Photo credit: Simon Veit Wilson 
Photo credit: Simon Veit Wilson 
It is with huge disappointment that we learned on 21 October that North Tyneside Council decided to remove the pop-up Sunrise Cycleway, and the pedestrian and cyclist zones on Park View and on the Fish Quay, after half term.
We believe these trials addressed not just the need to create safe space for social distancing, but also provided a fantastic start to unlocking active travel and creating safer, greener and healthier streets for all; an insight into a better future. These could have been exemplars for the borough and the region.
We feel really disappointed for all the people who came forward to engage and get involved, the people of all ages and backgrounds who enjoyed using the schemes, the children who learned how to ride a bike, the families safely strolling and shopping on Park View, the couples eating out on the Fish Quay without the inconvenience of the fumes and noise. Wonderful things happened, and they can continue to happen.
North Tyneside Council has made commitments to improving the health and wellbeing of its residents. It has signed off a Transport Strategy and a Cycling Strategy, and more recently, declared a climate emergency. What is the purpose of these strategies and policies, if to not implement them?
This statement is also about the future, and what the Living Streets North Tyneside group will do next. In line with our campaigning,
- We will continue to engage, support and mobilise people who would like to take action and transform their streets and neighbourhoods.
- We will create a space and opportunities for people and groups to exchange ideas, co-ordinate actions, support one another and amplify their voice and our message.
- We will document the stories of all the local people and communities who want a greener, healthier, more liveable and successful North Tyneside.
- We will continue to inform and make a case for better neighbourhoods and a fairer transport system which prioritise cycling and walking.
Please join us:
Email us with your name and postcode at livingstreetsnt@gmail.com
Twitter: DM @NTLivingSt
Facebook: Message us https://www.facebook.com/NTyneLivingSt
Thank you