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The Department for Transport (DfT) has made funding available to Local Authorities in favour of people’s safe movement, health and wellbeing. ​The emergency grant funding known as Emergency Active Travel Fund (EATF), supports local transport authorities with producing cycling and walking facilities.

Greater Manchester was awarded £3.1m as part of the bid submission. Trafford Council and One Trafford Partnership have been allocated £366k funding from the EATF to improve cycling and walking options for residents and commuters across the borough.

The funding stream is split into two tranches:

In preparation for the Trafford Bid, an online engagement tool (Commonplace) was launched seeking residents’ views and concerns about active travel interventions which could be introduced to assist in making Trafford more active. Over 1600 responses and 11,300 contributions were received including desires for additional safer segregated cycle lanes, lower vehicle speeds and reduced rat-running traffic.

After careful review and analysis of comments received from the community, One Trafford Partnership (a partnership between Amey and Trafford Council) put forward proposals to roll out a series of measures to encourage more people to walk and cycle and with a focus on lowering vehicle speeds and reducing rat-running traffic.

Trafford Council is working with partner Amey at One Trafford Partnership to create short and long-term options to improve the protected cycle way along the A56, from Dane Road to Cornbrook Road in Trafford, and into Manchester, while retaining two lanes for motor vehicles.

The new proposal will seek to accommodate all users of the A56 from across Trafford and follows on from the council’s bold decision earlier this year, where one lane of the carriageway space used by vehicles was allocated to cyclists.

Temporary measures were put in place using £5m of emergency government funding made available to Greater Manchester Local Authorities, through the Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund. The pop-up cycle lanes enabled people to keep their distance for safe, essential journeys and exercise during the Coronavirus lockdown.

The walking and cycling infrastructure has provided a safe option of travel for many members of the public as an alternative to using public transport due to Covid-19. Statistics obtained from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) have shown a considerable amount of growth in people opting to cycle rather than travel by car during the lockdown. The average daily number of people using the pop-up cycle lanes has increased from 102 in June 2020, to 336 in August 2020. This is a 421 per cent increase of cycle journeys in comparison to figures from August 2018.

Immense support has been received by the public of the pop-up cycle lanes and many people have expressed that the provision of the new lanes has provided them with an opportunity to take up cycling again and venture out with families, feeling safe to use the A56.

However, with the lockdown easing the cycle lanes are being reviewed due to the build-up of congestion. The level of comments about removing the temporary measures on the A56 have recently increased due to the rise in traffic volumes, children going back to school and people going back to work.

Cllr Steve Adshead, Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality and Climate Change at Trafford Council said: “We have been monitoring the success of the pop-up cycle lanes and have listened to what the community would like now that the lockdown has eased. Moving forward we will be looking closely at how the adjusted measures will ease congestion along the route while protecting the most vulnerable road users. This will help us move towards a place that we want future generations to be able to enjoy, while protecting the integrity of all road users.”

One Trafford Partnership have presented new proposals for the A56 to Trafford Council for their decision, with a view to the new plans being funded from the Emergency Active Travel Fund and Mayor’s Challenge Fund.

The short, medium and long-term adjustments will continue to provide a level of protection for cycling, while easing congestion for the A56 and the surrounding network. The council are keen on providing options for all members of the public which will protect the integrity of transport, as well as provide a solution to keep the route from Sale to Manchester in place. Funding permitted, measures will include keeping segregated cycleways wherever possible and keeping the traffic flowing by opening lanes to motor vehicles. This will help deliver Trafford Council’s longer-term ambitions for a cleaner and greener transport network that will support and encourage more active travel and reduced car journeys.

The phased approach of the short and long-term measures that will come into effect from Tuesday 15 September 2020 are:

· Temporary cones to be removed in the short term from Dane Road to the Chester Road Recycling Centre (Stretford Tip), with a realignment of the road layout to provide protection through this section (to be undertaken as soon as possible, subject to funding)

· Upgrade to the existing temporary cones along the A56 to provide better cycling infrastructure from Chester Road Recycling Centre (Stretford Tip) to Talbot Road

· Temporary cones to be removed through Gorse Hill along the A56, from Talbot Road to White City Circle, with a view of longer-term plans in the future

· Upgrade to the existing temporary cones along the A56 to provide better cycling infrastructure from White City Circle to Cornbrook Road.

Trafford Council and partner Amey at One Trafford Partnership have been allocated £366k funding from the emergency active travel grant from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), to improve cycling and walking options for residents and commuters across the borough.

The council have been working rapidly alongside GMCA and TfGM to decide on locations as part of the first phase of the delivery plan, which are planned to be delivered by 18th September 2020.

A range of trials have already been put in place to test the concepts of the temporary measures and works will now expand at specific locations identified by the council and the project team at One Trafford Partnership. This will help deliver the council’s longer-term ambitions for a cleaner and greener transport network that will support and encourage more active travel and reduced car journeys.

Trafford Council launched the #SafeStreetsSaveLives campaign to support social distancing during coronavirus lockdown and recovery, with £5m of emergency funding made available to Greater Manchester Local Authorities through the Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund (MCF). During this campaign, over 1,500 comments were received from residents through the engagement site which have been analysed for phase one of the emergency active travel fund.

The additional Government funding will advance the Greater Manchester wide campaign to provide pop-up infrastructure and temporary measures to enable safe essential travel for all Trafford residents.

Locations selected for phase one of the delivery plan are:

Leader of Trafford Council, Councillor Andrew Western, said: “Trafford Council have been working with One Trafford (a partnership between Amey and Trafford Council) to put in place a range of temporary measures across the borough, in order to help communities, maintain social distancing, while making safe essential journeys and exercising during the coronavirus lockdown. These proposals have helped ease social distancing at specific locations for cyclists as well as pedestrians with special crossing points being introduced at locations such as bus stops and traffic signals.

“The health and wellbeing of Trafford’s residents is our number one priority and we will do everything we can to make sure people are safe during this crisis. Therefore, works will now expand where the need arises, following £3.1m of funding made available to Greater Manchester Local Authorities through the GMCA.”

Cllr Steve Adshead, Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality and Climate Change at Trafford Council said: “We will also be looking closely at how these short-term and essential measures that will be introduced can help us move towards a place that we want future generations to be able to enjoy.”

Chris Boardman, Cycling and Walking Commissioner for Greater Manchester, said: “This emergency funding has empowered Greater Manchester leaders to take immediate action and provide safe travel options for their residents to get to and from key areas.

“By creating temporary space for people to cycle and walk along major protected routes local authorities can support those who want to do their bit to help save public transport for people who need it most. This will also ensure that the third of Greater Manchester households who don’t have access to a car are not denied the right to safe travel options.

“These are big changes to make and I commend the local authorities for mobilising so quickly and showing bravery and commitment in reallocating space. Their actions will truly make a difference to social inclusion during this emergency situation and make sure everyone has access to safe travel.”

Community engagement has played a big role in selecting locations for phase one of the delivery plan and residents affected by works such as road closures will be consulted to have their say through an online survey. All comments received will be reviewed by the council before the works commence.

The plan for this would be to introduce the temporary measures following the end of consultation with the residents or as soon as is reasonably practical.

The temporary works will be designed and agreed with Greater Manchester Police, other emergency services and the GMCA to ensure safe and efficient movement along selected routes, while improving provision and safety for cycling and walking.

If this initiative proves successful and the community welcome the changes then the temporary measures may become permanent in the future following further public consultation.

There are over 20,000 residents in Trafford living within a 1km buffer of the A56 (the main focus of Trafford’s temporary walking and cycling measures) including groups which are least likely to have access to a car.

Given the significant capacity constraints on buses, Metrolink and rail, due to social distancing measures, it’s important that we give those people without a car a viable alternative. Therefore, walking and cycling will play a critical role in enabling people without a car to access jobs, food shops and essential services. These households are often the most vulnerable in society and we must do everything we can to support them as we look to “build back better” from the Covid-19 crisis.

In response to the Covid-19 crisis and following Central Government guidelines, One Trafford (a partnership between Trafford Council and Amey) are putting emergency works and temporary measures in place to give pedestrians and cyclists more room around Trafford, while making safe and essential journeys. The health of residents in Trafford is a top priority for the council and is at the centre of these emergency plans of creating a safer and greener borough.

It’s imperative that the immediate focus is on how people can move safely around the borough with proper social distancing and space to walk and cycle. This will:

We are carefully monitoring the current situation and collecting data to inform decision making regarding these measures, which will be shared in due course.

To prevent the spread of Covid-19, Central Government identified funding for local authorities to introduce temporary measures and help communities maintain social distancing.

Since the pandemic, we witnessed a reduction in people using motor vehicles and instead opting to walk or cycle when travelling short distances across Trafford. Therefore, it was important for me and my team at One Trafford (a partnership between Amey and Trafford Council), to create solutions for people using Trafford Council’s highway network. To support the increased desire of walking and cycling, we have been installing temporary measures to help people maintain social distancing.

We have installed three pop up cycle lanes and made room for pedestrians at:

In Urmston we have provided temporary measures to maintain social distancing for food establishments at:

Works have also been put in place to prevent vehicular access on Moss Lane, Altrincham, where the route is currently closed to vehicular traffic from Moss Lane to its junction with Oakfield Road.

We have been engaging with the community by giving them the chance to voice their opinions and requests on social distancing measures via several channels. This includes telephone, email, postal address, social media and a web-based tool known as ‘Commonplace’ which allows residents in Trafford to pinpoint a location and add their comments. The team have used this engagement tool in the past and found that it was very useful when engaging with communities to address their concerns.

The next stage of the project will be to prioritise the comments received, through using a matrix system. I have created this process to generate a priority score based on a set of variable questions which relate to each individual request. The matrix will generate a score for each request and the highest scoring requests will be progressed further, when planning future works as part of the Safe Streets Trafford initiative.

I feel that the work we are carrying out will greatly improve walking and cycling within Trafford. The measures we are installing provide cyclists with a semi segregated area where they are free from motor vehicles, this in turn allows the footpath to be free from cyclists, allowing social distancing to be maintained among pedestrians. Also, the reduction of vehicles on our roads will have a positive effect on the current pollution levels, improving the health of the community. Overall, The initiatives we are installing and proposing will have a positive impact on the residents of Trafford.