Manchester City Council has started s second stage of consultation for a new walking and cycling route through neighbourhoods north and east of the city centre.
Plans are to include a new continuous route between Ancoats, New Islington, New Cross, New Town, Red Bank, the Green Quarter and city centre.
Work will include creating new crossings to overcome local barriers for people travelling on foot and by bike, such as the River Irk, Ashton Canal and railway viaducts.
Junctions and public spaces which are not currently easy to walk or cycle through will be enhanced, with more trees and green space included in the plans.
The scheme, which takes on suggested changes following phase one of consultation, runs from Roger Street in the Green Quarter, passing Islington Marina and through the Ancoats conservation area, to Pollard Street’s junction with Great Ancoats Street.
In the original consultation respondents asked for; routes linking the areas away from cars and roads, the development of a new route that linked Cutting Room Square and the New Islington tram stop, improvements to key junctions to help make them easier to cross and more green public spaces.
Two new CYCLOPS (cycle optimised protected signals) junctions are proposed for the junction of Oldham Road with Thompson Street and Sherratt Street and the junction of Rochdale Road with Ludgate Hill and Gould Street.
The Council’s Executive Member for the Environment, Planning and Transport, Cllr Angeliki Stogia, said: “This scheme will help create better places to live to the north and east of the city centre, making walking and cycling easier and more attractive options by improving travel links between emerging neighbourhoods and the city centre.
“Our proposals, which follow on from the benefit of an initial round of consultation, seek to create more walking and cycling-friendly public areas which are joined-up more naturally, with better signage and safer junctions, to encourage people of all ages to see travelling on foot or by bike as natural choices.”
