Greater Manchester Active Travel Commissioner unveils refreshed priorities for supporting walking and cycling

Greater Manchester’s Active Travel Commissioner, Dame Sarah Storey, has set out a refreshed mission for boosting walking and cycling in the city-region.

New priorities will focus on accessibility, changing behaviours and clear communications to ensure all residents and communities have access to the health and sustainability benefits of active travel.

Launching the refreshed vision at The Edge Arena in Wigan on Tuesday, 1 November, Dame Sarah Storey seeks to build on the foundations of Greater Manchester’s existing active travel system: so far at least 92 km of routes had been adopted into the Bee Network by May 2022 alongside the successful roll-out of the first phase of the GM cycle hire scheme in central parts of the city-region.

The city-region’s new policy document, Refreshing Greater Manchester’s Active Travel Mission, highlights the benefits of active travel and why it is fundamental to the success of other key agendas for Greater Manchester, including improved health, decarbonisation, educational attainment and the economy. 

Five key priorities will underpin Dame Sarah’s refreshed active mission and will all drive the work and focus of the policy in the coming years. This include:

• Infrastructure Delivery;
• Home to School Travel;
• Cycle Hire and access to cycling;
• Integration with Public Transport;
• Road Danger Reduction.

Dame Sarah Storey, Active Travel Commissioner, said:

“I am delighted to share the refreshed active travel mission for Greater Manchester and show everyone how we plan to build on the successes of the region’s first Cycling and Walking Commissioner, Chris Boardman. 

“Providing people with the opportunity to walk, wheel or cycle is fundamental to helping us move around Greater Manchester in different ways, particularly for short trips or giving barrier free access to public transport stops.  

“But the benefits of active travel go beyond simply getting from one place to another. Research has shown how it can dramatically improve people’s health and wellbeing over time, and prevent thousands of long-term health conditions in this city-region alone. 

“And in the current cost-of-living crisis, enabling people to switch an existing journey by car to one on foot or bike could ease the financial pressure on household budgets.  

“In short, we cannot afford to not act on this agenda and now is the right time to revisit existing priorities and refresh the mission for Greater Manchester. 

“I look forward to working with the Mayor, local authority leaders, the Transport Commissioner and community groups to drive forward delivery of the active travel strategy and make this the best place in the country to walk, wheel and cycle.” 

Cllr Paul Prescott, cabinet member for planning, environment and transport at Wigan Council, said:

“We are thrilled to support Dame Sarah Storey’s refreshed mission for Active travel in Greater Manchester. 

“Improving active travel infrastructure and accessibility has the power to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality for communities in Wigan and beyond. 

“We look forward to working alongside Dame Sarah and seeing her exciting policy in action.”???  

Research shows that physical inactivity is responsible for 1 in 6 deaths in the UK with an estimated annual cost of at least £7.4 billion. Current levels of active travel in Greater Manchester are estimated to prevent at least 2,600 serious, long-term health conditions. Walking is reported to help prevent at least 425 early deaths annually and cycling more than 50. Not only is active travel reducing early deaths, it is saving the local NHS c.£4 million a year. 

Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham said:

“Walking, wheeling and cycling are central to our vision for the future of transport in Greater Manchester and the delivery of the Bee Network. 

“Earlier this year, I was delighted that Dame Sarah Storey agreed to become Greater Manchester’s new Active Travel Commissioner. Her expertise and passion for active travel will be essential to the delivery of our ambitious plans for this area of transport, giving people new choices about the way they move around our city-region. 

“Dame Sarah is the right person to lead us towards these goals and I am grateful to her for this report.”