News
Gateshead Council Stops Taking Cash For Tyne Tunnel Tolls On November 8th
The local authority made a historic change and committed to going cashless.
The new ‘open road tolling’ system means the removal of barriers and traffic lights and the installation of cameras to automatically register journeys instead.
Now vehicles will drive straight through the tunnels instead of stopping on their north side to pay at the toll booths.
Motorists can now pay the fee using a prepaid account with the tunnel operator TT2, or settle the fee before midnight the night after their journey using an online pay later service, an automated phone line or at a PayPal point.
There is now no way of paying to cross the tunnel with cash or contactless cards, with bosses promising that because of this customers will experience faster journeys with far less queueing. Bosses also claim the change will save up to 1,944 hours a week in queueing time, as well as a reduction in C02 emissions by up to 90% with traffic no longer waiting at a standstill.
The change to the toll payment system is the biggest switch up drivers will have seen since the opening of the second tunnel in 2011.
The local authorities have already been faced with many complaints since the ‘pay later’ ticket option that was introduced last year, at one point nearly one in five drivers received heavy fines when they were unable to pay their toll by midnight the following day. The penalty notice can rise up to £100 as well as the £1.90.
Phil Smith, chief executive of TT2 commented ‘We are incredibly excited to see open-road-tolling go live – it’s a historic moment and a key move into modernising the tunnels.
“For the millions of customers who use the tunnel each year, gone are the days of scrambling around for change and waiting in queues. This will greatly improve their experience and make it easier and more convenient for them to pay. And, in the case of those who pre-pay, this makes their journeys cheaper too.
“We have undertaken a gradual, phased approach to changing the tunnels over to open-road-tolling to give drivers time to adjust and understand the changes to the way the tunnels will work from now on.”
He added that around 70% of tunnel users already used a pre-paid account and only 20% currently used cash.
Martin Gannon, the leader of Gateshead Council, who also chairs the North East Joint Transport Committee, added that the scheme will “deliver major environmental benefits for our region”.
“The investment in a more modern operation will provide major journey time savings, alongside the significant environmental benefits of the scheme. This is a positive step towards the decarbonisation of the transport network and achieving our vision of moving to a green, health, dynamic and thriving North East as outlined in the North East Transport Plan.”
What are your thoughts? Have you used the new system yet- Join the conversation on our social media..
News
Newcastle Charity single released – Howay Howay Howay – Raising money for Homeless Christmas Meal
A geordie cover of the infamous ‘Allez, Allez, Allez’ football song to raise money for the the Newcastle Foodbanks ahead of Christmas. You can donate to the Warm Newcastle Christmas Meal appeal here – https://neoffers.co.uk/products/changing-lives-christmas-meal-appeal-north-east
Every penny made from this video will go towards the charity so please feel free to share. If you want to help but not in a position to donate you can share the campaign here – https://www.facebook.com/NorthEastUpdates/posts/pfbid0g95t41cjTkjmSe3TCmXEKsYT6WPdsknEwUqTJpumkkzkLGAAhLfjEaoy6bmrca1Gl
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We are supporting the Warm Christmas meal appeal – you can donate a warm Christmas meal to someone in need in Newcastle and the North East below..
Warm Christmas Meal Appeal North East – Help a Local Person in Need – NEoffers.co.uk
Please also consider donating to the Newcastle West end food bank – https://newcastlewestend.foodbank.org.uk/ Credit: The Geordie Chanter Song title is ‘Howay, Howay, Howay’ https://newcastlewestend.enthuse.com/pf/hhh
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Footage tonight has emerged of PSG fans corning Newcastle United fans in a pub and attacking them in a scary video. This follows news that police had informed Newcastle fans that attacks were possible which lead to at least one pub having to close at 10pm due to this.
We don’t have any details on what happened after the video and this is a breaking news story, follow us on social media to stay fully up to date.
You can see the video here:
YouTube – North East Updates (follow channel for more – won’t open video unless you have an account and over 18) – https://youtube.com/shorts/Uo_2G1WEuWg
X (formally Twitter) https://x.com/SupportersNufc/status/1729269902056493085?s=20
Newcastle United fans attacked in Paris by PSG fans – Watch video
Newcastle fans who would you like to see be brought in or who is most realistic – follow for all Newcastle United news – Newcastle Supporters Worldwide
There will be videos added tomorrow both before and after the PGS game on the North East Updates Youtube channel – follow the channel to stay fully up to date and see below for previous NUFC vs PSG videos…
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PSG Fans arrive at Newcastle Upon Tyne and are met by Newcastle United fans ahead of their Champions League tie (which ended in a 4-1 Newcastle United win). Newcastle Centre was on shut down with streets closed and everyone watching.
The footage is not live and IN FULL on our Youtube Channel you can see the footage below – let us know on the comments on the video what your thoughts are on it….
We rather foolishly spoke to both NUFC and PSG fans after the game – we had to stop filming the interviewing of the PSG fans due to safety concerns see both videos below…
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You can now download our FREE new app to stay fully up to date with all North East related news – https://linktr.ee/northeastupdates
We are supporting the Warm Christmas meal appeal – you can donate a warm Christmas meal to someone in need in Newcastle and the North East below..
Warm Christmas Meal Appeal North East – Help a Local Person in Need – NEoffers.co.uk
While many are familiar with the swift file-sharing capability of Airdrop, Apple has introduced a new addition called ‘NameDrop’ in its latest iteration. Functioning similarly to Airdrop, this feature facilitates the rapid exchange of contact information among users, aiming to streamline the process of sharing phone numbers without manual input.
However, authorities have flagged serious safety risks associated with this new addition. They caution that this feature might make personal information incredibly accessible, raising potential security vulnerabilities.
Sharing your contact details does involve a confirmation step. Yet, there’s a risk of inadvertently sharing your information with strangers if you’re uncertain about the pop-up or its purpose. Moreover, providing a guaranteed and accurate contact could pose risks down the line.
For instance, a scenario could unfold where someone, wishing to avoid unwanted attention, offers a fake number. Unfortunately, if that falsified contact information is scanned, it wouldn’t serve its intended purpose.
Police have issued a warning regarding the default activation of ‘NameDrop’ in the new Apple update. They emphasized that with this feature enabled, anyone can swiftly acquire contact information including pictures, phone numbers, email addresses, and more by simply placing their phone near yours or your child’s unlocked screen.
The police provided instructions on how to deactivate this feature, advising users to navigate to General – AirDrop – and disable ‘Bringing Devices Together.’ Additionally, they recommended setting ‘contacts only’ in the Airdrop settings to avoid receiving unsolicited images from strangers.
However, some individuals countered the police advisory, suggesting it might be overly alarmist. One individual stated that it wasn’t a safety issue as both parties needed to acknowledge the exchange. Another pointed out the need for awareness about disabling the feature, even with consent to the exchange.
They highlighted the importance of being informed about managing these settings: “Done. Thank you for this PSA! Approval or NOT, thank you for sharing this information. Always helpful to know more than less!”
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