Local Transport Plan News Archive

September 2008

Following July’s announcement that the government will support the £350m Metro re-invigoration programme over the next 10 years there is equally good news about bus services in Tyne and Wear, with £15.3 million of improvements set to go ahead, subject to government funding.

Plans include two major new park-and-ride facilities, the first bus-based park-and-ride schemes in Tyne and Wear.  These will be complemented by improvements to surrounding roads in order to deliver faster, more reliable journeys.

The plans, developed through the Local Transport Plan, include:

1) A £3.12 million park-and-ride facility for 520 cars at Follingsby on the A194(M). The facility is aimed at drawing motorists from the heavily-congested A1 Western Bypass and surrounding towns and cities including Washington, Birtley, and Sunderland. Dedicated buses will run direct to the centres of Gateshead and Newcastle. A further 480 spaces may be provided at a later date;

2) £1.34 million of improvements to the Felling Bypass and nearby Sunderland Road to smooth bus journeys;

3) A £2.26 million park and ride facility for 328 cars on Whickham Highway in Lobley Hill, easing traffic congestion around the Western Bypass, Team Valley and into central Newcastle and Gateshead.  The photograph on the right shows the site of the proposed car park;

4) £1.49 million on road priority measures to smooth bus journeys into Team Valley Trading Estate, as part of a co-ordinated package to improve sustainable access to the Estate;

5) £2.9 million upgrading the Wheatsheaf Gyratory and Stadium of Light access in Newcastle Road, Sunderland, improving bus flow;

6) £1.1 million improvements to bus Superoute corridors in Tyne and Wear.

This first set of schemes are focused on Gateshead and Sunderland and have been approved by the cabinets of both local authorities.  Work is in hand on further bus route improvements covering the other local authorities in Tyne and Wear.

September 2008

Sunderland City Council is leading the way in promoting sustainable travel and reducing congestion in the city.

The City Council, in partnership with the Tyne & Wear Smarter Choices Team, has organised the Travel Plan Awards 2008 which recognise organisations and businesses in the city that are developing their own effective Travel Plan. (For more information about Travel Plans, see this page).

The awards acknowledge the efforts of those participants who have looked into aspects of car parking, car sharing, pedestrian and cyclist access and public transport provision relating to their staff and visitors travelling throughout the city.

In a special ceremony held at Sunderland Civic Centre on 17th September, the University of Sunderland, Barclays, T-Mobile and EDF Energy all received awards for their efforts to promote sustainable travel.

Smarter Choices Project Manager Stephen Psallidas commented: “There are only a handful of businesses in Tyne & Wear whose Travel Plans have been accredited, so these four can be proud of their achievement. We would encourage any other businesses with positive Travel Plans to contact Sunderland City Council to seek their own accreditation.”

September 2008

Regrettably, the Post Office have announced that. following their "consultation", all the branches proposed for closure in Tyne and Wear (with one exception) will be closed.  The only branch reprieved is at Blackhall Mill in Gateshead, as a result of which it is now proposed to close a further branch, at Walker in Newcastle.

August 2008

LTP Plan Partners have submitted an objection to the current round of proposed Post Office closures in Tyne and Wear, on the grounds that they will reduce accessibility (one of our key strategic priorities) and, by increasing the distance many people have to travel to their nearest branch, will encourage car use.

July 2008

Transport Minister Rosie Winterton has announced that the government will support the £350m Metro re-invigoration programme over the next 10 years.

The Metro system was designed and built in the 1970s and Nexus's plans will enable the 60-station network (carrying more than 40 million passengers each year) to be completely renewed, delivering what Director General Bernard Garner describes as "one of the best railway networks in the UK".

For further details, follow the link below.

We did it! Nexus secures multi-million pound funding for Metro Re-invigoration

The Minister also gave approval for Sunderland City Council's £98m scheme to build a new four lane bridge over the River Wear between Claxheugh and Castletown. The bridge, the fourth to span the Wear, will cater for road traffic, pedestrians and cyclists. 

The plan also includes the provision of bus lanes on Wearmouth Bridge and the upgrading of the signalised Southern Bridgehead Roundabout.

June 2008

Bike week started on 16th June and featured a number of rides and activities across Tyne and Wear.

Cycling maps for Tyne and Wear and South East Northumberland have been published and are available to download here.

May 2008

The Facts and Monitoring Handbook 2007 is available on the Facts and Figures page of this site.

October 2007 

The Cleaner, Greener Travel Event was held at Newcastle University in  order to promote a cleaner, greener way of living and to increase awareness of sustainable and energy saving transport. It was organised by the Tyneside Travel Partnership which consists of local authorities, Nexus and organisations with an interest in travel planning. It was opened by Councillor Mick Henry CBE, Leader of Gateshead Council, and Bernard Garner, Director General of Nexus.