Newcastle City Council - Improving the West Road

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Officers involved in this scheme visited a number of wards surrounding the West Road during April and May this year. The minutes of ward committee meetings that were attended can be read by clicking on the appropriate link:
 
Benwell Scotswood (pdf, 102Kb)
Blakelaw (pdf, 97Kb)
Denton and Westerhope (pdf, 94Kb)
Fenham (pdf, 114Kb)
Lemington (pdf, 103Kb)
Newburn (pdf, 109Kb)
Westgate (pdf, 3Mb)
 
As well as ward committee meetings officers also held drop-in sessions and have produced a report based on comments received. View the report (pdf, 46Kb)

We have the opportunity to bid for national funding to improve public transport infrastructure.

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If you have any comments or feedback please fill in our contact form.

See the plans

Council officers will be available to talk you through detailed plans of proposals at the following locations.

** Please note change of venue for Lemington meeting

The main drop-in sessions are:

• Denton Burn Library – Thursday 14 May, 3-8pm
• Westgate Centre for Sport – Wednesday 20 May, 3-8pm
• The Hub (Westgate Baptist Church) – Thursday 21 May, 3-8pm

You can come to see plans at ward committee meetings too:

• Benwell Scotswood – Tuesday 5 May, 5.30-6.30pm, Riverside Community Health project, Atkinson Road
• Blakelaw and Fenham Drop-in – Thursday 7 May, 4-7pm, Fenham Library, Fenham Hall Drive
• Westgate – Tuesday 26 May, 6.30-7.30pm, Civic Centre
• Elswick and Wingrove – Thursday 21 May, 3-8pm, The Hub (Westgate Baptist Church)

As part of our commitment to improving services, we also recognise that there are specific issues relating to public transport in areas outside the boundaries of this scheme such as further west of the A1 junction. While we are consulting on this scheme we’d like to offer you the chance to discuss these issues at sessions in your local area:

• Denton and Westerhope – Thursday 30 April, Drop-in 5-6pm, meeting 6-7pm, West Denton Association, Hillhead Road
• Newburn – Tuesday 19 May, Drop-in 6-7pm, Blucher Methodist Church, Blucher Village
• Lemington - Thursday 28 May, Drop-in 6pm-7pm, The Lemington Centre, Tyne View
• Blakelaw – Thursday 28 May, Drop-in 6.30-7.30pm, Fenham Library, Fenham Hall Drive

Contact Us

If you have any questions about the scheme proposals please feel free to contact Jon Higgins on 0191 211 6012 or email him at jonathon.higgins@newcastle.gov.uk

Why improve the West Road?

• As Newcastle’s busiest bus route, West Road is the best choice for public transport improvements in the city
• We’d like to make West Road a cleaner, greener place to shop, eat, live and enjoy
• Government money is on offer to improve major public transport routes
• We can make a real difference to West Road – similar schemes such as the new Eldon Square Bus Station have already made positive changes for bus users
• Improvements will make buses quicker, more reliable and easier to use – we don’t want people in Newcastle to miss out on these benefits
• Improving public transport is a priority for the Council and we will continue to improve routes in other parts of the city

The Route Forward

We’re looking to bid for £13 million of government funding to give bus users, pedestrians, shoppers and businesses the West Road they deserve.

This money is part of a pot set aside for improving public transport in Tyne and Wear.  West Road is one of the busiest bus routes in the whole of Tyne and Wear but at the moment it has little measures to improve service along this route.  Looking at the whole length from the A1 junction to St James’ Boulevard will allow us to make the changes we need to make sure this route continues to act as a key interchange for people, goods and services.

What we aim to achieve

We want to see buses running more reliably and efficiently, with less congestion and shorter journey times – plus easier parking if you use a car to get to the shops.  Businesses will also benefit from easier loading and access.

The scheme will also help to cut CO2 emissions for a cleaner, greener road – better for local communities and better for the environment.

The route ahead will take some careful planning and we’d like to share our ideas and invite you to support this bid.

What the scheme would do:

• Improve the road layout, to help public transport run on time
• Improve the shopping experience with new parking spaces, bays for loading and servicing, better cycle parking, pedestrian areas and crossings
• Improve the look and feel of the road, to help businesses make the most of their location and raise everyone’s enjoyment of the street

What the scheme won’t do:

• Ban motorists
• Create a park and ride service
• Add lots of traffic to the surrounding area – we have studied the road system carefully and will be taking steps to avoid creating new rat-runs.

Lend your support

Following initial consultations last year, we have developed the scheme – and we’d like to offer you another chance to discuss it before we take things further.

If we win the funding, we will talk to local people again to ensure that the final scheme makes changes that work for everyone who uses the road.

If you would like to be part of this consultation please fill in this comments form.