Today is the 40th anniversary of bus deregulation. I’m considering celebrating the occasion by poring over copies of the pre deregulation Tyne and Wear timetables with that warm glow of memories of the days when buses always ran to time and there was seamless integration with the Metro……..
📢 We have updated our bus tracker to make it quicker to find Metro Replacement buses. Now, when service 900 or 901 is running, you can chose 'Metro Replacement' from the list of operators to see all the bus locations.
🚌 sensors.spaceforheaton.com/bustracker
A great turnout for tonight's @cyclinguk.bsky.social Glow Ride in Newcastle, raising awareness of the need for safe and inclusive cycling after dark, particularly for women. Thanks to @nclgreenparty.bsky.social councillor Sarah Peters for setting out the importance of the cause at the start.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
I think many will be disheartened. I know some MPs are in favour of lifetime bans in certain cases. How can we persuade those in power to reverse their motonormative thinking here?
1/ Very pleased to see the PCC understanding the need for urgent action & looking at the causes of collisions:
“I think the force will say […] the majority of accidents, fatal or otherwise, are caused by the ‘big 5’ – which is drugs & alcohol, mobile phone use, not wearing seatbelts, speed, & age”
PCC Susan Dungworth warned on Tuesday that “we need to do something” to improve the A1’s appalling safety record, rather than simply waiting for long-awaited dualling plans to finally get the go-ahead
2/ We hope @danhollandnews.bsky.social will report further on why the speed cameras are delayed on the A1 as this is very concerning & more widely on the work National Highways will be doing.
There is much that can be done now to improve safety (eg average speed cameras & junction improvements).
We need the other local rail lines on the map too.
And with a few extensions maybe one day we could end up with something like this:
bsky.app/profile/lf-p...
Let’s see how our (UNOFFICIAL) combined Metro & Rail map would look with some possible* future extensions.
We’ve added:
- Metro Washington Loop
- Leamside Line
- Northumberland Line extension
- Bensham Curve
- Aforementioned infill stations at Gateshead Quays, Murton, Belford & Killingworth.
(1/2)
That a metro system would be built in a northern UK city involving underground tunnels and stations is supposedly an impossible, unrealistic idea from an unserious mind.
Meanwhile, Newcastle with 13km of bored tunnels and 9 underground stations built 13 years after first plans:
Tagging @danhollandnews.bsky.social to ask if the Chron could report on the recommendations of the All Party Parliamentary Walking & Cycling Group e-bike report as these could reduce the burden on police if the Government implements them.
Many in #NewcastleCentralandWest are concerned about E-Bikes/Scooters in our community. I visited the @NewcastleHosps to talk with @UniofNewcastle Dr Tom Andrew about the startling increase in trauma cases from these bikes/scooters and their impact on our NHS.
Our very own John Shipley, Baron Shipley of Gosforth, former leader of #Newcastle City Council between 2006 and 2010, and member of the House of Lords from 2010, is retiring from the House after 16 years.
John Shipley spent 34 years on Newcastle City Council and 16 in the Lords.
Today, he ended it where he started, opening a debate on local democracy and electoral reform.
Thank you, John, and happy retirement.
Heaton Road, with its protected cycle lanes, used to illustrate Heaton's entry in this list from Time Out.
Several other entries are illustrated with images of pedestrian streets and cycle lanes too. Perhaps a focus on people first neighbourhoods is what people like.
www.timeout.com/uk/coolest-n...
This was discussed at the Gosforth ward meeting inc a request for Newcastle’s parliamentarians to request the Government to act on the recommendations in the All Party Parliamentary Group on Walking & Cycling’s e-bike report @chionwurah.bsky.social@cmckinnellmp.bsky.social@joemorrismp.bsky.social
A senior police officer warned on Monday that an increasing number of illegal e-bikes are being used to commit crimes, ranging from drug deals to acts of serious violence
No journey should feel like an obstacle course.
Artist and activist Nush Luther-Smith shares how blocked pavements, missing dropped kerbs and inaccessible streets can affect freedom, independence and safety for disabled people.
Read her story: https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/nush
We'll be hosting a Glow Ride in Newcastle next Thursday, starting from the Civic Centre at 18:30. It'll be a short, social, easy ride with other people. Wear your lights and come along to make a statement about the need for safe infrastructure so everyone can cycle after dark!
Next Thursday, #GlowRides are bringing communities together to call for safer cycling for women. From glitter to glow sticks, every ride helps shine a light on why #MyRideOurRight matters.
🧡 Find your local ride and get involved at cyclinguk.org/glow-rides
I talk a lot about major transport investment, but one of the biggest bangs for the buck policy-wise would be a full pavement parking ban and more rigid enforcement of traffic rules.
Enforcement is so lax that this stuff is just completely normalised now, and it's unacceptable.
A note for readers: the "hope" that a relief road would alleviate traffic congestion has been the driver for many such schemes for decades. And they never alleviate traffic congestion for long. We need a reliable and affordable public transport system, not more and more roads.
The Great Fire of Newcastle and Gateshead began on this day 1854, leading to 53 deaths and hundreds injured. At least 800 homes and businesses were lost. Caused by explosion at worsted yarn factory owned by Wilson and Sons in Hillgate, Gateshead. (Pic: Illustrated London News.)
SPACE for Fenham and Arthur's Hill are running a Glow ride again this year.
They'll be meeting up outside the Civic Centre (by the God of the Tyne) on Thursday 22nd October for a ride through the Toon.
It's free and all are welcome- as long as you've got a bike.
www.facebook.com/events/17453...
Mainly retweeting as this sounds lovely.
❤️”The Assembly Rooms has been at the heart of Newcastle's cultural life since 1776, and there could be no better place to celebrate her.”❤️
A really productive evening spent at the Active Travel Forum discussing active travel across Newcastle. Some really insightful points raised including learnings from World Car Free Day last month, the need for wrap around soft skills development, active travel routes - especially to & from schools
Big day for public transport accessibility today. From 1st Oct ALL buses must have next stop audio announcements and visual display screens installed.
Equipment has been installed on many older vehicles so we're looking forward to seeing and hearing it working.
reviewmobility.co.uk/news/bus-acc...
Nurdles collected today on North Shields Fish Quay beach by one of the paid clear-up team (who also works ridiculous hours as a volunteer; his video).
This gives some sense of the scale of the task, 10 weeks after the spill.
The nurdles on our Tyneside coast are back with a vengeance today, both depressing in and of itself but also a clear indication of what will happen periodically over the coming months and years and tides and winds bring some of the many millions of plastic pellets still swirling around in our seas.
📢 Oxford Greenways launch 📢
We launched the Greenways project today! Masterplan of connecting safe cycle routes.
It was just great to be standing on a stage with City, County, and Uni ALL behind the project, and Councillors from 3 different parties speaking in support. Also I got a mug! 😍☕ (1/4)
As October rolls in, here’s what’s happening at GCT 🍂
We’ve got a packed month ahead, with live music, theatre, film, family sessions, community groups, workshops and plenty more.
I also forgot to say that there are discounts and different passes available.
Students, blue light card holders and people on Universal Credit get a range of discounts. Furthermore, I believe that once the scheme is properly embedded employers are able to work with Dott to negotiate staff discounts
Crumble has been out exploring the city and has seen some Dott bikes out in the wild.
Should the first phase go well, we will then be slowly expanding to allow all residents to benefit from this!
After the soft-launch of just 22 bikes available across the City last week, over 418 people cycled more than 3000km in the first week alone on 851 rides. Journeys were 3.53km on average, with a 97.9% parking compliance rate.
This will have cost savings, improve air quality and health outcomes.
I'm also hopeful that these pedal assisted e-bikes open up cycling to people who may not normally consider themselves cyclists.
Removing the need for people to use private vehicles - and in turn if uptake is good we hopefully will see improvements in congestion, bus journey times, air quality etc.
We can then use this dataset to help shape cycling provision and infrastructure decisions across the city and use this data to help make proper data driven decisions which in turn can help us build an active transport system to fit what people actually want and the journeys they want to do.
This will provide people a new choice of how they travel.
Bikes are required to start and finish in a designated geofenced parking zone.
With all journeys fully tracked end to end. Which will provide us with a rich dataset of where people actually cycle, what time,and where journeys start & finish
It's been difficult to keep this properly under wraps but I can now finally talk about this!
Today Dott bikes have launched a new cycle hire scheme in Newcastle - providing residents a proper alternative to car use within the City.
We have taken learnings from previous schemes (eNeuron and Mobike)
North Shields Fish Quay beach this evening. It’s like this the full stretch of the beach, apparently, along the tideline and with parallel strands.
(Not my photo)
The nurdles on our Tyneside coast are back with a vengeance today, both depressing in and of itself but also a clear indication of what will happen periodically over the coming months and years and tides and winds bring some of the many millions of plastic pellets still swirling around in our seas.
Tagging @dsnorthnorth.bsky.social on this as this might be an effective solution to the Felton rat running problem - dualling is unlikely to stop either traffic jams or people taking shortcuts.
The rest of the thread on Quiet Lanes is also interesting & worth watching.
@joemorrismp.bsky.social
Oh and i forgot! Tories actually requested the first of the recent ones before it was re-branded. Little Chesterton, requested by Tory Councillor Ian Corkin alongside local Parish Council. Much documentation on this.
www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2545435...
This is one to watch - Northumberland has lots of quiet roads that are wonderful for cycling once you are out in the county, but getting to them from Newcastle is tricky by bike due to traffic for less confident riders.
Could Quiet Lanes be the way to link city and county?
Thrilled to visit Oxfordshire’s first of the new Quiet Lanes: filtered to motor traffic, safe for us cyclists and walkers and horse-riders.
First time I have ever felt safe to cycle to the fabulous Rectory Farm: love supporting local businesses.