John Dobson Street Improvements to Start in August

The transformation of John Dobson Street into a tree-lined boulevard is set to commence from 3 August 2015 and is expected to be completed by Spring 2016.

The project which I described here back in February: http://novumcastellum.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/john-dobson-street-to-become-tree-lined.html will see pavements widened, new seating areas installed, new pedestrian crossings, and a segregated two-way cycle track.  The new layout will employ new traffic light technology which will make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as deterring motorists from using the street as an alternative route through the city (rather than using it merely for access to local premises).

John Dobson Street to become a tree-lined boulevard

Tree-lined boulevards are not something I normally associate with Newcastle City Centre, and the track record of the council in respect of greenery in the city has not been good.  OK they probably tick all the boxes on urban green spaces, in no small part due to the Town Moor - a park which according to Wikipedia is larger than Hyde Park and Hampstead Heath combined (and larger than New York's Central Park), but greenery in the city centre is generally pretty sparse.  The last attempt of something coming anywhere close to resembling a tree-line boulevard was the planting of trees outside the central libary when it opened in 2009.  These were soon vandalised and destroyed, probably after a NUFC derby defeat, but were never replaced (nor are there plans to - the trees are absent on the above video).  

This could be about to change!  John Dobson Street is to become a Tree Lined Boulevard. Newcastle City Council has announced what they call as the “biggest investment in its roads for a generation”, with ambitious plans to turn John Dobson Street into an attractive  tree-lined boulevard. The plans include widened pavements, a dedicated two-way cycle track with limited vehicle access.

http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-transport/re-newcastle-transport-improvements/john-dobson-street-improvements

The soon-to-open Sustrans cycle hub and cafe on the Blue Carpet will complement the flagship cycling route.  They have already installed new bike racks outside the proposed 'hub'.

I think the plans look good. Widened footpaths, improved crossings, raised junctions, cycle routes, reducing unnecessary traffic, are all good measures to improve the experience for pedestrians and cyclists alike. But, unless something is done about the number of buses speeding through the city centre, these measures may not have the desired impact.

Newcastle Winter sun - John Dobson Street

Advertising bill board John Dobson street

Walking along new bridge street west towards the central library, I noticed that the billboards opposite, on the intersection of John Dobson Street and New Bridge Street had been pulled down. 

My first thought was "oh, at last, they are going to build on this piece of waste land" - perhaps the commencement of the ill-fated / ill-timed /considerably delayed "East Pilgrim Street regeneration project. My pulse quickened. Are they proceeding with this scheme at long last?  By they, I mean Newcastle City Council.   A regeneration scheme for the area to the east of Pilgrim Street: an inverted pie slice shaped area bordered by the Central Motorway, was fist mooted back in 2007 /2008 but I think the plans were quietly shelved owing to the worsening financial climate,  credit crunch, impending recession, Government cuts, all of the above (the "Newcastle Council All-Purpose Tick as Appropriate Excuse Form" should be used here).   

I seem to recall in the plans, that this area was to be designated a pedestrian zone, and there was proposed a large public square on the intersection of John Dobson Street and New Bridge Street, which seemed to overlap or even replace the Blue Carpet square.  

The area behind the advertising boards is quite large. Sufficient room for a striking building to complement the new library building opposite. There is a ventilation shaft on this site, however, which may create some restriction on the size and type of structure built here.  Its irrelevant; and I needn't have gotten excited; a quick check on Newcastle's planning website shows that what is planned here is just more advertising hoardings - perhaps even illuminated ones.