Councillor Craig Browne, Deputy Leader and Chair of the Highways & Transport Policy Committee, recently attended the official opening of the new cycleway on Alderley Road in Wilmslow.
The £1m scheme has been largely funded through the Local Enterprise Partnership's Local Growth Fund (£900,000) with a funding contribution of £100,000 from Cheshire East Council.
Councillor Craig Browne said " The cycleway follows the modern design concept of a "shared space" scheme, without segregation for cyclists and pedestrians; however, four pedestrian/cycling symbols are to be added to the surface of the new route to advise users that it is intended for shared use.
"I am pleased to confirm that a number of further positive features have been included within the scheme:
- a wild flower verge is being created between the cycleway and the road surface
- a raised table has been introduced as a traffic calming measure at the entrance to Fulshaw Park South
- a new bus shelter has been installed, just after the junction with Fulshaw Park South
- the old bus shelter has been up-cycled as a team "dug out" at Wilmslow Rugby Club
- the bench by Fulshaw Park South has been refurbished using recycled materials
"Furthermore, advantage was taken during the closure of Alderley Road to carry out some drainage works that have long since plagued this gateway to Alderley Edge and Wilmslow. Two existing gully connections on the north bound lane were found to have collapsed and these have now been diverted to a combined United Utilities combined drainage system, whilst additional combined drainage kerbs have also been installed at the junction with Fulshaw Park South.
"Royal London will also replace a 750mm culvert within the boundary of the land under their ownership and will be renewing all gully connections on the southbound lane, as part of their planning agreement. I have also received confirmation from Cheshire East Highways that the road markings on the southbound approach to the Whitehall Bridge Roundabout will be refreshed over the coming weeks."
Comments
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Thank you for providing me with an opportunity to explain this further. The grant from the Local Growth Fund (which covered 90% of the costs of the scheme) was ringfenced for active travel projects. The Council was therefore presented with two options: either spend the money in accordance with the conditions of the grant, or return the funds.
A proportion of the total costs of the project will have been accounted for by the legal order and traffic management required to close Alderley Road whilst the project was being implemented. As explained above, an opportunity was taken to carry out much needed drainage work at this location whilst the road was closed; thus saving taxpayers' money.
I will be sharing the details of this year's Highways Repair Programme very shortly.
Kind regards,
Craig
Just 300yrd of pathway
4 months of severe disruption
Still the drainage on that stretch of road unresolved\
No white markings on the ‘new pathway’
Not seen one cycle using the ‘new cycleway’
All bikes still using the original cycle lane on the carriageway
So, for a few hundred yards, the ‘pavement’ has been improved for £1m!!!
The “shared path’ is used by people .... the same people as before I would surmise...
I don’t think spending £1m on a few hundred yards will increase the number of people using it.....
My experience when using Alderley Road has been cyclists still mostly using the original road . Little evidence of cyclists using the pathway and pedestrian usage appears similar to before.
Perhaps a formal usage survey sometime soon will help determine if the ‘Local Growth Fund’ has delivered value for money and achieved its objectives.
If the new shared-use path had incorporated the existing on-carriageway cycle lane it would have been wide enough for both cyclists and pedestrians, it is not fit for purpose as it stands.
If there was nothing better to spend these funds on. Surely.... the best and honourable and moral thing to do would be to hand the use of the grant back.... it just spend it... for spend it’s sale?!
Spot on. I enjoy a ride on my bike but wouldn’t use a shared space cycle lane because of earphone wearing walkers, joggers, dog walkers - you end up having to ride at walking pace.
EXACTLY how many £££'s was the "proportion of the total costs of the project accounted for by the legal order and traffic management?' Sounds like your answer is trying to disguise the massive 'proportion" that it actaually turned out to be!
So how much and who got itthe £££'s
I published the details to my blog last Thursday. You can view the financial summary, ranked list of roads assessed for carriageway patching and the assessment criteria, by using the following link: https://cllrcraigbrowne.blogspot.com/2021/05/highways-repair-programme-202122.html?m=1
A full list of the capital and revenue programmes has been published on the Cheshire East Council website at: https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/highways_and_roads/road-maintenance/road-repair-and-improvement-programme-2021-2022/road-repair-and-improvement-programme-2021-2022.aspx
Kind regards,
Craig
So - EXACTLY how many £££'s was the "proportion of the total costs of the project accounted for by the legal order and traffic management?
Please state it here so I know that you know - otherwise I'll begin to think you can't work it out from the report yourself.
So pedestrians moving in two opposite directions and the same for cyclists?
Do any of you recall the attempt (of some years ago) to persuade us to convert the centre of Alderley Edge into a car/pedestrian shared-space? a la Poynton!