Local cycling and walking infrastructure plan (LCWIP)

2. Information Gathering

The LCWIP is an evidence-led document which determines the programme for walking and cycling improvements for the borough. Several tools are used to analyse the existing data and prioritise the identified improvements. 

The information considered as part of the LCWIP is set out in the following sections.

2.1 Policy 

The LCWIP is prepared in accordance with the following North Tyneside Council documents:

  • Our North Tyneside Plan 2021-2025
  • the Local Plan 2017-2032
  • the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2021-2025
  • the North Tyneside Transport Strategy 2017-2032
  • the Cycling Strategy 2018-2032
  • the Cycling Design Guide
  • Transport and Highways Supplementary Planning Document
  • the Highway Asset Management Plan (HAMP) 2017-2032
  • the Network Management Plan
  • the Travel Safety Strategy.
     

2.2 North Tyneside Transport Network

In terms of major highways, the A19 strategic road corridor provides north-south connections, facilitating access southwards to South Tyneside, Sunderland and Durham, and northwards to Northumberland. The A19 and A1 are managed by National Highways and are outside the control of the Authority: these north-south major roads create an element of severance for east-west cycling and walking journeys within the borough.

The dual carriageway A1058 Coast Road and A1056 Killingworth Way provide significant east-west connections and a number of other A class roads managed by the Authority serve the borough, including the dual carriageway A189 and east-west connections such as the A191, A193 and A187. Many of these routes also serve journeys between Northumberland and Newcastle upon Tyne and link to the A1 and A19.

North Tyneside has 17 stations on the Tyne and Wear Metro system, which serves three of the four town centres and acts as a valuable link to employment and housing areas in the borough, as well as connecting to Newcastle Central Station and Newcastle Airport. Folding cycles can be carried on Metro at all times, and standard bicycles can be carried on much of the network, including all stations in North Tyneside, at off-peak times on weekdays and all day at weekends. Furthermore, the Northumberland Line major project is set to provide the borough’s first station on the National Rail network, adjacent to Northumberland Park Metro station, which would enable bicycles to be carried on trains to and from Ashington and Newcastle.

The cross-Tyne Shields Ferry service provides a link between North and South Shields and can carry a number of cycles on board. The Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnels, which have provided a valuable link between destinations on both sides of the Tyne since 1951, reopened in August 2019 following refurbishment work.

The ‘tube map’ network of Strategic Cycling Routes for the borough (see Figure 1) was adopted as part of the North Tyneside Cycling Strategy; it is noted that a grid of local routes will complement the strategic routes. The map includes the National Cycle Network (NCN) routes serving the borough, which make use of parts of North Tyneside’s Waggonways network of car-free paths for cycling, walking, wheeling and horse riding. Links can also be made into the Public Rights of Way (PRoW) network, which can be particularly suitable for leisure journeys. 

Figure 1 - Strategic Cycle Routes ‘Tube Map’


Tube style map showing routes across north tyneside suitable for walking and cycling

2.3 Data sets

2.3.1 Travel to work patterns

Cycling and walking journeys are made for a wide variety of purposes: however switching to cycling or walking for the journey to work can be particularly beneficial both for an individual’s health, as the work journey is usually travelled frequently and at all times of year, and more widely, as it reduces pressure on the transport network, particularly at the busiest times of day when air pollution from vehicles can be highest. Census data indicates each individual’s main mode of travel to work.

Data from the 2011 Census shows that, as in most local authorities, the private car was the largest single mode of travel to work in North Tyneside, with 58% of residents in employment driving a car to work. However, this figure varied across the borough, reflecting a combination of socio-economic and transport access factors.

Quorum and Cobalt Business Parks were identified as key employment sites within the borough, however the largest recorded traffic movements within North Tyneside were classified as cross-boundary trips between the North West of the borough and Newcastle City Centre. This covers all forms of transport such as motor vehicles, walking, cycling and public transport. This includes people from outside of the borough travelling to employment sites such as Quorum Business Park, and residents of the North West travelling towards Newcastle. 

2.3.2 Trip generators and attractors

The LCWIP Technical Guidance notes that trip origin points are usually the main residential areas, whereas significant destination points include the following:

  • Town and district centres
  • Employment areas or large individual employers
  • Educational establishments
  • Hospitals
  • Supermarkets
  • Leisure facilities
  • Transport interchange facilities, including the Metro network and a rail station on the planned Northumberland Line

The key development sites within the North Tyneside Local Plan, Killingworth Moor and Murton, were also considered to give an understanding of where future demand may be. Understanding the locations and proposals allows the network to be developed in a way that recognises how links in the developments will form part of the ‘tube map’ of Strategic Cycling Routes.

2.3.3 Safety

The North Tyneside Travel Safety Strategy aims, alongside the North Tyneside Local Plan, to provide a safer environment for road users, including people cycling and walking, and to continue to reduce the number of people injured on the transport network. It includes actions around education initiatives, working with public transport organisations, co‑ordination with delivery partners, and use of new technology

The safety of the network is reviewed annually as part of the North Tyneside Transport Strategy Annual Report. The report analyses the collision data within the borough and looks to understand any common themes between the collisions. 

2.3.4 Propensity to Cycle Tool

An analysis of the network has been undertaken using the Department for Transport’s Propensity to Cycle Tool (PCT). The tool uses algorithms to determine local links to destinations which would notionally have strong potential to realise greater uptake of cycling. 

Using the Government’s targets of doubling cycling in England between 2013 and 2025,  Figure 2 shows what the top 20% forecast areas for cycle commuting might be under the ‘Government Target’ scenario. The areas largely reflect travel to major employment sites within the borough and a high propensity of cross boundary trips into and out of Newcastle.

Figure 2 – Propensity to cycle tool – top 20 areas to have the highest forecast two-way cycle flows for work purposes. 


Map showing North Tyneside and the most used cycle routes