Cheshire East Council has been awarded £500,000 for a new cycling and walking link through Wilmslow which will connect key economic sites and improve access to the Manchester Airport Enterprise Zone.
The project will include upgrading the pedestrian and cycle links between Wilmslow station and the Royal London site to support the delivery of 1500 new jobs. Additionally it will provide of an off road route along the A538 corridor between Wilmslow and key employment sites including Waters and the Manchester Airport Enterprise Zone; and provide an improved direct route from key residential areas to key employment locations including Alderley Park, Waters and Manchester Airport Enterprise Zone.
Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership was awarded £5 million as part of Local Growth Fund (LGF) to fund projects as part of the sub-region's Active Travel Investment Strategy. Local authorities were invited to submit bids, which were received for 8 schemes totalling around £7.5 million.
Following assessment of the bids and discussions with authorities on the scalability of some of the schemes to maximise the outcomes within the available budget, it was decided that the Wilmslow Strategic Cycle and Walking Route be awarded £500,000, rather than the £850,000 bid for.
The distribution of funding distribution will be confirmed by the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership Board in May.
The other scheme in Cheshire East to benefit from the Local Growth Fund is the Northwest Crewe Cycling and Walking Link which has been allocated £1.1m.
Councillor Don Stockton, Cheshire East Council Cabinet member for environment, said: "This is fantastic news. This £1.6m Local Growth Fund allocation will help the council continue to deliver more-sustainable transport solutions and facilities to help deliver jobs, growth and healthier communities.
"Crucially, these link schemes will improve access and connectivity to thousands of homes and help in the delivery of more than 3,000 new jobs at key employment sites identified in the Cheshire East Local Plan – as well as providing key, 'greener' infrastructure to enhance people's lives.
"Work will be conducted over the coming year to plan and design these schemes for both Wilmslow and Crewe, which will include consultation with stakeholders and the local communities to help shape and inform the projects."
The two cycle and walking schemes are due to be completed by spring 2021.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
....just a little surprised to see it's not due for completion until Spring 2021. How long does a bike path take to build?
That money could have gone some way in reversing the some of the recent cuts. Instead it's spent on 'on trend' white elephant schemes.
The Big Shopping Area's, by 2021 most of These People will be in no position to walk,
never mind ride a Bike .Please Bring Back A Respectable Bus Service too the shop's Now.
I'm sure people would start cycling more if the cycle paths provided proper separation from
traffic, didn't suddenly end and were maintained. Filling in the pot holes would help as well but that's another topic :-)
No chance that a path will be used unless normal footwear can be worn. Another example of CEC not interested in Wilmslow.
The off-road route to Waters is already in place.
The current speculative outline Planning Application by Royal London already includes the walking and cycling route to their site (to be constructed at their expense)- bear in mind they are leaving the site next year and the expectation of local residents is that whichever developer purchases it, they will cover it entirely with housing, not with more empty offices.
1500 new jobs? As Cllr Stockton has never responded to any questions from residents on this website, perhaps Lisa could ask him directly to explain how this exciting figure was arrived at and where exactly the half a million pounds of our Council Tax is going, given the above?
Looking at some of the negative comments, I’d prescribe a nice long bike ride. You’ll feel so much happier ;-)
Not sure where the claim that too much is spent on cyclists comes from? From what I see, nothing is spent. But if you have such vitriol towards cyclists, taking them off the road onto a cycle lane is surely a good thing for your blood pressure? Or you could try riding a bike...?
However the routes must be maintained in good order to assure cyclists that it is safe and secure to use, with no chance of rubbish, potholes, shingle or shale impacting on their use.
Finally cyclists must be sanctioned in some way if there is a cycle track but they choose not to use it.
Think that might be at least three things!
As it happens I have a car and two motorcycles all of which I pay VED on despite the fact the motorcycles never leave the garage from November to February (April this year, due the late bad weather) and my wife also has a car and pays VED. So we pay plenty of VED, thank you.
There's a reason cyclists sometimes don't use cycle paths. Gary Chaplin cites one (above), another is that they are often quite useless, especially the 'painted on the road' ones which simply end where they are most needed (junctions and roundabouts).
Cyclists are, of course, legally entitled to use the roads and in law enjoy the same rights, regardless of the presence or absence of a cycleway.
We need more cycleways like those proposed, but we also need them to be maintained in a usable condition, not covered in the detritus thrown there by the tyres (and sometimes the occupants) of passing motor vehicles.
Most of these routes are already in place , all that is needed a tidy up and a some minor improvements
This money should be spent on sorting out the terrible condition of our roads ; if our roads are not correctly rehabilitated there condition will simply deteriorate future
Wilmslow ratepayers money has been used to ensure that the roads around Chester and Crewe have been properly repaired and made fit fit purpose
The first priority of the council is to get our roads into a proper state of repair , not pay for a whole range of “hangers on” and overpaid consultants on what is a simple project
Have you ridden a bicycle recently? In the last year? In the last five years?
From Department of Transport 2016
- Road deaths 1,792 (816 drivers, 448 pedestrians, 319 motorcyclists, 102 cyclists, 107 other)
- Only 5% deaths on motorways, 51% outside cities
- Serious injuries 24,101
- Cyclist involved in a death of someone else, once every two years
Most deaths, serious injuries are caused by drivers. Driving too fast, not paying attention, etc.
You talk of speeding along a country lane? These are typically 50mph limits, how many cyclists do you think are travelling faster than 50mph? How many faster than 30mph? The laws on speeding only apply to motorised vehicles anyway, if you don't like that, appeal to your local MP to change the law. Cyclists do not have to have a bell either. Not that a bell would make that much difference to the above anyway.
I cycle over 100kms every week and the biggest danger I come across are pedestrians. Many walk out without looking, sometimes because they are staring at their mobile phones. On every single journey I have to slam on the brakes or take evasive action to avoid one of these lemmings. When I grew up, we were taught the green cross code. Stop, look left and look right before crossing and whilst crossing. This is rarely observed nowadays. Not only do they put their own life in danger, they also put other users in danger.
A number of vehicles (electric) are also silent and cannot be heard. Assuming the pedestrian isn't wearing over the ear headphones either. If a pedestrian steps sideways to avoid something and enters the road or cycle lane, without looking, then frankly, they have a low IQ.
Of course, you would know of all this as you are a regular cyclist...
I know that you won't understand any of the above, and it is pointless explaining this to you, which is the real issue, the cyclist hater.
Instead of sounding like a miserable cyclist hater, get on a bike, cycle around our towns, and then report back on your experience.
Rgds, Pete.
Life Member,
Manchester Wheelers Club.
I have been riding and racing bikes for 50 or more years and find it frightening/terrifying the attitude of some motorists towards me even when just riding along on my own. People who don't ride bikes just don't realise how vulnarable cyclists are when confronted by their steel chariots. Never ridden a bike, but of course they have the wisdom to shout aggressive instructions at cyclists with years of experience of trying to stay alive on the roads... Most drivers ARE respectful and patient, so why dose the odd one put cyclists in mortal danger - I can often tell just by the aggressive engine noise as they approach from behind - you know they will overtake you when there isn't room, come too close and put you in danger. And, those cycle lanes that are part of the footpath - useless - but again if you don't ride a bike you may not understand that.
But compulsory insurance is merely 3rd party, I agree there should be some provision, but it would be I'm possible to implement, and given your subsequent point(s), nothing like as relevant.
3rd party fault on behalf of the cyclist would be a criminal matter, insurance or otherwise. If I injure someone, or damage something, I am liable - I chose to a) ride carefully, and b) underwrite that risk by having insurance.
90% of cycling "facilities" around here are both inconvenient and positively dangerous to cyclists.
They present a huge danger to all those around them and it really is time that some enforcement of the law is directed towards them.
Because it's currently 'on trend' and the cycling lobby have quite successfully managed a 'victim' status, any authority is frightened to take them on.
Whilst I wouldn't advocate any sort of road tax, it's getting to a stage where at the very least full insurance is made compulsory and that it reflects the danger they are to themselves and others, which would bring them closer into line with other road users, bringing the 'equality on the road they seem to so desperately crave.
As already discussed, the government estimate 1.3 million motorists are illegally driving around without insurance, probably without VED, and potentially with no MOT or valid driving licence. Drivers kill and seriously injure more than any other road user by a country mile. How do you think that is working out the for the families of the deceased? How did insurance or lack of protect them from death?
I have spoken to some cyclists that cycle on pavements, and quite often the 'excuse' I am given (mostly by the fairer sex) is that they are to scared to use the road. I have some empathy as it is dangerous (you would know this if you cycled regularly), but they will not overcome that fear without getting on to the road.
Back to the original post, more money to protect pedestrians and cyclists is clearly a good thing, but as per Brian's comment it must be designed well. Ideally they should use a working group of local active pedestrians and cyclists to help advise.
imho there is only one solution: Twenty's Plenty- this is very widespread in Scotland (and even Manchester!) is there really any need to drive over twenty thro' Wilmslow? How much time would be "lost" in driving, at twenty instead of thirty, from, say, the Styal Road junction to Fulshaw Cross? Two minutes, maybe three? What about getting up three minutes earlier?
As for this 20mph business, again all very nice, but where's the enforcement ?. So it's completely ignored.
Most of the anti-cycle comments above are ill-founded:- road funding comes from income tax paid into central government. many UK citizens do not own cars yet many many hundreds of miles of motorways in this country have been built which only cater for motor vehicle owners.