Evaluation
At first glance, Blackett Street does not impress as an example of successful street paving. The block surfacing has failed under pressure from the buses as a result of deflection of the concrete slab bridging the Metro station below. Rather than disrupt bus operations for small repairs, ugly temporary asphalt patching is used until the whole bus track can be repaved using more durable techniques. Yet despite these initial material failings, the scheme clearly fulfils its original purpose. It succeeds in allowing around 85 buses an hour through a very crowded space with minimal delay to movement or disruption to the quality of space. Over 5.5 million passengers alight or board per year from Blackett Street, with a further 1.6 million through passengers. If anything, bus operations and their interaction with the thronging movement enlivens and animates the streetscape, adding a rhythm and vitality so often absent from fully pedestrianised squares.
The heightened risk associated with bus and pedestrian interaction seems to be succeeding in reducing the number of fatal and serious accidents to date - four fatal and four serious accidents from 1995-1999 compared to no fatals and two serious from 2000-2004. The reduction in bus speeds seems to be the main contributor to the reduction in severity of accidents. Direct comparisons of 'before' and 'after' are difficult, given the changes in volumes of people and traffic. But the reduction in serious injuries and fatalities so far suggest that the approach to safety is certainly not as many feared.
Bus patronage continues to increase in Newcastle, and the link between the Quayside and the City Centre is continuing to draw more daytime visitors. It is too early to assess the economic effect of the streetscape investment, but there are signs of new business (pavement cafes) beginning to take hold around Sandhill and Side in what has long been an under-occupied and declining commercial wasteland.
The success of these examples in redefining the intended use of streets and the priority for different modes raises important issues for the Department for Transport (DfT) in the use of signing. Members of the project teams despair at the clumsy and unnecessary signage required for areas that rely on the training and intelligence of professional transport operators. The lack of appropriate signing for the Quaylink streets permitted by the DfT has necessitated needless, expensive and disruptive cycle bypasses at entry points, notwithstanding the exemplary care and skill with which these have been installed.
A few hundred yards to the east of Grey's Monument, Blackett Street disappears through a dark tunnel under the civic library. It is classic 1960s segregation of people and traffic. The integration of buses into a thriving public space just minutes away signals a fresh approach to combining bus movements and traffic into a people-dominated public realm.
CABE is encouraging local authorities, highways designers and developers to bring together the needs of all street users. Some disabled people, particularly visually impaired people, have concerns about the safety of streets, where there is not a clear distinction between spaces for pedestrians and motorists. We look forward to the findings of new work and research underway to help develop successful approaches to designing streets that work better for everyone. In support, CABE will be publishing a paper in 2008 to support an open dialogue about the conflicts that can arise between different users of our streets to help us move towards a better informed position on the design of integrated streets.
