£11m pot to boost biking and walking
A BOROUGH’S walking and cycling routes have received a £11.3m funding boost.
The OneTrafford Partnership – a collaboration between Trafford council and its waste and services contractor Amey – was awarded the cash from Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham’s Walking and Cycling Challenge Fund.
The partnership had to bid for the money and focused on developing plans for Urmston – including Flixton, Davyhulme East and Davyhulme West.
OneTrafford’s active neighbourhood project aims to encourage residents to walk or cycle for shorter journeys to improve their health, which is part of a Greater Manchester-wide plan.
Chris Boardman, Greater Manchester’s Cycling and Walking Commissioner, wants to transform the region by enhancing its cycling and walking routes through the Bee Network initiative. The plan is to make Greater Manchester an easier place for people to get around on foot or by bike using more than 1,800 miles of routes that bosses hope will become the largest joined-up system of walking and cycling networks in the UK.
To support this move, Mr Burnham allocated £160m to the Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund.
Now, people living nearby have been asked for their say on what they want to see from the plans.
A consultation event is being held by OneTrafford on Thursday, January 23, and will mark the official launch of the project.
Residents, businesses and partners will be able to discuss their thoughts about what they want to see from the Urmston Active Neighbourhood project, before any proposals are prepared.
Any feedback received will then be used to draw up plans for the area.
Ideas might include upgraded crossings, improved signage, new networks for cycling and more walking schemes.
The key aims of the project for OneTrafford are:
More walking and cycling routes connecting communities
Fully segregated routes along some of the busiest roads
New crossings of busy roads or other physical barriers that divide communities
Prioritising the movement of people over vehicles
Environmentally friendly community spaces
To find out more about active neighbourhood plans, go to www.trafford. gov.uk/UrmstonActiveNeighbourhood or email urmstonan@amey.co.uk to discuss the details further.