Thank you chair firstly please allow me to express my thanks to Mr Densham for his role in organising this petition and taking the time this evening to attend full council to introduce the item before members; and it really is very appreciated and I welcome the recent increase in dialogue between residents and councillors which is observed in this forum through use of mechanisms such as petitions.
Trafford Council is currently in the final stages of developing an active travel strategy to inform future decisions and investments aimed at improving walking, cycling and other forms of wheeling across the borough. This administration is committed to making the comfortable and safe use of pavements, highways and open spaces as accessible as possible to as many residents as possible.
This petition's suggestion of a dedicated cycle route between Britannia Road in Sale and Talbot Road in Stretford will be considered for inclusion in that strategy alongside other routes that warrant consideration but with the number of cycling routes already prioritised for development within the Mayor's Challenge Fund Programme, any new routes such as this would need to be dependent on the availability of funding. The funding used to date has been secured by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority; and as such it stands in the nature and design of the project to which it is allocated, it is not the sole decision of Trafford Council.
So if I can, Mr Densham, please allow me to suggest that's where the realistic challenges lay. Now officers from the Council's Place directorate have advised that are likely to be land ownership issues and other constraints to deal with in respect of the route that is suggested in the petition and as such it will require development in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester, owing largely to its close proximity to the Metrolink line.
This said, many residents will be aware of this administration's commitment to improving the cycle infrastructure across the borough and I'm able this evening to provide a brief update of upcoming projects.
There were temporary measures introduced along the A56 during the first lockdown implemented by central government and much of that provision has remained in place since. Trafford Council is working in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester to bring forward bespoke cycle lane provision between Stretford and the City Centre as well as between Stretford and Chorlton, connecting to routes that previously been delivered along Talbot Road and the Manchester/Trafford northern border, these improvements will be delivered in phases with some of the very first work already having commenced with northern strip of Chester Road as part of our routine Highways Maintenance Programme.
A second round of consultation will shortly be undertaken to introduce proposals specifically relating to Stretford which have been drafted on the basis of over 16,000 pieces of feedback from the first round of consultation. Work is intended to begin at the end of the year and delivered over the next couple of years until full coterminous measures can be realised as part of the regeneration of Stretford Town Centre.
I share this update on our existing projects, I hope to convey that this administration is ambitious about improving active travel.
We will be installing new cycle hire schemes as part of the Bee Network which is being rolled out across Greater Manchester and will complement those routes by accessing as many improvement opportunities as possible. The approach that has been taken to date informing proposals to improve active travel has been one that emphasised engagement with local residents.
This has guided work around proposals for routes along the A56, for the Urmston Active Travel Neighbourhood and for the Walton Road Low Traffic Neighbourhood. There are also plans to deliver to deliver a safer cycling route connecting Sale Town Centre and Sale Moor. These projects are going to take time to come to realisation but together they represent an ambitious vision and multi million pound investment. This administration is committed to working with residents and strongly believes that the best possible policy decisions are made when local people can feed their views into the local decision making process. And with that Chair..