Walking Cities: Greater Manchester
Living Streets wants all Greater Manchester to be healthier, cleaner and less congested – by making walking safer, more pleasant and the easiest option for short journeys we can make change happen.
And with new proposals for improvements to the region's streets and infrastructure appearing regularly at the moment, this is a crucial time for us to feed in.
Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan
Have your say
Councils in Greater Manchester Combined Authority are working together to develop a Clean Air Plan - and they are seeking local residents' input.
As part of its clean air conversation, it has released proposals which currently include measures they say will help tackle some of the region's most polluting vehicles, including:
- a Clean Air Zone which the most polluting commercial vehicles would have to pay to drive in
- funding to support businesses to change to cleaner vehicles
- an increase in electric vehicle charging points.
Living Streets welcomes the Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone. However we believe the proposals need to go further.
Add your voice
Be part of our submission
Living Streets will be responding - and you can strengthen our official reply by answering one question.
Here are some things we encourage you to include in your response to the consultation. You can also download our air quality consultation how-to guide for some top tips on what to say to strengthen your message.
The introduction of a charging Clean Air Zone, alongside a package of support to help local businesses to adapt, is most welcome.
What you might add:
However, the CAZ does not go far enough, and should include charges for private cars too.
The only way to sustainably reduce traffic and encourage the greatest modal shift towards walking, cycling and public transport is to restrict access by all vehicle categories.
The proposal to help people to use their cars less, especially for shorter journeys is welcome.
What you might add:
It would be good to see specific plans and targets for how this will be achieved.
In particular Greater Manchester ought to set a specific target for increasing walking in general and to at least match the government target of getting 55% of primary school children walking to school by 2025.
Schools that take part in Living Streets' WOW walk to school challenge typically see walking rates rise by 23%.
The proposal for ‘further work to improve the walking network across Greater Manchester by having more high-quality footpaths and improving road crossings’ is most welcome.
What you might add:
This should be a top priority, with streets and developments being planned to prioritise walking, cycling and public transport.
Living Streets notes that Ultra Low Emissions Vehicles (ULEVs) still release harmful particulate matter and contribute to congestion.
Download our how-to guide
You can get more tips from our guide to responding to air quality consultations like this.
#walkingcities
Creating a buzz in the city
Hard to resist an invite to shape the future. 🔮 These super powers are being offered up to #greatermanchester folk to create ideas for a city centre transport strategy. Have your say. https://t.co/uMIlAXEVRb
— Living Streets (@livingstreets) October 12, 2018
Whether its the Beelines innovative plan to create a city-region-wide cycling and walking network made up of more than 1,000 miles of routes plus 1,400 safer road crossings, Transport for Greater Manchester are leading the way. They are asking for people of Manchester to have their say through various consultations running. The vision is to give priority to the movement of people and where more public spaces to sit, play and socialise will be created.
Living Streets Chief Executive, Joe Irvin says:
"We are excited to see this next stage in Chris Boardman’s ambitious plans to make Greater Manchester a great place for people."
These are our campaign aims in Greater Manchester
Our Walking Cities Campaign
Living Streets is calling on the new leaders in our major UK cities to make their cities healthier, cleaner and less congested.