Beelines Consultation 29 September 2018 - Chorlton Library

Introduction

This was a drop-in event organised by local Chorlton councillors (Eve Holt, John Hacking, Matt Strong). Approximately 30 people dropped in and actively participated. Below is a list of the comments participants added to the map at this event, plus a few comments shared verbally at the event. We also added as many comments as possible to the online map at the time from 6 different devices.

Whilst the focus of this conversation was on the proposed Beelines across , with particular focus on local knowledge in and around the Chorlton area people’s broader comments are also included as these may help inform plans for the Chorlton Cycleway and future infra developments, as well as some broader suggestions for promoting walking and cycling more generally such as “Can we have traffic free days each week (see Paris, Brussels..) ​ and much larger traffic free zones in city centre needed.”

General comments (not specific to any geographic area): 1. General issues around surface/state of the roads and pavements, potholes, uneven surface etc - and issues raised about “general lack of coordination” between council and utilities leaving to wasted resources, unnecessary disruption and patchwork surfaces 2. Comments around need for “ongoing campaign(s) needed to change culture and enforcement to stop speeding around quiet residential roads”. Supposed quiet streets for proposed beelines are not safe whilst speeding and erratic driving continues. 3. Poor speed enforcement. “20mph needs better and bigger signage and enforcement”. 4. “Poor enforcement around parking in cycle lanes” 5. “Need to stop people parking near junctions”. Poor culture of parking on pavements - needs to be enforced. 6. Where cars park on the road it acts as a natural traffic calming measure - should be encouraged eg. on Longford Road. 7. Lots of comments about improving lighting along cycleways, in particular the off road cycleways like F-loop, TPT and in parks. 8. Need to do more around schools to make them safe. “Need cameras outside schools with traffic calming” 9. “More free car parking to stop people parking along roads by shops etc” 10. More “bike parking” 11. Need “greater coordination across LAs” so routes stitch together effectively and don’t disappear when you cross a border. “Need routes to connect Mcr to other boroughs” 12. “More shared use pavements and education about how to use” 13. Need to “include more younger and older people” in conversation shaping infrastructure 14. “When making cycleway make it wide enough for the racers to overtake normal cyclists unlike Oxford Road cycle path”

2

Manchester Central

The majority of the comments were on the central Manchester area. These have been clumped together as much as possible below into themes. Additional beeline routes proposed: 15. Opportunity to link beelines through path through Turn Moss linking Stretford, Trafford with Chorlton Cycleway. From Hawthorn Road/Lane 16. Palatine road has wide bike lanes just needs bollards 17. Stretford Road cycleway should continue to Oxford Road 18. Need to signpost / create safe routes to stations and allow bikes on trams. 19. Epping street is an excellent short route into centre eg. to Home and should be a beeline. 20. Ellesmere Street is a good quiet route to Chester Road, would be a good beeline. Crossings: ​ 21. Crossing needed at Wilbraham / Wilmslow Road junction 22. Definite need for crossings on Upper Chorlton Road to get to schools - 4 schools Manley Park Infants and Junior Schools, St Margarets and Our Ladies. 23. Need crossing on Upper Chorlton Road to get to bars and shops. Bus stop adds to making this a precarious place to cross, the proposed cycleway is GREAT but may make this even trickier to navigate if not sufficient pedestrian crossings. 24. Existing crossing on Princess Parkway and junction with Greenhays Lane is dangerous coming from Mcr South and going West. Traffic jumping lights and cutting across cycling route.

3

Improving existing cycle routes including loop 25. Ensure ongoing campaign to enable people walking and cycling to feel safe on Fallowfield loop - people don’t use it as feel unsafe. Lots of comments around need for lighting. Suggestion of sensory lighting option. 26. Lots of comments around access to Fallowfield loop - ‘Fallowfield loop access path very narrow and dark’. Remove barriers to access the loop. Better access to and from Fallowfield loop into , ie before Wilmslow Road. Barriers at St Werburghs Metro Station very restrictive 27. Park lighting needed in Parks - comments around , Alexandra Park, Longford Park, Beech Road park… 28. Hawthorn Lane is cycle route to Stretford but dark. Part of route 62. Needs improving, lighting etc. 29. Cycle route though MMU but poor segregation of cyclists and pedestrians - shared use. And says ‘no cycling?’. 30. Need crossing from MMU to Cavendish. 31. Fixing potholes on Mauldeth Road cycle lanes,

4

Areas to be pedestrianised / new one-way systems / changes to turnings or junctions/ 32. Rd ‘4 banks’ junction needs filter lights for turning right onto Wilbraham Road (part of the Chorlton Cycleway plans) 33. ‘Cars ignore double yellow lines around 4 banks junction’ 34. Double yellows needed along both sides of WIlbraham Rd and needs enforcing 35. “What about a diagonal pedestrian phase at light-controlled crossroads eg Wilbraham rd and Barlow Moor Rd or Albany Road” 36. Segregated cycle lane needed down WIlbraham from 4 banks to meet proposed Stretford cycleway on Edge Lane. 37. ‘Pedestrianise Beech Road by shops’, 38. Following Scottish School Street model, turn Longford road into a School Street - block entrance from Manchester Road enabling access from Oswald Road School to Field of Oz, reducing congestion along Longford road and creating safe space for walking, cycling, markets in front of library, the row of shops and around the school. Encourage more families to walk and cycle to both Oswald road and to St John’s Primary. Option to try out as a temporary measure/pilot. 39. ‘cars use Beech Road to skip traffic on Barlow Moor Road, needs filtering’ - lots of yeses! 40. Chorltonville should be access only, 1 way systems and bollards to stop through routes for cars 41. Sandy Lane should be a 1 way road, busy route, used as cut through, narrow road. 42. Buckingham Road should not have through traffic - can it be converted from a barrier to a beeline?

5

43. Improvements through southbound - 3rd time to get it right - with proper space for both cyclists and pedestrians - means getting rid of parked cars. 44. “ far too busy”. Suggestions including pedestrianising. 45. Portland Street is a major route into the city and awful for cyclists - lots of agreement on this. The cycleway doesn’t work and very dangerous. 46. Ban traffic 24/7 on Oxford Rd, not just in the daytime, kernos not suitable to protect from private traffic. 47. Cross St was best route North before 2nd tram crossing, need an urgent alternative 48. Great Western Street and Claremont Road have too much, too fast through traffic, need filtering for access only. 49. Routes through city centre North-South especially are totally inadequate. 50. Need congestion charge! 51. Stretford Road cycleway should continue to Oxford Road 52. Junction on Upper Chorlton Road with Seymour Grove needs to be made safer for people on bikes. 53. Junction on Upper Chorlton Road with Kings road poor for people on bikes often bad behaviour by people in cars. 54. “Brooks bar junction very unpleasant for people on bikes”

6

Enforcement 55. ‘Vital need to ensure parking/waiting restrictions for vehicles are enforced’. 56. Lots of concern around busy roads used as cut-throughs around Buckingham, Brantingham, Egerton Road North and roads off them. 57. Traffic heading West along Highlane needs to be sorted - many crashes. 58. Speeding along St Werburghs road, used as cut through, on 20pmh stretch, wide enough for protected bike lane but pavement parking. Addressing this would support more walking and cycling to school as key link to two large secondary schools - Chorlton High and Loreto High where there is an appetite for walking and cycling but not currently safe to. 59. Getting rid of parked cards through Rusholme. 60. Need enforcement of no left turn off Grosvenor Street (Upper Street).

Manchester North

61. Whole Bury New Road needs improvement for pedestrians & cyclists and urban planning generally. 62. “A better fast/car-free route is needed from city to North Manchester” 63. Need “a reasonable alternative to Rochdale Road” 64. “Why should South Mcr have two cycle-ways (Oxford Rd and Chorlton) and North & East Mcr have none?” 65. “Possible improvement to Medlock Valley way all way from city: already some sections to create a fast cycle route and paved walking city to east.” 66. New crossings added (have all been added as comments to Beelines @GMmapping)

7

Manchester South 67. Some severance roads are actually popular cycle routes - see Strava heatmaps! Eg Road by Park, Platt Lane, Dickenson Road 68. Village is not a village! It’s a main road and a car park! Visiting shops/cafes here is very unpleasant! 69. Various comments on the proposed beeline around Didsbury village - ‘Are we really expected to use this detour to shop in Didsbury village?’ ‘Agree, need way through Didsbury!” ‘Poor road surface [on proposed bee line] forces cyclists into traffic’ 70. ‘No safe route from Chorlton to Didsbury, BMR needs work’ - lots of others agreed with this comment. 71. Improve lighting and path/cycle lane surface on existing trans-pennine trail near , Mersey Valley and Kenworthy Wood 72. Comments on specific junctions / crossing points have been added to the online map.

8

All ages

Our youngest participant, age 8 drew this brilliant map to show us where she wants to see improvements to make it easier for her to walk and cycle to the places she wants to go. Two 12 year olds in-putting to the map below. Both want to be able to cycle to the cinema on Deansgate from Chorlton independently.

9

10