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Ian21401 · May 2nd, 2019, 13:34

Congestion charge zone for “Newcastle upon Tyne”, which, according to the available map seems to include parts of North Tyneside and Gateshead, has been floated. £12.50 per day. It appears to include a huge part of the surrounding residential areas and has been extended east along one of the major commuter routes from the huge residential areas nearer the coast. It will affect tens of thousands of people who live in the area or have to commute into it to work and the cost to them will be huge. We live about 10 miles outside it but any hospital visit will incur a charge. At our age hospital visits are a fact of life. Both my wife and daughter have Blue Badge disabled parking which now permits free parking at the hospitals but we don’t know whether these will offer any assistance with the congestion charge incurred actually travelling to said hospital. It smacks of a simple money making scheme playing lip service to the air pollution problem. A trip to Newcastle by car takes, on average about half an hour. By public transport it takes a minimum of an hour and a half. The public transport system is broken and has been for many years. A particular service is started one year, only to be axed when the “funding” disappears. A solution could be vast park and ride car parks outwith the zone, with electric shuttle buses but they would have to be very very secure parking or it would become a thieves paradise. Meanwhile they are continuing to build hundreds of non affordable housing all over the surrounding Green Belt land. I understand that Northumberland has already far exceeded it’s required number of new houses but they are sooooo expensive and the parking on the relevant estates is non existent as most of the occupants have to run two cars to commute. The occupants of those houses will doubtless need to work somewhere, probably in the Congestion Zone. We daily see reports of yet another developer beginning yet more house building but the infrastructure isn’t there. At our age it will not affect us too much longer, but I dispare for the younger folk.

May 2nd, 2019, 13:34	#40
Ian21401 Premier Member Last Online: Feb 11th, 2023 20:32 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Blyth, Northumberland	Tyneside also. Congestion charge zone for “Newcastle upon Tyne”, which, according to the available map seems to include parts of North Tyneside and Gateshead, has been floated. £12.50 per day. It appears to include a huge part of the surrounding residential areas and has been extended east along one of the major commuter routes from the huge residential areas nearer the coast. It will affect tens of thousands of people who live in the area or have to commute into it to work and the cost to them will be huge. We live about 10 miles outside it but any hospital visit will incur a charge. At our age hospital visits are a fact of life. Both my wife and daughter have Blue Badge disabled parking which now permits free parking at the hospitals but we don’t know whether these will offer any assistance with the congestion charge incurred actually travelling to said hospital. It smacks of a simple money making scheme playing lip service to the air pollution problem. A trip to Newcastle by car takes, on average about half an hour. By public transport it takes a minimum of an hour and a half. The public transport system is broken and has been for many years. A particular service is started one year, only to be axed when the “funding” disappears. A solution could be vast park and ride car parks outwith the zone, with electric shuttle buses but they would have to be very very secure parking or it would become a thieves paradise. Meanwhile they are continuing to build hundreds of non affordable housing all over the surrounding Green Belt land. I understand that Northumberland has already far exceeded it’s required number of new houses but they are sooooo expensive and the parking on the relevant estates is non existent as most of the occupants have to run two cars to commute. The occupants of those houses will doubtless need to work somewhere, probably in the Congestion Zone. We daily see reports of yet another developer beginning yet more house building but the infrastructure isn’t there. At our age it will not affect us too much longer, but I dispare for the younger folk. Last edited by Ian21401; May 2nd, 2019 at 13:38. Reason: Add text.