5: Moving Around

National planning policy sets out that we must ensure new development promotes sustainable transport choices, patterns of travel, minimises the need for private car use and plan for new transport infrastructure to meet needs. Transport and infrastructure provision are required to be considered at the earliest stage of plan-making. This is to assess development sites are being put forward to ensure that impacts on travel and transport routes can be understood and the implications considered avoiding and mitigating any adverse effects. Opportunities for transport technology to support network management should also be considered, this can help manage both movement on highways for vehicles and freight.

Sustainable transport and travel options reduce greenhouse gases and are key to achieving our net zero targets, connecting communities with employment and leisure, supporting successful economies, and reducing health inequalities by encouraging active travel. Active travel means travel which includes some form of physical activity such as walking, wheeling, and cycling. Active Travel England is a government agency which promotes walking, wheeling, and cycling infrastructure and aims to enable more people to make healthier, greener, and cheaper travel choices. Sustainable transport refers to methods of transport that support people’s mobility needs while having a low social and environmental impact and not impairing the mobility needs of future generations. This includes walking, cycling, public transport and shared mobility options (for example car clubs, cycle, and scooter hire).

The following diagram sets out national policy on the transport hierarchy and how we should promote sustainable and active travel methods over use of the car.

To achieve this ambition to develop a sustainable transport network and promote active travel, we must recognise the importance of designing for active travel and integrating sustainable transport options into people’s everyday lives and making these options easy to use.

The North East Regional Transport Plan sets out the regional transport ambitions to 2035, and seeks to improve health outcomes, our environment and support our economy. The objectives of the North East Transport Plan are to achieve carbon neutral transport, to overcome inequality and grow our economy, to create a healthier North East, to make sustainable transport choices appealing and ensure the network is safe and secure. The plan provides supporting strategies on bus, rail, active travel, and major networks requiring councils to increase journeys by public transport, walking and cycling, reduce CO2 emissions caused by transport, improve air quality, and reduce miles travelled. 

Newcastle is a vibrant city and as regional capital with a growing population there is a continuing need to consider improvements to our transport system. Newcastle does not have significant levels of congestion compared to other cities and is served by good public transport including the Metro, a light rapid rail transport system providing connections to Gateshead, Newcastle International Airport, North Shields, South Shields, and Sunderland.

The city provides the strategic gateway for the wider region, and despite being relatively remote from other major urban conurbations, Newcastle has good rail and air connections. There are fast and frequent rail services on the East Coast Main Line to London and Scotland along with cross country services to other cities and towns.  Newcastle Central Station is used by over 8 million passengers each year. Newcastle International Airport is the busiest airport in the North East and the second largest airport in the North of England and of strategic importance to the UK as a whole. It offers flights to national and international business centres as well as holiday destinations with 80 direct routes and, 5.2 million passengers and 4,745 tonnes of freight in 2019. The airport supports our economic ambitions and there are strategic employment site allocations around the airport.

The city has an integrated public transport network with buses and metros serving large parts of the city and existing transport assets which provide a strong foundation for the future. However, there has been a decline in metro and bus use in recent years and there are parts of the city which are underserved by public transport. We will need to work with providers to increase public transport use and address deficiencies. Improving connections between neighbourhoods as well as between neighbourhoods and the city centre are vital to achieving a more sustainable and active transport network.

As there are an increasing number of people living and working in and visiting the city, a change in the way we move around the city is needed to improve health outcomes and address challenges which include congestion, air quality deterioration and a reduction in emissions.

Major improvements to the Metro are underway which include increasing the frequency of Metros and a new fleet of energy efficient trains. The network offers park and ride facilities at Callerton Parkway, Regent Centre, Kingston Park and Four Lanes End and we will need to consider future park and ride facilities.

Movement into and around the city and across the wider region must be considered promoting greater use of public transport and active travel. We will need to work with surrounding local authorities to plan for cross boundary movements and work to provide integrated travel solutions.

A Clean Air Zone (CAZ) has been introduced for parts of the city (the city centre, routes over the River Tyne, including the Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges) to help improve air quality and reduce the number of high polluting vehicles using the roads. The success of the CAZ will be monitored and planning implications for the Newcastle Plan considered.

In recent years, we have promoted sustainable and active travel, created new cycling and walking routes and have improved existing routes. As a result of this, we have made it easier and safer to walk and cycle across the city. Since March 2020 there has been 3,850m of new cycle track created in Newcastle.

Moving towards more sustainable and active travel across the city has wide reaching benefits for residents and the environment. Locally, climate change, air pollution levels and the negative impacts of less active lifestyles have created a pressing need to promote active and sustainable transport. The draft North East Active Travel Strategy sets out an aim for over half of all shorter journeys to be made by active travel in the North East by 2035.

As Newcastle moves towards a more sustainable future, it is essential that we create neighbourhoods that encourage active and sustainable transport as part of everyday life. Car ownership levels vary significantly across Newcastle, so it is important that we consider access to sustainable transport options whilst also balancing the need for vehicle access to those who rely on it the most. Cars alone are responsible for around 20% of Newcastle's total emissions, even though 37% of households in Newcastle do not have access to a car or van (Census 2021).

Healthy Streets is a human centred approach to embed public health into planning, transport, and public spaces.

We are developing a Movement Strategy which will set out our vision and objectives on how residents and visitors travel to and across city. Our Movement Strategy will support Newcastle’s priorities for future economic investment. We want an integrated movement system that ensures our residents are well linked and that they have suitable travel choices for jobs, services, and social activities. The Movement Strategy will have a positive role in tackling poverty, improving health, reducing inequalities, and achieving access for all.

• An employment site is a location within which is set aside for businesses, factories, and other employers, and not intended for other uses, such as housing, shopping, or leisure. 
• Designing new developments that prioritise pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport over cars, including protected cycle lanes and bus priority measures
• Providing high quality walking and cycling infrastructure that is safe, attractive, direct, and convenient
• Ensuring that new developments are linked to public transport routes
• Addressing the needs of different groups such as people with disabilities, children, and older people
• Managing the potential spatial conflicts when catering for different modes of transport, such as between parking demand and space for pedestrians/cyclists
• Managing parking provision in new development to achieve a balance between meeting needs and encouraging a move away from use of private cars
• Increasing the provision of electric vehicle charging points and other appropriate infrastructure
• Managing freight to minimise movements in our centres