Road planners put A34 at top of list

PLANNERS are putting A34 improvements at the top of the agenda in a bid to cut congestion.

Cheshire East Council (CEC) and Stockport Council have launched a public consultation on the South East Manchester multimodal (SEMMM) strategy refresh.

The document, which follows on from the original strategy from 2001 and would run until 2040, outlines ways to make it easier for residents to travel between the boroughs by car, bus, bike, rail or on foot.

In the strategy, which was released on Monday, improving the A34 corridor for different modes of transport is listed as the first of eight priorities.

The document said: “The A34 corridor is hugely important to the strategy area, providing local connectivity as well as access to the M60 and onward travel towards Manchester city centre.

“The corridor is highly constrained and there are congestion pressures at several junctions.

“As well as the issues faced today, the route will get busier with the opening of the A6 to Manchester Airport relief road and Poynton relief road.

“The location of proposed development in both Cheshire East and Stockport is also likely to worsen existing conditions within the corridor.”

Other priorities listed include new bus rapid transit services – similar to the guided busway from Leigh to Manchester – connecting Wilmslow with Greater Manchester. Better stations, improvements to the rail network and the introduction of a tram-train are also mentioned.

Both councils now want to hear from residents about their experiences of travelling across the area, and how the transport network can be improved – with consultation open until July 2. Meanwhile, CEC is also holding consultation on its own local transport plan (LTP) until June 25 – giving residents another chance to have their say on the road network.

Councillor Don Stockton, CEC cabinet member for environment, said: “We are keen to hear the views of as wide a range of stakeholders, partners, residents and other agencies as possible in order to inform both strategies. Both the LTP and the SEMMM strategy will provide a framework for strategic transport schemes benefitting Cheshire East and so we need to ensure these two major pieces of work are complementary and that we maximise public engagement. I would urge people to take advantage of the opportunity to influence the decision-makers and make their suggestions as to how best to shape travel and transport plans in their community.” For details visit semmms.info and for the LTP see cheshireeast.gov.uk/ localtransport plan