Cheshire East Council has revealed its first active travel projects as part of plans to support the borough through recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nine new schemes will come into effect this month as a first phase to improve routes to schools and workplaces, boost social distancing, encourage walking and cycling and improve access our town centres.
Amongst these are Hawthorn Lane in Wilmslow where through traffic will be restricted to cyclists and pedestrians.
The other eight active travel schemes, totalling investment of £155,000, will be located at:
● Coronation Street, Crewe, near Sir William Stanier School – 20mph zone and through traffic restricted to cyclists and pedestrians;
● Crewe town centre – improved access for cycles;
● Congleton town centre – improved access for cycles;
● Macclesfield town centre – improved access for cycles;
● Ivy Road, Macclesfield – through traffic restricted to buses, cyclists and pedestrians;
● Old Middlewich Road, Sandbach – 20mph zone and parking suspension;
● Ladies Mile, Knutsford – through traffic restricted to cyclists and pedestrians; and
● Lodge Road, Alsager – through traffic restricted to cyclists and pedestrians.
Additional schemes will be developed in further phases, following pledged government funding of up to £619,000.
The move follows recent submissions by town and parish councils and local members of more than 500 local ideas as to what measures may work in their towns and villages.
Councillor Laura Crane, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for highways and waste, said: "This is exciting news and the part of steps by this council to promote social distancing and encourage more people to get active and cycle and walk more.
"I would like again to thank everyone who has worked with us so quickly to get active travel ideas and proposals up and running so swiftly in our towns and villages.
"We know people's travel behaviour has changed during the lockdown – and we are determined to lock in the benefits of more people walking and cycling to make our town centres safer, healthier and more welcoming to shoppers and visitors.
"We have seen an increase in more people walking and cycling in our borough and as more people turn to these active ways of travel, we need to work together to provide safe spaces for people to carry out these journeys.
"These initial projects are, by their very nature and the short timescales involved, an experiment. We will continue to work with the town and parish councils to develop, review and refine these measures and others, as appropriate, before anything becomes permanent.
"Our aim is to deliver schemes that are right for each town and developed in partnership with each local area and local members."
Councillor Suzie Akers Smith, Cheshire East Council's walking and cycling champion, said: "Ditching the car and taking up daily active travel is good for your health, good for the environment and good for promoting social distancing to combat Covid-19. Creating a safe environment will encourage people out of their cars and be more active.
"It also helps make our town centres safer and more attractive places to visit, spend time and spend money.
"There has never been a better time to walk or cycle – especially shorter journeys included as part of our daily activity – and this really helps to forge greener habits, to reduce congestion, improve air quality and help fight climate change.
"Being bold in these measures may attract additional funding from government and we welcome feedback both positive and negative on the measures being proposed."
The council aims to develop a series of projects, informed by discussions with town and parish councils and ward members, that will be delivered in coming weeks, including:
● Pop-up cycle lanes, with protected spaces for cycling;
● Measures to reduce rat-running in streets;
● Improved walking and cycling routes to school;
● Safer junctions, with the potential for bus and cycle-only corridors;
● Implementing lower speed limits; and
● Wider pavements, which also enables social distancing.
Schemes being considered as part of the second phase of active travel improvements to be constructed in the Autumn, subject to the Council receiving DfT funding include:
● Manchester Road between Wilmslow and Handforth;
● London Road between Alderley Edge and Wilmslow;
Detailed plans for active travel measures can be found online.
Comments
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Likewise London Road from Wilmslow to Alderley Edge. Chaos.
Again has she ever visited Wilmslow?
I trust the relevant Cllrs are active here to prevent this location being used for
a generally sensible plan elsewhere in the town that would assist pedestrian/ cyclist traffic to shops and schools .. But not here !
Listen to the residents ! Concur with comments above where was the consultation ? (Probably the same consultation that didn't occur when an 'ex [Lyme Green] Cllr' daubed unwanted yellow lines all over the town with equally poorly conceived random spending of our tax dollars.... Come on we can do better than this !
Hawthorn Lane has long been used as a rat run by motorists who frequently drive on the pavements, which are far too narrow and uneven, making it dangerous and inconvenient unless in a car. It's entirely unsuitable as a through route.
A very welcome step towards making the town welcoming to pedestrians and cyclists.
It seems to me that anything like this is going to be annoying for a subset of people, and it's a road I have occasionally used myself when driving, but it's not a significant hardship to divert around. The pavements are uncomfortably narrow and cars incompetently drive over them on occasions, as others have mentioned already. Walking along the road will be much improved with this change, and I welcome it.
How many of the objectors actually live on Hawthorn Lane and Pownall Park and Have experienced the inconsiderate commuter rat runners and the queues from Kennerleys Lane to Bank Square every afternoon? Yes, there may be increased traffic and queues on Water Lane - I would argue that it is better to have atmospheric pollution in that commercial area rather than the residential area of Hawthorn Lane.
It’s a good plan.
Royal Mail will require full access as will the houses in Hawthorn Grove.
I walk along Hawthorn Lane every week and I just don't accept the comments about narrow pavements and dangerous parking on them.
Some of the people commenting can, perhaps, be considered as not seeing the bigger picture. It’s not just about cars.
Let’s ask these people where they live - are they affected by the traffic ?
And road tax was abandoned in 1937 as has been mentioned before on here probably a few times. These days it's equivalent is Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), a tax on pollution produced by the vehicle. Which means cyclists would be zero-rated.
Do try to keep up!
The detailed plan that comes into force next week can be found here: https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/pdf/covid-19/walking-and-cycling/broadwalk-wilmslow-20mph-speed-limit.pdf
It will turn the area west of Carrwood Road into a 20mph zone and block the road on BROADWALK just below the junction with Carrwood Road.
As such it will NOT STOP the rush hour rat run down Hawthorne Lane and Kennerleys Lane, which will now be even more increased.
Because of this, it will make this useless as a cycle route, as between the parked cars and the rat run traffic, you would continue to take your life in your hand cycling in the middle part of Hawthorne Lane (as any of the residents who actually life in the area could have told Cheshire East, if they really had bothered to consult with the residents or visit the area).
It will instead force everybody in Pownall Park who needs to get into the Station or into town or the A34 to add even further to the traffic on Water Lane Alderley Road and Hawthorne Street/Buckingham Road and create even longrer tail backs when turning into and out off the junction at Gorsey Road, which is a prime walking area for the students of Gorsey Bank School.
Somebody really had his thinking cap on, when they dreamed this one up.
Yours sincerely from somebody who has been trying for 15 years to safely cycle on Hawthorne Lane on a weekday and given up.
Just to clarify the situation:
- These are temporary measures. They have been brought in because of Covid-19 emergency powers, so they are not permanent. Any permanent measures will be fully consulted with residents as the law dictates. However, legal consultation takes 3-6 months and with 500 similar emergency schemes across Cheshire East it is just not possible to do this. Wilmslow Town Council was involved in providing the initial recommendations though, so they have not just been plonked on us by Cheshire East.
- Hawthorn Lane will be closed by the post office near Green Lane. This is to allow more al-fresco dining for the restaurants there. I doubt many people will want to eat or drink outside on a cold and wet November evening, so this seems likely to be a temporary measure.
- The road will also be closed at Broad Walk near Carrwood Road. This stops Hawthorne Lane and Kennerleys Lane from being a rat run and returns it to being a residential area. West of this, it becomes a 20mph zone ready for when the schools return. Therefore residents living in this area will not be able to access Wilmslow down Hawthorn Lane, but it should make the whole area much quieter as the through traffic is eliminated.
- These changes will be monitored and amended if needs be. There was criticism when the town centre reopened in June because the disabled car parking spaces at the back of Starbucks were removed. However, a week or so later they were back in action, so things are not set in stone and can change quickly.
- The original press release mentions further measures for Wilmslow but these are the improved cycle lanes and walking paths that were announced last month. Consultation for the south section is already underway and the northern section is due to start consultation this month. Therefore, it won’t involve any road closures, car drivers won’t notice much difference but it will make it much safer and better for cyclists going between Handforth and Alderley Edge.
Overall, we are trying to get a balance of helping the town centre economy, encouraging more activity, tackling the residential traffic issues and keeping people safe. Inevitably, this will benefit some and impact on others but the current situation needs quick action.
However, we will monitor the changes and if the benefits are not delivered or the impact gets too great, then we can easily remove them and revert back to the existing system.
Best regards
Cllr Mark Goldsmith
Residents of Wilmslow
Wilmslow West & Chorley
Just to point out the lack of clarity in your clarification of the situation!
•The map that ‘explains it all’ and can be seen at the link pointed out by Birgitta Hofmann - and which I reproduce again [so click on it everyone to see what we are talking about] - https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/pdf/covid-19/walking-and-cycling/broadwalk-wilmslow-20mph-speed-limit.pdf quite clearly to me shows why this plan will not work.
•But firstly the poor presentation of the map. The caption pointing towards the RED SPOT has a picture that certainly isn’t from the point in Wilmslow by the red spot and looks like somewhere in Stockport perhaps or Crewe? The caption says “Road closure except for cycles east of Carrood Road” has spelled Carrwood Road incorrectly.
•The map although dated “Crown Copyright and database right 2020” still shows the Post Office [PO] before it moved to Tesco’s in Green Lane. It is still the Royal Mail - RM - which isn’t a PO.
•OK perhaps picking on some minor points but whoever did the map could have been a bit more observant in the accuracy of presentation.
•Most pertinent however is the fact [to me at least] that this proposal will not make a vast difference to the ‘rat-running’ because I am pretty sure that many of the ‘rats’ take the run from Altrincham Road down Kennerley’s Lane then right into Hawthorn Lane in order to miss the town centre by the Rex. Rats running in the other direction might take Broadwalk to exit further down onto Altrincham road. The red spot should be on Hawthorn Lane but to stop the rats turning right from Kennerley’s Lane into Hawthorn Lane.
•You say, “Hawthorn Lane will be closed by the post office near Green Lane” which doesn’t make sense! The PO is on Green Lane but where Hawthorn Lane ends [at the junction with Green Lane] it is nowhere near the PO. So how can Hawthorn Lane be closed where it is near the PO? What do you mean? Are you saying that the road closure will be all along Hawthorn Lane then down Green Lane as far as the PO and so closing off another run for the rats? If so what about the bus stops - where will buses go?
•“This is to allow more al-fresco dining for the restaurants there”. Exactly who are these restaurants [names please in your reply Councillor Goldsmith] that will want to fill an empty road with seating for diners as cyclist pass by and how many more seats do they want anyway? As an aside, this trend towards continental sitting on a pavement seems to be a fad that took off years ago and has been further popularised just so smokers can add their own pollution intake to that from the passing traffic. Al fresco I believe is borrowed from Italian for "in the cool [air]" although it is not in current use in that language to refer to dining outside. Instead, Italians use the phrases fuori ("outside", "outdoor") or all'aperto ("in the open [air]") although the Americans have adopted it to mean “in the fresh air” - which sitting on a pavement by the road it certainly isn’t.
•Your third paragraph just does not add up as I have explained - closing Hawthorn Lane near Carrwood Road will not as you say in paragraph 3 - “…stop Hawthorn Lane and Kennerleys Lane from being a rat run…”.
The final few paragraphs are a bit of a mini election manifesto. “Consultation?” - who with? Nobody has asked ME! The parking issues that are not improving in Wilmslow and are a major cause of danger […safer and better for cyclists…] are still not resolved and cyclists ANYWHERE will NEVER be safe on our roads as long as they share it with motor vehicles. So start thinking of separating the two of them. The road out of Wilmslow towards Handforth can NEVER be made safe for cyclists [and pedestrians too for that matter]. It is narrow with no safety on the pavements, which are inadequate as far as Styal Road. I do have a vehicle-free plan for safe cycling out of town going north if you care to ask. It will not be inexpensive but is the only possibility and has been independently also thought up by Transition Wilmslow. Perhaps the likes of Mr Peter Emerson Jones would like to put back some of the many millions he has earned form all his ‘activities’ in Wilmslow. At 85 years old he is getting on a bit now and after all, like those of us only worth a few quid he can’t take it with him WHEN he goes. Cycle Lane EVERYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY should be declared MADATORY by the government and not ADVISORY to allow councils everywhere to get the white paint out and make them safer. But that would only be a start. The gutters need to be cleaned and free of holes, leaves, grit and stones and any other debris that makes being on two wheels DANGEROUS.
Your reply please Councillor Goldsmith?
As for the ramblings about local property developers - this is not directly relevant to the proposed traffic scheme, and ignores the employment created during construction of offices and homes and the resulting taxation benefits of commercial and residential occupancy and the comments are perhaps somewhat envious of success. Thanks also for the Wikipedia definition of al fresco - We are so lucky that Mr Smith is available to educate Wilmslow residents, and I assume he actually lives in the area affected by the scheme to comment so extensively.
However, I agree that improvements in road maintenance for walkers and cyclists should be prioritised. Finally, the illustration of a road closure is exactly that / it is clear that it is not the exact location.
Someone made some excellent points on a related thread: you can't assume that the volumes of traffic pre-lockdown will manifest themselves in the medium to long-term, as people decide to work from home more.
Also, the proposals are designed to encourage a modal shift: individual motor vehicle to foot/cycle. Or "park and stride". Some residents, those that are physically able to, will have changed their habits and walked or cycled to shops - yes, it is possible!
And therefore "diverting" onto other roads is not necessarily going to be the big issue residents are concerned about.
And remember, the schools are introducing phased drop offs and pick ups. Would be great to see the "walking buses" re-introduced.
We won't know until we try them out. They are just a start, but please give these proposals a chance!
At first sight it would appear that the majority of those affected oppose the proposal - and yet it appears that it is being imposed without consultation - which, if true, is both lamentable and disappointing.