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news
Jesmond Park West cycle lane - source newcycling"Clueless" - Newcastle campaigners slam council over cycle lane removal
Newcastle cycling campaign group newcycling.org says the city’s council is “clueless” over infrastructure for cyclists after it emerged that a cycle lane has been removed there, the third time they say that has happened since 2010.
A report from Newcastle City Council’s head of highways and local services recommends its regulatory and appeals sub-committee to next week approve a parking permit scheme for Jesmond Park West.
The plans include removing a cycle lane, and follows earlier removal of cycle-specific infrastructure on Silver Lonnen in 2010, and Elswick Road two years later.
In a consultation held earlier this year, newcycling.org’s chair, Katja Leyendecker, opposed the removal of the cycle lane, and also expressed concerns over commuters parking on the southern part of Jesmond Park West, as well as a potential increase in ‘rat-running’ motorists.
In response to her comments, the council report says: “The existing cycle lanes provided on Jesmond Park West are advisory only and are often blocked by parked vehicles.
“We consider that this scheme, which will remove the all day commuter parking, will assist cycles using this quieter route as less vehicles will inevitably be parked on street here as a result.”
But in a press release from newcycling.org, Ms Leyendecker said: “This is almost unbearable to watch how the council is still unable to support sustainable travel options to schools.
“For example, we are asking them to design in some safe space for cycling for the school run on Tankerville Terrace in Jesmond and they push us back again and again with their excuses.
“Now they are wiping out an existing cycle lane on Jesmond Park West that was put there to enable cycling to Heaton Manor School.
“The cycle lane was far from ideal - even comical in places [as illustrated by the picture above] – but should be improved rather than demolished.”
She called on council departments to work alongside each other rather than concentrating on their own remits.
“What needs demolishing is council silos, not cycle infrastructure,” she urged, setting out what she termed “another option.”
Ms Leyendecker, who urged council chief executive Pat Ritchie to take charge of the issue, explained: “We have asked council’s transport planners to co-operate with their engineering colleagues.
“These two departments have to start rubbing their heads together. Engineers keep doing their little spot improvements completely in isolation of the surrounding road network.
“It’s their traffic planning colleagues therefore who should step in and help to look at the whole of the neighbourhood traffic flows including the usability of walking and cycling infrastructure.
“The council must start to see the bigger picture and look at the full network when carrying out their so called road ‘improvements’,” she added.
Ms Leyendecker concluded: “They seem clueless, or at least that’s what it looks like from the outside looking in.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
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And 3 of the 'workers' are just leaning!
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18 comments
It's on my commute. Recently resurfaced it's luxury. I'm all for proper cycle lanes, but to be honest it's a very quiet road and now silky smooth. Except for the big speed hump half way down.
There's two mini roundabouts on it too that worry me more than the lack of a painted lane. But that's another story.
I assume making them mandatory or putting down double yellows...both of which would have removed the parked cars was not even considered
Paint is NOT infrastructure. Remove it - it doesn't help people feel safe on bikes.
Cycle campaigners REALLY need to stop accepting every tiny crumb, stop fighting for shit non-provision and actually fight for what is needed to get more people onto bikes as a means of transport.
Absolutely!
Cycle campaigners should be saying things like "The cycle lane was far from ideal - even comical in places – but should be improved rather than demolished."
Which funnily enough is exactly what she said.
The Newcycling campaign push hard for proper provision, including fully segregated cycle lanes - one of the key goals of space4cycling that we have successfully lobbied councillors to support.
It's still talked about as if it's valid cycle provision though, which it isn't. You can talk about what should replace it without fighting its removal. I'd prefer to hear something along the lines of "the painted lane provided no protection for riders and was less than useless, and I'm pleased it will be removed. What is needed in its place is this:...."
It's much easier to argue that there is space for a proper segregated cycle provision when there is already some provision in place, even if it is a half-arsed strip of paint.
That would be the bit which says “But there is another option." and goes on to suggest that council departments work together to stop that road being a rat-run (by stopping it being a through road) and address the dangerous junction.
The general thrust being that they need to "function as a whole" and consider cycling and walking as part of the transport infrastructure, not an afterthought.
Read the full release here:
http://www.newcycling.org/news/20141012/newcastle-city-council-continues...
Yeah we hate cycling up here:
15183167077_a19cdd830c_o.jpg
Airzound, mate Newcastle is one of the nicest cities around and having worked there i can only assume you mean the Bigg Market where the great unwashed go for a night out at the weekends. Its a small insignificant street the like of which a huge number of cities have so no different there.
The rest of the city has some cracking bars and restaurants where the clientele are decent people and had you ventured further a field you would have realised this.
Newcastle not known to be the healthiest place in the country. Last time I was up there they were all pissed and chumping on burgers and kebabs with a slick of oil, puke and piss running down the street. So no surprise they hate cycling and cyclists up there.
Any town in UK not known to be the healthiest place in the country. Last time I was up there they were all pissed and chumping on burgers and kebabs with a slick of oil, puke and piss running down the street. So no surprise they hate cycling and cyclists up there.
@Airzound.
I'm sure where you live Airzound nobody eats burgers or drinks and everyone always gives a friendly wave to cyclists, lives to a hundred and has a BMI score to make Jessica Ennis blush
I live on this street, just up the hill from where this picture was taken. I'm going to the planning meeting on Monday 20th to put my views and those of my neighbours, who are all against the proposal. I fear cycling is low down most peoples' priorities tho...
True, but cycling is moving up the agenda (a little) in Newcastle.
We've got the Cycle City Ambition Funds, there are a few new schemes in progress, we have more councillors signed up to the space4cycling pledges than anywhere else, and we just had a 200-strong mass ride through the city centre with the leader of Newcastle City Council at the front.
We're getting there.
I can confirm that the council, when it comes to road infrastructure, are clueless. The busiest road through Newcastle city centre has 2 lanes but in their wisdom they made one a bus lane in an attempt to cut down on traffic congestion.
Guess what the same amount of cars still come into the city centre but now only have one lane to use which has caused even greater congestion.
Divin't use caars man.
Well with all things considered no infrastructure is preferable to bad infrastructure, that's why nobody uses it, so by all means get rid of it and try harder next time.
I always thought advisory lanes were permitted to be occupied by motor vehicles only if they do not cause an obstruction. Assuming I'm right, since when did a car parked in a cycle lane NOT cause an obstruction?
Was the subheadline typed by the "clueless" office junior?