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Tom re-elected as Lib Dems make gains
Graham reports back from Friends of Scholes Park meeting
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Consultation launched on A34 schemes
by Lib Dem team on 8 October, 2020
The council has launched a consultation on 12 schemes on and around the A34 aimed at improvements for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.
The consultation runs to 13th November 2020 and you can take part here.
Cllr Iain Roberts said “This is a good set of proposals, though I’m sure they can be improved further with local input. We want to make our roads safer, reduce pollution, cut congestion and tackle the climate emergency. These proposals help with all of those.”
Iain added. “We also need a Bus Rapid Transit route along the A34 to give people a real public transport alternative to getting in their cars, and we’ll continue pushing for that. Reducing the number of cars going down the A34 is by far the best way to improve the Gatley lights junction.”
Iain
You state we need a Bus Rapid Transit Route on the A34,
I think you are mistaken first we need Buses on the A34.
We have to stop schemes being commissioned that are never used, such as the cycle route off Wilmslow Road designed for cyclists to access Parrs Wood avoiding the High Street.
Hi Roy, RBT is a transport system in its own right so it’s not true to say that buses are needed first. The route off Wilmslow Road is one I’ve used myself and seen others use: it works pretty well for very little cost. Of course, we also need more cycle parking on the High Street itself: lots of people are cycling in to do their shopping and their isn’t enough parking at the moment.
The junction of Gatley Road and Kingsway is not even mentioned. Still no proposals for getting on Kingsway, turning right from Cheadle.
What is happening on Lynton Drive? It is closed. I hope it isn’t permanent, as it’s our only “legal” way of getting onto Kingsway. Should we just stay home for the next 20 years?
I’ve tried to comment on these but the website isn’t optimized for a tablet, so I’ll have to try again on a desktop. There appear to be a lot of issues as a whole (eg a new crossing opposite Wensleydale, which will further stop east west traffic, as if the queue approaching the A34 wasn’t bad enough.)
The proposal to extend the roads and roundabouts near the new garden village to 4, yes 4 lanes (they still have to contract to 2 lanes eventually) is insane. Iain is correct in saying a Rapid transit bus service should be initiated – and should be financed by the developers as a condition of obtaining planning permission to cause the resultant traffic increase.
Sadly, a lot of this sounds like white elephant stuff, which ranks up there with Roscoes roundabout, surely the whitest of all white elephants. We were promised, promised, that traffic lights would not result in queues, yet everyday queues form going towards Stockport – and I’ve yet to see a cyclist use the “facility”.
Just an observation.
I have been using Roscoe’s roundabout for years, there has always been some queuing in rush hour both towards and from Stockport. After all that roundabout has five roads feeding onto it!
I still found the greater delays were between Roscoe’s and Edgeley Road with cars trying to turn right for Tesco Express or any of the roads off to the right.
I’ve used the roundabout regularly as a cyclist and seen others doing so too – it makes it much easier and safer to go from Cheadle towards Stockport. The number of cyclists using that route and then going through Abney and along the shared path at Manchester Road is much higher than it ever was before.
Great scheme, let’s get on with it asap.
For what it’s worth my view is that we will only see a significant increase in cycle/walking use when all of the various schemes e.g. Rosco’s roundabout, Manchester Road are joined up with safer cycling/walking routes.
As for the right turn from Cheadle I would do away with it completely. That should reduce the number of rat runners. If drivers want to avoid queues, it’s simple, complete your journey at a different time of the day. There are only queues for a very limited part of the day.
Stage two for Gatley Road is to put some speed cameras up and stop the selfish idiots that exceed the speed limit.
Next stage is to encourage electric scooters and bikes onto the road and unsure they have priority over motor vehicles.
A pedestrian crossing Gatley Rd.. linking Milton with Marchbank…what??? That will be used probably once a day.. no demand for this unnecessary pedestrian crossing adding to yet more delay to get to the A34 junction on the Cheadle side… forget the necessity of a right turn filter light!! Only been asking for this to be considered for years… something that statically surely displays RTC’s and potential injury to those involved. The pedestrian crossing at the Brookfield site hopefully has wellies ready for any future use… year on year you have failed the residents in this area with repeat flooding… yet no clearing of Micker Brook and all the debris within it around this location… we can always rely on local government to spend for the sake of spending with no reel improvement to residents daily life’s!
Often I hear and see that cycle paths/routes are not used. Absolutely true. If they are not connected up with other cycle paths (i.e. just short stints and then you end up back on the road) they will be avoided. If they are poor quality (tarmac rutted, not smooth – some of the new cycle paths are nice and smooth, others are fairly poor – need better quality control) they will be avoided and long-term, if they are not maintained (hedge ingrowth make them narrow, become rutted from tree roots etc, such currently as alongside Kingsway towards Broadway) they will be avoided. Design them well, build them well, maintain them well for a longer-term sustainable future they will be used. Also needs to be les stop-start – cyclist like car users don’t like stopping if possible. This will encouraging car users to acknowledge the knock-on positive benefits to them (less vehicles on the road, less time stuck in traffic). Everyone’s happier.
Other areas I see obvious cheap simple improvements – out of the Stockport area I know, but on the River Mersey going west towards Sale from the A34, the embankment is full of large stones/bricks and this is part of the Trans Pennine Trail for bikes (and walkers). It’d be good to have a proper cycle path, but if not all this needs is a heavy roller machine to go over it and crush them down and more would use this.
I saw the yellow signs up advising of the A34 consultation and naturally expected some plans to alleviate the Gatley Road/Kingsway junction. How silly of me. I forgot that the latest and most important consideration regarding junctions is cycles. Of course I should have thought of this as I sit in the car waiting for about 4 light changes before being able to make a right turn. I look forward to the day when there will be no cars on the road and we will all be cycling, especially in the depths of winter. But then of course I can just sit in my nice warm car and watch the traffic lights going through their sequences. It all feels like tinkering around the edges
The way to tackle the A34 junction is to reduce the amount of cars that need to use it. That means giving people decent alternatives so fewer people need to use their cars for short trips, or for going into Manchester or to the shops. Putting in improvements for cycling is what creates the conditions for more people to cycle, and for fewer cars to be sitting at the Kingsway lights so no-one is waiting 4 light changes to turn right.
Many of us have and do rely on cars for our living. The obsession with encouraging more people to cycle is laudable but flawed. Most of us don’t cycle for work or shopping as its just not feasible. Before motorists are penalised more for driving there must be a core infrastructure of public transport. Once there are proper working trains/trams and buses operating through the cheadle area strangling the traffic flows along the A34 may get some support.
Last Thursday evening I was washing my car and took a delivery at about 7 pm from Amazon. He had another 50 odd drops to do all in the Cheadle/Cheadle Hulme area. That was one van. He had over 120 all together. One van. Not to mention all the other companies delivering and the food deliveries.
You can’t simply mess with traffic without alternatives.
Hi Robert – interesting you should mention Amazon as they’re starting to invest in electric cargo bikes with the same capacity as small vans – because it’s quicker! Some people have to drive, and the thing that really penalising those people is having the roads packed with cars that don’t really need to be there.
As you say, we need alternatives. Many more journeys would be made by bike or on foot if the infrastructure was better. So let’s get on and do it for everyone.