Plans for a safer, cleaner, greener Jesmond!

Safer streets can bring kids back outdoors to play

This week, Newcastle City Council have released the latest in a series of plans to make neighbourhoods in the city safer for walking, cycling and wheeling. The latest plans are for Jesmond East, from Osborne Avenue to Grosvenor Road.

The designs mean that while anyone can still drive anywhere they like – at any time – through-traffic is removed by using “modal filters.” These are just bollards that anyone can walk, cycle or scoot through, but are closed to motor vehicles. Analysis by SPACE for Jesmond in 2020 showed this type of neighbourhood design means big gains for the safety and feel of the neighbourhood, and minimal impact on resident’s driving times except for very short car journeys, which are what the scheme is designed to address by supporting more walking and cycling.

Most estates built in the UK since the 1940s have a similar approach to motor traffic, and of course large parts of Jesmond have been like this for years.

Summary of changes

  • Streets from Osborne Avenue through to Cavendish Road will have through-traffic removed
  • Grosvenor Road retains through access – a key difference to our 2020 plan
  • Direct through routes from Osborne Road to Cradlewell are removed – except via Manor House Road and Grosvenor and the Jesmond Dene Road (see map)
Changes to road layout pin Jesmond
Proposed changes to road layout in East Jesmond

Safer for children, walking and cycling

We think the council’s plans are robust and match up well to our 2020 proposal for the area. We’ve been pushing for these changes for quite a few years now and it’s great to see decision makers rising to the challenge and doing something that will truly make the area safer for walking, cycling and just being out and about in general. We’ll be feeding back in full to the council separately and will share our thoughts on a separate post.

Streets are for people to live, not cars to drive through

We strongly support the removal of through-traffic from the area, which is a key feature of the council’s plans. Streets like Osborne Avenue are just that – streets – designed for access to residences and not simply a through road. We do not believe Jesmond should be used to ease pressure on the busy A1058 Coast Road. These plans will make our streets safer, cleaner, and more social.

What happens now?

The scheme is in a pre-consultation phase. The pre-consultation website is here:

Jesmond East Commonplace

  • Changes to be made in March 2023 for a period of 18 months
  • Full consultation opening around September 2023

Our position on these plans

We fully support these plans – these are significant changes which we see as impactful, but we would also like to see Grosvenor Road removed as a through route.

We would also like to understand what monitoring the council have in place on Grosvenor Road and Jesmond Dene Road, and what mitigating measures they would implement if there is an increase in motor traffic on those roads.

We recommend some changes and mitigating measures which we will address in a subsequent post.

Jesmond Low Traffic Neighbourhood – our letter to Councillor Jane Byrne
Jesmond Low Traffic Neighbourhood – Timeline

Comments

  1. Brilliant news. Keep up the good work. People friendly – restrict cars. That’s the way to go.

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