Dr Sally Watson
@salawatson
Followers
2,724
Following
2,781
Media
350
Statuses
6,620
Researcher - history, cities, planning and play. Also often on a bike or in a museum.
Newcastle Upon Tyne
Joined May 2014
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
#خلصوا_صفقات_الهلال1
• 399456 Tweets
ラピュタ
• 373461 Tweets
#พรชีวันEP15
• 185288 Tweets
Johnny
• 174971 Tweets
Megan
• 140623 Tweets
#金曜ロードショー
• 120257 Tweets
NAMJOON
• 84519 Tweets
MEGTAN IS COMING
• 83124 Tweets
RM IS COMING
• 72563 Tweets
#バルス祭り
• 54925 Tweets
#初音ミク誕生祭2024
• 50211 Tweets
#LuckyVickyDay
• 47284 Tweets
CHERISH TWENTY WITH WONYOUNG
• 35804 Tweets
ムスカ大佐
• 35183 Tweets
ミクさん
• 32247 Tweets
#ساعه_استجابه
• 28267 Tweets
パズーとシータ
• 20668 Tweets
ŹOOĻ記念日
• 19271 Tweets
#大沢瑠璃乃生誕祭2024
• 17358 Tweets
滅びの呪文
• 16205 Tweets
ミクちゃん
• 14670 Tweets
YINWAR OVER THE HORIZON
• 14403 Tweets
ロボット兵
• 12569 Tweets
ナウシカ
• 12268 Tweets
トパーズ
• 11874 Tweets
I passed my PhD viva with minor corrections yesterday. Hasn’t quite sunk in yet! Thanks to my examiners
@ParnellRosie
and
@John_Horton_
for a such a thought-provoking discussion and to John for my 💙 Kings Heath badge!
72
17
359
Yesterday we cycled from Delft to Rotterdam the long way round. On cycle paths, low traffic streets and lanes. There is no way you could cycle between cities in the UK without serious advanced planning but here you just follow the numbers.
5
29
268
The headline is ‘Children suffering due to lack of outdoor play’ but the problem is much bigger than this. For many, if not most children, badly designed streets, dangerous drivers and too much traffic limits their movement altogether.
8
76
244
Newcastle Council to rip out Jesmond LTN despite the data being extremely positive. Whose voice mattered here? Not the children and young people growing up in the city. This is hugely disappointing news.
Your voice matters🤝
That’s our message as low traffic neighbourhoods in Jesmond will be removed.
Our pilot found 👇
✅ The pilot objectives were met
🚗 Residents journey times increased
🚨 Emergency services were unaffected
🗣 77 % of people opposed the scheme
👇1/2 👇
155
28
140
18
42
202
Traffic chaos in Newcastle on Saturday during the rail and bus strikes. A glimpse of what drivers have to look forward to with the new Tory pro-car policies.
15
47
198
And the traffic is back. All to save 2-3 minutes on driver journey times. This
@ChronicleLive
article states these went up by 28%, but doesn’t tell you that this translates as 2.2 minutes at morning peak. A former Labour cllr says
@NewcastleCC
has ‘destroyed its credibility’.
Report from Jesmond earlier as LTN bollards were removed.
One business owner said she was "so happy I could cry", but other locals accuse the council of having "destroyed its credibility".
7
0
18
16
51
177
Your own publications say most people don’t cycle because it generally isn’t safe enough. Maybe you could build us some more bike lanes
@transportgovuk
Everyday in the UK 569,000 people cycle to work, today why don’t you join them? 🚴🚴♀️🚴♂️
#cycle
#cycletowork
237
37
166
1
36
178
Once upon a time when there was widespread consensus on the importance of play.
“The picture shows a good, modern council estate. The houses have light and fresh air, and the children have somewhere to play in safety” (1963)
Artist: Robert Ayton
26
153
1K
9
27
134
This bonkers plan for motorists is obviously just another sign that we have a dying government. But as someone who is currently writing about the role of government guidance in limiting local powers it is also fascinating.
6
22
115
Byker in the 70s. Even the child and bike are colour coordinated. © Jeremy Preston, RIBA Collections
5
14
107
This is the thing I always find most striking here. Seeing girls as young as seven or eight cycling through town centres with no adult chaperone is just amazing. And why I find the backlash and motorist outrage over road closures in the UK so depressing.
3
16
99
Cycling from Byker through Heaton, Jesmond and Gosforth with
@activetraveleng
@NewcastleCC
@_graham_grant
looking at some of the recent and very positive changes to our streets. Was great to meet
@Chris_Boardman
@citycyclists
and catch up with
@bricycle
. Sorry about the weather!
4
14
96
Low traffic neighbourhoods come into their own in the snow.
10
9
93
Just been hit by a driver on Brentwood Ave by while cycling home from taking my daughter to school. He didn’t stop. This was at 8.55 when children are still arriving at school. We really need to do something to make this area safer
@JesmondStella
@JesmondTanya
@West_Jes_School
29
20
85
In my last ever week of doing the school run by bike I have already had to call the police because a driver deliberately drove at another parent who had also complained about his illegal parking and engine idling.
6
10
83
A cycling nurse in Shetland. Imagine the outcry if you suggested this was possible today.
#ArchiveHealth
greets Margaret Cairns, Queen's District nurse, who's about to set off on her rounds on Fair Isle, Shetland 1956. The National Health Service Scotland Act 1947 made it compulsory for every council to provide District Nurses 🙏
@NHSScotland
5
41
136
14
7
83
I spoke to
@BBCNEandCumbria
yesterday about the negative impact of removing LTNs in Newcastle - in Fenham last year and now Jesmond - on children in the city, including my own. We need more of these, along with school school streets, so that children can get around safely.
Residents and business owners give mixed views after a low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) was axed
1
1
0
8
16
81
Only a short hop across the North Sea but feels like a million miles away what with the news at home this week. Delft city centre is very low traffic. Great bike lanes, public transport and pedestrianised streets. Lots of children and young people out and about.
5
13
78
My children’s school reminded them last week that they mustn’t wear winter coats even in sub zero temperatures. It was minus one yesterday and snowing and they had to wear a fleece and shell jacket. No boots allowed, just smart leather shoes. Winter clothes to travel in banned.
Another vignette about Astrea academy trust. Parents at one of its 2ndaries in Cambs were sent a message from school yesterday warning daughters not to wear black socks over black tights. Message said that students had been reminded that this was vs the rules, despite the cold...
59
81
191
45
31
77
Not sure how he intends to do this unless he is going to return to signing off traffic orders individually. This would be a huge claw back of powers which were ceded to local authorities in the 1960s.
8
14
70
Lovely to see so many happy faces at Newcastle’s
#KidicalMass
today. Thanks to
@space4gosforth
@SPACE4Fenham_AH
@NewCycling
for organising and
@GedBell
@ChiOnwurah
for coming along.
2
24
71
School run in Amsterdam. Youngest wishes she went to school here - lots of cycling and no uniforms!
2
8
62
First time to visit Ralph Erskine’s Clare College in Cambridge and so strange to see a mini Byker here.
4
6
61
@NewcastleCC
This is so disappointing. The idea that you can have a perfect scheme which upsets no one is extremely naive. What is the point of having policies and making promises if you are just going to turn everything into a referendum which privileges the most vocal?
4
7
61
Not just London. I'd say this happens to me at least once a month in Newcastle.
💥 "GET OFF THE ROAD, BITCH!" 9/10 women cycling in London face abuse says new LCC survey. CW: swearing, abuse descriptions
Sign the
#FreedomToRide
petition & share to add your voice >>
Full report:
102
490
836
4
10
56
If you’re at the
#RGSIBG22
conference this week please make time to come and see mine and
@alisonstenning
’s Women, Children and Play on Streets display on the ground floor of the Herschel Building.
2
10
55
In 1957 Newcastle council objected to Northumberland council's insistence on one garage to every four houses. The chair of the Housing Committee said: "If one in four families have cars I do not know what the position will be on the roads."
7
18
51
Many drivers have complained about these lanes but this is what they make possible - thanks to
@NewcastleCC
. Would be great if the painted man could be turned into a cycling girl 😀
@JaneLabour
5
6
48
And here’s the new government plan for drivers. Which begins ‘There’s nothing wrong with driving…’ I feel so sorry for the civil servants who had to draft this nonsense.
4
11
49
In a very boring thesis update I have now written 129,192 words on this.
9
0
44
This morning I WILL write the final section of this PhD chapter. Please hold me to this.
11
0
47
In 1975 residents of Hollywood Avenue in Newcastle petitioned to have their street closed because it was dangerous for their children. No one really cared about children so they had to put up with ever-increasing traffic for another 45 years. Congratulations
@welovesalters
👏
2
10
44
The new bollards mean some are complaining about increased journey times unfairly impacting on working mothers. For some of us it means we spend less time travelling because we don’t have to accompany cycling children part way to school everyday.
5
3
45
@oodavid
@NewcastleCC
My children have no choice but to cycle through this neighbourhood and I just can’t believe that anyone can think their safety is less important than someone’s car journey time.
5
2
46
And this is what happens if you add some usable space to the ends of streets when you remove the motor traffic. Two boys playing football and two sitting on the wall chatting.
2
7
43
Newcastle City Council has now cancelled three LTNs and has still not announced if or how it will spend its ATE3 allocation of £7.7m. Seems to be at odds with pronouncements made in relation to new council plan
Another of Newcastle's low traffic neighbourhoods to be axed.
@NewcastleCC
confirms that its Heaton LTN will not be made permanent when its 18-month trial expires on April 23.
14
6
17
3
16
42
Police object to a playground because it might cause anti-social behaviour and councillors reject the plan. Depressing to see how little children are valued.
North East play park refused due to area becoming 'crime and anti-social magnet'
2
0
0
3
8
39
Putting the final touches to our play streets contribution to the How We Live Now exhibition with
@alisonstenning
today - some of you will recognise these signs! Thanks to
@visitnca
@harperclaire
@KTLloydT
5
4
39
His answer was no, children are not a priority. Concern’s about children’s play had a significant influence on postwar housing, particularly through the work of the Ministry of Housing & Local Government. Children are not even on the agenda of today’s equivalent department.
1
14
41
A new experimental traffic order has closed (opened) five streets in Jesmond today. An earlier experimental order closed six streets here (area 5 on the Jesmond Plan, 1966) in 1970.
4
4
39
Newcastle’s Civic Centre in 1967. Taken from the new Claremont Tower.
2
2
40
Bikes of all shapes and sizes in Exhibition Park! Lots of people who want safer streets for children in the city
#KidicalMass
0
10
41
The play street signs around Chilly Road Primary will be joined by school street signs next week. Wonder whether there are any other streets in the country which are both play streets and school streets?
3
7
41
In his 1969 book Design for Play, the architect Richard Dattner proposed 'play nodes' for every street.
2
13
38
Yesterday a car crash which left one vehicle upside down. Today the pavement is fenced off and children have to walk in the carriageway. Up this same road. Please can something be done about this asap
@JaneLabour
my daughter says it was very scary with drivers passing very close.
Major car crash at the Corner House junction less than 30 minutes after hundreds of school children passed through here on the way to
@JesmondPark
. Is there any news on when this junction improvement will go ahead
@JaneLabour
?
4
5
18
5
7
40
Hearing about school streets at fantastic
@MumsForLungs
event. Look how amazing this is. From wall to wall cars to a play space. Hope to see this here soon
@NewcastleCC
@GedBell
2
6
38
Three weeks to go until PhD deadline day. Minor panic about referencing but thankfully my oldest has managed to edit my referencing software. The irony that he can do this because he spent his childhood in front of a computer and not playing out does not escape me.
5
0
38
Tomorrow is the day I hand in my thesis. Solidarity with all those on strike. I’ll be there with you in spirit.
BREAKING: it is now unavoidable, will be taking strike action as no attempt to negotiate has reached us from senior management. FIRST STRIKE DAY 23 JUNE, TOMORROW, THIS IS AN OPEN DAY! COME PICKET 3
#oneofusallofus
#settlethedispute
2
67
171
5
0
34
And we’re off! Best way to travel. Compulsory stop to clamber on the rocks on the way to the way to the ferry. Tesco tower means we’re nearly there.
8
1
36
I love the optimism of those who have never done public engagement/consultation on planning before. The idea that there will be no controversy if you can just get the consultation right is so 1960s.
7
6
38
@NewcastleCC
And no lessons seem to have been learned about informing people about change in a timely fashion. What mitigation are you putting in place to ensure all the children travelling through this area will be safe next week when the traffic returns?
4
3
37
@ShowMeASignBryn
@RantyHighwayman
First cycle traffic lights in Middlesbrough of all places. 1970s.
3
4
36
Active Travel England scheme review tools just published. Am sure lots of people will be interested to see this…
0
16
33
But I will judge
@NewcastleCC
if they remove the bollards in Jesmond which are currently keeping my children safe on part of their journey to school. Sadly have heard rumour that this is likely to happen.
My children’s school assembly today was about road safety. Telling children to keep themselves safe and showing them a video of a driver running a red light and hitting a child from the school. I don’t judge the school, who are rightly worried and have no control over this.
3
1
16
5
3
35
Many schools like
@JesmondPark
are not complying with new law to make uniforms more affordable - instead of passing these items on to younger sibling we have had to spend £56 buying new items because each year group has a different colour
@CatMcKinnell
13
10
32
And here is Pooley Bridge. After 33 miles walking between three youth hostels, having eaten lots of fudge and with sore feet, now we’re on our way home by bus, train and metro.
Hello Lake District. Me and the youngest have three days of walking and hostelling from Windermere to Pooley Bridge ahead of us. We have to use those
@YHAOfficial
hostels or we’ll lose them! Please pray to the weather gods on our behalf. I have a feeling this sunshine won’t last.
5
0
26
1
0
34
We’ve cycled an improbable 70 miles over two days in 35 degree heat in Brittany. Other than the lovely Nantes-Brest canal, we’ve done a thorough sampling of tabacs - can’t beat them for lemonade, water, toilets and various odd extras depending on location. Mini doughnuts today.
3
1
34
Great news - Newcastle to keep their traffic-free bridges. Big thanks to
@NewcastleCC
@NCC_Leader
@GedBell
and
@arleneainsley
who had to take so much flack for these small changes which make such a big difference to people walking and cycling.
We’re committed to creating safer, cleaner and greener neighbourhoods which is why we have made the decision to keep Salters Bridge, Dene Bridge, Haldane Bridge, Argyle Street Bridge and Stoneyhurst Road Bridge permanently closed to vehicles. Read more at
23
33
277
2
5
33
Lovely day cycling with
#KidicalMass
for safer infrastructure for children and young people in Newcastle.
0
6
32
A rare luxury today - a whole day talking about play research and activism. Even included chalking on an abandoned 70s playground (with obligatory bollards).
2
3
32
Yesterday we cycled into Utrecht. 10 miles of bike paths and low traffic streets. Only had to stop at traffic lights twice!
2
5
33
The high cost of fixing potholes - ‘cabinet member Paul Frew told Monday evening’s civic centre meeting that part of the problem was that cars “keep getting bigger” and thereby put more strain on roads’.
10
8
33
Someone has just got in touch to say that after an earlier rejection, their play street application has now been approved. A huge thank you to
@NewcastleCC
. Hope that we can get many more play streets up and running here
@JaneLabour
@playmeetstreet
@playingout
2
6
34
Good to see some bike parking back on Saville Row even if it is the ideal spot for bike thieves. But it’s way too close to the wall so useless if you don’t have a kickstand. Hope you are still doing snagging here
@NewcastleCC
4
2
33
Just horrendous. Hard to imagine what those families must be going through. Why people are allowed to take these vehicles anywhere near schools is beyond me.
1
5
30
There are over 200
#KidicalMass
rides taking place in a total of 15 countries this weekend and two of them are in Newcastle and North Tyneside. If you live locally please join us! Everyone welcome. There will be 🧁 for Newcastle cyclists and 🍦 at the coast
@KidicalMassNE
2
16
32
Delft has dozens of these small play spaces between terraced housing and flats. Lots of young children playing in them. Sometimes with parents, sometimes without.
2
4
32
Great to see this but more trials after three years of trials? How many children will miss out while we wait for a national rollout?
8 in 10 parents & carers say zebra crossings on side roads would make them feel safer walking their children to school. Today we've announced new side road zebra trials to help
@WestMids_CA
and
@greatermcr
with their devolution deals. Watch our video with
@Chris_Boardman
🦓🚶♂️👩🦽🛴
49
180
617
1
7
32
My oldest was followed up Shortridge Tce on his bike today by an impatient driver blasting his horn. He’s 13 years old and was on his way home from school. He doesn’t want to cycle on the pavement but won’t have much choice if the roads aren’t safe
@flissmen
@CharlieJGray
10
4
32
You might want to share this with your public health and transport teams given you’ve removed two such scheme in Fenham and Jesmond in the past six months
@NewcastleCC
New paper out, open access in Journal of Transport & Health :) Impacts of active travel interventions on travel behaviour and health: Results from a five-year longitudinal travel survey in Outer London.
5
132
300
1
1
30
After a long two years on zoom, I'm really looking forward to sharing my research in person this week at the
@UrbanHistoryCUP
conference. I'll be talking about planning for children's play in Newcastle in the 60s and 70s.
The UHG 2022 Conference at Robinson College, Cambridge Mar 31st -Apr 1st: Registration and Programme now online -
0
6
7
1
2
32
Two pre-Christmas presents for me! So many people doing great stuff to raise awareness of and celebrate North East heritage. Thanks to
@neheritagelib
@perry_jims
@harperclaire
2
4
27
@KirstyLewin
Ugh. Today a man tailgated me on a residential street blasting his horn because, he said, he wanted me to get out of the way. It happens a lot. Thanks to to passerby who laughed at him and told him he just had to wait because that was the rules.
0
0
29
Perhaps not surprising to see
@GuyOpperman
spreading misinformation about LTNs. There weren’t 23,000 objections to the Jesmond LTN. Fewer than 3,000 people responded to the consultation
@transportgovuk
@activetraveleng
Good to see
@ChiOnwurah
asking critical questions in parliament about government support for active travel infrastructure in Newcastle.
0
1
15
0
8
29
Cycling towards the Civic Centre with
@KidicalMassNE
this afternoon. If only more of our main roads looked like this
@NewcastleCC
0
5
29
Great start to the Cycle County conference in Oxford. Chris Boardman saying that all children and young people should have the freedom to ride their bikes that these girls have
#CycleCounty2023
0
5
28
Really not going to miss the wacky races driving and the daily dicing with death. But unfortunately both children will now have to cope with this on their own because no one in authority seems to be in any hurry to make it safer for them.
0
4
28
Cruddas Recreation Ground was donated 'in perpetuity as a Public Recreation Ground for the children and inhabitants of the neighbourhood'. How depressing to find that there is now a car dealership on the site.
4
6
27
Because it is impossible to buy school uniform from an actual shop in the city centre which everyone has reasonably good access to, today we had to cycle to Kingston Park. A journey under 2 miles from S Gosforth which took 20 mins. But so many barriers on the way.
3
4
27
Every city should have a plan for play! Well done
@perry_jims
and team who have worked so hard on this and fantastic to see
@myworcester
considering the needs of children and young people 👏👏👏
1
7
27
What I love about finding a decision to pedestrianise or stop up a road is the inevitable street view photo of children enjoying the space. The decision about Roxburgh Place was made in 1975. I bet hundreds of children have enjoyed hanging out on that wall since then.
2
2
28
All parents deserve to be able to get around safely with their children. And all parents are working parents - even the ones who aren’t paid. So thanks to
@JaneLabour
for trying to improve things for people who want to or have to get around without a car.
0
0
28
A playground next to some housing and a cycle lane next to a stadium. Simple things we just don't do so well here.
2
1
28
We enjoyed a sunny ride around Jesmond and Gosforth with
@SPACEforJesmond
this afternoon. Lovely to see so many children enjoying the traffic free and low traffic routes. All of these created in the last decade.
3
2
28
Because standards. Obviously their whole behaviour policy would fail if they arrived at school warm and dry.
My children’s school reminded them last week that they mustn’t wear winter coats even in sub zero temperatures. It was minus one yesterday and snowing and they had to wear a fleece and shell jacket. No boots allowed, just smart leather shoes. Winter clothes to travel in banned.
45
31
77
4
6
24
Mothers and children campaigning for a crossing on Elswick Road in 1969.
4
2
27
Campaigns to make streets outside schools safe take too long. A child at my son’s school was run over by a driver this week. That child is likely to be an adult before the adults themselves get round to making the road safer.
Last year, 27 450 people were killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads.
@scarlettmcnally
looks at how we can prioritise our health by making roads safer
10
154
256
2
0
25
The Tyne Bridge is soon to go down to two lanes and the only mitigation is to fiddle with the traffic lights and remove low traffic neighbourhoods. There is funding for bus lanes but private car owners are to be prioritised instead. So much for supporting public transport.
Transport chiefs insist they have no plans to install a bus lane
4
1
5
4
5
27
One thing which is striking is how the play spaces in the small green spaces in housing of all ages has been maintained and even improved here in the Netherlands. Many people in the UK probably aren’t aware that we had lots of spaces like this in the 1970s and into the 80s.
“Children in Newcastle left with nowhere to play”. Elswick has a long history of innovative play spaces which were hard won by local residents and which often didn’t last for long. Very sad to see people are still having to fight for basic provision.
1
4
22
3
6
25
Hello Lake District. Me and the youngest have three days of walking and hostelling from Windermere to Pooley Bridge ahead of us. We have to use those
@YHAOfficial
hostels or we’ll lose them! Please pray to the weather gods on our behalf. I have a feeling this sunshine won’t last.
5
0
26
Some ambition here. Can any of the North East mayoral candidates match this?
@KiMcGuinness
@MayorJD
BREAKING
@AndyBurnhamGM
, pending re-election, has tonight announced the rollout of 100 permanent school streets across Greater Manchester by the end of 2028
16
51
303
0
10
26
The replica Tutankhamun mask at the
@GNM_Hancock
- this was made for the museum by Ken Rebair from Byker. Ken was a craftsman who worked at Swan Hunter and also made structures and carved features for Byker at the request of the Erskine office architects.
3
4
25
Three years since Newcastle was allocated £7.7m for four active travel schemes but no further announcements about these yet
4
11
26
@bendav1es
@NewcastleCC
Someone once told me that NE3 has the highest percentage of medics of any postcode in the country so imagine you won’t find it difficult to recruit. These bollards reduce traffic and mean local children can get around safely. Something you’d hope GPs would support.
5
0
24
More Lakes camping but this time just the two of us and travelling by train, bus and on foot.
1
0
23
Wishing the best of luck to all those standing in tomorrow's local elections who support making street safer for children. It seems ridiculously difficult to make this 👇 happen - sadly many adults will fight to tooth and nail to prevent it - but it is 100% worth it.
#weloveourLTN
4yo’s “homework” this week is a number hunt so we got on our bikes & roamed the streets. We could chat, spot numbers, and get some crucial riding practice in. It’s great being 4 and being safe in your street. What’s not to love?
@welovesalters
@space4gosforth
0
2
16
1
2
23
