Travel

Make your journeys to and from our University sustainable.

Transport

The largest transportation challenge facing our city is controlling the increasing road traffic and congestion arising from continuing growth in car ownership.

The Newcastle University Travel Plan Update 2015 (PDF: 10MB) sets out objectives and targets to address all campus related transport issues, from staff and student commuting patterns to business related travel, the use of University fleet vehicles and delivery traffic.

The University is committed to bringing together land use and transport planning through its Master Plan and future developments to:

reduce the need to use private cars
make the best of existing infrastructure
manage travel demand
promote the use of more sustainable modes of transport

The Estates and Facilities travel pages (University login required) has further information about parking and staff travel.

Events

There are lots of events to do with travelling in the city and to our campus. Take a look at our News and Events section for upcoming and regular events.

Membership of working groups

The University is also a member of key local and regional transport working groups, such as:

Perks

Perks for everyone

Free bike health checks and maintenance: Dr Bike

Dr Bike provide:

free bicycle health checks
basic maintenance work
'bike prescriptions' for more complex repairs

Please note that any advanced repairs and additional parts will not be part of the free service. Prescriptions for complex repairs will need to be taken to your local bike shop. The Dr Bike service is available to all University staff and students when you show your smartcard.

Dr Bike is not currently being organised at Newcastle University.

Please direct queries to sustainable.campus@ncl.ac.uk.

Railcards

Returning home for the summer or fancy a weekend home with parents, family and friends? Access a 33% discount off First Class Advance, Standard Advance, Standard Anytime and Off-Peak fares with the:

16-25 Railcard
26-30 Railcard
Senior Railcard: for people aged 60 and over

For those aged 31 to 59 who like to travel in pairs, get a 33% discount with the Two Together Railcard.

Recyke y'bike

Both students and staff can buy or hire fully repaired and refurbished bicycles at Recyke y'Bike, based above the Ouseburn Valley in Byker and in Durham.

Staff perks

University Public Transport Discount Scheme

All staff can benefit from a monthly salary deduction and reduced ticket prices on Newcastle public transport. The Estates & Facilities SharePoint page has details on how to apply.

Car sharers permit

For details on how to qualify for a car share parking bay, follow the instructions on the ESS page.

Co-wheels car club: staff 'dual membership' discount

Newcastle University is now official partners with Co-wheels Car Club, where University staff can benefit from the 'dual membership' discount. Staff who join the scheme for private and business use avoid the annual membership fee and minimum monthly spend. Students can acquire a private membership too.

For more information or to join, visit the Co-wheels Car Club website. For your nearest car station, see the Locations map.

Discounted bike hire through salary sacrifice - Cycle Scheme

The University offers the purchasing of bikes and safety equipment to allow staff members to hire the equipment at a saving of between 30.4% to 52% of the purchase amount. For more information or to join the scheme, visit the Cycle Scheme page on the Human Resources section of the University Intranet (University Log-in required).

Perks for students

Student Season MetroSavers

Student MetroSavers are available to all students with a valid student ID card. They provide a 30% discount off an adult season ticket. Newcastle University students can have their Student MetroSaver uploaded directly onto their student card for efficient travel.

To purchase your MetroSaver, visit the Pop Shop or see the Nexus website for more information.

Walk

Walking is good for you and it’s free. Walking into University and between campus locations is an easy way to build some exercise into your day. Priority on campus is given to pedestrians and all those moving through campus by foot and wheelchair. This priority is supported by the pedestrianisation of King's Road through the heart of the campus and improvements to accessibility in areas such as the Old Quadrangle, Claremont Quadrangle, King's Gate and King's Walk.

You can find out more about the main walking routes through campus and the City Centre in the Campus & City map.

Health benefits

Reduces the risk of chronic illness (such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, stroke and some cancers)
Walking at three mph for 30 minutes, a 60kg person will burn 99 calories
Walking the 10,000 steps a day advised by the NHS will significantly improve your health

Tips

Wear a good pair of shoes
Encourage a neighbour to walk with you
Carry a personal alarm for safety
Use well-lit routes
Avoid walking on the road

Cycle

Cycling is better for you than driving or getting public transport. It can help you lose weight, reduce stress and improve fitness. Cycling into University is an easy way to include exercise in your daily life.

Health benefits

An 80kg person will burn more than 650 calories riding a bike for an hour

Tips

Wearing a helmet is important
Remember to obey traffic lights and road signals
Don’t ride on the pavement unless a sign says you can
Use lights and reflectors so you are clearly visible
Don’t use headphones or a mobile while cycling

I’m interested in buying a bike to cycle to campus. Does the University offer any support for my purchase?

Yes – the University provides a cycle-to-work scheme benefit, allowing colleagues to save money on a new cycle and spread the cost, using salary sacrifice. The scheme is provided by Cyclescheme and managed by People Services; details of how to take advantage of this benefit can be found on the Cycle Scheme page on the People Services NU Connect pages (University login required).

Bicycle Users Group (BUG)

BUG includes University staff and students who travel by bike. The group aims to improve facilities around campus, providing an up-to-date website of important information for cyclists and coordinating various cycling events.

To be added to the BUG mailing list, please contact sustainable.campus@ncl.ac.uk with the subject "Join BUG".

Public Transport

CO₂ emissions per train/bus passenger are on average 6-8 times lower than car travel.

It’s better for the environment than driving alone in a car
Travel time can be used for leisure (reading/sleeping/social media and so on)

Did you know the University offer a range of discounted travel schemes for staff?

If you would like some advice on which scheme would offer the best value for money for your particular journey, please contact ess-helpdesk@ncl.ac.uk.

If you’re new to public transport, plan your route at jplanner.travelinenortheast.info.

The table below shows the average times from locations in various areas for the journey into the University campus.

Origin	Walking	Cycling	Public Transport
Jesmond	10 mins	9 mins	20 mins
Heaton	42 mins	15 mins	30 mins
Gateshead	35 mins	17 mins	18 mins
Gosforth	58 mins	14 mins	30 mins
Wallsend	1 hour 21 mins	28 mins	30 mins
Ryton	2 hours 32 mins	49 mins	43 mins
Plan your route here	WalkIt	Cyclestreets	Travel Line

Using public transport can sometimes take longer than cycling or walking. If you can, try and walk or cycle into University. If not, using public transport is a much better option than driving.

Car

Currently, CO₂emissions from cars make up 13% of the UK total. As well as harming the environment, cars are expensive to run. According to the RAC, the average cost of running a new car in 2013 was £6,689. That’s £128 a week or 55p a mile.

But if you do need to use a car, more sustainable options are available.

Co-Wheels Car Club

Our staff can register to use the Co-Wheels car club for both business and private use. Students can register for private use. As a dual member, you will receive free annual membership and no minimum monthly spend will apply to your private account.

To sign up call Co-Wheels on 0191 375 10 50 or register online. For further help, please contact sustainable.campus@ncl.ac.uk.

There is a vehicle based at King George VI Car Park (Toyota Yaris) and additional vehicles are available within easy walking distance of the central Campus area.

Car sharing

Currently, the average car occupancy is 1.58 persons per car. If that increased by 50% to 2.37 people, it would lead to a fall in traffic of a third.

Benefits of car sharing

Reduces the number of cars on the road, reducing pollution, congestion and parking problems
Reduces stress if you don’t do all the driving yourself
It’s sociable

As a car sharer at the University, you can apply for a half price car sharers permit.

How to drive sustainably

If you do need to drive, there are methods to drive in a more environmentally friendly way:

keep your tyres properly inflated: they're safer, they'll last longer, and can improve your petrol mileage by >3%
plan ahead for the shortest, most petrol-saving itinerary
stay below 70mph: travelling above this speed can use up 25% more fuel, making driving considerably more expensive
try to avoid road rage: aggressive driving wastes petrol, lowers petrol mileage and doesn’t help your stress levels
use cruise control while on the motorway, as this can save petrol
get your car serviced regularly to maintain engine efficiency
make sure you’re using the right specification of engine oil
travel light and remove excess weight: do you really need all that stuff in the boot?
cold starts use more fuel: combine journeys to aid fuel efficiency
drive smoothly, accelerate gently and look ahead to try and prevent unnecessary braking
change up the gears earlier when the engine speed is at ~2000rpm in a diesel car and ~2500rpm in a petrol car
take off roof racks to reduce drag
don’t idle: an idle vehicle gives off 80% more pollution than one that’s moving – turning the engine off and then back on again uses less fuel than idling longer than 30 seconds

Links

The Bike Users Group provides information about cycling for University staff and students.

Co-wheels is a service providing an electric car which is available for staff use.

Cyclestreets is a cycle route planning site where you can plan journeys taking into account your cycling speed.

Go Smarter to Work provides information on the information and help available to staff through the University about sustainable travel.

Estates and Facilities can provide you with University car parking information, discounted travel information, car sharing permit information and details of cycling infrastructure on campus

Newcastle City Council contains lots of local information for cyclists including advice, cycling parking spaces and new proposed routes, as well as up to date information about travel plans.

Nexus provides links for metro, bus, rail and ferry travel, including discounts, timetables, maps and ticket buying services.

Phoenix Taxis are available to the University, providing an electric car service.

Recyke y’ Bike is a volunteer community project selling spares and second-hand bikes every Saturday.

Sustrans is a charity aimed at helping to make more environmentally friendly transport choices including honest cycling and public transport information.

The Cycle Hub is a café, bike shop, repair workshop and bike hire shop all in one.

Travel Line is a site providing local public transport information and timetables. Travel Line also has a specific route planner page where you can work out how to get from A to B using public transport.

WalkIt is a site and application allowing the planning of walking routes, telling the user the amount of steps taken and calories burnt as well.