City studies ‘revolutionary’ transit system

04 June 2008

Gateshead Council has agreed to commission a feasibility study into proposals for a bus rapid-transit system into the city, drawn up by bus firm, Go North East.

The operator wants to enter into a statutory quality partnership with Nexus and Gateshead and Newcastle councils to introduce a high-capacity service on the Low Fell corridor into the city centre.

The operator claimed the route into Gateshead and on to Newcastle from the south along the A167 Durham Road was suitable for the ‘revolutionary’, articulated Streetcar vehicles.

But, to justify the investment, Go North East wanted ‘a significant upgrading of bus priority’. A statutory partnership would provide a binding commitment, necessary, given ‘the scale of expenditure’ required by the parties. As part of the agreement, the company was willing to agree to achieving customer satisfaction at least five index points above that for the UK as a whole.

Go North East said that to achieve a reliable operation into Newcastle city centre, it would require an effective priority route over the Tyne. This would require using at least one lane of the newly-reopened High Level Bridge. New bus lanes would also be necessary, it claimed, on stretches of the A167 Durham Road, and signals adapted at a number of junctions.

This would entail converting cycle lanes and footways into bus lanes. Pedestrian crossing could be improved as part of priority measures at junctions, including for visitors to the Angel of the North attraction. Nick Clennett, Gateshead council’s head of transport and highways, said: ‘We are in discussions with Go North East and Nexus about the feasibility of such a scheme. ‘Clearly, any adaptation of the highway to create a dedicated bus-only route would need to be considered carefully to make sure we took into account the needs of businesses and residents, and pedestrians and other road-users.’

Another consideration would be the signing of the High Level Bridge as a ‘weak bridge’, with a 20mph speed limit and a three-tonne gross vehicle weight.

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