The new Trafford Road walk-ride scheme has been launched last Sunday with the help of former gold medal winning Olympian, Chris Boardman, and Paralympian Dame, Sarah Storey.
The cycling duo endorsed the new £23m cycle lane makeover in the name of active travel on the busy A road by riding down it with Salford Mayor, Paul Dennett.
The tandem Active Travel England Commissioners called the renovation a “win-win, bringing more transport independence & making health an easy choice everyday.”
Great to be back in Salford today where we officially launched the new Trafford Road scheme.
At £23m it’s one of the biggest walking and cycling schemes delivered so far in Greater Manchester, and one of the biggest road improvement projects undertaken in Salford. pic.twitter.com/pQOQIXBY2v
— Dame Sarah Storey (@DameSarahStorey) October 1, 2023
The cycle route that runs from Salford into Trafford is one of Salford and Greater Manchester’s longest cycle routes.
The launching of the walk-ride scheme comes at a pertinent moment as Rishi Sunak announced support for motorists inciting written response from Boardman and Storey.
The Prime Minister announced at the Conservative Conference in Manchester yesterday that he will end “anti-car measures” and implement a “long-term plan to back drivers.”
The PM wants to challenge the increase in councils implementing 20mph blanket speed zones and 15 minute cities that restrict where people can drive.
Chair of Sport England Chris Boardman responded to Sunak’s comments by saying that “it’s not the language I would choose.”
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Meanwhile he claimed that promoting driving would render it more miserable through increasing traffic.
Decorated retired Paralympic swimmer and cyclist Sarah Storey also refuted the Prime Minister’s comments in a letter to Rishi Sunak on behalf of Greater Manchester.
The letter, signed along with representatives of the Liverpool, South Yorkshire and West Midland regions, demanding better bike and pedestrian access in order to reduce traffic.
The letter said: “Every extra person enabled to walk, cycle or take public transport for their journeys frees up limited road space for those who really need to drive.”
They suggested that a more accessible, integrated public transport system will facilitate less drivers on the road, easing congestion.
Each year in Greater Manchester, 250 million journeys of 1km or less are done by car. If even half of these were possible to walk or cycle, that improves the roads for everyone including drivers. Read more 👇🏻 on the letter I’ve co-signed with my fellow Active Travel Commissioners https://t.co/B0Eft898gX
— Dame Sarah Storey (@DameSarahStorey) October 2, 2023
Mr Boardman remained optimistic suggesting better driving and walk-ride options could coexist.
The three time Tour de France stage winner said: “It would be really good if these things were said at the same time.
“When you’re doing just this one thing it doesn’t show that that’s important here, so I’d like to see them rolled out at the same time to get balance.”
Mr Boardman continued on to promote the effectiveness of cycling in reducing congestion saying bikes six times more space efficient than cars.
He said: “So if you actually join the dots if we don’t give reasons not to drive it’s going to make driving pretty miserable for cyclists.
Mr Boardman finished by promoting the health benefits of active travel calling it the “only way you’re going to improve the health of a nation quickly and affordably.”
This comes as £830k worth of funding for new bike parking spaces is to be shared throughout Salford and Greater Manchester.
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