Our team in the North is working with Transport for Greater Manchester, Arup and local councils to create 10 new active neighbourhoods; one in each district of Greater Manchester.
The ‘Active Neighbourhoods’ project aims to prioritise the movement, health and safety of people over cars.
This includes using modal filters such as benches, planters or bollards to reduce traffic on residential streets, increasing walking and cycling for local journeys, and creating quieter, more attractive places for residents to chat and children to play.
The Bee Network
Active neighbourhoods are an integral part of the Bee Network, a 10-year plan for Greater Manchester to deliver the UK’s largest joined-up walking and cycling network, eventually spanning 1,800 miles.
We are leading on a four-stage community engagement programme with local residents, schools and businesses, which is at the heart of the design process.
Our team creates concept designs for the new active neighbourhoods, based on the views of local people.
These are submitted via online workshops, discussions, printed mail outs and a website.
Bolton and Bury
We have begun working with communities in Bolton and Bury to gather feedback from local residents on what they like and dislike about the streets in their area.
Whether they would support measures to reduce rat-running, and how they could improve walking and cycling links to local parks, schools and transport hubs.
Rory Davis, our Principal Urban Designer in Manchester said:
“We’re very excited to be working with local communities on this ambitious programme, which will help transform residential streets across many areas in Greater Manchester that suffer from high road traffic accidents, health problems and poor transport links.
“Community engagement is central to our design process and under normal circumstances, this is carried out through group meetings and workshops, so the pandemic throws up obvious challenges.
"Our team will be working hard to ensure that we give as many local people as possible the chance to have their say through online workshops, printed leaflets dropped to residents, and an interactive website.”
Active neighbourhoods are an integral part of the Bee Network, a 10-year plan for Greater Manchester to deliver the UK’s largest joined-up walking and cycling network, eventually spanning 1,800 miles.
Journeys on residential streets have risen by 45%
Chris Boardman, Cycling and Walking Commissioner for Greater Manchester, said:
“Over the last decade traffic levels on main roads have barely risen, but journeys on residential streets have risen by a staggering 45%.
"That’s five billion more miles being driven every year past people’s front doors, mostly by people using what should be quiet neighbourhood streets as shortcuts, and that’s not right.
“By stopping through traffic but keeping full access to homes for people who need to go there, active neighbourhoods prioritise those that call it home.”
Long-term behaviour change
James Tate, Arup Active Neighbourhoods Project Manager, said:
“The COVID-19 pandemic, and measures put in place to mitigate the spread of the virus, have resulted in extraordinary levels of active travel, such as walking and cycling, across the UK.
"With this, we’ve seen many cities temporarily reap the benefits of improved air quality, safer streets and stronger communities.
"Local councils now have the unique opportunity to create long-term behaviour change, in which active transport becomes the norm, by putting the right infrastructure in place across the UK’s cities.
“That’s why we are really excited to be delivering TfGM’s Active Neighbourhoods project, focusing on the need to design residential streets that allow people to access local facilities and public transport by foot and by cycle, and delivering the health, air quality and safety benefits of reduced road traffic.”
Low traffic neighbourhoods have better air quality
Councillor Alan Quinn, Bury’s Cabinet Member for the Environment said:
“Creating quieter and safer streets, plus better linkages to local facilities such as shops, parks, schools and transport hubs will have many benefits for the residents of the Whittaker Lane area.
“People that live in low traffic neighbourhoods have better air quality and generally find it easier to embrace positive lifestyle changes due to improved opportunities to be more active and boost physical and mental wellbeing.”
We want to hear from you
Cllr Stuart Haslam, Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Highways, said:
“This consultation is an opportunity for us to work together with the community to get the right blend of measures to respond to local needs.
“With Covid-19, we have seen spaces being used differently with more reliance on active travel, use of public transport and increased home working.
"We need to hear people’s thoughts, particularly residents who live in the area.”
Greater Manchester aims to achieve one million additional daily sustainable journeys by 2040, particularly everyday trips to school, work or leisure.
Active neighbourhoods are funded through the Mayor’s Challenge Fund.
What is a low-traffic neighbourhood? Find out more about the changes in our towns and cities.
