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Measures to reduce traffic cutting through local streets in Heaton will go ahead Newcastle City Council has confirmed.

Legal orders are being progressed to restrict through traffic as part of another low traffic neighbourhood trial, which will be in place from 24 October. This follows on from a similar scheme which was implemented in Fenham in March.

Proposals were initially set out last November for Heaton, with comments received from people and businesses used to finalise the scheme.

Cllr Jane Byrne, cabinet member for a connected, clean city said: ”The changes in Heaton are aimed at creating better neighbourhoods that are safer, cleaner, greener and are easy to move around.

“People living in the area were very supportive of the proposals set out last November, particularly the improvements to accessing the local park and making it safer for children in the area, which is why we are pushing on with these plans. 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.

“With less traffic cutting through residential streets, the area becomes much more attractive and safer for the people who live there. It is changes like these that 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 to school or going to their local park.”

Using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), the council will trial the closure of a number of streets to motor vehicles that will help to make them safer and easier for people to walk, wheel, and cycle on.

The proposed measures include closures to motor vehicles on Wandsworth Road, Mowbray Street, Bolingbroke Street, Cardigan Terrace, Heaton Park View and Falmouth Road. Double yellow lines on Stannington Avenue to prevent inconsiderate parking will be introduced, as well as changes to Stratford Road to improve safety by changing priority at this junction, with Stratford Road traffic giving way to Mowbray Street.

Under the ETRO process, the changes can remain in place for up to 18 months, with public consultation running for the first six months of the scheme being implemented. The consultation runs from 24 October until 23 April 2023, which will be used alongside data collected, to determine whether the changes should be made permanent.

To complement the trial, the council will make further changes in the area, including an improved pedestrian crossing on Heaton Park Road and access improvements for emergency vehicles and refuse collections to back lanes through new sections of double yellow lines. These are permanent measures, which are subject to further statutory engagement, which will follow on in early 2023.

Following feedback on the earlier proposals, the council will introduce an additional closure on South View West to stop through traffic as this was a concern raised by residents. A stand-alone Experimental Traffic Regulation Order is being developed for this closure.

They are also further considering the closure to through traffic on Ouseburn Road, which again was raised by residents, and will provide updates on this in due course. Any measure introduced there would be subject to a separate legal order.

The low traffic neighbourhood trial will also link up with the School Street scheme at Hotspur Primary School, as well as the cycle lane on Heaton Road, providing good quality and safe walking and wheeling routes in the local area.

Leaflets setting out the changes and information on the public consultation will be sent to residents and businesses living in the area, ahead of the scheme being implemented.

Measures to reduce traffic cutting through local streets in Fenham have been given the green light by Newcastle City Council.

The council has started the process to have legal orders in place in the coming weeks to restrict traffic cutting through some streets to create safer, cleaner and greener neighbourhoods.

Fenham will be one of the first areas in the city to trial a low traffic neighbourhood with a number of streets to be closed to through traffic, following feedback from people and businesses in the area.

Changes in Fenham include closing the junction of Queensway and Kingsway to through traffic, as well as Gowland Avenue and Nuns Moor Road. Other supporting measures include changes at junctions on surrounding streets to reduce vehicle speeds and improve crossings. Some other measures are being paused, while more monitoring will be taking place on other streets to ensure more actions can be taken if necessary to ensure traffic isn’t just moved from one residential street to another.

Cllr Ged Bell, cabinet member for developments, neighbourhoods and transport said:” “We’re committed to creating safer, cleaner and greener neighbourhoods across the city, making it safer for everyone to walk and cycle on local journeys as well as reduce levels of unnecessary traffic in residential areas.

“This package of measures for Fenham will reduce traffic cutting through local streets, create more space for people to walk and cycle and crucially make it much safer for children going to school or playing in their local area.

“Many thanks to everyone who got in touch about the proposals, we have listened to your feedback, and refined the scheme accordingly, with more discussions planned to tackle school-related traffic, as we finalise the designs and firm up timescales.

“It’s changes to how we move around our local area which can have a big impact on our health and wellbeing, tackle air quality and improve the safety of people living there which is why we are developing further proposals for areas across the city.”

Using ETROs, the council will make changes to streets including using bollards or planters to restrict vehicle access. The ETROs can remain in place for up to 18 months, with a public consultation running in the first six months. Last November, all households in the area received an initial leaflet outlining proposals and an update that explains the final proposed measures and how to take part in the consultation are being prepared and will be sent to local residents, ahead of the scheme being implemented.

Most of the changes will be trialled, with temporary measures installed as this allows the council to make any changes quickly and to gather people’s views before making a long-term decision on whether the schemes should be permanent. Permanent measures, which the council do not intend to trial and will be subject to a separate consultation, include measures to reduce speeding on Wingrove Road and to close the junction to through traffic on Hadrian Road at its junction with Wingrove Garden to make it safer for children travelling to Wingrove Primary School.

The package of measures for Fenham was released in November, alongside proposals for Arthur’s Hill and Heaton. The council is reviewing the feedback for Arthur’s Hill and Heaton, with more information to follow soon.

Thousands of leaflets have also been delivered to residents in other parts of the city, including Jesmond, Shieldfield, West Fenham, Kenton and Ouseburn Valley, asking residents to raise any issues that they would like the council to include in developing low traffic neighbourhood proposals in their area.

The plans for low traffic neighbourhoods follows on from the closure of five local bridges to traffic in August 2020, which the council confirmed earlier this month will remain permanently in place.

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

Newcastle City Council is reminding people that they have until 7 December to have their say on new measures to reduce vehicles cutting through local streets.

Proposals for three areas in the city were released in November as part of the council’s commitment to create safer, cleaner and greener neighbourhoods. Parts of Arthur’s Hill, Fenham and Heaton could become low traffic neighbourhoods, including two Schools Streets that would see traffic restricted outside Hotspur Primary in Heaton and Westgate Hill Primary in Arthur’s Hill at the start and end of the school day.

The proposals aim to stop traffic cutting through local streets in the three areas by using bollards or planters to restrict access. All properties in the areas will still be accessible by vehicles, this includes delivery drivers, refuse trucks and blue light vehicles such as ambulances, police and fire engines. The council are currently consulting with the emergency services on these proposals.

As well as reducing the volume of vehicles using local streets, proposals include enhancements to public space, introducing new crossings and tightening junctions to reduce traffic speeds.

Cllr Ged Bell, cabinet member for development, neighbourhoods and transport said: “We’re committed to creating safer, cleaner and greener neighbourhoods across the city. This is the first roll out of a package of measures to reduce traffic cutting through local streets, creating more space for people to walk and cycle on local journeys and crucially making it much safer for children going to school.

“There certainly seems to be a lot of positivity, with some people asking us to be bolder in our proposals, and of course some people raising concerns which is what this period is designed to tease out as this allows us to look at potential issues ahead of implementing schemes. Our engagement team has also been out and about in the community, talking to residents and businesses to provide further information and listen to people’s views.

“Thank you to everyone who has got in touch so far, but we’re reminding people that we need to hear their views by 7 December. By listening to the views of residents we can create better and more attractive neighbourhoods together, ensuring that local streets are not dominated by traffic which ultimately creates safer and better connected communities, where children can play out safely and people, not vehicles, take priority.”

The council is asking residents for their views on the proposals by 7 December, ahead of changes being implemented in early 2022. Any changes installed would be subject to a six month public consultation to allow the council to trial any measures, ahead of making a decision on whether or not they should be made permanent.

In Arthur’s Hill, the proposals include some closures to streets to vehicles where they meet Stanhope Street to improve public space around the shopping area, as well as stopping through traffic on Beaconsfield Street and Sidney Grove. Other proposals include improved accessibility by removing some parking on surrounding streets and installing dropped kerbs.

In Fenham, the proposals include closing the junction of Queensway and Kingsway to through traffic, as well as Gowland Avenue, Nuns Moor Road and Moorside South. Other supporting measures include changes at junctions on surrounding streets to reduce vehicles speeds and improve crossings.

In Heaton, the proposals include closures to through traffic on Ouseburn Road, Bolingbroke Street, Cardigan Terrace and Falmouth Road. Other measures include tackling inconsiderate parking on Stannington Avenue as well as restricting vehicles outside the entrance to Heaton Park by preventing vehicles turning in to or out of Heaton Park View.

All of the measures in each area work together as a package by stopping vehicles re-routing on to other residential streets, creating quieter streets to improve waking and cycling routes.

Leaflets were sent to residents living in the areas asking for their feedback by 7 December at www.newcastle.gov.uk/neighbourhoods . This feedback will be used to help inform the final trial schemes, which will be installed in early 2022.

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

Sweeping new measures to reduce vehicles cutting through local streets in parts of Newcastle have been released by Newcastle City Council on 16 November.

Proposals for three areas in the city, including parts of Arthur’s Hill, Fenham and Heaton, will become low traffic neighbourhoods as part of the council’s commitment to creating safer, cleaner and greener neighbourhoods. To complement the measures, two School Streets are also proposed for Westgate Hill Primary in Arthur’s Hill and Hotspur Primary in Heaton.

The proposals will stop traffic cutting through key local streets in parts of the three areas by using bollards or planters to restrict access. All properties in the areas will still be accessible by vehicles, this includes delivery drivers, refuse trucks and blue light vehicles such as ambulances, police and fire engines. The council are currently sharing these proposals with the emergency services as part of statutory consultation.

As well as reducing the volume of vehicles using local streets, proposals include enhancements to public space, introducing new crossings and tightening junctions to reduce traffic speeds.

Cllr Ged Bell, cabinet member for development, neighbourhoods and transport said: “We’re committed to creating a more liveable city – one that puts people first. We need to see less cars and more space for people to walk and cycle. The proposals set out how we could create better neighbourhoods, making streets safer and the air cleaner for the people who live there.

“This is an opportunity for people to tell us what they think of the proposals ahead of them being implemented. They will mostly be made as trial measures which means it’s easier for us to make changes if we need to. It is important that people can have their say so we can create better and more attractive neighbourhoods, where children can play out safely and more people feel safer walking and cycling on local journeys.“

Cllr Clare Penny-Evans, cabinet member for climate change and public safety, said: ”We need to make bold decisions in our city to ensure that we clean up our air, improve public health and wellbeing and tackle climate change and these schemes are a key part of this. We know people don’t want their local streets choked by traffic. By making small changes to how we get around our neighbourhoods it can have a big impact on people’s mental and physical health, reduce car emissions and improve air quality.”

Cllr John- Paul Stephenson, cabinet member for public health and culture, said: “With less traffic cutting through local streets, neighbourhoods become more attractive to the people who live there and helps create heathier and better-connected communities. Just making small changes in our daily behaviour, such as walking or cycling to the local shop rather than driving, can really make a big difference to our health and wellbeing, which is what these schemes aim to encourage.”

Leaflets will be sent to residents living in the areas setting out the proposals for their neighbourhood as an opportunity for them to feedback on any issues they foresee before the changes are implemented. The council are asking people to let them know their views before the 7 December. This feedback will be used to help inform the final trial schemes, which will be installed in early 2022.

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