These images show what a dedicated cycling and walking route along the North Tyneside seafront could look like.
North Tyneside Council has come up with ambitious plans to enhance cycling and walking along the coast in the wake of a temporary – but for some controversial - scheme that was put in place after the first Covid lockdown in the summer of 2020 to allow more space for social distancing.
Now the council is waiting to hear if its bid submitted in August last year for £3.5m in funding from the newly formed Government agency, Active Travel England, has been given the go ahead. A decision was deferred until March this year to allow Active Travel England to give its verdict on the plans.
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If the money is forthcoming, it will allow detailed design work to proceed, with work on the new permanent segregated, two-way safe space between the North Shields Fish Quay and St Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitley Bay, possibly beginning as early as September this year.
North Tyneside Council ran a consultation in October last year asking people to have their say on the proposals, and is now reviewing 11,000 comments. A further consultation on the preferred option will take place over the summer.
The aim is that the Sea Front Sustainable Route (SFSR) will build on the legacy of the temporary coastal strip pop-up cycle lane that was rapidly introduced in July 2020, using Government funding as a cost-effective way to create safe space and reduce conflict between people walking and riding between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay in the midst of the Covid pandemic.
It was also a way of supporting safe walking and cycling journeys as an alternative while public transport capacity was reduced.
That scheme – which ran between July and November 2020 and didn’t include the newly proposed extension along North Shields Fish Quay – attracted up to 1,500 cycling trips a day at its peak over the summer.
However, it proved to be contentious with some motorists who were left fuming at the disruption caused when the 2.6 mile stretch of road along the seafront between The Gibraltar Rock pub in Tynemouth and the iconic Spanish City in Whitley Bay, temporarily became one-way.
Meanwhile, fans of the route urged North Tyneside Council to make it a regular fixture.
The council recognised that the scheme had created congestion in a few areas and presented challenges for some coastal operations – especially emergency services - that needed access to the seafront. Now, having worked closely with search and rescue operations to resolve the issues with the previous pop-up scheme, the council has come up with its revised, permanent coastal route.
This will see the speed limit reduced to 20mph and additional traffic calming measures, including new raised crossings making it easier to access the coast. The aim is to make the seafront, with its Blue Flag beaches at King Edward’s Bay, Tynemouth Longsands and Whitley Bay, a safer and more pleasant place to walk and cycle, increase the number of people using sustainable forms of transport, and also help cut carbon emissions and improve air quality.
Footpaths will be resurfaced along the length of the route as will large sections of the highway.
Councillor Sandra Graham, North Tyneside Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “These proposals will ensure the council is able to provide a scheme of the highest quality, one that we can all be very proud of, in keeping with our previous investment at the coast.
“We place a high priority on encouraging sustainable and active travel and making it safer, easier, more attractive, and inclusive for people to walk and cycle on their journeys in support of our ambitious 2030 net zero carbon target.
“I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to our consultation. Our officers are analysing the feedback now and we are optimistic about receiving the full £3.5m that we bid for in August 2021. Active Travel England have been very impressed with our proposals, and we hope that we will soon be able to push ahead with the detailed design work.
“It’s important to stress that no final decisions have been made, and we will consult all stakeholders again this summer over the preferred options.”
In July 2019, the council declared a climate emergency and set a target to reduce the carbon footprint of the authority and the borough by 50% by 2023. But the council has already achieved a 52% reduction and brought forward its carbon net-zero target by 20 years to 2030.
The new route will support those aims by using materials with highly recycled elements and a minimal carbon impact. Carbon offsetting measures, such as planting and soft landscaping, will be implemented along the route.
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