October is make-or-break for Walking and Cycling in North Tyneside. Take Action Now.
Construction on a new permanent cycleway along the coast, the Sea Front Sustainable Route, should have started in 2022 after a successful trial during the first lockdown, but unfortunately a firm date is yet to be set by North Tyneside Council.
Street Life in North Tyneside are asking you to write to your Councillors and the Mayor today to ask updates – and for action – and to tell them your own personal stories of why a healthier, greener coast matters to you and your family. This collective action will drive more accountability and ensure that priorities don’t shift or dilute.
Many local people feel a sense of loss over the removal of the cycleway. In 2020, we all experienced the transformation of our coast, as the pop-up scheme reduced speeds, removed some of the motor traffic, and created separate spaces for walking and cycling. It brought families out in their droves, removed some of the conflict between pedestrians and cyclists and demonstrated how we could transform the coast for locals and visitors alike. It wasn’t perfect, it was implemented quickly, but it demonstrated vividly the demand for more, safe, space away from motor vehicles, and an appetite from North Tyneside Council to make some serious changes.
Today many people are feeling similar disappointment over the stop start progress on school streets and the disruption on Rake Lane. Despite the public consultation on the Sea Front Sustainable Route closing in 2021, there hasn’t been any formal update released by the council on the progress of the route. It was originally planned to be fully constructed by summer of this year.
Click on the link below for your area to start composing an email to the Mayor and your Councillors:
Whitley Bay Tynemouth Cullercoats Monkseaton South Monkseaton North St Mary’s Riverside Preston Collingwood
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Dear Mayor & Cllrs,
I’m writing to ask you to push hard for a new impetus for walking and cycling in the borough.
A permanent cycleway for the coast has been promised for some time, we expected to see progress this autumn, but nothing has happened. Instead we are seeing chaotic development at Rake Lane and slow progress on making our school streets safer. People want less traffic not more, my family needs space to get around in particular on the coast.
It is important to me and my family that we see prompt action to begin work on the new cycleway without delay.
<add your own personal experiences and thoughts here>
Really concerned at the lack of progress on the sunrise cycleway and fear that funding pressures will water down the scheme.