Transportation in Newcastle City Centre

Outline:

• Policy background

• Approach to Development Planning

• Performance Indicators

• Moving Ahead

City Centre Context

Economic Activity

Accessibility

Access for All

Public transport

Service vehicles

Cars

Environment

Heritage

An integrated transport agenda:

Unitary Development Plan

• pedestrians

• cyclists

• public transport

• emergency & service vehicles

• essential cars

Traffic management measures to be targeted to reinforce this hierarchy

City Centre transport policies give priority to :

Local Transport Plan

•A 5-year plan for transport in Tyne and Wear (2001-06)

•Involving all means of transport

•Integrating different means of transport and local land-uses

•5 year programs of measures contributing to an overall strategy

•A funding mechanism for our proposals

•Government’s emphasis is increasingly on delivery of targets

Local Transport Plan - Public Priorities

• There is widespread support for the range of positive measures to promote safe and sustainable transport

• Over 80% of respondents support measures enhancing Access-for-All e.g. better lighting, pedestrian routes

• 65%-80% support measures to promote changes in travel behaviour e.g. Safer Routes to Schools, Travel Plans

• Under 25% of respondents support travel-restraint measures e.g. reducing parking provision, road-use charging

Widespread public consultation on the Local Transport Plan revealed the following;

There will be a fundamental review of these priorities in 2004/05 as we move towards the second LTP

Approach to developments

Planning for development sites supports a multi-modal UDP strategy.

Travel assessments consider :-

• pedestrians and cyclists

• accessibility by public transport

• access arrangements for servicing

• travel plans to improve sustainability

• managing access to support City Centre traffic proposals

Sites at:

1. Percy Street

2. Gallowgate/St James/Citygate

3. Blandford Square / Discovery

4. East St. James Boulevard

5. Redheugh Bridgehead

6. Elswick Wharf

7. Central Station / Stephenson Quarter

8. Broad Chare

9. Quayside / Ouseburn

City Centre development sites

Performance indicators - traffic flow

Traffic flows across Central Cordon -

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

To

tal

12 h

ou

r fl

ow

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Traffic flows at Central Cordon

M/CYC

P/C

HGV

LGV

Buses

Cars

Total

Performance - Parking

Parking Supply

Target = 10,000 public spaces in City Centre

Current supply = 9,938 spaces

Recent closure of Quayside, Broad Chare, Manor Chare car parks

Due to lose parking in vicinity of East Blenheim Street

Performance indicators - casualties

Road safety:

Casualties in City Centre:

Fatal Serious Slight All

1994-98(av) 2.4 31.2 258 291.6

2002 0 24 290 314

National target - reduce KSI by 40% by 2010

Performance indicators - Bus Use

National target Secure improvements to local public transportto increase use by more than 12% by 2010compared to 2000 levels

Current position Baseline2001/02

2002/03 %changeto date

Bus pass.journeysMetro pass.journeysAll local publictransport(+ferry/rail)

146,955

33,412

183,156

139,350

36,670

177,275

-5.18

+9.75

-3.21

Performance - Air Quality

National target Improve air quality by meeting National AirQuality Strategy objectives for the 7 definedpollutants

Current position No long-term breaches of defined air qualitycriteria for 7 designated pollutants adjacent tomajor roads, pollution levels are withinstatutory limits

Tyne and Wear specialcircumstances

Still relatively low car ownership/high publictransport use

Requirement Continued campaigns (e.g. Carbon NeutralCity), more alternative-fuelled vehicles, CityClear Zones

Local Development Frameworks & the second Transport Plan - Issues

Government has committed increased resources to integrated transport - and is expecting results against shared priorities, especially:

• Accessibility & social

• Demand management

• Public transport priorities

• Travel planning

Developing robust and affordable strategies to deliver these targets will enable the City Council to implement its strategy

What needs to be done ?

• Fundamental review of strategy/ investment plans for next LTP• Development of comprehensive demand-management strategy for

Tyne and Wear - including capacity planning on key routes in Newcastle

• Improved integration of transport investment into regeneration plans

• Strengthening the links between strategy and delivery of transport investment

• Powers to enforce moving traffic offences (including bus lanes) as part of decriminalised parking

• Performance targets relevant to Newcastle and Tyne&Wear

City Centre - 2001/02 Programme