Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Active Travel: Newcastle upon Tyne

Thursday 21 March 2024 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Chi Onwurah asked the Minister about steps being taken to support active travel in Newcastle upon Tyne.
  • The Government has invested over 15 million in Newcastle upon Tyne since 2020-21 for high-quality active travel infrastructure.
  • The Minister mentioned that a local transport scheme in Jesmond was scrapped due to 23,000 objections and a waste of money.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Chi Onwurah Lab Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Transport
Context

The MP is seeking information on the government's actions to support walking, cycling, and other forms of active travel.

Question

What steps he is taking to support active travel in Newcastle upon Tyne. I am concerned about supporting walking, cycling, and other active travel measures in my constituency.

Answer from Guy Opperman

This Government are investing more than any other in active travel. Around £15 million has been provided to Newcastle upon Tyne since 2020-21 to deliver high-quality infrastructure. That is supported by over £2 million of funding to Transport North East to improve capability across the region.

Answered
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Q2 Chi Onwurah Lab Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Transport
Context

The MP references the significant health benefits of active travel and its economic impact. She notes that many residents wish to walk or cycle more but require safer streets.

Question

Walking and cycling prevent 1,500 serious long-term health conditions on Tyneside every year, according to the walking and cycling index, and they bring in £400 million in economic benefits. So it is no wonder that half of Tynesiders want to walk or wheel more, and that two fifths want to cycle more. If they are to do that, the streets need to be made safer. What is the Minister doing, apart from undermining low traffic neighbourhoods, to make our streets safer for walking, wheeling and cycling?

Answer from Guy Opperman

With great respect to the hon. Lady, she knows full well that her council attempted to have an active travel scheme in Jesmond, and it so messed it up that it had to scrap the scheme. The LTN was scrapped, and there were 23,000 objections and a considerable waste of money.

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific actions being taken to make streets safer for walking, wheeling, and cycling but instead criticized the council's previous scheme.

How: Criticized The Council'S Previous Scheme, Mentioned Objections

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