(11 Sep 2021, 10:13 pm)Adrian wrote I have sympathy for low earners that would be penalised by the AQMA scheme including private cars, but likewise this could penalise public transport users, when fares inevitably go up post-pandemic and we're reminded that it's due to X investment in vehicles, in order to meet the AQMA rules. 

Cars alone aren't the cause of congestion, but they do play a big part in it. Our roads and City Centres just aren't designed for the volumes of traffic they're now taking, and there needs to be a point where you try and flatten the trend.

Your observation about Blackett Street is a good one, and certainly there's been plenty of times I've seen congestion caused by a bus parked up with its back end hanging out, but just because there's very few cars on Percy Street and none at all on Blackett Street, doesn't mean that buses aren't getting stuck in traffic congestion elsewhere, causing them to run late and inevitably start grouping at stops. Of course, overprovision is also a big factor in this and I agree what Andreos1 has said. I'd like to see operators design networks that don't involve *everything* passing through or terminating in the City Centre. Its excessive, unnecessary and quite frankly part of the problem. It's also something that is intended to be tackled by BSIPs, so hopefully an opportunity to sort that out.

Buses and the Metro aren't perfect, there's barriers to people using them and there's a lot more work to do to encourage people to switch. Drivers need to see it as a realistic (and inexpensive) option to park just outside of the City Centre, then complete their journey by bus or Metro. It works well in Durham, because the P&R cost compared to parking makes it a no-brainer. 

Pollution and air quality remains a very real problem that needs tackling, and IMO not one that you can do selectively. Otherwise we end up in a position where we keep shrugging our shoulders and hoping that it'll deal with itself further down the line.

You make some good points there in fairness especially about buses grouping together because of traffic elsewhere.

Maybe one idea though could be to introduce an ULEZ though like London which is only inside of the A167(M), the current borders at the top left and then St James Boulevard on the West side. At least then for those who are genuinely poor and it's all they've got, who maybe live in let's say Byker could still get to work somewhere where buses barely serve by allowing them to still use the Tyne and Redheugh Bridges which are arguably strategic routes aswell. Obviously you could go down the Friars Goose Crossing either but that's just fantasy land in the current climate (mind Sunderland managed to build a new bridge so it's not impossible). I do agree about that journeys into the city should be promoted to use other methods though. 

I'd probably then be tempted to go further and extend the LEZ to cover Gosforth High Street, Gateshead Town Centre, The Coast Road, Killingworth Road / Matthew Bank and Low Fell. There's not really any reason why once Newcastle is done why heavy HGV's should be going through there and most other vehicles will already be done anyway unless they plan to not serve Newcastle which is a problem for taxis and work vehicles. Believe all the buses serving them are done already, could be wrong though. (GNE's 69?)