Tag: Gosforth

Posted on

Council to apply for new traffic enforcement powers following consultation

Proposals for council-led camera enforcement of the yellow box restriction at the junction of Christon Road and Great North Road, in Gosforth.

The following news release was issued by Newcastle City Council:

“Newcastle City Council is applying to government for additional enforcement powers covering a range of traffic regulations that are currently the responsibility of the police.

The government invited councils to apply to take over these responsibilities and, as part of the process, councils had to consult on proposals that set out how this would be beneficial and improve road safety in at least one location.

Consultation

A six-week consultation on proposals for council-led camera enforcement of the yellow box restriction at the junction of Christon Road and Great North Road, in Gosforth, has recently been completed.

The majority of those who responded supported the proposals, with some raising additional concerns about traffic issues in other areas.

A number of safety concerns had previously been raised regarding the Christon Road and Great North Road junction and the fact that the yellow box is often blocked by vehicles at peak times.

This has resulted in some drivers using the wrong side of the road to avoid having to wait to turn right out of Christon Road and travelling through the junction at times when the pedestrian lights are on green, signalling that it is safe for people to cross.

Cllr Jane Byrne, cabinet member for a connected clean city at Newcastle City Council, said:

“We’re grateful to the people who took the time to respond to this consultation to share their views on whether enforcement would help to make this junction safer.

“This is a busy junction both in terms of vehicles and the number of people using the pedestrian crossing.

“There’s been a lot of concern about safety at this junction, particularly for local school children who use the crossing on their walk to school.

“We believe that enforcement at this location will help to keep the junction clear and reduce the number of drivers carrying out dangerous manoeuvres, making it safer for everyone.”

Council to apply for enforcement powers

Following the outcome of the consultation, the city council will now apply to government for the enforcement powers.

If approved, the council will be able to install cameras and begin enforcement at the junction of Christon Road and Great North Road, although for the initial six months drivers who breach the traffic restriction will be issued with a warning letter only for a first offence.

Other areas in the city could also be considered for enforcement action where this could also lead to improved road safety.

Any further proposals would be subject to additional public consultation, although there would be no further requirement to apply again to government.”

The above news story was issued by Newcastle City Council and is available to read on the Newcastle City Council website. It has been included here for information and does not necessarily represent the views of High West Jesmond Residents’ Association. 

Posted on

New bus priority measures for Gosforth High Street to be introduced

New bus priority measures are set to be installed on a key bus route to improve public transport.

The following news release was issued by Newcastle City Council:

“Plans are underway to extend the bus lane on the northbound section of Gosforth High Street, with the current bollards removed, within the coming weeks.

One lane of traffic from Moorfield to Salters Road

The immediate plans will see one lane of traffic each way retained through the main stretch of the high street, with bus priority measures and cycling provision where space allows.

This would see bus lane provision extended northbound along Gosforth High Street, from Moorfield towards Salters Road at its junction with Church Road, to improve journey times and bus reliability on one of the busiest routes for public transport from the city.

The plans are part of a phased approach to the High Street which would see bus priority measures installed in the coming weeks, with a second phase looking at the long-term options for this key shopping destination.

The re-allocation of road space would see cycling provision remain in place from Moor Crescent up to St Nicholas Avenue. Cycling provision from St Nicholas Avenue to Salters Road would be removed in the short-term, with longer-term plans to better connect this part of the High Street with more ‘quiet routes’ for cycling on connected side streets as part of a second phase of improvement works. Other longer-term proposals include improvements to public realm space with a parklet for the community to enjoy, improved cycle parking facilities, better-placed and improved bus stops, as well as green infrastructure to improve biodiversity and air quality in the local area.

Cllr Jane Byrne, cabinet member for a connected, clean city said:

“The plans we have put forward greatly improves bus services on a key bus route from the city, removes the bollards which people have asked us to do, as well as develops a long-term future for Gosforth High Street, to make it greener, more accessible and improves the look and feel of a key shopping area in the city.

“We’re taking a phased approach to this high street, with the immediate focus on improving bus priority measures as we want Newcastle to be a clean, connected city and having an efficient public transport network, particularly on one of the major routes from the city, is a key part of this and is part of our priorities to achieve net zero.

“Gosforth High Street is one of the narrowest high streets in the city and we want to make best use of the space available. Increasing the bus lane provision means we won’t be able to widen pavements and provide cycling along the whole of the High Street, so we’ll be looking at improving connectivity for people walking, wheeling and cycling to this important shopping area as part of the next phase of works.

“We’ll be setting out further proposals on the long-term future of the high street soon and I invite everyone to have their say.”

Using Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs), it is intended to install the bus priority changes in the coming weeks. Public consultation would take place for the first six months of the scheme being implemented. This would allow the council to trial the scheme and gauge public feedback, as well as ask the public for their views on the long-term future of the High Street.

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. Southbound journey times have improved on the am peak, with no change on the pm peak. Northbound journey times haven’t been affected on the am peak, with a small increase on average on the pm peak.

Bus priority measures, in locations such as the Great North Road, are an essential part of the proposed Enhanced Bus Partnership across the North East region which will see improvements to bus reliability, services and bus fares. 

Information for the public is being prepared, including drop-in events, which will be announced soon, ahead of the scheme being implemented in Spring 2023. The measures could be in place for up to 18 months while the council review the findings from data and public feedback on the scheme, while bidding for the funding to deliver a long-term enhancement to this area.”

The above news story was issued by Newcastle City Council and is available to read on the Newcastle City Council website. It has been included here for information and does not necessarily represent the views of High West Jesmond Residents’ Association. 

Posted on

Traffic to be restricted through Five Admirals estate – Matthew Bank

Measures to reduce traffic cutting through some local streets in South Gosforth are set to be introduced in the coming weeks.

The following news release was issued by Newcastle City Council:

“From next month, residents living in the Five Admirals Estate near to a major commuter route, will see measures installed to restrict traffic cutting through their estate as well as junction improvements to create safer, cleaner and greener neighbourhoods in South Gosforth.

Changes include closing Beatty Avenue to through traffic where it meets Matthew Bank, and improving junctions for residents accessing Sturdee Gardens and Beatty Avenue from Jesmond Dene Road (A189).

Legal orders are being progressed to restrict through traffic as part of another trial to reduce traffic in local neighbourhoods, which will be in place from 6 February. This follows on from similar schemes which were implemented in Fenham and Heaton.

The proposals were developed over the summer, following feedback from residents as well as a drop-in event in the area and discussions with local councillors to finalise the scheme.

Cllr Jane Byrne, cabinet member for a connected, clean city said:

”The changes in Gosforth are designed to prevent traffic cutting through residential streets rather than sticking to more appropriate routes. This will certainly benefit the children going to and from school at South Gosforth First School, making it much safer and easier to walk and wheel on the school run.

“The final scheme has been developed based on residents’ feedback, which we will install from next month. We know many residents were keen to see this scheme going forward to reduce traffic cutting through their local streets, making the area much safer and more attractive for the people who live there. It will also encourage more people to walk and cycle on local journeys, which has a big impact on people’s health and wellbeing, improves air quality, as well as greatly improving safety for children getting around their local area.

“As with similar schemes, trials mean we can make changes if needed, and people can leave us their feedback on whether or not they think the changes should be made permanent.

“There has been a lot of support to reducing through traffic on residential streets, so we are drawing up more plans to create safer, cleaner and greener neighbourhoods across the city.”

Using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), the council will trial the closure of Beatty Avenue to motor vehicles as well as improve safety at two junctions off Jesmond Dene Road.

Under the ETRO process, this scheme can remain in place for up to 12  months, with public consultation running for the first six months of the scheme being implemented. The consultation will run from 6 February until 13 August 2023, which will be used alongside data collected, to determine whether the changes should be made permanent.

Leaflets setting out the changes and information on the public consultation are being delivered to residents living in the area, ahead of the scheme being implemented.

More information is available at www.newcastle.gov.uk/neighbourhoods “

The above news story was issued by Newcastle City Council and is available to read on the Newcastle City Council website. It has been included here for information and does not necessarily represent the views of High West Jesmond Residents’ Association. 

Posted on

Delays expected on Killingworth Road for 10 weeks

Newcastle City Council is warning of disruption on Killingworth Road in South Gosforth from 7 October 2019 for up to 10 weeks.

The following announcement has been made by Newcastle City Council:

Temporary traffic lights

Temporary traffic lights will be installed on a short section of the A189 until mid-December. This is to control the flow of traffic from the Metro bridge to Haddricks Mill double roundabout as part of the final stages of carriageway construction for the £13.5m project on a key commuter route into the city.

The council is warning that this will cause delays, particularly to southbound traffic and is advising people to use alternative routes via Four Lane Ends or Great North Road or use public transport during this period.

Salters Bridge will also open to vehicles from 13 October.

Cllr Arlene Ainsley, cabinet member for transport and air quality said: “Killingworth Road is due for completion this Spring, but we have now reached a particularly disruptive stage of construction, so I am asking people to please bear with us during this period.

“now reached a particularly disruptive stage of construction”

“In order to complete this essential work to join up the carriageways, we need to alternate southbound and northbound traffic through a narrow section of the road, which will cause delays, particularly to southbound traffic during peak periods.

“We are advising commuters to avoid Killingworth Road and use alternative routes or public transport.

“We will also open Salters Bridge to vehicles again from the 13 October.

“We know some residents and community groups have concerns about traffic using the bridge again and we will closely monitor the situation.

“We have not decided on the long-term future of the bridge and we will consult on this early in the New Year.”

Utilities

The programme is reaching the stage where all new utilities have been installed and the council are removing old utilities. This has left a trench down the middle of the road which needs to backfilled and new foundations laid to join the new carriageways together.

To do this, they need to operate two-way lights to filter single-lane traffic through a narrow area which will create queues at peak periods.

The council has also committed to opening Salters Bridge to vehicles from 13 October, as the legal order which allows the closure of the bridge is due to expire in November.

The temporary traffic signals and mitigation measures that will operate until mid-December, when the works to join the roads are complete, are:

  • Two-way lights from Haddricks Mill junction to the Metro Bridge to restrict the flow of traffic under the bridge
  • The removal of the northbound bus lane on Four Lanes End in Longbenton
  • Salters Bridge to re-open to vehicles from 13 October

10 weeks

The works to join the carriageway should last for 10 weeks, with the two-way light system removed by mid-December.

Once Salters Bridge is open, the council will continue to collect data on travel methods people use to cross the bridge as well as air quality levels in the area. This information will be included as part of the consultation on the long-term future of the bridge.

The full construction programme for Killingworth Road is due to be completed by Spring 2020.

The above news story was issued by Newcastle City Council and included on the Newcastle City Council website. It has been included here for information and does not necessarily represent the views of High West Jesmond Residents’ Association. 

Posted on

Walk the bounds 2019 – a tour of High West Jesmond

Join us for a fascinating tour of High West Jesmond and learn more about the history of our community

We are delighted to invite you to our 2019 walking tour of ‘the bounds’ of High West Jesmond.

This will once again be led by Chris Morgan who residents will remember led us on a facinating tour during 2018.  Chris has also kindly shared some of his photographs of High West Jesmond’s past that we have featured on this website.

Date: Sunday 2 June 2019

Time: 10.30am

Meeting place: outside Delicious Decadence, Newlands Road, NE2 3NT

The tour will take approximately 2 hours and will explain the last 200 years of this special area on the border of Jesmond and Gosforth.

It will be illustrated with many old photographs and tales from Chris Morgan’s personal memory and those of his mother who played here before many of the houses were built.

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday 3 June.

Download a copy of the Walking the Bounds of High West Jesmond event poster here. 

Posted on

Haddricks Mill roundabout improvements to start

Work is to start shortly to improve Haddricks Mill roundabouts in South Gosforth.

The improvements are part of Newcastle City Council’s plans to improve key junctions across the city from the Blue House Roundabout, Jesmond Dene Road to Haddricks Mill and beyond.

You can read more about the previous plans from August 2016 for the Blue House Roadabout and Jesmond Dene Road elsewhere on this website.

The upcoming Hadricks Mill improvements were also opened for public consultation in August 2016, although the work that is now to take place is much less than the original plan to widen the Haddricks Mill junction and replace the existing 2 roundabouts with 1 substantially larger roundabout.

You can read more about what Newcastle City Council plan below.

The following announcement has been made by Newcastle City Council:

Haddricks Mill double roundabout in South Gosforth is set to benefit from £4m investment to improve safety and congestion through an upgrade of the ageing infrastructure in the area.

A well-known collision hotspot Haddricks Mill also suffers from congestion, delays and safety issues – particularly in relation to cyclists.

Six roads converge

Six roads converge onto the junction which is used by tens of thousands of commuters each day, with queues building up at peak periods, leading to longer journey times and affecting air quality in the area.

The major investment will renovate the bridge the junction sits on, realign traffic lanes to improve lane discipline, re-position the mini-roundabouts to increase capacity and install new crossing facilities that will help balance traffic flow in peak periods.

This should have the added benefit of reducing high levels of congestion and improving air quality.

Cllr Arlene Ainsley, cabinet member for transport and air quality said: “Haddricks Mill is a notorious junction and I am pleased it is to be given a much-needed overhaul.

“This is a major safety and infrastructure upgrade scheme, designed to improve safety and smooth traffic flow at peak periods – reducing congestion and encouraging more sustainable choices of travel – which should improve air quality.

“Due to the junction’s location over the Ouseburn and several businesses lining the approaches, the options available to improve it are limited but we have designed a scheme that delivers safety and congestion improvements for one of the key routes into the city and which takes into account residents’ feedback from our earlier consultation.”

The works are a scaled-down version of the proposals the council consulted on in 2016 and addresses many of the concerns raised by residents such as the size of the junction, changes to access to a local housing estate and proposed banned turns and movements.

Work will last until 2020

The council plans to take advantage of the current closure on Killingworth Road to start preparatory work on the junction, reducing the disruption to commuters before the main works start.

The main programme of work to the carriageway will be begin this spring and should last until early 2020.

However, the council is committed to minimising disruption and keeping two-way traffic on all approaches – apart from occasional night-time and weekend closures for resurfacing towards the end of the programme.

Minor tree removal is necessary with up to ten trees needing to be removed as part of the scheme, but the council will replace them with at least 30 trees to further improve the environment.

The full package of improvements includes:

•           Water-proofing and maintenance to the bridge the junction sits on

•           Re-construction of carriageway

•           Raised bridge parapets to improve safety

•           Realignment of the roundabouts to increase capacity

•           Widened lanes and better signage to improve lane discipline

•           Improved crossing points for pedestrians and cyclists on the main arms of the junction to control the flow of traffic at peak periods

•           Improved cycling and walking facilities including accessible routes to the Wagon Way

•           Segregated cycle lanes incorporated where space allows

•           Raised table to reduce speeding on Hunters Road

Full plans for Haddricks Mill junction

You can also download the full plans for Haddricks Mill junction.

And read more in a leaflet produced by Newcastle City Council.

Planned Newcastle Northern Access Corridor road

The works to Haddricks Mill is part of planned improvements for a key transport corridor which runs from Cowgate to the north of the city, including Blue House roundabout, Haddricks Mill and Killingworth Road.

Revised Blue House Roundabout plans

Final designs for Blue House are being developed and modelled based on recommendations from a working group set up following the backlash to original proposals in the summer of 2016.

These will be publicised this summer.

Killingworth Road ongoing works

We’re investing over £13.5m to widen the well-known pinch point at Killingworth Road.

This funding is focused on addressing some major maintenance issues including the retaining wall and ensuring the bridge over the Ouse that the Haddricks Mill junction sits on is safe for future generations.

Over-runs to the gas diversion works has meant a delay to the re-opening of Killingworth Road. Newcastle City Council would like to thank everyone for their patience during the roadworks. You can read more here.

The project received £4m from the Government’s Local Growth Deal through the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The Local Growth Deal is supporting major capital investments to promote innovation, economic and skills infrastructure and sustainable transport as part of the North East Growth Deal.

The above news story was issued by Newcastle City Council and included on the Newcastle City Council website. It has been included here for information and does not necessarily represent the views of High West Jesmond Residents’ Association. 

Web Design by Aldwalk | © High West Jesmond Residents’ Association 2024