The creation of safe, well-supervised pedestrian and cycle access routes will be a key element of the successful regeneration of Gateshead. In addition, the creation of new public spaces will contribute to civic pride and the quality of the built environment. The primary objective in establishing these routes will be to ensure that the enclosing constraints of road and rail corridors are overcome by outwardly-radiating pedestrian and cycle routes. The proposals tfor these important elements include the following;
The dedication of the High Level Bridge to a combination of buses, cyclists and pedestrians, provided that the buses do not make the environment overly hostile
Improved public realm and connections to the Quayside, including managed closure of the Swing Bridge
The creation of a robust pedestrian connection directly from the Baltic to the Business Quarter
The introduction of the ‘Touchdown’ points of the Funicular onto key pedestrian nodes
The introduction of a 3-dimensional pedestrian and cycle axis between the Town Centre and the Business Quarter, possibly through the northern part of the Davy Roll site
Re-organisation of pedestrian routes to focus on the new civic space at the heart of the proposals
The introduction of dedicated cycle lanes on key axial routes into the Town Centre
Improvements to the at-grade solutions for pedestrian and cycle movement to the south and south-east
Improved access to Town Park and the Sculpture Park
