The opening and operation of the Tyne and Wear metro system is likely to produce substantial changes in travel behaviour and activity levels within the conurbation. The central area of Newcastle - the focus of the system - may be expected to experience the impact of these changes as much as any other part of the county. This report describes shopping behaviour and retail trade in the city centre before metro opened and provides a preliminary analysis of the impact on these that metro has already made, and an assessment of the future course and direction of this impact. The research is based on a series of observational and questionnaire surveys of pedestrian flows, commercial land use, retail trade levels, and shopping and travel behaviour. Because of the complexity of the subject, conclusions are drawn from a synthesis of the findings of these different data collection exercises rather than from the results of any single one. (Author/publisher)
Abstract