Cheshire East Council has taken another step in its drive to reduce emissions from cars and get more people walking or cycling to boost health and wellbeing.
The council intends to introduce cycling and walking infrastructure plans with proposed dedicated active travel routes across four towns in the borough.
Crewe, Macclesfield, Wilmslow and Congleton are the first towns to benefit from a walking and cycling infrastructure plan, which could attract government investment.
Following a review, these towns were considered to have the greatest potential for increased walking and cycling. Each town could see a network of segregated cycling and walking routes linking key locations, such as bus and train stations, leisure centres, shops and employment sites.
In Wilmslow work is already scheduled for a new walking and cycling designated route from the train station, through the town centre to the high school, Royal London campus and Alderley Park. Other measures are also proposed.
In Crewe, where seven potential routes have been identified, a new green link along the Mill Street corridor would offer off-road cycling and walking routes to and from the town centre and train station.
Rood Hill, Mill Street, Antrobus Street and the town centre are some parts of Congleton, identified as potential locations for similar schemes, while in Macclesfield, a variety of improvements are proposed, creating or upgrading cycling and walking-friendly routes linking Middlewood Way, Hurdsfield industrial park, Waters Green, Sunderland Street and Cumberland Street, together with public realm improvements at the train station.
Council deputy leader Craig Browne, cabinet member with responsibility for strategic transport, said: "There is every indication that councils that have these plans in place are more likely to receive central government funding in future years.
"These improvements take account of the numbers of people cycling and walking in Cheshire East and how we can increase these numbers through a wider infrastructure strategy. There will be extensive public consultation before any schemes are implemented."
The council's cycling strategy, adopted in 2017, outlines the target to double the number of people cycling once per week for any purpose by 2027. The Department for Transport says councils should develop local plans to increase the number of people walking or cycling to work, for education or other reasons.
Councillor Jill Rhodes, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for public health, said: "The health benefits from walking and cycling are obvious. We know that good health is important to people in Cheshire East and we are generally a healthy borough.
"Physical activity improves mental health as well as physical wellbeing, reducing the risks of poor health and morbidity as well as improving the air that we breathe, through reduced emissions."
Cheshire East Council is committed to becoming a carbon neutral authority by 2025 and is encouraging all businesses, residents and organisations in the borough to reduce their carbon footprint in whatever way they can.
The plans for each town will be published on the council's website.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
If I walk into the town, the pavements are buckled, overgrown hedges take up half of what was once the walkway, and vans and cars park on the pavement, providing a constant obstacle course for pram walkers.
So how are we supposed to walk or bike or abseil to the new lanes?
Don’t you think this ongoing problem should have been attended to first, or would you Councillors feel it’s better to fit a new carpet before fixing the leaky roof?
Our existing pavements and cycle paths have been allowed to crumble into disrepair, whilst overgrown hedges reduce their width. CEC's inability to find an effective solutions to the towns parking issues means that cycle paths and pavements are often obscured by parked cars-See Manchester Road for details.
CEC offer the very opposite of sustainable solutions, they build things at our expense, allow them to fall into disrepair, hope we haven't noticed and then try and tantalise us with the promise of something shiny and new, rinse and repeat.
Creating new cycling infrastructure doesn't offset years of mis-management and neglect, they need to take care of what we already have.
Anyone wishing to WALK further to Adlington down Lees Lane will have to dodge the traffic in this manner ALL THE WAY as there is no footpath. The road isn't particularly wide either so not very good for cyclists too. There is plenty of grass verge or waste ground most of the way to make a decent footpath. A better idea would be to compulsorily purchase a bit of land from the farmer's fields and make a proper job of a pedestrian/cycle path separated from the road all the way to the A523 Macclesfield - Poynton road.
All councillors should take their own buggy or send out their wives/daughter’s pushing a buggy with their child/grandchild inside on a cold winter’s day. Only by these means will anyone get to know first-hand what needs to be done to make life better round here for those they represent who aren’t as fortunate to have a car. Either that or ride around the local area all day on a bike to get first-hand experience of how dangerous our local roads really are. It would be interesting to see how many are still alive at the end of it!
Esther McVey our MP came to look at Hall Road in Handforth and said that they were an absolute disgrace.
I'm not a car driver, I cycle frequently down Hall Road on my way to Tesco and I have to cycle into the middle of Hall Road and weave in and out due to the amount of pot holes all the way along this road.
If there are any Councillors here who read this I would ask that you take a look at thus.It urgently needs resurfacing as soon as possible.