Plans to replace former LTN in Heaton with new measures to reduce traffic
New proposals to improve walking and cycling in Heaton have been set out by Newcastle City Council.
New proposals to improve walking and cycling in Heaton have been set out by Newcastle City Council.
The council say they have "learned a lot" from controversies surrounding previous schemes.
Following the removal of the neighbourhood low traffic zone trial, which saw a number of local streets closed to through traffic, the council committed to build on the learning from the scheme to develop revised proposals for the area.
This has involved looking at data and information gathered in relation to the trial, along with the views of residents regarding the trial measures and two further options for tackling traffic displacement that people were asked to comment on in early 2024.
The revised proposals are intended to improve how people can move around Heaton, whether they walk, wheel or cycle, and create better links with Heaton Park, local shops and schools.
They are designed to avoid the displacement of traffic onto other residential streets and back lanes that had resulted from the road closures that were in place during the low traffic zone trial, and take into account issues and further suggestions raised by local people in response to both of the two options put forward earlier this year.
Residents are being asked for their feedback on the new proposals which include widened pavements, new crossings and measures to reduce traffic speeds in order to make streets quieter and safer for people, particularly those who are walking and cycling.
The proposals focus on the streets either side of Heaton Park Road and are designed to prioritise safety on the walking and cycling route that runs from Heaton Road to City Stadium, via Wandsworth Road and Mowbray Street, by reducing traffic and parked vehicles from this corridor and improving pavements and pedestrian crossings.
Full details of the measures put forward include:
• One-way streets on Cardigan Terrace, Falmouth Road and Stannington Grove as well as the back lanes off Heaton Park View, to reduce the volume of traffic while still allowing residents easy access to their properties and avoiding traffic using back lanes. This will also help to avoid back-lane traffic crossing over Wandsworth Road, making the cycle route along there safer.
• A new crossing with wider pavements on Heaton Park View to provide better access to Heaton Park.
• A widened entrance to Heaton Park at the main gates just off Heaton Park Road.
• A new pavement on Newington Road to provide a safe walking route from City Stadium to the playground, Ouseburn Community Centre and Hotspur Primary School.
• New double yellow lines on Newington Road to remove parked cars, which can block visibility and sightlines for people walking and cycling.
• A new raised crossing on Newington Road to help slow traffic and provide a safer point for people to cross.
• Proposals for a parking scheme in response to calls from a number of residents. The scheme would reduce the number of vehicles, including commuter vehicles, circulating in the area looking for spaces. This scheme will be subject to a separate consultation.
• Two-way traffic will continue on Heaton Park View as this has helped to reduce traffic on back lanes and has also been seen to reduce the volume of traffic using Heaton Park Road, which is a main local bus route and where people access shops and other services.
Cllr Marion Williams, cabinet member for a Sustainable City at Newcastle City Council, said: “We’ve looked at feedback from residents and data gathered from the low traffic neighbourhood zone trial and we’ve used this to develop new proposals for Heaton.
“The measures we are putting forward are designed to make it safer and easier for people to move around their local area and better connect people with their local park, shops and schools, without creating some of the issues we saw during the trial, such as traffic displacement onto other residential streets and back lanes. We’ve also taken into account issues and suggestions raised by local people in response to the two options for tackling traffic displacement that were looked at earlier this year.
“Our teams will be out talking to local residents and businesses to gather their views on these revised measures as part of a six-week engagement programme, to help us finalise the proposals ahead of formal public consultation later in the year.”
The public engagement on the proposals will run from 22 July until 30 August and will include a number of public drop-in events, visits to local businesses and a static display in the local community centre for people to view large scale drawings of the plans and leave comments.
Pamela Holmes, the council’s director of transport, said the authority had “learned a lot” from the rows surrounding previous LTNs, which sparked at times furious debate and saw city bosses take heavy flak from both opponents and supporters of the schemes over the past few years.
She said that the council was deliberately avoiding the use of an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) this time and was “trying to make an informed decision that is evidence-led”, based on traffic and accident data collected before, during, and after the last trial.
The council is yet to announce any new plans to replace the Fenham and Jesmond LTNs.
After the Heaton LTN was axed, some locals staged protests urging the council to retain it and warned that it could lead to the return of 3,000 vehicles a day using Heaton Park View.
A group of residents who have formed a Safer Streets for Heaton campaign have issued a petition to the council, with more than 180 signatures, calling for it to close off all through-routes between Heaton Road and Heaton Park Road – which was one of two previous options the council itself put forward in March, but that it has now moved away from.
They say that would create an “amazing neighbourhood” with a “pedestrian-friendly high street on Heaton Park Road, and prevents through-traffic in back-lanes”.