing with the current plan, the Council uses the remaining 12 months of the ETRO to consult on an alternative that is safe, inclusive and supports Council policy. This should prioritise safe walking and cycling to get to and move around Gosforth High Street.

Some examples of what could be considered include:

• Safe cycling facilities usable by all ages and abilities both along and to the High Street.
• Declutter the pavement and trial removing the black bollards which take up over half a metre of pavement space on each side.
• Reduce pedestrian crossing wait times, and ensure that there is sufficient time for people to cross.
• Pedestrianise side street-ends so people walking along the High Street have priority over turning vehicles in line with the new Highway Code.
• Reduce non-local traffic using streets either side of the High Street to make it safer and more pleasant for people to walk or cycle to Gosforth High Street.
• Look for opportunities to improve the pedestrian environment e.g. for street cafes, planting or benches, including at ends of side streets.
• Extend the 20mph zone north past Gosforth Academy, west past Gosforth Junior Academy and south to the Little Moor.

We included some further ideas in our email of 9 August 2023 [published in our blog Gosforth High Street – Small Changes].

Kind regards,

SPACE for Gosforth

References – SPACE for Gosforth blogs
Gosforth High Street – Safety Concerns
Gosforth High Street has been designed like a bypass rather than a shopping destination
Gosforth High Street – Good Policy, Terrible Plan
We still love Gosforth High Street
Your Streets – Your Views – Gosforth High Street
A Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan for Gosforth

The post Gosforth High Street – our response appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Van illegally parked blocking the Gosforth High Street bus lane

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

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

Photoshopped picture from the Department for Alternative Transport Blog.

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

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

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

Issue 2. Close Passes – by design

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

Drivers should leave at least 1.5m when overtaking cyclists

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

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

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

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

Issue 3. High Street Crossings

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

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

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

Issue 4. Severance

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

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

Failure to Design to UK Standards

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

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

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

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

The Alternative Plan

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

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

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

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

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

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

…

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

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

The post Gosforth High Street – Safety Concerns appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The SPACE for Gosforth response to the PCC Consultation

Dear Ms McGuinness,

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

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

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

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

Why Road Policing Should be a Priority

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Four Key Actions to Prevent Harm and Save Lives

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

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

2. Create a Road Danger Reduction Unit to: 

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

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

3. Support Community Road Policing by

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

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

4. Support Net Zero by

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

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

Conclusion

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

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

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

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

SPACE for Gosforth

www.spaceforgosforth.com

Useful Links

• The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011
• Roads Policing: Not optional – An inspection of roads policing in England and Wales, HMICFRS July 2020
• National Roads Policing Strategy 2022 – 2025, NPCC April 2022
• Roads policing and its contribution to road safety, PACTS
• Roads policing, College of Policing
• A strategic review that describes the state of roads policing in 2019. National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC)
• BRAKE Safe Systems approach to road safety
• RoadPeace guidance on Traffic Law Enforcement
• The Effectiveness of Average Speed Cameras in Great Britain, RAC Foundation
• Vision Zero Action Plan, Transport for London 
• North East Transport Plan, Transport for the North East

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

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

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

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

Courage should be found in our city councillors not in our children. pic.twitter.com/LeVl7SsMok

— Tom Flood (@tomflood1) December 28, 2022

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

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

JANUARY 2022

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

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

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

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

Laura sadly died three weeks after being hit by a car on New Year's Dayhttps://t.co/neqNXDg4dQ

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) January 25, 2022

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

Someone will be happy that the riverside bollards stood strong in Newcastle today. We take a minute to remember our 2 brothers who were not so fortunate by the road. #WorldBollardAssociation #CantParkThereMate #CyclistsShouldHaveInsurance pic.twitter.com/WVKzXredkI

— Tootling in Tyneside (@2_Over_4) January 2, 2022

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

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

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

Driver and passenger injured in serious two vehicle crash in Gosforth

The road was closed for three hours after a driver and passenger were seriously injuredhttps://t.co/Gz40bzZ0lW

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) January 13, 2022

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

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

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

Police found him hiding under a nearby parked car after the crashhttps://t.co/LMtqUjW3Yw

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) January 16, 2022

#Newcastle North Neighbourhood Policing Team have been tackling Motorcycle ASB in #Lemington and seized 2 Stolen Motorcycles. If anyone has any information about Motorcycle ASB please contact 101. #ThisIsWhatWeDo #ProudToProtect pic.twitter.com/ksMtDm8VbP

— Newcastle Police (@npnewcastle) January 17, 2022

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

Mick from @NPRoadSafety and Adam from @npnorthtyneside were in #NewcastleWest, the driver tried to produce their country of origin’s driving licence but when your disqualified the UK courts that what stands. Vehicle seized and driver reported. T5209/9185 pic.twitter.com/bNa1pi3K6q

— NP Volunteers (@NPVolunteers) January 19, 2022

Emergency services rushed to the scene this morninghttps://t.co/751hDzhFXp

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) January 23, 2022

A motorcyclist has died following a crash with a car in Newcastlehttps://t.co/uhkAYZkgg1

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) January 28, 2022

Young motorcyclist killed in Newcastle crash is named by police https://t.co/cSzH1zipjk

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) January 29, 2022

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

FEBRUARY 2022

#ICYMI: Pedestrian taken to hospital with head injuries after being knocked down on A167 Ponteland Roadhttps://t.co/botugqzFip

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) February 1, 2022

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

On the first occasion, a concerned witness phoned the police after she spotted Joe Bryce hitting curbs and narrowly missing other vehiclehttps://t.co/UdtcGDUgvs

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) February 2, 2022

Neighbours were left shocked after a car crashed into a gardenhttps://t.co/AsM8gvE1is

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) February 9, 2022

#ICYMI: CCTV appeal after boy, 12, is knocked over by a moped on Denton Roadhttps://t.co/foVJmKbyYp

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) February 10, 2022

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

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

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

A167 Tyne Bridge, lane one is currently obstructed due to a collision on the northerly side of the bridge with delays and tailbacks.#Gateshead @NewcastleCC @TheSandK @bbcnewcastle pic.twitter.com/eucsmLha4d

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) February 22, 2022

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

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

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

MARCH 2022

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

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

Woman injured after crash on Scotswood Road in Newcastlehttps://t.co/7E9BTSTvSe

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) March 4, 2022

Walker motor menace clocked 60mph in 20 zone in front of unmarked police car https://t.co/ofcnmbSWmp

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) March 5, 2022

The 71-year-old was sitting just metres away when the car smashed into her homehttps://t.co/ON4gKmqBk8

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) March 7, 2022

Police officers are dealing with a two vehicle RTC on the A167 Tyne Bridge on the #Newcastle side. The collision is causing tailbacks to Bensham. pic.twitter.com/OD1cGN1GAf

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) March 9, 2022

There has been a further RTC on the A167 Tyne Bridge northbound involving a goods vehicle and a car, this is causing a further obstruction to both northbound lanes. pic.twitter.com/Q2VB4cdo7T

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) March 9, 2022

"You drove off at speed putting not only your life at risk but the lives of the two other men in the car"https://t.co/svh0cCxJtD

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) March 10, 2022

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

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

Two people have been arrested after a video of a car 'driving into a crowd of revellers' was shared on social mediahttps://t.co/TLh2SguvaH

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) March 21, 2022

The crash caused major delays https://t.co/HSbZtvx3BX

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) March 22, 2022

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

Pedestrian taken to hospital after being knocked over by car on Great North Road #ICYMIhttps://t.co/vERYdXh6F8

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) March 30, 2022

He abandoned the car but was spotted by officers in the police helicopterhttps://t.co/qDtdWTHsDQ

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) March 31, 2022

APRIL 2022

The cyclist was left with a suspected broken anklehttps://t.co/lkv8FwdOoe

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) April 11, 2022

Drunk driver caught twice in 4 years after travelling at speed through Newcastlehttps://t.co/j9M4KneajC

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) April 15, 2022

An incredible rescue from our crews!

On Monday evening, we recieved a call about a road traffic collision on the A1 near Hazlerigg

Our crews were on the scene in a matter of minutes to help our blue light colleagues free the trapped casualty

Read more https://t.co/SRzlF7mWjr pic.twitter.com/ccttV5ltT7

— Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (@Tyne_Wear_FRS) April 15, 2022

Disgraceful https://t.co/LWX7dqbTxk

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) April 17, 2022

Newcastle restaurant worker left pedestrian with broken jawhttps://t.co/h1YpxVoGTT

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) April 18, 2022

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

"I have to use a walking stick and I rely on family for things I used to take for granted."https://t.co/6qvlcD9Y1B

— ITV News Tyne Tees (@itvtynetees) April 25, 2022

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

A motorist sustained injuries after being hit on the head after a brick was thrown from a bridge onto the A1 https://t.co/ePrNRxBwBL

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) April 28, 2022

MAY 2022

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

Elone Hervonovich said he hadn't had any alcohol since the night before when the collision happenedhttps://t.co/CuBcFOBScX

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) May 2, 2022

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

A1058 Coast Road, westbound delays and the exit slip road for Benfield Road is currently closed due to a multi vehicle collision. Divert by using the A188 Chillingham Road roundabout.#Newcastle pic.twitter.com/fl7i0UBR3O

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) May 4, 2022

Newcastle is one of the most dangerous cities in the UK for cyclistshttps://t.co/vJ3ZMpsMC9 pic.twitter.com/raLym82nik

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) May 7, 2022

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

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

"Tom was a loving husband, father and grandfather, a friend to so many." https://t.co/9ME21SNfuY

— ITV News Tyne Tees (@itvtynetees) May 26, 2022

Gosforth dentist forced to give up career after horror bike crash left him with life-changing brain injuryhttps://t.co/AkqMGnRkdz

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) May 12, 2022

Luckily no-one was hurthttps://t.co/Bvp557hCiP

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) May 17, 2022

The cyclist has been taken to hospital to be treated for multiple injurieshttps://t.co/V0yUyH9WGi

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) May 20, 2022

Driving in a dangerous manner is one way to catch our attention. Sadly the driver of this car in #fenham didn't have a driving licence or insurance and to make it worse thought they could give false details in an attempt to avoid being prosecuted. pic.twitter.com/CLNxVDeAdl

— Northumbria Ops Support (@NPOpsSupport) May 22, 2022

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

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

Patient injured after crash which closed Newcastle's West Roadhttps://t.co/Nm2sR1uMjs

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) May 30, 2022

A186 West Road, the Denton Road roundabout is partially blocked due to a collision with emergency services on scene.#Newcastle pic.twitter.com/bIXooyUgdB

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) May 30, 2022

BREAKING: Emergency services have closed City Road in Newcastle after a crash involving an digger. Live updates here https://t.co/5ZxY2xuo6f

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) May 31, 2022

JUNE 2022

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

Police say the driver was later located at the RVI hospital in Newcastlehttps://t.co/smA6AmoaZO

— Chronicle Travel (@ChronicleTravel) June 9, 2022

The five-year-old was fatally injured on a road in Fenham https://t.co/VbuITkWq6n

— BBC North East (@BBCNEandCumbria) June 9, 2022

A189 Grandstand Road, westbound delays and the road is partially blocked due to a three vehicle collision just east of the A167 overpass at Cow Hill. drivers are urged to avoid the area if possible.

##Newcastle @MetroRadioNews @INRIXtraffic_N pic.twitter.com/JDiAaWAMII

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) June 9, 2022

One vehicle ended up on it's roof after the collisionhttps://t.co/8EfvSPXPMD

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 12, 2022

The boy and girl, aged 10 and 11, remain in hospitalhttps://t.co/UrCJGzD4SI

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 14, 2022

An eleven-year-old girl remains in hospital one week after she was seriously injured in a motorbike crashhttps://t.co/CUhLXV3exX

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 20, 2022

Alan McShane had been driving a Mercedes EQC with a safety feature that attracted the attention of emergency serviceshttps://t.co/w5tqsYeadC

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 18, 2022

A167(M) Central Motorway delays to northbound traffic due to a minor two vehicle collision just after the A193 New Bridge St roundabout blocking lane 2.#Newcastle @TheSandK @INRIXtraffic_N @bbcnewcastle pic.twitter.com/IRb2gi9qit

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) June 21, 2022

Man suffers serious injuries after being hit by Mercedes in Newcastle's West Endhttps://t.co/vSZx2UJXZw

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 21, 2022

The injury is not believed to be life-threateninghttps://t.co/MQ9HMP0Zcb

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 22, 2022

A DJ has been banned from driving for failing to stop after he knocked a pedestrian over in a hit and run in Newcastle City Centre https://t.co/LnTI9pc103

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 13, 2022

BREAKING: Huge delays for drivers after a crash on the Tyne Bridgehttps://t.co/f5xDiTrPsf

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 24, 2022

Recently firefighters from Newcastle Central Community Fire Station attended a two vehicle road traffic collision in the West End of Newcastle.

Firefighters gave initial first aid treatment to two of the casualties at the scene.

Also in attendance @northumbriapol @NEAmbulance pic.twitter.com/SR0Ls0EccE

— Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (@Tyne_Wear_FRS) June 24, 2022

JULY 2022

This is the moment a wagon carrying cement overturned in Throckley pic.twitter.com/f1Tzm9AY8E

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) July 4, 2022

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

Darren Jacques will stand trial next year accused of causing Layton Darwood's death while disqualified from driving https://t.co/SdNVruJA1I

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) July 7, 2022

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

Man hit by a lorry on the A1 in Newcastlehttps://t.co/Gm945qeNYR

— Chronicle Travel (@ChronicleTravel) July 15, 2022

A man has been arrested and three people were taken to hospital following a collision after a vehicle failed to stop for police https://t.co/K7sz9kEZ3n

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) July 26, 2022

AUGUST 2022

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

New figures have revealed the areas with the most dangerous roadshttps://t.co/rGu30i1AVS

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) August 1, 2022

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

Incredibly sad newshttps://t.co/3tsxL6GSpw

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) August 8, 2022

"Something really needs to be done at this junction ASAP before someone is killed"https://t.co/X8a5hjO2gA

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) August 10, 2022

'This incident has shown is that anyone’s life can be changed in a split-second…' https://t.co/InuP8cJDft

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) August 23, 2022

A seven-year-old girl sustained lifelong injuries when she was hit by a tipper truck outside her school, her family has saidhttps://t.co/bC0bP6zAH9

— BBC North East (@BBCNEandCumbria) August 30, 2022

SEPTEMBER 2022

Mehrdad Ghodoussi said he and Amanda Staveley were almost hit by the motorbike, which was involved in a chase past the grounds.https://t.co/h5YI0BUVA7

— ITV News Tyne Tees (@itvtynetees) September 2, 2022

He feared for his life after a lorry crashed into him and dragged his car down the road in a terrifying incidenthttps://t.co/3Pa3EyJRVz

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) September 6, 2022

He had no licence or insurance to drive his wife's carhttps://t.co/Y9GbQO7JPz

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) September 6, 2022

Man hit by bus after falling into road during altercation outside Newcastle city centre barhttps://t.co/qbFJfSBBSI

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) September 6, 2022

'I saw my life flash before my eyes. It will haunt me for the rest of my life'https://t.co/rUyUycypqp

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) September 12, 2022

OCTOBER 2022

Car flips onto roof in dramatic crash on Jesmond residential streethttps://t.co/HBNP6LUVzJ

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) October 10, 2022

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

NOVEMBER 2022

This is the view from the opposite side of the flood on the #A1058. Drive to the conditions. Reduce speed, increase stopping/reaction times and distances. Thankfully no serious injuries. pic.twitter.com/3EPUzs9JZ3

— Lanty (@DarrenLant) November 1, 2022

The driver was behind the wheel of a stolen car and doing over 100mph at times https://t.co/B5GiCTb5yk

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) November 3, 2022

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

Officers had to resort to pepper-spraying him so he could be arrestedhttps://t.co/ZwlOnqFs3j

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) November 13, 2022

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

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

Uninsured Shay Harris smashed into the cab in a bus lane before flouting a red light and travelling on the wrong side of the road https://t.co/SWegAuQt7w

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) November 25, 2022

The bus and car collided in the city centre during rush hourhttps://t.co/5bybRuqgZF

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) November 30, 2022

DECEMBER 2022

A Newcastle road junction where two school pupils have been hit by cars has had no crossing patrol for almost three years despite being designated "high risk" https://t.co/cQhggl8z8V

— BBC North East (@BBCNEandCumbria) December 3, 2022

A167 Tyne Bridge southbound, lane 1 partially obstructed due to a two car collision.#Newcastle #Gateshead pic.twitter.com/dVITTmS5Hw

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) December 6, 2022

Police found open cans of cider in the carhttps://t.co/sKeWVpItwK

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) December 11, 2022

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

Newcastle dental student caught drink driving after travelling wrong way down one-way streethttps://t.co/q4uEttMC4c

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) December 19, 2022

A167(M) Central Motorway, northbound delays and one lane obstructed due to a two vehicle collision near the A193 New Bridge Street entry slip road #Newcastle @MetroRadioNews @bbcnewcastle @NewcastleCC pic.twitter.com/BbuFqsUYnV

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) December 20, 2022

'I'll remember every single fatality forever': Chilling insight from traffic cop first on the scene of tragedies https://t.co/QdpZa3u9nH

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) December 27, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

Looking south down Haddricks Mill Road – Photo from Tyne and Wear UTMC

In our last blog we looked at traffic levels on Station Road. We found that neither Station Road nor Sandy Lane were busier or more congested following the closure of Stoneyhurst and Salters bridges.

In this blog we assess the impact of Haddricks Mill roadworks and closing Dene Bridge to motor vehicles.

Just like for Stoneyhurst Road and Salters Bridge, a large proportion of people who responded to the Dene Bridge consultation thought that it would result in displaced traffic and additional congestion on surrounding roads.

Dene Bridge Closure: Main Themes from ETRO Correspondence

Key Points

Traffic levels on Haddricks Mill Road are now back to (but not higher than) pre-2017 levels. This suggests that closing Dene Bridge to motor traffic hasn’t led to additional traffic on Haddricks Mill Road.

While the roadworks were clearly inconvenient to many, they had some positive side effects of fewer injuries, reduced traffic levels on Haddricks Mill Road and most likely a substantial, though temporary, cut in carbon emissions from less driving.

Traffic levels and air pollution measurements on Station Road (measured at the entrance to Haddricks Mill roundabout) remained high during the roadworks, but did reduce in 2020 due to Covid.

What has changed?

Three major changes have been implemented.

1. Between 2017 and 2019, Killingworth Road and the Metro bridge were widened allowing the addition of a bus lane and separate cycle path.
2. During 2020, Haddricks Mill roundabouts were moved slightly to increase traffic throughput. New traffic lights have a dual function of helping people cross, and controlling traffic flow to prioritise the busiest vehicle routes. Pavements have been widened and made to be shared between people walking and cycling.
3. From August 2020, Dene Bridge on Castles Farm Road can no longer be used by motor traffic, but can be used by people walking or cycling.

The locations of these changes are shown on the map below.

Roadworks timeline

The new Haddricks Mill junction was completed in the summer of 2020, marking the end of three years of roadworks at Haddricks Mill and on Killingworth Road.

• January 2017 – Northern Gas Networks (NGN) carry out initial exploratory work
• July 2017 – Killingworth Road and Salters Bridge close to traffic
• May 2019 – Killingworth Road opens southbound
• July 2019 – Killingworth Road open in both directions
• October 2019 – Salters Bridge re-opens to traffic
• October – December 2019 – Single lane operation on Killingworth Road
• November 2019 – Drivers warned on Salters Bridge
• February 2020 – Resurfacing works Haddricks Mill
• March 2020 –  Further warnings issued on Salters Bridge
• July 2020 – Resurfacing Haddricks Mill
• August 2020 – Castles Farm Road closes to motor traffic

Haddricks Mill Road Traffic

It is clear that the roadworks had a substantial effect on traffic on Haddricks Mill Road. Almost as soon as Killingworth Road was closed, traffic levels on Haddricks Mill Road dropped from about 17,500 vehicles per day down to 12,000 – 14,000. This is shown on the graph below.

While there are some big gaps in the data between 2018 and 2020, the counts we have remained low until mid-2021.

As carbon emissions are correlated with total miles driven, this is also likely to have temporarily reduced overall carbon emissions from traffic.

Since July 2021, traffic levels have been back where they were before 2017, but no higher. This suggests that closing Dene Bridge to motor vehicles has not caused any extra traffic on Haddricks Mill Road.

This is consistent with traffic counts that showed there was no increase in traffic on Station Road when Salters Bridge and Stoneyhurst Road were closed to motor traffic. We also previously found that traffic did not increase on either Great North Road or on Benton Lane after Killingworth Road was closed for roadworks.

These are all examples of ‘disappearing traffic’.

Haddricks Mill junction from Killingworth Road

Road Safety

Using the TADU Road Safety dashboard we counted injuries due to traffic collisions at Haddricks Mill junction. Between 2005 and 2016, there were 12.4 injuries on average per year making this one of the most dangerous junctions in the NE.

In 2018 and 2019 there were only two injuries in total, and only two in 2017.

The number of injuries remained lower in 2020 and 2021, which might be due to there being less traffic due to Covid, or possibly the changes the Council believed would improve safety at the junction are having an effect.

In 2019, we wrote to the Council to express our concerns that the new junction would not reduce collisions as (a) cycle routes were too slow and wiggly so people who already cycled would most likely continue to use the road, (b) multiple entry lanes are known to make roundabouts less safe, and (c) high corner radii mean vehicles can enter and exit the roundabout at a higher speed.

The new pavement, cycle lane and bus lane on Killingworth Road

Air Pollution

With traffic back to pre-2017 levels, and no obvious mitigations to reduce pollution in place, we remain concerned that pollution will return to previous levels.

Fears pollution levels will be dangerously high again at controversial Killingworth Roadhttps://t.co/eAJBUIAUOb

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 4, 2019

There are two sites where Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂) air pollution is monitored near Haddricks Mill. These are at the end of Station Road and by Dene Park House on Killingworth Road.

The graph above shows that the road works had little effect on air pollution on Station Road. This is perhaps not surprising as traffic levels on Station Road were fairly constant throughout.

While pollution wasn’t measured on Killingworth Road between 2018 and 2020, almost certainly it would have been much lower due to the complete absence of traffic. Pollution measurements for 2021 should be released in the autumn.

Summary

• Traffic has returned to 2016 levels now that the Haddricks Mill and Killingworth Road roadworks have finished.
• The roadworks had a positive side-effect in that, between 2017 and 2020, fewer people were injured in road traffic collisions and there was a temporary reduction in carbon emissions.
• Pollution levels, where measured, were largely unchanged due to the roadworks.
• Consistent with what we found for Salters Bridge and Stoneyhurst Road, closing Dene Bridge to motor traffic did not lead to any additional traffic on Haddricks Mill Road.

The post Haddricks Mill – Return of the Traffic appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

It is now over eighteen months since wands were installed on Gosforth High Street as part of the Council’s response to Covid. This blog looks beyond the look and feel of the wands, focusing instead on their impact on traffic volumes, air pollution and road safety, and suggests specific actions that could be taken to help the High Street thrive in future.

Key Points

• Traffic volumes in 2021 were 15% lower than in 2018 and 2019.
• Less traffic means reduced noise and lower carbon emissions.
• Air quality measurements (where we have them) show a slight improvement.
• Road safety is improved.
• There are opportunities for future improvements if the single-lane layout is retained. This should include replacing the temporary wands with high quality permanent materials.

A Bit of History

Pollution, safety, noise and congestion have long been concerns on Gosforth High Street.

At SPACE for Gosforth’s launch event in September 2015, we asked local residents what they thought about Gosforth High Street. The answer was that “We love Gosforth High Street, but …”

On the plus side, people listed the High Street’s role as a community hub, with good quality independent shops, pubs and restaurants. The list of “buts” was longer: noise, pollution, too much traffic, not feeling safe, parking, “Too much concrete, not enough green’’.

In 2019, we ran a Gosforth-wide survey and the answers were much the same, which we wrote up in our blog Your Streets – Your Views – Gosforth High Street. Too much traffic, poor air quality and noise were the top three concerns.

DEFRA have estimated that pollution, congestion, carbon emissions, traffic collisions, lack of physical activity (because high levels of traffic stop people walking and cycling) and noise, cost the UK billions of pounds each year. We wrote about this in our blog Billion Pound Issues on Gosforth High Street.

Traffic Volumes

At the end of 2021 traffic volumes were 15% lower than in 2018 and 2019. This is despite the ongoing roadworks on the A1 and warnings in late 2020 that across the city traffic levels were back to pre-pandemic levels and could get worse.

Less traffic is generally a good thing. It means safer streets, less pollution, less carbon emissions and less noise, making it more pleasant (or at least less unpleasant) for people to stop and shop on the High Street. Moving vehicles away from the pavement to a single lane in towards the middle of the road further reduces noise levels for people shopping on the High Street.

Average Daily Traffic by Month and Year 2018-2021, on Gosforth High Street

Air Pollution

Air pollution levels improved dramatically in 2020, mirroring the reduction in vehicle traffic. The graph below shows pollution levels at the north end of Gosforth High Street by Woodbine Road, usually the most polluted part of the High Street. In 2020, all measurements on Gosforth High Street were within legal limits. Air pollution measurements for 2021 haven’t yet been published.

Traffic volumes in 2021 were similar to late 2020 so it is possible air pollution levels will have remained just under the legal limit. This would be substantially better than previous years, including 2017 when Gosforth High Street was the most polluted street in Newcastle.

Air pollution levels measured at the north end of Gosforth High Street

If air pollution measurements in 2021 are less than the legal limit, the Council would be bound by the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 to “ensure that [pollution] levels are maintained below those limit values” in future.

Road Safety

There have been substantially fewer road traffic collisions on Gosforth High Street since the wands were introduced. The bar chart below shows recorded collisions between Elmfield Road and Regent Centre before and after the wands were installed.

Road Traffic Collisions on Gosforth High Street before and after the wands were installed.

The one serious injury in 2021 was by Regent Centre where a ten year old boy was struck by a driver in a Land Rover. This was in the section with two lanes heading north and a 30mph speed limit. SPACE for Gosforth has previously proposed the 20mph speed limit is extended north to past Gosforth Academy to be safer for school children crossing the road.

Opportunities

Returning to the pre-pandemic layout would be a significant backwards step, making Gosforth High Street more dangerous, more polluted and increasing carbon emissions.

Safety could be further improved by extending the single-lane 20mph layout to north of Gosforth Academy, and by setting vehicle lanes to be no wider than 3m.

The look and feel could be improved by replacing the temporary wands with high quality materials similar to the Grey Street proposals, including planters where there is space.

Continuous all age & ability protected cycle lanes & cycle parking would increase the people-moving capacity of the High Street and make it safer and easier for people to cycle to the shops. Most of Gosforth, Kenton, Jesmond and High Heaton are within a 15 minutes cycle ride of Gosforth High Street.

Decluttering the pavements, adding more planting and benches, and creating a continuous pavements over side roads would make the High Street more accessible and more pleasant to use on foot. With cycle lanes added, the existing bollards on the pavement could be removed adding 60cm to the width of the pavements.

Crossings by Regent Centre could be improved by removing the central ‘sheep pen’ so people walking can cross in one go. We have also previously proposed moving the crossing by Elmfield Road 70m south to be between Elmfield Road & The Grove.

Street ends could be pedestrianised like by Woodbine Road to create additional space for events or for more seats or planting. For example, Trinity Square could be extended across West Avenue and/or Ivy Road.

Even with these changes, there would still be a vast amount of space allocated to vehicles on and around Gosforth High Street. Some consideration could be given to whether this could be put to better use, either temporarily, for example for a street market, or more permanently.

Google Earth picture showing the huge area taken up by vehicles on or near Gosforth High Street

The post We still love Gosforth High Street appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

Serious injury and death on the roads is not inevitable. To a large extent, injuries from road traffic collisions are the result of political choices that have prioritised saving a few seconds on a journey over people’s wellbeing and safety. When we see articles praising the bravery of recovering victims, particularly children, we often wonder why politicians and road designers weren’t brave instead to act on safety concerns and minimise the danger.

As in previous years, the vast majority of incidents where people are hurt are not reported in the media, so this is only a snapshot. Incidents are most likely to be reported following a court hearing, but that doesn’t mean incidents not reported in the media are any less serious.

Transport North East has, this year, set a target that no one should be killed or seriously injured from a road traffic collision in the North East by 2025. The Government has separately committed, in its Gear Change:One Year On review, to publish a new road safety strategic framework using the Safe System approach.

The Safe System approach requires road design that encourages safe behaviour and is forgiving when people make mistakes so that injuries are not serious or fatal. The recent 20mph speed limit on Gosforth High Street is a good example of this. It also means understanding what causes the greatest danger and targeting enforcement to mitigate that danger. Making streets safer also helps reduce the burden on the NHS and Emergency Services.

What kills most on the road?

Bar chart from The What kills most on the roads? report
by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS).

The Northumbria Police initiative to allow the public to submit dash cam footage of dangerous driving is also proving successful. According to a recent tweet out of 7,200 incidents reported over 4,300 have resulted in a fine. The team now process 400 submissions a month with about 60% of submissions leading to some sort of action.

Also launched in 2021 were Road Collision Reporting Guidelines to improve consistency and accuracy of media reporting of road traffic collisions. We have had a go at suggesting some alternative headlines based on the new guidelines. If you think you can improve on our suggestions please let us know in the comments.

Very pleased to announce the Road Collision Reporting Guidelines for media are launched: https://t.co/nidJAwvu8I

— Laura Laker (@laura_laker) May 18, 2021

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

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

JANUARY 2021

https://twitter.com/NPRoadSafety/status/1345717004553105408?s=20

James & Henry couldn’t get away from RTCs today whilst dealing with this one in Newcastle they had to break off to go and interview a driver they arranged to come in from a RTC before Christmas! Back in on Thursday for yet another RTC related enquiry! #itsnotjustcrime pic.twitter.com/xkJu5vSWkT

— NP Volunteers (@NPVolunteers) January 3, 2021

More than 140 suspected drink drivers caught over Christmas and New Yearhttps://t.co/nHtsmPuKPL

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) January 5, 2021

⚠️We have had 19 collisions on the road this morning due to bad weather across our region ⚠️

Please take care if you are driving, particularly in some of our rural communities.

If you do need to get behind the wheel then slow down and leave plenty of space between vehicles. pic.twitter.com/P4gyY8UOAe

— Northumbria Police (@northumbriapol) January 6, 2021

Drug-driver caused life-changing injuries to student

Horrific and traumatic crash in Jesmond which left a woman with life-changing injuries. She was walking on the pavement. https://t.co/qAbYFdDSRm

— NCL Cycling Campaign (@NewCycling) January 7, 2021

She was left with multiple serious injuries, was in hospital for five weeks, had to complete her studies in a wheelchair, which she had to use for months, and is still suffering the physical and psychological effects almost two years on.

Her injuries included a broken knee, ruptured cruciate ligament, five pelvic fractures, fractured ribs, a broken nose, lacerations to her head, bruising and she lost two front teeth.

“My walking speed is significantly slower than it was and slower than my friends walk.

“I have anxiety when walking near roads and can no longer walk down Jesmond Road. I now take other routes but I’m constantly nervous and strive to walk in the same direction as the traffic.

“I’m extremely hyper-sensitive and regularly flinch at the sound of vehicles and I’m nervous crossing the road.

“I have sought help from a psychologist.

Speeding driver knocked over elderly couple and left them dying…

He was branded a "monster" and "callous" by grieving family membershttps://t.co/N8eMsARwiC

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) January 15, 2021

Heartfelt tributes paid to ‘childhood sweethearts’ killed in hit-and-run as Fenham driver jailed
ChronicleLive 16/1/2021

“Today brings us closure on the criminal proceedings but in no way does it bring any relief,” they said.

“Our family and all those that knew and loved our parents are still grieving their loss.”

A167 Central Motorway, lane one partially blocked Southbound prior to the Swan House underpass due to a two vehicle collision. Police in attendance.#Newcastle pic.twitter.com/h9YH80lQpF

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) January 20, 2021

Jesmond drink driver caught after attending lockdown breaking house party
ChronicleLive 22/1/2021

Named and shamed – the motorists who put lives at risk with their appalling driving https://t.co/BrbOwklkYP

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) January 23, 2021

Elswick mechanic banned from roads caught test driving cars FIVE times
ChronicleLive 25/1/2021

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1354703714217504768?s=20

FEBRUARY 2021

Emergency services called after car crashes into lampposthttps://t.co/jwobOAu23R

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) February 1, 2021

Alternative headline: Emergency services called after a driver collides with a lamppost.

Cyclist taken to hospital after being knocked off his bike near Chillingham Roadhttps://t.co/0m5oNDbK6A

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) February 3, 2021

Kingston Park drink driver crashed into tree while trying to avoid hitting cat

“She had to swerve out the way when a cat ran out into the road and she lost control. She broke her toe as a result and was in a lot of pain and was in a supportive boot for some weeks. She can’t believe how stupid she’s been. She’s going to pay a high price for the decision.”
ChronicleLive 7/2/2021

Police release dashcam footage after two vehicles crash into car at traffic lights before fleeing

“The driver of a blue BMW 318d reported that he was waiting at a red light at Hampstead Junction when he was hit by two vehicles from behind. Dash-cam footage from his vehicle showed the grey 4×4 and a red car, possibly a VW Golf, smash into the back of the vehicle at high speed.”
ChronicleLive 8/2/2021

Alternative headline: Police release dashcam footage after two drivers crash into car at traffic lights before fleeing

Girlfriend and sister of driver lied to police after he killed 10-year-old Melissa Tate in Kenton
ChronicleLive 10/2/2021

You asked for road safety to be a priority – I’ve committed to reducing harm and promoting safer driving in my new Police & Crime Plan. @northumbriapol will continue to educate, but also carry out targeted enforcement for those unwilling to follow the rules. pic.twitter.com/Ct2G6Cvtby

— Office of the PCC for Northumbria (@NorthumbriaPCC) February 10, 2021

Today Mick from @NPRoadSafety was in #Newcastle when his attention was drawn to a van with defective brake lamps.

Van stopped, driver smells of cannabis.@DrugWipeUK tested & positive for cannabis.

Room without a view for the driver, blood samples taken for forensic testing. pic.twitter.com/geonRdylW1

— NP Volunteers (@NPVolunteers) February 15, 2021

Dad injured in terrifying ‘Fast and Furious-style’ crash in Newcastle as police hunt for drivers

“Trapped behind the wheel at traffic lights, this driver feared he would be killed as two cars smashed into him in a movie-style crash. The two mystery drivers then disappeared into the night, leaving the father injured in his car. Almost three months on from the crash, which Babak has described as like a scene from the Fast and Furious action films, police are still hunting the reckless motorists.”
ChronicleLive 16/2/2021

Banned driver avoids jail after being drunk behind the wheel for FOURTH time

“Officers spoke to the driver and he was clearly intoxicated. Checks were conducted and it showed the defendant was a disqualified driver and had no insurance. Dalton was arrested and later gave a reading of 85 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath when the legal limit is just 35. The court was told that the road menace had 19 offences on his record, including eight involving motoring.”
ChronicleLive 19/2/2021

MARCH 2021

Teenager taken to hospital after being hit by a bus in Walkerhttps://t.co/55d2wT1Ay6

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) March 4, 2021

Alternative headline: Teenager taken to hospital after being hit by a bus driver

One person taken to hospital after collision on Chillingham Road

“One person was taken to hospital after being hit by a vehicle at the junction of Chillingham Road and Shields Road on Wednesday”
ChronicleLive 10/3/2021

Queues for more than three miles on the A1 at Denton Burn following a four-car crash.
ChronicleLive 13/3/2021

Man taken to hospital following a crash on the A1https://t.co/RWlzNNHMsJ

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) March 16, 2021

Driver denies two charges after Four Lane Ends crash that left woman with ‘life-changing’ injuries
ChronicleLive 16/3/2021

HGV driver arrested on suspicion of drug driving after 1am crash on Great North Road

“A force spokesperson said: “Shortly before 1am this morning (Thursday) we received a report of a one vehicle collision, involving an HGV on Great North Road, Newcastle. The road was closed at Blue House roundabout while officers and emergency services attended the scene and local diversions put in place. The driver, a 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of driving while over the legal limit of a controlled drug and remains in police custody at this time.”
ChronicleLive 25/3/2021

The crossings were accidents were most common have been revealedhttps://t.co/H9Xhy9QGGw

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) March 28, 2021

Alternative headline: The crossings where collisions were most common have been revealed.

Driver caught doing 133mph on the A69 among 70,000 speeding in North East in 2020https://t.co/AjpcV1jybP

— Chronicle Travel (@ChronicleTravel) March 30, 2021

APRIL 2021

Emma was just 18 when she lost her lifehttps://t.co/WXWmtxDOGg

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) April 6, 2021

"I now become another parent begging the judicial system to recognise the severity of life being taken away because a driver chose to speed […] I am another parent, tomorrow there will be another and another the day after" https://t.co/FdPCf8b2K7

— space for gosforth (@space4gosforth) April 7, 2021

https://twitter.com/NPRoadSafety/status/1379518594145529860?s=20

A1058 Coast Road, delays and lane two blocked westbound adjacent the A188 Chillingham Road exit due to a 2 possibly 3 vehicle collision. Police have been informed#Newcastle pic.twitter.com/7Ke5sZlwca

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) April 14, 2021

https://twitter.com/Parklands_Ward/status/1384840643260866565?s=20

Councillor opens up on PTSD battle after terrifying car crash that left him fighting for his life
ChronicleLive 30/4/2021

https://twitter.com/GNairambulance/status/1393249984888328193?s=20

MAY 2021

A man has been seriously injured https://t.co/T0vR03obzf

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) May 1, 2021

Drink driver faces jail after being caught over the limit two days after being banned from the roads

“The 50-year-old was breathalysed and recorded a reading of 60 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath, which resulted in him being banned from the roads until 2024. But on April 26, less than 48 hours after leaving court, Dedman was again spotted getting out of his Mercedes CLS220 in Great Park near Gosforth. He was again found to be nearly twice the legal limit of 35 micrograms and now could be jailed as a result of his actions.”
ChronicleLive 4/5/2021

One was even caught carrying a carhttps://t.co/aROc0Xbg1s

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) May 9, 2021

He sped into residential streets and was doing 70mph, and nearly collided with another carhttps://t.co/9aqrnpz9Pm

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) May 12, 2021

Drink driver more than three times the limit at 9am had necked gin in his van
ChronicleLive 15/5/2021

Boy, 10, taken to hospital with serious injuries after being knocked down in Gosforth

A 10-year-old boy has been taken to hospital https://t.co/SNhVLIk228

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) May 19, 2021

“A 10-year-old boy was crossing the road near Gosforth Central Middle School when he was struck by the Land Rover.”

The victim later needed to have his foot amputated as a result of the collision.
ChronicleLive 28/5/2021

Intoxicated Philip Dedman was back behind the wheel just 48 hours after a court disqualified himhttps://t.co/ad4clg8xNn

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) May 23, 2021

JUNE 2021

Choudhury narrowly avoided a head-on collision https://t.co/ZszVEnpzvM

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 3, 2021

A motorcyclist has been taken to hospital with serious injuries https://t.co/uqPEoUnLFt

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 4, 2021

Drink driver crashed into parked cars after celebrating birth of child with pal
ChronicleLive 4/6/2021

He told police he was 'high as f**k'https://t.co/ukAUCEpmvD

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 6, 2021

Driver smashed head on into car on Central Motorway left woman unable to get in shape for weddinghttps://t.co/rZczMBOfhm

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 10, 2021

Teenage girl taken to hospital after being knocked over in Heaton https://t.co/cWOUahXphO

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 10, 2021

https://twitter.com/NPRoadSafety/status/1404984519594217485?s=20

A167 North West Radial, drivers are being diverted off the road at the A189 Grandstand Road Northbound due to an emergency road closure because of a serious two vehicle collision near the Cowgate junction.#Newcastle @bbcnewcastle @MetroRadioNews pic.twitter.com/lsYpU8enRS

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) June 17, 2021

‘I don’t know how to drive sober let alone drunk’ – court confession of drink driver
ChronicleLive 17/06/2021

https://twitter.com/OpDragoon/status/1406722099520184323?s=20

The dad was seen speeding through the city centre on his way to buy milkhttps://t.co/WhOjgHXgDp

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) June 24, 2021

Drunk motorist snared after HGV driver spots him travelling erratically on Tyne Bridge
ChronicleLive 26/6/2021

Dad facing driving ban after riding e-scooter drunk in Newcastle City Centre
ChronicleLive 28/6/2021

https://twitter.com/NPRoadSafety/status/1409766529433018368?s=20

https://twitter.com/NELiveTraffic/status/1410128171878555654?s=20

JULY 2021

Drink driver’s breath reading accused of being ‘off the scale of court guidelines’
ChronicleLive 4/7/2021

https://twitter.com/northumbriapol/status/1411995019595157506?s=20

Thankyou to our road users for their support with road safety.
Dash cam data submissions.
June 2021
464 submissions
349 resulted in a process (75%)
these included
14 mobile phone
75 careless driving
42 red lights
177 close pass
6 dangerous driving.
@NPRoadSafety

— Sam Rennison (@sam_rennison) July 9, 2021

https://twitter.com/NPRoadSafety/status/1415317067109175296?s=20

The car could be seen on the pavement after the crashhttps://t.co/UYZYb3hgew

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) July 14, 2021

Alternative headline: Emergency services called after driver crashes into barrier and mounts pavement.

Two men die in Newcastle following a police pursuit

BREAKINGhttps://t.co/vWDZqRBq2d

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) July 25, 2021

Flowers left at scene of fatal Newcastle crash as police appeal for information
ChronicleLive 26/7/2021

Police name men who died in crash following police pursuit in Newcastle
Connor Davison, of Prudhoe, and Andrew Milburn, of Crawcrook, lost their lives in the fatal collision on Barrack Road
ChronicleLive 27/7/2021

So far in 2021 there have been 30 serious injuries and 130 slight injuries recorded on Newcastle's roads. These are the first road deaths.

In 2019 across the whole year 4 people died, 99 were seriously injured and 558 slightly injured.#VisionZeroNE https://t.co/RVy2OPBOYq

— space for gosforth (@space4gosforth) July 27, 2021

AUGUST 2021

Officers say Kieran McMahon, 19, "wreaked havoc" when he stole six bikes worth around a total of £13,000 and drove recklessly around Newcastle and Gateshead on 2 June.https://t.co/coz2pygxm0

— ITV News Tyne Tees (@itvtynetees) August 5, 2021

The driver mounted the pavement and knocked over the victim before driving awayhttps://t.co/G8itkmp4Ti

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) August 9, 2021

A193 New Bridge Street
Delays and temporary lane closure on the western quadrant of the roundabout due to a collision between a car and Motorbike.

@MetroRadioNews @bbcnewcastle @NewcastleCC #Newcastle pic.twitter.com/H2wnzKfvIS

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) August 16, 2021

Two people have been rushed to hospital https://t.co/S22ADoNCOU

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) August 21, 2021

A193 New Bridge Street, drivers are urged to be cautious on joining the on the A167(M) Southbound due to an overturned car at the top of the slip road.#Newcastle @TheSandK @bbcnewcastle @INRIXtraffic_N @ChronicleTravel pic.twitter.com/VWVi7TJVz9

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) August 23, 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021

Can you help police with their enquiries? A girl, 7, suffered life-changing injuries https://t.co/30DgupENcP

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) September 21, 2021

Alternative headline: Girl,7, left with life-changing injuries after being knocked down by HGV driver.

Parents kept their little ones extra close after the horrifying collisionhttps://t.co/MtWMvAPSvF

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) September 21, 2021

Little girl hit by truck outside Newcastle primary school still in hospital two weeks on
ChronicleLive 4/10/2021

“She suffered serious leg injuries and spent 11 weeks at the Royal Victoria Infirmary hospital where she underwent several major reconstructive surgeries.” ChronicleLive 20/12/2021

The nine-year-old boy is believed to have a broken anklehttps://t.co/ORFD8bVSO7

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) September 21, 2021

The collision happened near the Redheugh Bridgehttps://t.co/6AicajxEEm

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) September 24, 2021

We've taken reports from @northumbriapol of a serious collision on the #A1 between J75 #A69 and J76 #Westerhope. Traffic Officers travelling to the area but picking up some slow traffic. pic.twitter.com/LMYLOkG2zk

— National Highways: North-East (@HighwaysNEAST) September 24, 2021

Police say they drove off after the collision with the motorbike https://t.co/359qZShHVc

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) September 25, 2021

OCTOBER 2021

Road Traffic Collision by Blue House roundabout- reported on the Gosforth Community Group Facebook group 1/10/2021

Robert Ismay already had nine points on his licence when he committed his latest offencehttps://t.co/sdFoPtb1Fj

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) October 2, 2021

Felling drink driver smashed into railings in front of police officer
Robert Gifford crashed his Vauxhall on Benton Road shortly after midnight and in full view of a constable ChronicleLive 2/10/2021

Newcastle drink driving student caught after travelling too slowly en route to get cigarettes
ChronicleLive 3/10/2021

Teenager fighting for his life and another person seriously injured after Newcastle city centre crash
ChronicleLive 3/10/2021

The teenager is still critically illhttps://t.co/Jbadzf3cyX

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) October 4, 2021

https://twitter.com/NPRoadSafety/status/1446457670018473984?s=20

Joyriders arrested after abandoning car in woodland after helicopter pursuit across Newcastle “Two suspected thieves, aged 25 and 27, have been arrested after a dangerous police pursuit involving a helicopter.”
ChronicleLive 12/10/2021

Newcastle driver fled from police on deflated tyres after stinger used to stop him
“Knowles, 25, of Slatyford Lane, Newcastle, has been spared jail after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without a licence and without insurance, failing to stop, and possession of cocaine. The court was told the defendant had never passed a driving test, yet he had six points on his licence from a previous offence of driving without insurance.”
ChronicleLive 14/10/2021

Severe delays of 60 minutes and queueing traffic for five miles due to a collision involving two vehicles on the A1 Western Bypass
ChronicleLive 21/10/2021

Mum Talia Courtney had downed gin and tequila when she got behind the wheelhttps://t.co/OZvA8maNK2

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) October 24, 2021

Uninsured Walker driver caught while over the limit for cocaine and cannabis
ChronicleLive 25/10/2021

https://twitter.com/OpDragoon/status/1453006673631666177?s=20

Emergency services were at the scene for almost three hourshttps://t.co/3V6CIV8hZE

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) October 27, 2021

Alternative headline: Cyclist taken to hospital after collision with driver in Newcastle city centre

Byker drink-driver caught at McDonald’s drive-thru with 11-year-old daughter in car
ChronicleLive 30/10/2021

South Shields drug driver crashed into lorry after pulling out of bus stop on Great North Road
ChronicleLive 30/10/2021

NOVEMBER 2021

Kenton drink-driver attempted to ditch car and run into house in bid to avoid police
ChronicleLive 1/11/2021

Menace led police on high-speed chase with terrified seven-year-old in carhttps://t.co/3VxGW908zn

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) November 3, 2021

From Cramlington:

Kieron died after suffering 'catastrophic and unsurvivable' brain injurieshttps://t.co/eTQV6VTJa6

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) September 25, 2021

She put lives at riskhttps://t.co/wdWMx8I3Uu

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) November 4, 2021

It’s understood that a blue Ford Fiesta Zetec was travelling on Roman Ave towards junction with Fossway when it has collided with a red Suzuki motorcycle. Emergency services attended and 23-year-old motorcycle passenger was taken to hospital with serious head injury.

— Northumbria Police (@northumbriapol) November 6, 2021

Spending several hours in A@E with a drink driver wasn’t how I planned the shift. Driver not only faces awkward questions about how the collision happened but also a lengthy wait for blood/alcohol analysis now. #fatal5 #nonefortheroad https://t.co/0DCuqUjNEh

— Lanty (@DarrenLant) November 14, 2021

Motorcyclist rushed to Newcastle hospital after collision in Jesmond https://t.co/54XsMSm1Uc

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) November 19, 2021

DECEMBER 2021

Woman fighting for life after being knocked down by cyclist in Newcastle city centrehttps://t.co/aHSsCniM37

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) December 15, 2021

https://twitter.com/northumbriapol/status/1471871976994181131?s=20

https://twitter.com/OpDragoon/status/1476849541026619407?s=20

https://twitter.com/NPRoadSafety/status/1477113822603264008?s=20

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

The post Traffic Crash Injury 2021 appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

Although the vast majority of incidents are still not reported in the media, other than to warn of potential delays, thanks to local press and police reports we know some of their stories, which we have collated in this blog.

Many if not all of these injuries could have been avoided with a combination of enforcement and, more importantly, road layout changes. Some of those changes might require people driving to take slightly longer routes or not to drive so quickly. Ultimately we each need to decide whether we want safe streets where people aren’t killed or seriously injured and where our friends, families and neighbours can walk or cycle without fear of being hit by a motor vehicle, or if we are willing to tolerate other people being injured so we can get home a bit quicker for journeys when we drive.

If you support safer streets please share this blog and consider joining SPACE for Gosforth here.

Politicians who don't support a goal of zero road deaths should be made to nominate the specific people they think ought tot die in the coming year SHORT THREAD https://t.co/Xmr9pNeRp6

— Prof. Ian Walker (@ianwalker) July 10, 2020

Summary information for injuries due to road traffic collisions can be found on the CrashMap website or on the North East Road User Casualty Dashboard maintained by the Traffic and Data Unit (TADU).

JANUARY 2020

Man taken to hospital after being struck by bus on Chillingham Road in Heaton

“A pedestrian was taken to hospital after being hit by a double decker bus in Heaton. Emergency services were called to Chillingham Road , near to Meldon Terrace, after a Stagecoach bus collided with a 22-year-old man just before 9.30pm on Sunday.”
ChronicleLive 6/1/2020

Man crossing Blackett Street on mobility scooter died after being hit by bus ‘obscured from view’ [Incident 12/2/2019]

“A dad who tried to cross a busy Newcastle city centre road in his mobility scooter was hit by a double decker bus that had been “obscured from his view” by a bus travelling in the opposite direction”
ChronicleLive 15/1/2020

Driver taken to hospital following two vehicle crash in Byker
ChronicleLive 16/1/2020

Person taken to hospital after two-vehicle crash in Heaton
ChronicleLive 20/1/2020

Boy suffers serious head injuries after being hit by bus in Gosforth High Street
ChronicleLive 21/1/2020

“He had a hematoma on the brain and was going to have surgery to release the pressure. He also had a cracked rib and hip, injured feet and facial damage. … The boy suffered a lump on his head, two broken ankles, a chipped pelvis and a gaping open wound on his right leg.”
ChronicleLive 2/2/2020

Police are dealing with a two vehicle RTC on the B1318 #Gosforth High Street near the shopping centre which is causing southbound vehicles to tail back. pic.twitter.com/kjb40QPDEc

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) January 21, 2020

Recovery is on scene at the RTC on the B1318 #Gosforth High Street #Newcastle. pic.twitter.com/EsSLgsfCd4

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) January 21, 2020

Man taken to hospital with chest pains following two-vehicle crash in Newcastle city centre
ChronicleLive 23/1/2020

Watch cannabis farmer trying to flee police at up to 120mph in dangerous chase in Newcastle
ChronicleLive 23/1/2020

Over the limit and behind the wheel: The drink drivers already convicted in 2020

“Abigail Dobson had not even passed her test when she got behind the wheel of her mum’s car and crashed twice after necking a bottle of vodka. The 26-year-old was more than three times the legal limit when she smashed into a parked car and then a taxi in Heaton, Newcastle.”
ChronicleLive 25/1/2020

FEBRUARY 2020

Shocking footage which went viral on social media of a danger driving deliberately running a man down in Newcastle city centre.

“Walmsley admitted assault causing actual bodily harm to the man, having previously admitted dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and having no insurance.”
ChronicleLive 1/2/2020

A drink-driver was caught after he crashed into another vehicle while travelling along Newcastle’s Great North Road.

“John Arkle struck another car causing “some injuries” to the occupant while he was over-the-limit and behind the wheel of his Peugeot 308.”
ChronicleLive 2/2/2020

Slipper-clad pensioner hit pedestrian at busy Newcastle city centre junction then drove off

“Trevor Harrison said it was his footwear that made him miss the brakes of his Mercedes as he travelled down Dean Street to the crossing with Mosley Street. The 75-year-old hit a man, who had stepped out to cross the road at the traffic lights, but was prevented from being more seriously injured as he was pulled back by a relative.”
ChronicleLive 12/2/2020

Four car crash on Central Motorway leaves one lane blocked
ChronicleLive 15/2/2020

Elderly woman taken to hospital after being knocked down by car in Gosforth

“Emergency services were called to Gosforth High Street at around noon on Tuesday to reports a pedestrian had been hit by a car. An 89-year-old woman was left seriously injured and was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary. Sergeant Matt Sykes, from Northumbria Police, said: “This was a serious collision which has left a woman with significant injuries in hospital.””
ChronicleLive 20/2/2020

“Police closed the High Street as paramedics issued treatment to the pensioner at the scene before taking her to hospital”
ChronicleLive 18/2/2020

B1318 Great North Road, Gosforth High Street is currently blocked near the junction of Hawthorn Road due to a collision involving a car and pedestrian @INRIXtraffic_N @metroradiouk @bbcnewcastle pic.twitter.com/U2zqnBqMSk

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) February 18, 2020

Driver escaped as car went up in flames on Coast Road slip road towards Walkergate

“The Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said the driver had been able to get out and the fire had been caused by a fault.  During the blaze, the slip road was blocked to traffic as the fire took hold of the car and thick black smoke rushed into the sky.”
ChronicleLive 19/2/2020

Suspected Newcastle drink driver flipped car as he checked pockets for cigarettes

“A suspected drink driver was rescued from his car after he flipped it while rooting through his pockets for a cigarette. Michael Dodds had to be pulled from his Vauxhall Astra by the fire service as it lay perched on its side and only being prevented from falling on to its roof by a pedestrian barrier.”
ChronicleLive 21/2/2020

Notorious roundabout among North East’s most dangerous junctions revealed by traffic accident figures

“The Blue House roundabout was the North East’s most dangerous junction over one year, figures have revealed. The results reveal that the Grandstand Road / Great North Road junction in Gosforth was the worst for accidents in the North East, with nine taking place there. Newcastle City Council has promised investment to improve the “notorious junction” as part of a wider transport plan.”
ChronicleLive 22/2/2020

Two men taken to hospital following motorcycle collision in Gosforth

“Emergency services were called to Hollywood Avenue shortly after 7pm on Monday following reports of the crash. The men, who are believed to have both been on the motorbike, had both suffered head and leg injuries and have been taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.”
ChronicleLive 24/2/2020

HGV driver caused rush hour delays after crashing into car in Newcastle

“Paul Akers was in his first day on the job behind the wheel of a supermarket lorry when he clipped a small Citroen vehicle and sent it flying into railings. Substantial damage was caused to the Citroen but, fortunately, its two occupants suffered only minor injuries.”
ChronicleLive 27/2/2020

MARCH 2020

Pedestrian taken to hospital with suspected broken hip after being hit by bus in Newcastle

“A pedestrian had been struck by a single-decker Stagecoach bus outside the train station. The male pedestrian was taken to hospital by ambulance with a suspected broken hip.”
ChronicleLive 4/3/2020

Gosforth HIgh Street

Not reported in the local press, a collision over-night on 12-13 March took out four traffic light poles and two guard rails. Neighbours reported hearing a loud bang early in the morning, and a comment on the SPACE for Gosforth Facebook group was that “one of the metal railings had a bumper mangled through it, was quite a way down the road too.”

On 16 March Boris Johnson advises that all unnecessary travel should be stopped.

"Now is the time for everyone to stop all non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel. We need people to start working from home." says Boris Johnson.

Get the latest on #coronavirus here: https://t.co/OCv4AlKESd pic.twitter.com/hi4CFqjFuj

— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 16, 2020

Lower the Baseline

On 22 March, a group of doctors launch the “Lower the Baseline” campaign to help reduce the pressure on the NHS from non-Covid injuries and conditions. They say there are “over 35,000 non-deadly hospital admissions due to road traffic accidents every year. More than 10% need intensive care, including ventilators.” Their proposals to to reduce the number of hospitalisations due to road traffic collisions include reducing speed limits and better protection for people walking and cycling.

https://twitter.com/lower_baseline/status/1241727591674982400?s=20

From 24 March schools close.

Lee Regan, of Fenham, led police on a 40 minute police chase through Newcastle in a stolen Jeep Cherokee

“He went through at least three red lights, there was heavy traffic at the time, there was aggressive driving, he drove through a pedestrian zone and he was carrying passengers at the time.”
ChronicleLive 31/3/2020

APRIL 2020

Man to appear in court over death of Newcastle University student Emma Guilbert

“Emma Guilbert died after she was allegedly hit by a car in the Fenham area of Newcastle in November 2018. Emma suffered catastrophic injuries. She was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, but nothing could be done to save her life and Emma died three days later.”
ChronicleLive 1/4/2020

Uninsured driver crashed girlfriend’s car in Lemington while going to buy cigarettes as she slept

“Lee Peacock picked up the keys to the Ford Focus in his partner’s house and got behind the wheel, despite having on insurance or licence or her permission to drive it. A court heard that the 34-year-old was going to a friend’s house to borrow money in order to buy cigarettes when he crashed into a van on Lemington Road, in Lemington, Newcastle.”
ChronicleLive 8/4/2020

Woman taken to hospital after car overturns and lands on roof in A1 crash

“A woman involved in a crash on the A1 in Newcastle was taken to hospital after a car flipped over in the collision.”
ChronicleLive 14/4/2020

MAY 2020

Danger driver who used his car as a weapon to send man flying in the Bigg Market is jailed

“A danger driver who deliberately ran a man over in Newcastle city centre had a history of using cars to frighten and intimidate people. Daniel Walmsley sent a man flying through the air and into a lamp-post after losing his temper during a row in the Groat Market.”
ChronicleLive 1/5/2020

Man, 28, dies and another seriously injured after motorbike crash in Newbiggin Hall

“A 28-year-old man has died at the scene of a motorbike crash in Newcastle, which left a second man seriously injured. Emergency services attended and found the two men and a motorcycle believed to have been involved in the collision near the scene.”
ChronicleLive 3/5/2020

“First picture of man, 28, killed in Newbiggin Hall motorbike crash as man charged with murder”
ChronicleLive 3/5/2020

“A driver who chased down and killed a thief who stole his motorbike has been jailed for 10 years. Mihai Dinisoae and determined to hunt down Joshua Molloy and Mikey Dunwiddie after they stole his Honda from outside his home in Fenham, Newcastle. CCTV captured him ramming the back wheel of the bike with his Vauxhall Vectra once before continuing the chase and smashing into it from behind a second time at around 56mph, catapulting the two men and the bike through the air on May 3 this year.”
ChronicleLive 16/12/2020

Car collided with train at level crossing near Fawdon station causing Metro delays
ChronicleLive 5/5/2020

‘shocking and appalling’ driver lead police on high speed chase through Newcastle West End
ChronicleLive 14/5/2020

Pedestrian taken to the RVI after being knocked over in Walker
ChronicleLive 28/5/2020

JUNE 2020

Driver doing 82mph on Barrack Road in Newcastle among 1,000 clocked speeding
ChronicleLive 1/6/2020

Three people are in hospital after an ambulance vehicle crashed while responding to a 999 call.
ChronicleLive 29/6/2020

JULY 2020

One person taken to the hospital after two vehicle collision on Jesmond Road
ChronicleLive 9/7/2020

Cyclist airlifted to hospital after collision with a car in Benwell
ChronicleLive 10/7/2020

Car flips on it’s roof after collision between two vehicles on a road in Walker
ChronicleLive 11/7/2020

Man charged with drink driving after car left on its side following Walker crash
ChronicleLive 13/7/2020

Car leaves trail of destruction after crashing into railings and wall at Walker home
ChronicleLive 21/7/2020

See the wreckage after car crashes into wall outside Fenham home
ChronicleLive 22/7/2020

First footage from the scene after car smashes into jewellery shop in Newcastle’s West End
ChronicleLive 23/7/2020

Car crashes into Metro train at level crossing near Callerton Park stationhttps://t.co/aa1CXSdMsu

— The Journal (@TheJournalNews) July 25, 2020

Two people taken to hospital after motorbike crash in Benton
ChronicleLive 26/7/2020

Man taken to hospital after car overturns in Newcastlehttps://t.co/rbGcJy7cFV

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) July 27, 2020

AUGUST 2020

https://twitter.com/northumbriapol/status/1289877830315073536?s=20

https://twitter.com/northumbriapol/status/1293171434173468680?s=20

We have often called for environmental changes to address speeding and the closure of Salters Bridge will have a significant impact on speeding. It's a far more effective way of addressing speed than relying on a camera van to be deployed.

— Northumbria Police (@northumbriapol) August 13, 2020

Man arrested after collision in Byker leaves pedestrian fighting for his life
ChronicleLive 17/8/2020

Driver in hospital after car crashes into wall https://t.co/AL7DVXwj8Z

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) August 24, 2020

Man taken to hospital after car flips onto roof in crash in Jesmond

“Police were called out to the incident on Osborne Road in Jesmond at just after 4pm on Monday following reports of a collision, during which a car overturned. The road was closed as emergency services worked at the scene and a man was taken to hospital by ambulance suffering from neck, chest and hip injuries.”
ChronicleLive 24/8/2020

Child taken to hospital after being hit by car in Newcastle

“A child has been taken to hospital after being hit by a car in Newcastle. Emergency services were called to the scene of the collision in the Willow Avenue area of Fenham at just before 5pm on Monday. The road was closed as paramedics worked to treat the child who was then taken by ambulance to the Royal Victoria Infirmary.”
ChronicleLive 24/8/2020

A neighbour says action must be taken after a child was injured https://t.co/ndkagiotfu

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) August 24, 2020

A five-year-old boy has died after being hit by a van in Newcastlehttps://t.co/P4sSs6EuA5

— The Journal (@TheJournalNews) August 25, 2020

First picture of five-year-old boy who died after being hit by van in Fenham “Layton Darwood was fatally injured after he was involved in the collision with a Ford Transit van on Willow Avenue at around 4.50pm on Monday”
ChronicleLive 25/8/2020

Awful news. RIP Laytonhttps://t.co/KsAkgDZaHp

— The Journal (@TheJournalNews) August 25, 2020

Heartbreak in Fenham as community mourns the death of five-year-old Layton Darwood
ChronicleLive 25/8/2020

Tears flow at funeral of motorcycle-mad Fenham boy Layton Darwood
ChronicleLive 11/9/2020

Pensioner taken to hospital after being hit by vehicle in Gosforth
ChronicleLive 26/8/2020

Cyclist taken to hospital following crash near Newcastle park
ChronicleLive 26/8/2020

SEPTEMBER 2020

Jesmond Road tragedy: Man to appear in court over death of Ann and Lawrence Nickerson
ChroncileLive 3/9/2020

He has witnessed 'completely unacceptable' speeding in recent monthshttps://t.co/WF4R9kuvAZ

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) September 4, 2020

Driver who knocked down boy on bike in Walkergate but wouldn’t call ambulance asked to come forward

“A driver who hit a schoolboy on his bike and left him needing stitches is being asked to contact police. However, rather than call an ambulance, the driver offered to take the child home to his parents.”
ChronicleLive 4/9/2020

Community Speedwatch has been conducted on Haddricks Mill Road in Gosforth this afternoon. Although many adhered to the speed limit, may we remind everyone that it is a 30mph road #speedkills pic.twitter.com/OYKnRajaa0

— Newcastle Police (@npnewcastle) September 14, 2020

Woman left with life changing injuries following suspected Benton hit-and-run
ChronicleLive 14/9/2020

https://twitter.com/NPRoadSafety/status/1307949782787403776?s=20

First job of the day for James & Henry. An elderly motorist has collided with a lamppost and damaged his car. Luckily the man was shaken, but unhurt. Vehicle recovered, lamppost made safe, witness accounts taken and the necessary enquiries commenced #itsnotjustcrime pic.twitter.com/OmQlfD0e2a

— NP Volunteers (@NPVolunteers) September 21, 2020

https://twitter.com/NPRoadSafety/status/1307964141206896647?s=20

Melissa Tate’s heartbroken mum begs drivers to learn from her beloved girl’s death

The 10-year-old was killed by a speeding driver one year ago today https://t.co/q0CuQmAA0Z

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) September 25, 2020

Drink driver crashed into three parked cars during first night out after lockdown

He was three times over the limit when he crashed his carhttps://t.co/Z6LNnLJDx1

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) September 27, 2020

“The defendant was found drunk within the vicinity of the vehicle and he failed a roadside test. The court heard that Farrell-Hayton gave a reading of 102 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath when the legal limit is 35. Farrell-Hayton was fined £538 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £54 victim surcharge.”

Driver faces further charges in relation to Jesmond crash that left couple dead

“Asif Hussain was already accused of failing to report or stop after an accident when his vehicle allegedly struck Ann and Lawrence Nickerson near the Punch Bowl, on Jesmond Road, in Newcastle, last November. But, the 23-year-old, who made his second appearance in court on Tuesday, has now learned he is also being charged with causing the death of the childhood sweethearts by careless driving.”
ChronicleLive 28/9/2020

West Denton pensioner banned from roads after smashing into car and fleeing the scene

“The pensioner, of Greenlaw, in West Denton … pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention, driving without insurance, failing to stop after an accident, failing to report an accident and driving with no insurance.”
ChronicleLive 29/9/2020

Crash involving lorry and car

“There has been a collision between a lorry and a car on the A1 north near the junction 79 slip roads. At about 2.20pm police received a report of a collision between a HGV and a car on the A1 near to the junction with Kingston Park. Nobody has been seriously injured at this time but emergency services remain at the scene.”
ChronicleLive 29/9/2020

OCTOBER 2020

Law student banned from roads after staff at his halls reported him drink driving
ChronicleLive 2/10/2020

Wallsend drink driver more than FOUR times over limit found slumped at wheel
ChronicleLive 2/10/2020

Let’s create healthier, happier and greener communities this #walktoschoolweek

Reducing the number of short journeys made by car means everyone can enjoy cleaner, healthier, safer and quieter streets.

Join us this #walktoschoolweek

Learn more at https://t.co/uzMMpHzc6u pic.twitter.com/wq5XU5xbup

— NewcastleCityCouncil (@NewcastleCC) October 5, 2020

Collision involving car and bus

“A crash involving a car and bus has been blocking Collingwood Street in Newcastle city centre. A picture taken at the scene shows the significant damage to the bus.”
ChronicleLive 5/10/2020

A186 Mosley Street, the eastbound carriageway is currently blocked due to a single vehicle collision @metroradiouk pic.twitter.com/hI3BSbk0q8

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) October 5, 2020

Banned Walker driver found passed out drunk at wheel of car in middle of busy street
ChronicleLive 6/10/2020

Drink drivers banned from the roads after being caught over the limit in the North East
– a round up of some of the cases heard in the North East over the last few months.
ChronicleLive 10/10/2020

The speed cameras where most North East drivers get caught out for once not including Gosforth in the top 10. Our previous analysis of police data suggested over 500,000 speeding vehicles pass the camera at the south end of Gosforth High Street each year so even when working the cameras are only picking up a fraction of speeding vehicles.
ChronicleLive 17/10/20

On 18 October 2020, this picture was posted on the SPACE for Gosforth Facebook group showing a white vehicle crashed into the bushes on the far side of the road closure. The green barrier just to the left of the vehicle is the planter that was previously part of the closure.

Search for driver who fled from crash in Denton Burn after flipping other car onto roof

“It was reported a silver car had been in collision with a grey Ford, causing it to rest on its roof, before leaving the scene.The driver of the Ford, a 60-year-old male, sustained minor injuries in the incident. Inquiries to trace the other vehicle and its driver are ongoing.”
ChronicleLive 26/10/2020

Man in court accused of driving his car at police after being pulled over in Walker

Man in court accused of driving at police after being pulled overhttps://t.co/nKRBH83MI6

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) October 28, 2020

Two lorry drivers taken to hospital following crash on the Central Motorway

One of the drivers suffered a spinal injuryhttps://t.co/4vrBpXtUN5

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) October 29, 2020

NOVEMBER 2020

https://twitter.com/OpDragoon/status/1323010547999264776?s=20

Woman charged with drink driving after one-vehicle collision in Newcastle

“Emergency services were called to Whickham View in the Scotswood area on Thursday evening after reports of a one-vehicle collision.”
ChronicleLive 6/11/2020

The danger drivers who put life at risk behind the wheelhttps://t.co/r1TmzZvUYw

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) November 7, 2020

A186 West Road, delays due to the carriageway being partially blocked after a two vehicle at the junction of Gowland Ave.#NEWCASTLE pic.twitter.com/CXk2nGd4ch

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) November 10, 2020

Distracted driver in Jesmond head-on crash was chatting to his daughter, court told
ChronicleLive 11/11/2020

Police car involved in collision outside Tup Tup Palace in Newcastle city centre
ChronicleLive 15/11/2020

https://twitter.com/northumbriapol/status/1328280503938641922?s=20

One driver was caught at almost 100mphhttps://t.co/jAIDVwOeiP

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) November 20, 2020

DECEMBER 2020

Action shot of Henry in action sweeping up the debris from a 2 vehicle RTC in Newcastle today. James & Henry dealt with the drivers, breath tests, uplifting the vehicles and getting the road open again #itsnotjustcrime pic.twitter.com/QdtQLSsDUc

— NP Volunteers (@NPVolunteers) December 2, 2020

Residents claim it is a 'dangerous roundabout'https://t.co/2ssgSSE2Zz

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) December 3, 2020

Man banned from driving for life after causing death on road found behind wheel

“Andrew Jobes, from Walker, was jailed in 1998 for causing death by dangerous driving and was permanently disqualified but flouted the order for the fourth time when he was caught travelling in his Mitsubishi”
ChronicleLive 5/12/2020

A695 Scotswood Road, delays and lane closures in place near the junction with William Armstrong Drive/Violet Close due to a collision pic.twitter.com/zaG9MrtZrE

— North East Live Traffic (@NELiveTraffic) December 11, 2020

First up for James & Henry covering Newcastle North & West – driver who collided with a car driven by 2 elderly women. Luckily they are ok. The other driver is now locked up by James for driving unfit through drugs! #myscday pic.twitter.com/wzrz7BBgHb

— NP Volunteers (@NPVolunteers) December 12, 2020

Fears that someone could die at Scotswood Road accident blackspot after two crashes in two days

“Two people had to be taken to hospital after a car and a van collided there last Friday, while there had been another smash at the same location the previous day. Mr Ridley says the junction has been a long-standing safety concern due to drivers’ view of oncoming traffic being obstructed when they try to turn right towards the Honda garage – causing them to edge out dangerously without being able to see if anything is coming in the opposite direction.”
ChronicleLive 17/12/2020

https://twitter.com/northumbriapol/status/1339962201264828420?s=20

Thousands of drivers found guilty of speeding on North East roads during pandemic
ChronicleLive 18/12/2020

Police and paramedics attended the smash https://t.co/sTliV9IFW2

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) December 20, 2020

More than 30 arrested in first nine days of drink drive crackdownhttps://t.co/xiiqP2HZTF

— The Journal (@TheJournalNews) December 21, 2020

Fenham drink driver left car running in street after returning home from party during lockdown
ChronicleLive 23/12/2020

The stories behind the heartbreak: More than 30 people die on North East roads

The stories behind the heartbreak https://t.co/KR4GhZMplJ

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) December 26, 2020

“This year has seen a heart-breaking number of lives lost in collisions on the North East’s roads.

“The tragic death toll of 2020 includes five-year-old boy Layton Darwood, who was hit by a van near his home in Newcastle’s West End, and loving dad Barry Armstrong, who died after the car he was in smashed into a house, in South Shields.

“Today, as we pay tribute to some of those who went out and never came home, the mum of one of the 33 tragic collision victims has revealed the true scale of the shock and devastation that comes with losing a loved one on the roads.”

Walkergate drink driver caught after forgetting to put headlights on
ChronicleLive 28/12/2020

He stole fuel then rammed two police cars as they tried to pull him overhttps://t.co/6exwmw5v1f

— The Chronicle (@ChronicleLive) December 30, 2020

For collisions and injuries in Newcastle upon Tyne prior to 2020 see our blog Traffic Crash Injury 2019.

The post Traffic Crash Injury 2020 appeared first on SPACE for Gosforth.

The Government is reviewing The Highway Code, in particular “to improve safety for pedestrians, particularly children, older adults and disabled people, cyclists and horse riders.”

As part of this review, between July and October 2020, the Department for Transport asked for views on proposed changes “on overtaking, passing distances, cyclist and pedestrian priority at junctions, opening vehicle doors and responsibility of road users.” This blog sets out SPACE for Gosforth’s response to the consultation.

What is the Highway Code for?

The Highway Code sets out the rules we should all follow when using the road to keep each other safe. In the standard Hierarchy of Hazard Controls it would be categorised as an administrative or process control. Process controls aim to change how people behave. They do not remove hazards, rather they aim to limit or prevent people’s exposure to those hazards.

The diagram below shows how the different types of controls in the hierarchy could be applied to avoid road traffic collisions.

I decided to completely re-draw and augment that great @NIOSH Hierarchy of Controls diagram.

Those guys in Copenhagen did a version awhile back but I wanted one with plainer language, consistent with the way we talk about street safety. pic.twitter.com/TFL1wqsybD

— Qagggy! (@Qagggy) April 23, 2019

From the hierarchy diagram we can see that process controls are not so effective at mitigating risk from hazards. This is why it is important that the Government also aims to reduce danger by reducing traffic levels and by providing good quality facilities for walking and cycling that don’t require vulnerable road users to share with motor traffic.

A good explanation of engineering concepts for road safety can be found in this video titled ‘Systematic Safety: The Principles Behind Vision Zero.’.

As well as aiming to keep people safe, The Highway Code is also used by Courts of Law and by motor insurance companies to attribute responsibility and assess damages when there has been a collision.

The way The Highway Code is written now suggests that we all have equal responsibility for following the code, no matter, for example, whether you happen to be driving a HGV or a 10 year old child walking to school. This makes little sense, as someone driving an HGV could cause substantially more damage than a child on foot. It has also led to a situation where damages awarded to a victim knocked off their bike has those damages reduced if not wearing a helmet, regardless of whether wearing a helmet made a difference to injuries received.

The proposed changes attempt to remedy this by introducing a hierarchy of road users to clarify that “those in charge of vehicles that can cause the greatest harm in the event of a collision bear the greatest responsibility to take care and reduce the danger they pose to others”.

The remainder of this blog gives the Department for Transport’s proposals and SPACE for Gosforth’s response to those proposals. The descriptions of the proposals e.g. in the sections “Hierarchy of road users”, “Rule H1” and “Rule H2: Rule for drivers, motorcyclists, horse riders and cyclists”, are taken from the DfT’s consultation questionnaire.

Hierarchy of road users

The aim of The Highway Code is to promote safety on the road, whilst also supporting a healthy, sustainable and efficient transport system.

Hierarchy of Road Users: The ‘Hierarchy of Road Users’ is a concept which places those road users most at risk in the event of a collision at the top of the hierarchy. The road users most likely to be injured in the event of a collision are pedestrians, in particular children, older adults and disabled people, followed by cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists. The hierarchy does not remove the need for everyone to behave responsibly. The following H rules clarify this concept

Rule H1

It is important that ALL road users are aware of The Highway Code, are considerate to other road users and understand their responsibility for the safety of others.

Everyone suffers when road collisions occur, whether they are physically injured or not. But those in charge of vehicles that can cause the greatest harm in the event of a collision bear the greatest responsibility to take care and reduce the danger they pose to others. This principle applies most strongly to drivers of large goods and passenger vehicles, followed by vans/minibuses, cars/taxis and motorcycles.

Cyclists, horse riders and horse drawn vehicles likewise have a responsibility to reduce danger to pedestrians.

Always remember that the people you encounter may have impaired sight, hearing or mobility, and may not be able to see or hear you.

None of this detracts from the responsibility of all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, to have regard for their own and other road users’ safety.

SPACE for Gosforth response:

Overall we support the hierarchy of users but wish to suggest some clarifications.

1. It is not reasonable that the most vulnerable, including young children, are required to be fully aware of the Highway Code. Their safety should be prioritised regardless of their capacity to understand or knowledge of the code. Insisting the most vulnerable road users know the Highway Code will make little or no contribution to the safety of others as they are least able to do harm. This, we understand, is the point of having the hierarchy.
2. Those in charge of vehicles that can cause the greatest harm in the event of a collision should be required to mitigate and minimise the danger they pose to others, not just to reduce it. The word ‘reduce’ is not clear E.g. a driver might ‘reduce’ the danger they pose to others by reducing their speed from 60 to 50mph, but if this was in a 30mph zone this would still present considerable danger to other road users. This also applies to Rule 204.
3. It would be useful in the introduction to clarify that a road user’s responsibility for the safety of others applies at all times and is not conditional on whether the others act in accordance with the Highway Code or not.
4. The final sentence detracts from the concept of hierarchy and makes the rule less clear. This could be replaced with “None of this detracts from the responsibility of all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders not to obstruct unnecessarily or endanger other road users.”

Rule H2: Rule for drivers, motorcyclists, horse riders and cyclists

At a junction you should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning.

You MUST give way to pedestrians on a zebra crossing, and pedestrians and cyclists on a parallel crossing.

You should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross a zebra crossing, and pedestrians and cyclists waiting to cross a parallel crossing.

Horse riders and horse drawn vehicles should also give way to pedestrians on a zebra crossing, and pedestrians and cyclists on a parallel crossing.

Pedestrians have priority when on a zebra crossing, on a parallel crossing or at light controlled crossings when they have a green signal.

Cyclists should give way to pedestrians on shared use cycle tracks.Only pedestrians may use the pavement. This includes people using wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Pedestrians may use any part of the road and use cycle tracks as well as the pavement, unless there are signs prohibiting pedestrians.

SPACE for Gosforth response:

Re: “Only pedestrians may use the pavement. This includes people using wheelchairs and mobility scooters.”

We agree with the principle that pavements are for pedestrians but suggest the following sentence is clarified in line with ministerial and police guidance for pavement cycling, and to ensure younger children may use the pavement with their parents, as many do now.

That guidance says “The introduction of the fixed penalty is not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of the traffic, and who show consideration to other pavement users.” Link to NPCC Guidance

Rule 64 should also be updated to reflect NPCC advice.

We suggest a further clarification to make explicit how this rule applies to pavement parking.

Rule H3: Rule for drivers and motorcyclists

You should not cut across cyclists going ahead when turning into or out of a junction or changing direction or lane, just as you would not turn across the path of another motor vehicle. This applies whether cyclists are using a cycle lane, a cycle track, or riding ahead on the road and you should give way to them.

Do not turn at a junction if to do so would cause the cyclist going straight ahead to stop or swerve, just as you would do with a motor vehicle.

You should stop and wait for a safe gap in the flow of cyclists if necessary. This includes when cyclists are:

• approaching, passing or moving off from a junction
• moving past or waiting alongside stationary or slow-moving traffic
• travelling around a roundabout

SPACE for Gosforth response:

Given the potential for a collision and serious injury as a result it would be better to use “must” rather than “should” as in:
 “You must not cut across cyclists going ahead when turning into or out of a junction or changing direction or lane, just as you would not turn across the path of another motor vehicle.”

Rules for pedestrians

The Highway Code already advises drivers and riders to give priority to pedestrians who have started to cross the road. The proposed change is to introduce a responsibility for drivers and riders to give way to pedestrians waiting to cross:

• a junction or side road
• at a zebra crossing

For Rule 8 on junctions the proposed new text is:

 “When you are crossing or waiting to cross the road other traffic should give way.”

For Rule 19 on zebra crossings the proposed new text is:

 “Drivers and riders should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross and MUST give way to pedestrians on a zebra crossing.”

SPACE for Gosforth response:

We agree these changes.

SPACE for Gosforth further comments about other changes to the rules for pedestrians

Rule 13 includes the words “Cyclists should respect your safety (see Rule 62) but you should also take care not to obstruct or endanger them unnecessarily.”

These words suggest that it might be necessary to endanger a cyclist.

We don’t believe it should ever be necessary to endanger any other road user.

Rules for cyclists

Rule 63 for cyclists wording: shared spaces

Rule 63 will be amended to provide guidance for cyclists on sharing space. The additional proposed text is:

“Sharing space with pedestrians, horse riders and horse drawn vehicles. When riding in places where sharing with pedestrians, horse riders or horse drawn vehicles is permitted take care when passing pedestrians, especially children, older adults or disabled people. Let them know you are there when necessary e.g. by ringing your bell (it is recommended that a bell is fitted to your bike), or by calling out politely.

Remember that pedestrians may be deaf, blind or partially sighted and that this may not be obvious.

Do not pass pedestrians, horse riders or horse drawn vehicles closely or at high speed, particularly from behind. Remember that horses can be startled if passed without warning. Always be prepared to slow down and stop when necessary.”

SPACE for Gosforth response:

We agree these changes.

Equivalent words should apply in Rule 163 as many rural roads especially do not have pavements and have to be shared by pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and other road users.

Rule 72 for cyclists: road positioning

Rule 72 will be amended to provide guidance on road positioning for cyclists to ensure that they adopt safe cycling behaviours. The additional proposed text is:

”Road positioning. When riding on the roads, there are two basic road positions you should adopt, depending on the situation.

1. Ride in the centre of your lane, to make yourself as clearly visible as possible, in the following situations:

• on quiet roads or streets – if a faster vehicle comes up behind you, move to the left to enable them to overtake, if you can do so safely
• in slower-moving traffic move over to the left, if you can do so safely, so that faster vehicles behind you can overtake when the traffic around you starts to flow more freely
• at the approach to junctions or road narrowings where it would be unsafe for drivers to overtake you

2. When riding on busy roads, with vehicles moving faster than you, allow them to overtake where it is safe to do so whilst keeping at least 0.5m (metres) away from the kerb edge. Remember that traffic on most dual carriageways moves quickly. Take extra care crossing slip roads.

SPACE for Gosforth response:

The wording should make clear that cyclists may use any part of the lane they are using. This should not substantially impact other road users ability to overtake as Rule 163 says that other road users should “give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car “

As the Rule 72 is about safety, then the advice in sub-bullet 1 should focus on that aspect specifically. Sub-bullet 2 covers moving left to allow faster vehicles to overtake E.g.

1. Ride in the centre of your lane, to make yourself as clearly visible as possible, in the following situations:

• on quiet roads or streets
• in slower-moving traffic
• at the approach to junctions or road narrowings where it would be unsafe for drivers to overtake you

Rule 73 at junctions

Rule 73 will be amended to provide guidance for cyclists on how to proceed safely at junctions, both with and without separate cyclist facilities. The additional proposed text is:

“Junctions. Some junctions, particularly those with traffic lights, have special cycle facilities, including small cycle traffic lights at eye-level height, which may allow you to move or cross separately from or ahead of other traffic. Use these facilities where they make your journey safer and easier.

At junctions with no separate cyclist facilities, it is recommended that you proceed as if you were driving a motor vehicle (see Rules 170 to 190). Position yourself in the centre of your chosen lane, where you feel able to do this safely, to make yourself as visible as possible and to avoid being overtaken where this would be dangerous. If you do not feel safe to proceed in this way, you may prefer to dismount and wheel your bike across the junction.”

SPACE for Gosforth response:

We agree these changes.

Rule 76 for cyclists: going straight ahead

Rule 76 will be amended to clarify priorities when going straight ahead. The additional proposed text is:

“Going straight ahead. If you are going straight ahead at a junction, you have priority over traffic waiting to turn into or out of the side road, unless road signs or markings indicate otherwise (see Rule H3). Check that you can proceed safely, particularly when approaching junctions on the left alongside stationary or slow-moving traffic.

Watch out for drivers intending to turn across your path. Remember the driver ahead may not be able to see you, so bear in mind your speed and position in the road.

Be particularly careful alongside lorries and other long vehicles, as their drivers may find it difficult to see you. Remember that they may have to move over to the right before turning left, and that their rear wheels may then come very close to the kerb while turning.”

SPACE for Gosforth response:

We suggest replacing this:

“Watch out for drivers intending to turn across your path. Remember the driver ahead may not be able to see you, so bear in mind your speed and position in the road.”

with:

“Watch out for drivers intending to turn across your path. The driver ahead is required by the Highway Code to check before turning but not all drivers will do so.”

and replacing:

“Be particularly careful alongside lorries and other long vehicles, as their drivers may find it difficult to see you. Remember that they may have to move over to the right before turning left, and that their rear wheels may then come very close to the kerb while turning.”

with:

“Be particularly careful alongside lorries and other long vehicles. Their drivers are required by the Highway Code to check before turning, but not all drivers will do so. Remember that they may have to move over to the right before turning left, and that their rear wheels may then come very close to the kerb while turning.”

SPACE for Gosforth further comments about other changes to the rules for cyclists

The consultation proposes to “update Rule 59 to state that evidence suggests that wearing a cycle helmet will reduce your risk of sustaining a head injury in certain circumstances”

Any advice included should be consistent with government advice given when travelling by other modes and in other circumstances where a helmet might reduce the risk of sustaining a head injury e.g. playing sports like rugby or golf, using ladders or gardening.

It also needs to reflect and take account of the fact that cycling overall is beneficial for health regardless of helmet use, and that promoting helmet use risks worse health outcomes overall if it leads to fewer people cycling.

Further advice needs to be provided to courts to confirm that an individual’s choice to use a helmet or not does not excuse or diminish the responsibility of other road users not to collide with or injure a cyclist.

Rule 64 needs to be updated to reflect NPCC advice about pavement cycling.

We support British Cycling’s proposal for Rule 66 regarding riding two abreast.
“You should be considerate of the needs of other road users when riding in small or large groups. You can ride two abreast and it is often safer to do so, particularly in larger groups or when accompanying children or less experienced riders. Be aware of drivers behind you, allowing them to overtake (e.g. by moving into single file) when you feel it is safe to let them do so.”

We also support British Cycling’s proposals for Rules 154 and 213. See: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/campaigning/article/20201022-Dame-Sarah-Storey-calls-for-clarity-on- riding-two-abreast-0

Rule 67 needs to make clear that the primary responsibility for preventing a cyclist being hit by an opening door lies with the person opening the door.

Rules suggesting that cyclists should dismount should be reviewed to ensure they do not put people with disabilities, who may not be able to dismount, at a substantial disadvantage.

Rule 140: We suggest changing to “You should not park in a cycle lane marked by a broken white line unless it is unavoidable, and even then for only as long as necessary.”

Rules for drivers and motorcyclists

General rules, techniques and advice for all drivers and riders

Rule 140 will be amended to provide advice on cycle lanes and cycle tracks, ensuring that drivers and riders know that cyclists have priority and should give way when turning across their path. The additional proposed text is:

“You should give way to any cyclists in a cycle lane, including when they are approaching from behind you – do not cut across them when turning or when changing lane (see Rule H3). Be prepared to stop and wait for a safe gap in the flow of cyclists before crossing the cycle lane.

Cycle tracks are routes for cyclists that are physically protected or located away from motor traffic, other than where they cross side roads. Cycle tracks may be shared with pedestrians.

You should give way to cyclists approaching or using the cycle track when turning into or out of a junction (see Rule H3). Be prepared to stop and wait for a safe gap in the flow of cyclists before crossing the cycle track, which may be used by cyclists travelling in both directions.

Bear in mind that cyclists are not obliged to use cycle lanes or cycle tracks.”

SPACE for Gosforth response:

Cyclists may also be filtering in slow traffic and the same protections should apply to them whether a lane is present or not.

Given the potential for a collision and serious injury as a result, we suggest “should” is replaced with “must” e.g. “You must give way to cyclists approaching or using the cycle track when turning into or out of a junction”

Using the Road

The ‘Using the road’ chapter in The Highway Code provides guidance and advice on overtaking, manoeuvring at road junctions and roundabouts, and procedures at different types of crossings.

Rule 163 on overtaking will be amended to advise drivers that cyclists may pass on their right or left. It will also provide a guide of safe passing distances and speeds for passing motorcyclists, cyclists, horse riders and horse drawn vehicles. The additional proposed text is:

“Cyclists may pass slower moving or stationary traffic on their right or left, including at the approach to junctions, but are advised to exercise caution when doing so

[Give motorcyclists, cyclists, horse riders] and horse drawn vehicles [at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car(see Rules 211 to 215)]. As a guide:

• leave a minimum distance of 1.5 metres at speeds under 30 mph
• leave a minimum distance of 2.0 metres at speeds over 30 mph
• for a large vehicle, leave a minimum distance of 2.0 metres in all conditions
• pass horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles at speeds under 15 mph and allow at least 2.0 metres space
• allow at least 2.0 metres space where a pedestrian is walking in the road (e.g. where there is no pavement) and you should pass them at low speed
• you should wait behind the motorcyclist, cyclist, horse rider, horse drawn vehicle or pedestrian and not overtake if it is unsafe or not possible to meet these clearances
• take extra care and give more space when overtaking motorcyclists, cyclists, horse riders, horse drawn vehicles and pedestrians in bad weather (including high winds) and at night.”

SPACE for Gosforth response:

Roads should be safe for use by all ages and abilities. At 30mph, while the chance of death or serious injury is 40% for all adults, for 70 year olds it is closer to 70%.

On that basis, we suggest changing 30 to 20mph in Rule 163.

Source: https://aaafoundation.org/impact-speed-pedestrians-risk-severe-injury-death/

Further guidance should be provided for maximum speeds for passing pedestrians and cyclists, to align with the proposed rule 61 and provide consistent guidance as to what speed is appropriate that would apply to both rules.

Rule 163 should also include similar wording to that proposed in Rule 63 e.g.

“Remember that pedestrians may be deaf, blind or partially sighted and that this may not be obvious.

“Do not pass pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders or horse drawn vehicles closely or at high speed, particularly from behind. Remember that horses can be startled if passed without warning. Always be prepared to slow down and stop when necessary.”

Using the road

Rule 186 on signals and position will be amended to advise drivers to give priority to cyclists on roundabouts, and to take care not to cut across a cyclist, horse rider or horse drawn vehicle that may be continuing around the roundabout in the left-hand lane. The additional proposed text is:

“You should give priority to cyclists on the roundabout. They will be travelling more slowly than motorised traffic. Give them plenty of room and do not attempt to overtake them within their lane. Allow them to move across your path as they travel around the roundabout.

Cyclists, horse riders and horse drawn vehicles may stay in the left-hand lane when they intend to continue across or around the roundabout. Drivers should take extra care when entering a roundabout to ensure that they do not cut across cyclists, horse riders or horse drawn vehicles in the left-hand lane, who are continuing around the roundabout.”

SPACE for Gosforth response:

We agree these changes.

Using the road

Rule 195 on zebra crossings will be updated to include reference to parallel crossings and also amended to advise drivers to give way to pedestrians and cyclists waiting to cross at a zebra crossing or parallel crossing. This rule restates guidance in Rule 17 and reinforces Rule H2. The additional proposed text is:

“[Zebra crossings] you should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross

Parallel crossings are similar to zebra crossings, but include a cycle route alongside the black and white stripes.

As you approach a parallel crossing:

• look out for pedestrians or cyclists waiting to cross and slow down or stop
• you should give way to pedestrians or cyclists waiting to cross
• you MUST give way when a pedestrian or cyclist has moved onto a crossing
• allow more time for stopping on wet or icy roads
• do not wave or use your horn to invite pedestrians or cyclists across; this could be dangerous if another vehicle is approaching
• be aware of pedestrians or cyclists approaching from the side of the crossing.

A parallel crossing with a central island is two separate crossings.”

SPACE for Gosforth response:

We agree these changes.

Using the road

There are several other changes within the using the road section (and we recommend reading the chapter before answering). Some of these changes are to update The Highway Code to recognise facilities and practices that are already in use on the highway. Other proposed amendments are to provide guidance on safe behaviour and practices. In summary, some of the changes include, but are not limited to:

• strengthening priority for cyclists
• road positioning at junctions to ensure the safety of cyclists and motorcyclists
• further clarity on behaviour at Advanced Stop Lines
• keeping crossings clear of traffic
• Do you have any further comments about the changes to the rules on using the road?

SPACE for Gosforth response:

We agree these changes.

Road users requiring extra care

The chapter on ‘road users requiring extra care’ in The Highway Code provides further advice on proceeding with caution around pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists, as the main vulnerable user groups. It also strengthens the advice in earlier chapters on giving these groups priority in certain circumstances.

Rule 213 will be amended to advise that cyclists may ride in the centre of the lane for their safety. The additional proposed text is:

“On narrow sections of road, at road junctions and in slower-moving traffic, cyclists may sometimes ride in the centre of the lane, rather than towards the side of the road. Allow them to do so for their own safety, to ensure they can see and be seen. Cyclists are also advised to ride at least a door’s width or 0.5m (metres) from parked cars for their own safety.”

SPACE for Gosforth response:

The wording should make clear that cyclists may use any part of the lane they are using. This should not substantially impact other road users ability to overtake as rule 163 says that other road users should “give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car “

Suggestion:

“Cyclists may ride in the centre of the lane, rather than towards the side of the road. Allow them to do so for their own safety, to ensure they can see and be seen. This is particularly important on narrow sections of road, at road junctions and in slower-moving traffic.

“Cyclists are also advised to ride at least a door’s width or 0.5m (metres) from parked cars for their own safety.”

Road users requiring extra care

There are several other changes within the road users requiring extra care section (and we recommend reading the chapter before answering). Some of these changes are to recognise facilities and practices that are already in use on the highway, or to reinforce advice stated in other rules within The Highway Code.

Do you have any further comments about other changes proposed in the chapter on road users requiring extra care?

SPACE for Gosforth response:

To promote safety, traffic should be directed to use main roads where possible as those roads are best designed for higher volumes of traffic.

Suggested addition to Rule 218: Do not drive using roads in Home Zones, Quiet Lanes or residential areas where alternative main road routes are available.

“Each mile driven on a minor urban road, results in 17% more killed or seriously injured pedestrians than a mile driven on an urban A road.” https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/opinion/2018/august/are-route-finding-apps-making-streets-more-dangerous/

People also suffer the effects of traffic because of roadside air pollution.

Further suggested addition to Rule 206: For short journeys, do not drive if other options are available to you, for example walking or cycling.

This also helps to promote safety and a healthy, sustainable and transport system, while acknowledging that while most people will have alternative options to driving, some will not.

Waiting and parking

The main change to the chapter in The Highway Code on ‘waiting and parking’ is the introduction of a new technique, commonly known as the ‘Dutch Reach’, that advises road users to open the door of their vehicle with the hand on the opposite side to the door. The additional proposed text is:

“you should open the door using your hand on the opposite side to the door you are opening, e.g. use your left hand to open a door on your right-hand side. This will make you turn your head to look over your shoulder. You are then more likely to avoid causing injury to cyclists or motorcyclists passing you on the road, or to people on the pavement”

SPACE for Gosforth response:

We agree these changes.

Waiting and parking

The only other change in the section on waiting and parking is to provide advice on good practice when charging an electric vehicle (also Rule 239).

Do you have any further comments about the other change proposed to Rule 239 on waiting and parking?

SPACE for Gosforth response:

No.

Annexes

The annexes to The Highway Code provide useful advice for drivers and riders. We are proposing additional new text to Annex:

• 1 on ‘you and your bicycle’ aims to ensure that riders are comfortable with their bike and associated equipment. The proposed new text will recommend cycle training
• 6 provides useful advice to drivers of motorised vehicles on how to undertake simple maintenance checks to ensure the safety and road worthiness of the vehicle, the proposed new text will recommend daily walkaround checks for commercial vehicles

SPACE for Gosforth response:

No further comments.

Other comments on The Highway Code

Do you have any further comments regarding the proposed amendments to The Highway Code which focus on safety improvements for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders?

SPACE for Gosforth response:

We wholeheartedly support the updated objectives for the Highway Code to “promote safety on the road, whilst also supporting a healthy, sustainable and efficient transport system.”

We also fully support the proposed hierarchy of road users and the emphasis on responsibility to avoid harm to others, with those that are capable of inflicting the greatest harm having the greatest responsibility to mitigate that risk.

Final comments

Any other comments?

SPACE for Gosforth response:

At least one person is killed every week on the roads in NE England, and three seriously injured every day. While this might be ‘good’ in historical terms, it is still far too many and we support the use of the Highway Code as one tool amongst many to help achieve a Vision Zero objective of no deaths or serious injury.

We should all have the right, however we travel, to expect to arrive safely and not be put at risk through the actions of others.

Likewise, we should all be able to choose how we travel without fear for our safety being a factor in that decision.

As well as updating the Highway Code, priority and appropriate funding is required for:

• Communicating the changes so road users understand their responsibility to avoid harm to others.
• Road policing so, at least for offences where others are put at risk, there is a realistic chance of prosecution.
• Engineering interventions, including pedestrian crossings, protected cycle lanes and low-traffic neighbourhoods, to encourage safe behaviour and enable people to travel safely whatever their chosen mode of transport.

END

Update 30 July 2021

The Government has published it’s response to the consultation here. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/review-of-the-highway-code-to-improve-road-safety-for-cyclists-pedestrians-and-horse-riders

A copy of the Government’s Executive Summary is below.

Government response to the review of The Highway Code – Executive summary

The majority of respondents to the consultation were in favour of all the changes proposed, believing that they would improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders. They welcomed the timing of the changes as more people embrace alternative modes of transport, with cycling and walking on the increase. Feedback also emphasised the importance of offering greater protection to those road users.

Overall, percentages of those respondents agreeing with the changes ranged from 68% to 96% agree. Statistical analysis suggests that all the changes proposed should therefore be implemented. However, we have carefully considered the disagree comments and note there are some valid points raised that need to be considered. As a result, we will be seeking to introduce all the amendments as outlined in the consultation, but with changes to the text where a significant concern has been identified.

The proposed introduction of the hierarchy of road users on responsibility (new Rule H1) was widely supported with 79% agreeing with its introduction. There were concerns raised, particularly from road haulage and freight companies, that larger vehicles would automatically be held liable in the event of a road collision with a road user higher up the hierarchy. However, the introduction of this rule does not detract from the requirements for everyone to behave responsibly. We will ensure this is clearly recognised and emphasised by amending the text of this rule.

The introduction of new Rule H2 on pedestrian right of way was supported by 75% of respondents, and 89% agreed with the introduction of new Rule H3 on cyclist priority. There were concerns raised that the changes could lead to cyclists and pedestrians taking greater risks when using the roads, believing that the onus for their safety rests with others. We will consider whether any changes are required to these proposals to clarify that cyclists and pedestrians have a responsibility for their own safety, and need to be respectful and considerate of other road users to ensure a culture of safe and effective road use.

The proposed changes to the rules for pedestrians were widely supported overall. The proposed change to give way to pedestrians waiting at a zebra crossing was supported by 95% of respondents, with many already believing that this was already the cultural norm.

More concerns were raised about the proposal to give way to pedestrians waiting at a junction with worries that the proposed change could be confusing and could lead to an increased risk of road collisions. We will review the wording to ensure these concerns are addressed.

There were considerable changes proposed in the rules for cyclists chapter of The Highway Code, but once again respondents were in broad agreement that all the changes should be implemented with percentages ranging from 76% to 91% in agreement with all the changes proposed. Disagree comments mainly reflected on the notion that cyclists would take greater risks due to having priority in certain circumstances. There were also concerns about cyclists passing road traffic on the left. As before, where valid concerns have been identified, we will amend the text to address these points.

Given the large number of changes proposed in the rules for cyclists, there was a considerable amount of feedback to analyse. Of significance were comments on Rule 66 on riding 2 abreast, recognition of disabled cyclists and emphasised safety messaging for cyclists passing to the left of larger vehicles. We will consider the points raised and seek to amend the wording along with educational and awareness campaigns.

In the chapter on using the road, we consulted on the introduction of safe passing distances and speeds. These were widely supported with agreement of over 80% for all the changes proposed. However, there were some concerns that the passing distances were too complex and would benefit from a standard distance (such as 2 metres in all cases) and some disagreement that the speeds proposed were either too fast or too slow. We will review these proposed amendments to consider how we can simplify the wording.

A strong theme in many of the consultation responses was the need to ensure that all road users know about the changes and can act on them. Many respondents highlighted the need for a publicity campaign to raise awareness of the amendments and to achieve the changes in behaviour that will lead to safer roads for all road users.

In conjunction with the consultation, we commissioned research on sharing our roads, including seeking views on some of the proposed changes. This has provided valuable insights on how to effectively communicate the changes. We will be launching an awareness-raising campaign alongside the publication of the updated highway code. And led by THINK!, we will develop behaviour change communications aimed at both motorists and vulnerable road users to support the aims of the review. Research will be used to identify priority audiences for communications to achieve the greatest impact.

Along with asking explicit questions about specific rule changes, the consultation sought general views on the other changes proposed within each chapter of The Highway Code. There have been many valid and helpful comments received. We would like to thank all those who took the time to respond to the questions and to those who provided further views.

However, many of the comments received were out-of-scope of the consultation and general views on the government’s policy position. For example, the consultation did not seek opinions on the use of cycle helmets, insurance, infrastructure improvements, shared space and so on. Many of the issues raised have already been considered in-depth as part of the initial ‘Cycling and walking investment strategy safety review’. We will not be reporting on any feedback we received on those topics which were not within the range of the consultation, but we have noted wider concerns for future policy considerations.

Update 1 December 2021

The Government has published its proposed update to the Highway Code. Details can be found here. If agreed by Parliament, these could come into force from early 2022.

You can read the full outcome of the consultation here.

The significant changes are:

– A hierarchy of road users
– Drivers overtaking people cycling to give at least 1.5m
– Preventing ‘car-dooring’ cyclists by using the Dutch Reach
– Simplification on rules related to non-signalised junctions to prevent “left-hook” collisions

— APPG for Cycling & Walking (@APPGCW) December 1, 2021

This was the response from Cycling UK.

For the last ten years we've been campaigning for a Highway Code update. Today new rules were laid before Parliament. By February we should have a Code which better protects vulnerable road users, including 'hierarchy of responsibility' and Dutch Reach: https://t.co/m9RYyJWfFd pic.twitter.com/fHGLqiTdS9

— Cycling UK (@WeAreCyclingUK) December 1, 2021

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