Report of Strategic Director Development

The report presents the final draft Manchester Active Travel Strategy and Investment Plan.

The Committee are invited to comment on the report prior to it being considered by the Executive

The Committee considered the report of the Strategic Director (Development)

that presented the final draft Manchester Active Travel Strategy and Investment Plan.

The Committee had been invited to comment on the report prior to it being considered by the Executive.

Key points and themes in the report included:

·         Providing an introduction and background;

·         Describing the development of the Manchester Active Travel Strategy and Investment Plan;

·         Information on the consultation process and describing the key themes arising from the public consultation; and

·         Providing an update on Staff Travel policy.

Some of the key points that arose from the Committee’s discussions were: -

·         Welcoming the strategy, noting that it clearly articulated the commitment, ambition, vision and principles;

·         Sustainable transport was a constant issue raised by residents when speaking with elected Members;

·         Consideration needed to be given to the format and imagery used on documents to ensure it was appropriate and reflected Manchester;

·         Noting that road crossings were an important feature that could be introduced to support walking;

·         The need for connectivity across wards;

·         The importance of a reliable bus service;

·         The need to tackle off road bikes but retain access to green open spaces;

·         More information was sought on Vision Zero; and 

·         Requesting a further detailed report on Staff Active Travel be submitted for consideration in the new municipal year.

The Executive Member for Environment and Transport thanked all of the team for their work in bringing forward this strategy. She further paid tribute to her former deputy, Councillor Taylor who had led on this issue previously. She stated that it was important to recognise that this was a work in progress and the strategy would be reviewed and updated going forward, noting the comments expressed regarding appropriate imagery and the section that discussed targets for primary school children and secondary school children and associated travel to school. She recognised the comments from the Members’ discussion that the notion of active travel cut across many different issues, including health, education and accessibility. She stated that the report articulated the scale of ambition the Council had for the city and the residents of Manchester. She commented that this strategy had been drafted in consultation with a range of partners and complemented and supported other Council strategies, such as Healthier Lives, Clean Air and Zero Carbon.

The Executive Member for Environment and Transport commented that this was a person-centred strategy, adding that an important aspect would be behaviour change in relation to transport adding that this could only be achieved if the systems were in place to encourage and support this. She further commented that a report on Vison Zero would be included on the Committee’s work programme at an appropriate time to coordinate with when this would be considered by the TfGM Transport Committee.

The Deputy Executive Member for Environment and Transport paid tribute to officers for organising and delivering meaningful and well attended public consultation events, adding that this had been recognised and valued by residents. She further welcomed the recognition of the views captured at the Young People’s Green Summit.

The Strategic Director (Development) commented that the Economy Scrutiny Committee would be considering the Growth and Development Budget paper that further discussed resources to deliver on this ambition.

The Interim Head of Infrastructure and Environment advised that Active Travel was a key element of the Sustainable Travel Strategy, and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) were working closely on the issue of public transport, including bus services.

The Committee welcomed Councillor Johns, Chair of the Economy Scrutiny Committee. He stated that the Economy Scrutiny Committee had scrutinised the development of this plan at their meetings of July 2022 and more recently in January 2023. He recognised and welcomed that key issues and considerations raised by the Committee had been included into the draft strategy, however there were issues that had been raised that he felt had not been adequately addressed, in particular in relation to the integration of public transport; building works and developments and gulley cleaning and maintenance, with specific reference to those on cycle paths.

The Executive Member for Environment and Transport stated that the draft strategy would be reviewed to strengthen these references in the report and thanked Councillor Johns for his contribution. 

Decision

The Committee recommend that the Executive approve and endorse the Manchester Active Travel Strategy and Investment Plan.