Commuting in Newcastle

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des

New Member
Location
Edinburgh
... Is a bit of a pain in the backside to be honest. It's like the place is designed to snarl cars up and make it impossible to cycle across. Every 100 yards in the city centre there's a set of lights to stop you (if you're well behaved like me anyway) and there's that flaming inner city motorway to find a way across which cuts residential areas off from the town. I'm only coming in from Sandyford to near the railway station, but it's taking me nearly 20 minutes to do less distance than I used to do in Edinburgh in 10.


Tis very frustrating. However, I drove in from Edinburgh this morning (to be in work for 9 which meant a 5:30 am start) and managed to get to Newcastle outskirts in just over 2 hours (without breaking the speed limit) and then travelled 6 miles in 50 minutes to get back to my flat to cycle into work by which time I was late, so thank god that I cycle into work and don't drive on a regular basis, otherwise I'd be tearing my hair out!
 

Wolf04

New Member
Location
Wallsend on Tyne
No worse than most major cities I guess. There is a lot of re-development building going on at the moment which has meant the introduction of a lot of temporary diversions. Good news though it's only for the next three years or so!:biggrin: I come in from Wallsend, cut through Jesmond then watch the rabbits frolic as I pass through Exhibition Park and end up at the University (Me not the rabbits) only takes 30 minutes to cover seven miles or so (No Lance Armstrong). There again on my all too brief visits to Edinburgh I've always noticed how quickly traffic moves around the city so you may be right. Still beats driving though.
Pete
 

GrahamG

Guru
Location
Bristol
I can understand that actually. Birmingham is well known as a 'car city', but doesn't have the same kind of physical barriers to the city centre (although it used to be a good bit worse!). Last time I was up there, I was coming from Gosforth down the Great North Road into the city and that 'inner-city motorway' really struck me - I was just thinking "what the f**k do you do if you're on a bike?!" Same if you want to come out east, or even just south across the river to Gateshead if you don't want to go down to the quayside to cross.

Or the short version: my sympathies :biggrin:
 

Dr Smut

Active Member
Getting across the City Centre is a pain. There is a Cycle City map for Tyneside that might help you plan a route Des, its in most bike shops. From Sandyford Id be tempted to use one of the pedes/cycle only bridges over the motorway in shieldfield (busy with ambling students this time of year it must be said) and then scoot down northumberland street (illegal but ok before 9), past the monument and joust with some buses heading for the station.
 

neslon

Well-Known Member
Location
The Toon
GrahamG said:
Last time I was up there, I was coming from Gosforth down the Great North Road into the city and that 'inner-city motorway' really struck me - I was just thinking "what the f**k do you do if you're on a bike?!"
xx(

You get on the bike lane from gosforth which runs all the way south to that 'inner city motorway' where you follow it (clue - look for the pictures of a bike) past the university library & into the middle of town. I do this every day on the way home, and find it remarkably uncomplicated.
 

neslon

Well-Known Member
Location
The Toon
des said:
... Is a bit of a pain in the backside to be honest. It's like the place is designed to snarl cars up and make it impossible to cycle across. Every 100 yards in the city centre there's a set of lights to stop you (if you're well behaved like me anyway) and there's that flaming inner city motorway to find a way across which cuts residential areas off from the town. I'm only coming in from Sandyford to near the railway station, but it's taking me nearly 20 minutes to do less distance than I used to do in Edinburgh in 10.

Bizarre. My mate cycles from Gateshead every morning, meets me at the edge of town, then we cycle to cramlington every day in only a few minutes more than you take to do a couple of miles into town. Perhaps you need to get out of bed earlier.
 

neslon

Well-Known Member
Location
The Toon
GrahamG said:
Same if you want to come out east, or even just south across the river to Gateshead if you don't want to go down to the quayside to cross.xx(

Why would you not want to go down to the Quayside????
Its fantastic - you can cross the river on the (traffic free) Minnelium bridge to Gateshead, and the (traffic free) C2Cwill take you West to carlisle. If you want to go East, just follow the (traffic free) C2C route. Admittedly, that only goes as far east as Tynemouth, but there's always the Denmark ferry if you want to go further...
 
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