Manchester’s £5.5m ‘active travel’ bid approved

The money from the Government’s Active Travel Fund, intended to support interventions to encourage walking and cycling, will help fund the construction of a city centre ‘Triangle’ system and a five-mile foot and cycle route in Wythenshawe.

With the £5.5m of funding now in place, Manchester City Council has the green light to develop plans for both schemes and bring them forward for public consultation.

The projects include:

• £4m city centre ‘Triangle’ vision – the creation of improved cycling and walking links between Manchester’s three major train stations – Deansgate, Piccadilly and Victoria – and between the main bus hubs at Piccadilly, Shudehill and the coach station. The initiative will aim to reallocate road space to pedestrians and cyclists and create active travel links between key transport hubs, incorporating other pedestrian and cycling routes to create “a more pleasant space for pedestrians and people on bikes”, according to Manchester City Council. The final design and route are to be determined through a public consultation.
• £1.5m Wythenshawe cycle-walk scheme – to be developed by Manchester City Council in partnership with Trafford Council, as a way of improving cycling links between Wythenshawe town centre, Wythenshawe Hospital and Manchester city centre. Subject to consultation, the scheme will aim to improve existing cycle infrastructure and create dedicated cycle infrastructure from Simonsway via Wythenshawe Hospital to the Bridgewater Canal, to give a continuous route suitable for all levels of cycling experience. The scheme will also involve the construction of new cycle routes and parallel crossings, while existing off-highway cycleways will be widened and resurfaced and new lighting provided. The final route will be subject to consultation.

The money is part of the second tranche of the government’s Active Travel Fund.

Cllr Angeliki Stogia, executive member for environment, planning and transport, said: “We welcome this announcement of fresh funding, which comes as a major boost and means we will now be able to quickly move forward with developing plans our plans to strengthen Manchester’s network of permanent cycling and walking infrastructure.”

She added: “We’re committed to bringing forward schemes that provide high-quality cycling and walking routes to support the long-term, sustainable shift towards active travel and away from the car – vital if Manchester is to meet its goal of becoming zero-carbon by 2038 at the latest.”