Cheshire East Council has launched a consultation asking for views on a proposed vision for the local transport network which will form the basis of a new Local Transport Plan.
The plan will set out the authority's framework for future transport investment to grow the economy, improve the wellbeing of our community, reduce environmental impacts and improve connections for all.
Plans have been developed for the two principal towns (Crewe and Macclesfield) and 9 key service centres (Alsager, Congleton, Handforth, Middlewich, Nantwich Knutsford, Poynton, Sandbach, Wilmslow).
The Wilmslow Local Transport Development Plan also covers the surrounding area, including: Alderley Edge, Nether Alderley, Mottram St Andrew and Styal with a separate plan for Handforth.
It includes a set of five local transport objectives with 64 identified and assessed schemes designed to support the development and vitality of Wilmslow over the life of the current Local Transport Plan.
The local transport objectives for Wilmslow are:
- Improving access to Wilmslow and Alderley Edge centres to support a thriving economy;
- Supporting access from Alderley Edge and rural communities to key services and employment;
- Improve transport connections along key corridors to and from Handforth, Manchester Airport, Macclesfield, Knutsford, and Greater Manchester, including access to key services such as Macclesfield District Hospital;
- Supporting access to education and employment sites including Alderley Park, Waters, the Royal London Campus, and Manchester Airport
- Strengthening the transport network to accommodate development sites such as the Royal London Campus in the Local Plan.
A set of five local transport objectives for Handforth have been developed along with 39 individual transport schemes.
The local transport objectives for Handforth are:
- Strengthening the transport network to accommodate the Handforth Garden Village and other development sites included within the Local Plan;
- Improve transport connections along key corridors to and from Wilmslow, Macclesfield and wider Cheshire East and Greater Manchester, including access to key services such as hospitals;
- Improving access to Handforth to protect and enhance the village centre;
- Supporting access to education and employment sites including Wilmslow High School, Manchester Airport, Stanley Green Business Park and Handforth Dean
- Supporting access from Styal and other rural communities to key services and employment.
Councillor Mark Goldsmith, chair of Cheshire East Council's highways and transport committee, said: "Transport and travel play a crucial role in our everyday lives. We need to plan a transport network that is fit for the future – one that connects to jobs, education, healthcare, and leisure facilities, while supporting a healthier and more sustainable environment.
"Our current plan was adopted in 2019 and since then, there has been considerable change in transport movements and how we all travel. Now is the right time to update our plan to ensure that the council maintains a policy framework that is robust and relevant to the needs of Cheshire East.
"We have developed a vision and a set of aims and priorities, but we really want to know what you think. Getting an early insight from residents now will help us refine our vision and create a transport strategy that reflects local needs and aspirations.
The consultation runs for eight weeks, closing on Monday 21 April.
Feedback on the draft consultation can be at provided https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/council_information/media_hub/media_releases/council-launches-consultation-on-local-transport-plan.aspx
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
Bus passenger numbers are up in Cheshire East and user satisfaction is higher than in Manchester and Liverpool. The government conducts these surveys all across the UK, so it is an independent review. Those cities also get far more government subsidy for their public transport, so Cheshire East must be doing something right.
So, we know current users (who mostly don't own a car) are generally happy with our buses. Therefore, the key to further growth of our bus service is to get more people using them. This means getting car owners onto a bus perhaps once or twice a week.
We want to do this by introducing new routes and by promoting the benefits of not using your car for specific journeys. For example, if you plan to go to Knutsford for an evening meal and drink, then take the bus there and get a taxi back. Want to go shopping in Altrincham, then the bus stops right in the centre and you don't have to worry about car parking. Our bus and train links to Manchester Airport are also very poor and need improving too.
However, we want to hear your ideas and this link to a short video will explain what the Transport Plan is all about and how you can take part.
https://youtu.be/hMPQNWhw44Y
Best regards
Mark Goldsmith
Residents of Wilmslow
The time the bus is due comes and goes and no sign of the bus. Did it go earlier even than my early arrival, or is it cancelled and will never arrive? It's an hour until the next one is due. Do I want to hang around the bus stop in the hope the next one will appear (which if it does run, and is on time, means one hour ten minutes of hanging around a cold and boring bus stop?).
Err, no. I go home and use the car or motorbike instead. Maybe the bus arrives five minutes after I've gone home; or maybe not.
Compare this to using the train. There is a display on the railway station platform telling me the status of the expected trains - it tells me if they are on time, or running late with an expected arrival time, or cancelled. And of course, at any time, I can use the 'realtime trains' app on my 'phone to see exactly where the trains are in, err, real time. With this information I can make well-informed travel decisions with minimal 'hanging around' time.
I remember very many years ago using buses in London where a railway-type 'bus status' display was provided at each bus stop. But that was Central London with a high level of bus ridership and where public transport is funded to a level several times that of East Cheshire, so we are unlikely to see such displays at every local bus stop any time soon.
However, why isn't there a bus equivalent of 'realtime trains', so at any time I could check if my bus is running and whether it's on time? The technology to provide that is well understood and cheap, using GPS tracking on the bus (which it may well already have for bus company use) to update the web site via the mobile phone network. Such a facility would make use of the bus far more practical than it is now.
If they exist (which I doubt), I've yet to meet them.