Upset following council announcement to scrap cycle lane plans for North Tyneside road

North Tyneside Council's decision to scrap plans for a North Shields cycle lane has continued to frustrate locals.

Last week, the local authority announced that it had abandoned plans to install cycle lanes on Preston Road North. The original plans had been drawn up to improve sustainable links between the A1058 Coast and Beach Road and North Shields town centre.

It was also hoped the lanes would help kids get to their respective high schools safely, including Marden High School and John Spence.

However, following local feedback, particularly regarding parking, traffic flow, and making the scheme fit national design safety standards, North Tyneside instead pulled the plans. Instead, the authority said it would now work on safety improvement for Preston Road including upgrades to an existing crossing point and recruiting a school crossing patrol to serve the pupils of John Spence High School.

The news has drawn the ire of the Street Life North Tyneside group, a campaign organisation which advocates for pedestrian safety improvements, crossing points, cycle infrastructure, and traffic-free school streets. The organisation also organises the North Tyneside 'Kidical Mass' ride twice a year, which encourages people of all ages and abilities to take to the streets and cycle.

Alison Stenning, a committee member, said: "It seems there an awful lot of questions to be asked about what has gone on here and how it relates to the ongoing commitments to a variety of policies and practices.

Alison continued: "We don't understand why, it's not really clear, they say they've listened to residents it's not clear which residents they've listened to and whether it was a small group of vocal objecting or more widely.

"One of the primary motivations for building this scheme is it would enable children to get to John Spence and then on to Marden and Thomas More safely from North Shields town centre. There are over 140 kids a day who cycle to John Spence, they don't all cycle up Preston Road, but a significant proportion do, and I know other kids cycle up the road too, and they cycle on the pavements because that's the only option they have at the moment.

"Clearly they are put in conflict with pedestrians and residents getting to their cars, and it's not an ideal situation for anyone."

Professor Stenning also raised questions about what will happen with the funding for the scheme, which originally came from the Department for Transport's 'Transforming Cities Fund.'

A North Shields mum, Brooke West went on to say her son, Felix, who cycles to Marden High School, was left frustrated at the news that the scheme would no longer be going ahead.

Brooke West, 42, said: "I think for us, there is not a really a clear safe route for cyclists to get to any of the main high schools nearby, Marden, John Spence etc. I think Felix is fine cycling but it's the pedestrian side of it, when he is on the path people are a bit disgruntled when he is behind them, but I don't expect them to be on the road either, it's a combined issue."

Brooke continued: "He is frustrated and was looking forward to a safe route."

She concluded: "It has been a bit frustrating that's the main thing for us, it's a busy walkway and it makes it quite difficult in both respects."

North Tyneside Council Head of Highways and Transportation Paul Watson said: “We are a Council that listens to our residents and adjusts our schemes based on their feedback.

“We engaged with the community directly impacted by the proposed cycle scheme on Preston Road in December 2023 and January 2024. The feedback pointed towards issues with parking, traffic flow and making the scheme fit with national design safety standards.

“Following this feedback we have carried out a detailed review and looked at alternative designs with these valid concerns at the centre of anything that was put forward. As a result, the Council has decided it is not possible to deliver a high-quality scheme that would meet the needs of residents and road users along the proposed route.

“The other key thing residents raised was about safety, concerns that have been echoed by local ward councillors. We are now working on some safety improvements for Preston Road that will include upgrading an existing crossing point, adding a new crossing point, and recruiting a School Crossing Patrol at Preston Road to serve the pupils of John Spence High School.

”We would like to thank everyone who took the time to submit comments on the proposed scheme.”

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