MANCHESTER HOLDS THE KEY

Manchester key to rolling out Britain’s cycling revolution

Manchester probably holds the key to whether the cycling transport revolution promised by the government finally happens, after decades of false promises.

Why? Because Manchester has a huge cycling plan ready to go – the Bee Network costed at £1.2bn - devised by former Olympic champion Chris Boardman and the Mayor, Andy Burnham MP (featured in a previous blog).

Surely, now it’s time has come.

Manchester placed their £1.2bn bid with the Department for Transport last year, months before the pandemic shut down the world with the spread of the coronavirus. They are still waiting to hear back from the DfT.

 

Manchester has big plans for cycling

If they get the go ahead, it will mean the government is serious about making the roads safer for cycling beyond their call to install Pop-up cycle lanes as a means of quickly encouraging bike use.

For then other cities will follow suit.

If Manchester doesn’t get the go-ahead, then the cycling dream will have become another of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s fairy stories.

Remember the 40 new hospitals he promised during his election campaign? Turns out funding provided was only enough money for six, including some in need of repair.

So after the initial surge  to install “pop-up” cycle lanes now happily appearing  in towns and cities, firm decisions need  to be taken and big money spent to make more permanent changes to the highway.

Then those who wish to cycle but do not because of the hostile road environment can do so, including the huge number of Manchester residents who do not drive.

Fewer cars mean less pollution, which is the key factor behind the calls now to encourage cycling and walking.

The only positive to come out of this pandemic has been the huge drop in pollution levels as traffic and production halted worldwide.

Pollution, which globally kills 9m a year, was simply blown away during this period.

The horrible irony is that over the years pollution has contributed to the respiratory illnesses which resulted in so many succumbing to the virus.

With the world breathing fresh air again, countries said that never again must pollution be allowed rise to such unhealthy levels.  Hence the global call to get on  your bike and walk for those many short journeys, instead of driving and, crucially for many, to allow people to avoid using crowded public transport  with its risk of infection.

It is worth noting the subtle but telling difference in the UK’s call, which emphasised to cycle and walk to work instead of using public transport. No mention of cycling instead of driving, as I recall. 

Afterall no British government dare risk the wrath of the Middle England, looking forward as they are to the £27b road building programme which is also on the cards and which will only add to the pollution levels the cycling strategy is meant to address.

Scientists warned this year that long term exposure to air pollution (with traffic the major contributor) is killing one in 19 people in the UK each year |(Air Quality News.com). This is despite the UK currently meeting legal limits!

Premature deaths from pollution in the UK – between 28,000 and 36,000 a year - is 25 times higher than deaths from road traffic collisions!

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There is huge political and public support in Manchester to roll out the 1,800 miles of the Bee Network.

Manchester, streets ahead in cycling planning

Ellie Stott, the Communications and Engagement Officer for Transport for Greater Manchester says work has been going for a number of years, mainly focusing around the delivery of the 1,800 mile Bee Network.

Now, in response to the call to install Pop Up cycling lanes to help people start to move safely after the pandemic lockdown, Manchester is planning to install  measures such as footway extensions, one-way streets, removing through traffic on certain roads, adding extra cycle lanes and removing street ‘clutter’ like pedestrian guard rail at pinch points.

This is their SafeStreetsSaveLives campaign which has received £5m of emergency funding from the Mayors Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund. 

One such initiative is the new cycle lane in Trafford along the A56.

Manchester has now also submitted a bid of £21.5m to the DfT for further measures in all 10 districts, including in the towns of Wigan, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, plus Salford, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “Greater Manchester has been leading the way with our plans to build the largest walking and cycling network in the UK. A number of cities around the world have begun implementing measures to enable safe essential travel and exercise during lockdown. As part of our efforts to Build Back Better in Greater Manchester, we’re taking the same, bold approach - Safe Streets really do Save Lives.

“Peoples’ travel behaviour across our city region has transformed during lockdown. As more people turn to walking and cycling, we want that to continue as we move into life beyond lockdown. That’s why we’ve proposed measures, backed by up to £5m of funding, to create space which allows people to continue making safe, sustainable journeys.

“Whatever peoples’ motivation - these choices are contributing to cleaning up our city’s air and causing less congestion on our roads, and that’s something we must sustain for the immediate future.”

Chris Boardman, Cycling and Walking Commissioner for Greater Manchester, said: “Like any successful response to a crisis, people must be the priority. And fortunately, the data is unambiguous; during lockdown more and more residents across Greater Manchester are turning to walking and cycling for essential journeys and exercise. So, in order give people the space they need to keep safe, the only real question was ‘how soon can we act?’

“If we don’t take steps to enable people to keep traveling actively, we risk a huge spike in car use as measures are eased. Not only is it the right thing to do to protect people now, but it’s vital to meet our clean air goals and protect our NHS long term.”

*With the dramatic fall in traffic volumes of about 60% across Greater Manchester, walking and cycling have played an increasingly important role.

They now account for approximately 33% of all journeys, with cycling up 22% compared to pre-lockdown data. These trends have also led to congestion almost being eliminated and significant drop in pollution.