Cycle City Ambition Fund Stakeholder Group Meeting
held on Thursday, 10 April 2014 at 6.00pm in Newcastle Civic Centre
1. Welcome and Introductions
The Chair, John Litherland, welcomed everyone to the meeting. See below for details of attendees and apologies.
2. Notes of the meeting held 23 January 2014
These were circulated and there were no changes.
3. Matters arising
CCAF web pages:John Litherland commented that these didn’t appear to be up to date. Anne Clark will check.
Cycle path / bus stop design principles: Peter White reported that the agreed designs still need to be packaged as a design guide and rubber stamped.
Cycle routes – road colour option: Peter White had spoken to their usual contractor yesterday and options are still being discussing. An idea of quantity is needed before an accurate price can be given as costs are on a sliding scale. Further information should be available in the next couple of weeks. Samples have been requested in order to see the actual colours. Other contractors are also being approached.
4. Feedback from the Project Board
Feedback from previous meetings wasn't available, but as the next meeting is on 16 April an update will be circulated following that meeting. Marion Talbot will check if minutes of these meetings can be made public.
5. Strategic Cycle Routes
Peter White circulated the coloured Strategic Cycle Route chart which shows the current position on the various routes.The colours still need to be changed to help those who are colour blind.
SCR1 Elswick:public events are planned shortly.
SCR7 Walker:this will go to the top of Shields Road. Bill Dodds commented that the route further east, to be discussed again by local Councillors, must go where cyclists want to go.
SCR6 Benfield:Sustrans are looking at options for improving the existing route.
SCR3 Great Park: work has started in Exhibition Park.
SCR4 Gosforth:meetings have been held with the Freemen to obtain their permission to widen the path across the Little Moor, and the path on the east side of the Great North Road. Hopefully work will start soon.
Bill Dodds referred to the High Street being the Strategic Route rather than Moor Road, but Marion Talbot felt there wasn’t a clear understanding on this, and this still needed to be resolved. Bill commented that there are clear objectives and criteria for the Strategic Routes which is why this is an important issue.
City Centre: Claire Prospert mentioned that works which had a budget of £1.4m were behind by a year and asked if there were other options for this spending large amount of money. Peter White said that city centre works are part of a large capital programme and can’t be looked at in isolation. Some CCAF monies may not be spent as originally planned but work would still be done if it had to come from a different capital budget at a later date, and. Peter mentioned that a paper is to go to the next Board on this subject.
There are draft designs available for John Dobson Street but due to the larger capital programme these can’t be circulated. Marion Talbot felt it would be helpful to have a better idea of what is due to happen when and she will raise this at the next Board meeting.
The coloured chart will be updated monthly and a Gantt chart will also be provided for the next meeting.
Gosforth High Street: Jon Higgins reported that the consultation has now closed and the responses and comments are being summarised. It is planned to inform Senior Councillors of the outcome in mid-May and the public in June. Final proposals should be available mid-June and there may need to be further consultation. Bill Dodds suggested that the results of previous consultations should be taken on board but Jon felt this couldn’t be done legally as the consultation had just been on two firm options. Marion Talbot stressed the importance of sticking to the Council’s hierarchy of users policy i.e. pedestrians, cyclists, public transport then cars.
6. DIY Streets
Moor Road North: Jon Higgins reported that residents had now rejected their own DIY Streets proposals following receipt of the traffic regulation orders. Marion Talbot raised the need for future consultations to get across to residents that all proposals should be looked at from a city wide perspective and not just how it would affect their small area, or themselves as individual residents. It was important to try and ensure that the same thing doesn’t happen in other areas. Ward Councillors also need to be informed whentraffic regulation orders are due.
A presentation on progressin other areas was given by Tom Bailey.
West Jesmond:
(1) West Jesmond Primary School: a street trial will be held over two days in the new term. This will include shutting one road, stopping parking on Tankerville Terrace except for two disabled bays, and marking out a hybrid cycle track outside the school. The school are very supportive even though 30% of their pupils live outside Jesmond. A trial over a longer period would be difficult as experimental traffic regulation orders can’t be used to prevent parking.
(2) Holly Avenue, Fern Avenue, Manor House Road, Gowan Terrace and Osborne Avenue: drawings showed echelon parking on Holly Avenue, along with junction changes, although the parking may need to be changed in some locations as the road width is not consistent. This needs to be street trialled.
Heaton: community engagement is now taking place.
Ouseburn: Ouseburn Futures are leading on consultation, which will include identifying streets and junctions for improvement.
Fenham: meetings are to take place soon.
7. Active Travel Centre
Neil Mitchell (Sustrans), who has replaced James Adamson, reported that a suitable property has been found. This is Higham House, which is next to the Laing Art Gallery/Blue Carpet and at the bottom end of John Dobson Street. Sustrans have put a Business Case to their HQ to move their Newcastle office here, with Sustransunderwriting the venture and paying rent for their offices. The ground floor will be the Active Travel Centre. This was felt to be a good location due to the works planned for John Dobson Street, and planned student accommodation nearby.As the property is owned by the City Council early access should be possible to enable stripping out and re-fitting the building. No opening date has been announced yet.
8. Public Health/Active Travel
Craig Blundred reportedon progress since the last meeting (see attached). Tom Bailey suggested that the Cycling and Walking Co-ordinator to be appointed by Leisure Services should be based at the Active Travel Centre. John Litherland felt this suggestion needed to be taken seriously as it would avoid an east west split. Marion Talbot stressed the importance of enabling smaller organisations to bid for elements of work, and Craig confirmed this will be the case. A cycle training pilot has started in the West End, at Elswick Park & Pool, and the council has purchased bikes to help those who don't own one.
9. Retail Areas
Acorn Road:Jon Higgins reported that Ward Councillors had requested that a second option be consulted on. As this didn't meet the CCAF funding criteria Marion Talbot suggested this shouldn't have happened but instead this should have been passed back to the Board as they are accountable for monies spent.It was agreed that Marion should ask the Board to provide guidance so that this doesn't happen in other areas.
10. Communications
A presentation was given by Peter White.
Community Events and publicity: Ali Lamb and Ruth Baddoo have been seconded to assist with communicating with the public and they will be invited to the next meeting. Tom Bailey felt it was important that Officers and others arrived at public events by cycle. Claire Prospert suggested that publicity literature for local events should be shared with the Stakeholder Group before publishing.
Marketing: this needs to cover walking, road safety and health as well as cycling, along with links to major investment and economic growth. Branding e.g. Re-Newcastle and a logo will also be needed.
Let's Talk Newcastle: there had been teething troubles but it is hoped that web access to drawings etc will be available to the TAG shortly, and then to the Stakeholder Group after a trial period.
Web pages:Claire Prospert suggested that these needed to appeal to a wider audience and she felt the Leeds CCAF website was quite good in this respect.
Role of the Stakeholder Group: As ambassadors - Marion Talbot felt members needed know when events were planned and to be attending events, and a diary of these would be very useful - Ali Lamb might co-ordinate who should attend from Stakeholder Group?
Broadening Attendance at SG - There was also a need to improve the attendance at meetings, perhaps by existing members asking 2/3 appropriate new people from interested groups to attend. Likewise we might review organisations which were supporters of the bid but have not been involved to date.
11. Any other business
Wingrove Cycle Hub: Marion Talbot announced that this had now been set up and was being run by Sustrans and Recykey'bike .
12. Dates of future meetings
Thursdays, 12 June, 18 September and 13 November 2014 at 6pm.
ATTENDANCE LIST
John Litherland (Chair)Recykey'Bike
Marion TalbotCouncillor, Newcastle City Council
Anne ClarkNewcastle City Council, Cycling Officer
Peter WhiteNewcastle City Council
Jonathan HigginsNewcastle City Council
Craig BlundredNewcastle City Council
Bill DoddsNewcastle Cycling Forum
Heather EvansCTC
Tom BaileySustrans
Neil MitchellSustrans
Claire ProspertNewcastle Cycling Campaign
Jamie O'HareNewcastle University
Jim DoddsNewcastle NCVS
APOLOGIES
Ged BellCouncillor, Newcastle City Council
Stephen PsallidasCouncillor, Newcastle City Council
Peter ChamleyNewcastle City Council
Samantha DykeNewcastle City Council
Adam GoodwinNewcastle City Council
Alison BlackburnNewcastle Disability Forum
Kieran McSherrySustrans
Michelle WhitworthCTC
Paul SnedkerCycle Hub
Tony WaterstonTransition Jesmond