FAQs

We are trying to achieve safer residential streets by reducing motor vehicles speeding and to remove ‘through traffic’ from residential areas. In order to do help with this, in certain areas we have changed the road layout on five bridges so that they can only be used by people walking, in wheelchairs, or on bikes/scooters. This means safer, quieter streets with better air to breathe that creates a better place for local residents to move around their neighbourhood.

Firstly, it is important to reiterate that the bridges are only being closed to motor vehicles. They remain open to people on foot, bike, in wheelchairs or mobility aids, as examples.

The policy position in relation to these bridges is that they are being brought forward as part of the recovery from the Covid19 pandemic and that they align with longer term and broad aspirations of a safer, cleaner, greener Newcastle.

The schemes have come about following a review of our Highway Network which was undertaken and published as part of the City Council’s Adopted Local Plan – https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/services/planning-building-and-development/planning-policy/newcastle-local-plan . This sets out the adopted road hierarchy for the city and specifies the primary and secondary road network in the city where we expect the majority of vehicular trips to take place. Motor traffic then accesses residential areas from the primary and secondary routes. This policy provides the context for schemes such as these where the overall aim is to remove ‘through traffic’ from residential areas and provide safer environments where walking and cycling are prioritised.

In identifying suitable locations for these schemes, bridges over features such as railway lines, watercourses etc. that did not sit on the City’s adopted primary or secondary road network were considered in terms of technical feasibility. Schemes have been developed in five locations and brought forward using Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders. This means the changes can effectively be trialled to gain a broader understanding of the impact, and make alterations where necessary, ahead of making a decision about whether to make them permanent.

It is also important to note that these schemes are being brought forward following updated Statutory Guidance issued by the Department for Transport, published in May as part of the wider UK response to the Covid19 pandemic. The guidance is here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reallocating-road-space-in-response-to-covid-19-statutory-guidance-for-local-authorities/traffic-management-act-2004-network-management-in-response-to-covid-19. The guidance is clear that the Government expects Local Authorities to make significant changes to how their road networks operate to prioritise active modes of travel and advises that measures such as those proposed in these locations should be used.

Due to Covid-19 related social distancing measures, public transport capacity is still significantly reduced. The need to facilitate people moving around our city to support the economic recovery and access to opportunities is important, but doing so in ways other than the private car is necessary in order that the transport network can cope. Schemes that remove through traffic like this are intended to contribute to reducing any additional traffic in residential areas as well as helping to facilitate walking, cycling, and other active and sustainable ways of getting around.

The closures of these bridges to motor vehicles is being brought forward using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO).

Statutory consultees, such as the emergency services, have been notified of proposals and were offered the opportunity to make any concerns known as part of the process prior to the roads being closed. No objections were raised by emergency services or statutory consultees during this process.

By using ETROs, the council is indicating its intention to make these closures to motor vehicles permanent, but a public consultation period will take place for the first six months after implementation. During this time, residents can leave feedback and comments on the closure, and these will be considered before a final decision is made on whether or not to make the changes permanent. They could also be used to inform any other changes that need to be made alongside the bridge closures to minimise any issues that arise.

This website has been set up to enable local residents and other stakeholders to have the opportunity to feedback on the proposals.

The use of the ETROs to bring forward schemes of this nature is set out in the updated Statutory Guidance provided by the Department for Transport (see above).

If you wish to object to or support the possibility of the Order being made permanent, you should send your comments or representation by 15 February 2021 to:

Newcastle Parking Services,

PO Box 2BL,

Newcastle upon Tyne,

NE99 2BL

or by email to traffic.notices@newcastle.gov.uk .

Any objection or representation MUST be made in writing and where an objection is made, it must state the grounds of the objection.

Our website was open to comments before the formal consultation began. We will take into account feedback on the online consultation website from when it went ‘live’ – i.e. comments received before the formal consultation process started will be taken into account.

In addition to feedback that will be collected from residents and stakeholders via the website and other means of correspondence described above, a plan has been developed to consider a range of factors including:

The legal order that has been used will prohibit motor vehicles, therefore, anyone driving through it on a motorbike would be committing a traffic offence. However, the measures we install will not physically stop a motorbike. In practice, any type of restrictive measure that is physically capable of stopping a motorbike is also likely to be something that would also stop bikes (and certainly larger bikes, cargo bikes or adapted bikes etc) and also potentially other mobility aides such as mobility scooters / wheelchairs, which we cannot do because this would be in breach of the Equalities Act 2010. If use by prohibited vehicles becomes an issue, we will review the arrangements as necessary.

The Emergency Services were consulted in the early stages of these schemes being brought forward. To date, no issues have been raised. We will keep in touch with the Emergency Services throughout the experimental closure.

As set out above, making these changes can help to reduce wider congestion on the network which may arise if public transport users have to drive through a lack of alternative options. Avoiding that scenario will be essential to allow emergency services to continue to operate effectively.

Evidence from elsewhere shows that when low traffic neighbourhoods were implemented, emergency response times did not substantially change.

Furthermore, when responding to an emergency, the use of ‘blue lights’ enables emergency service vehicles to circumnavigate traffic or other queues where they deem it to be appropriate and safe to do so.

It is important that we stress that access to all properties is retained for motor vehicles. The changes may mean that a different route is needed to be able to access the nearby main road network, but visitors and deliveries, as examples, will still have access to the area.

The approach of closing roads to through traffic is not new. There are many examples of locations where this has occurred both across the city and in almost every urban area in the country without the major issues or safety concerns that are sometimes predicted before changes are put in place.

Obviously, the intention of the schemes is to improve the opportunities for walking and cycling and thus affect how people travelling in the area behave. This will help to reduce the amount of traffic cutting through the area. In turn, reduced traffic can help create an environment that helps to facilitate increased levels of walking and cycling. Over time, it is likely that changes in travel behaviour for different types of trips will occur and there is evidence of increases in walking and cycling as a consequence of similar schemes elsewhere.

Evaluation of similar schemes elsewhere has generally found reductions of traffic levels in residential areas – such as Waltham Forest - https://enjoywalthamforest.co.uk/work-in-your-area/walthamstow-village/comparison-of-vehicle-numbers-before-and-after-the-scheme-and-during-the-trial /. In addition, a number of other studies, including this one ( https://nacto.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/disappearing_traffic_cairns.pdf ), which has considered 70 case studies from 11 countries and suggests that predictions of traffic problems are often unnecessarily alarmist, and that, given appropriate local circumstances, significant reductions in overall traffic levels can occur, with people making a far wider range of behavioural responses than has traditionally been assumed. In short, people’s fears about the impact of schemes like these are not always realised.

Again, there is evidence from elsewhere that suggests that this is not the case where similar schemes have been implemented. It is likely that a period of balancing will take place as travel behaviour adjusts. Travel patterns will be monitored throughout the closure of the bridges. For the bridges in the South Gosforth area for example, there are significant amounts of data for the surrounding main road networks, including journey time information available here taken from the North East Urban Traffic Management Control webpage as well as traffic count data available here.

The impact of these schemes on traffic flows will be monitored and reviewed as part of the decision-making process ahead of deciding whether changes will be made permanent.

Stoneyhurst bridge area collision analysis: 01/01/15 - 12/08/20. Collisions detailed here are based upon reported data where a personal injury has occurred in a collision and it was subsequently reported to the Police. Damage only collisions are not included in these statistics.