A permanent redesign of the road outside Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) is finally set to get under way next year.
City transport chiefs have announced the latest on plans for a major transformation of Queen Victoria Road. Temporary cycle lanes have been in place on the busy city centre street since the pandemic summer of 2020, brought in as a means of supporting social distancing by giving road space over to walkers and cyclists during the pandemic.
Newcastle City Council bosses then confirmed in March 2021 that they wanted to launch a permanent overhaul, creating a new segregated, two-way cycleway along the length of Queen Victoria Road. Work on the £2.3m scheme is now expected to begin in 2023, much to the delight of campaigners.
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The project will also involve the permanent removal of parking spaces along Queen Victoria Road, a new bus stop close to the RVI entrance, and better pedestrian crossings. Sally Watson, of the Newcastle Cycling Campaign, said she was “incredibly pleased” that the cycleway would become a reality.
She added: “Thank you to the council, the RVI, and the universities for working together on this. We have heard from a lot of hospital staff in particular, as well as other people who use that route, about how dangerous that road is and how important this will be.”
A council spokesperson confirmed that the cycleway, separated from the main carriageway by a kerb, will run between Lover’s Lane and Richardson Road and that they do still intend to have it extend down Claremont Road under a second phase of the works. A public consultation will start this week on proposals to remove the on-street pay and display parking bays, which are already currently suspended, for good.
Coun Jane Byrne, the council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “This new permanent cycle route on a major city centre road would be another step on our way to a connected network and would make a huge difference in the area. The project would also see the creation of a new bus stop near to the Royal Victoria Infirmary and better crossing facilities for people to use.
“We’ve worked with partners in the area and taken on board feedback on how the temporary measures have been working to develop a permanent scheme that would work for everyone, make best use of the available space and support our ambition for a more active and cleaner travel network in the city.”
The city council has secured £2.3m, including funding from the Government’s Active Travel Fund, to carry out the work.
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