Item for discussion.  To consider the importance of pedestrian and cyclist access and the role of public transport in district centres.

Nicola Kane from TfGM delivered a presentation on Transport and Accessibility to Manchester’s District Centres.  The main points and themes included:

• TfGM’s vision for 50% of all journeys to be made by walking, cycling or public transport by 2040 and the plan to achieve this;
• The current accessibility of district centres by public transport;
• The Bee Network proposals, which would improve cycling and walking access to and within district centres;
• Current research which sought to understand why people made 41% of short trips by car; and
• Streets for All Strategy and how it could be delivered.

In response to a question from the Chair, Nicola Kane offered to provide a short note giving further explanation of how the Greater Manchester Accessibility Levels in the map on the fifth slide of her presentation had been calculated.

A Member informed the Subgroup about a piece of work that students at the School of Architecture were undertaking on re-imagining Didsbury District Centre.

In response to a question about connecting places outside of the city centre to each other, Nicola Kane advised that proposals to bring bus services under the control of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) could provide an opportunity to improve orbital connections, as could orbital cycle lanes.  

The Executive Member for Housing and Regeneration agreed that re-regulation of bus services was important.  She expressed concern at the cost of travelling using more than one mode of public transport and the time that bus journeys took.  She also highlighted some of the challenges which pedestrians and cyclists faced, for example, the quality of pavements and the behaviour of some drivers, for example, parking on the pavements.  She advised that these were areas where the Council could have an impact and that this should be linked in with the work on cycling and walking taking place at a Greater Manchester level.  She also advised Members that it was important to have benches in district centres. 

Nicola Kane reported that making basic improvements to the quality of pavements and tackling pavement parking had the potential to make a large impact.  She advised Members that Chris Boardman was lobbying the government regarding better ways to address pavement parking, through enforcement and making it socially unacceptable.  She also informed Members about current research taking place to demonstrate the safety of implied zebra crossings.

The Chair commented that civil enforcement was important and that the behaviour of some drivers was likely to be a factor in why so many people were not making short journeys on foot.

In response to a question from the Chair, Nicola Kane reported that the location of the Beelines, routes with improved cycling and walking access, had been chosen following consultation with the public and councils.  The Head of Local Planning and Infrastructure and City Policy reported that his service wanted more focus around district centres, where there was the potential for small scale interventions to make it a lot easier for pedestrians, and that they were in discussions with TfGM about this; however, he had been advised that any proposals had to benefit both cyclists and pedestrians.  Nicola Kane suggested that a mixture of large flagship Beelines and smaller local schemes was the best approach but she welcomed comments from Members and the public on what the priorities should be.

In response to a question from the Head of Local Planning and Infrastructure and City Policy, Nicola Kane reported that she was happy to meet with officers or Members outside of the meeting to discuss how additional information could be gathered on how people travelled to district centres.  She also highlighted that data was available on the condition of local footways.

The Chair thanked Nicola Kane for attending.  In summary, she advised that the final report on the Subgroup’s work should include the importance of accessibility to district centres by sustainable modes, particularly for people living with a 2-kilometre radius.  She also highlighted the importance of underserved communities having good bus routes to shopping areas as well as the quality of the public realm, including pavements, and the use of enforcement to tackle problems like pavement parking.  She further highlighted the importance of continuing to liaise with TfGM as a key partner. 

Decision

That the points raised by the Chair be incorporated into the final report.