Footpath improvements along Ryleys Lane

That's great although probably not used that much. What would be much more better and safer is joining the Ryleys Lane footpath up with the Chorley Hall lane footpath at the corner of Windermere Drive. It's dangerous to have to cross over the road at a busy junction to use the path on the other side of the road. Or you have to either walk in the road or on wet muddy grass. Plus why isn't there a pedestrian crossing for the Ryleys school?

These upgrades will make a great place to dump, sorry park, your Range Rover.

About time too, I first started reporting this about 10 years ago.

Great job done as far as it goes, however the path further along needs attention due to hedge encroaching onto path. These forces you to walk very close to the kerb edge.

Marvellous. I first complained about the path twenty years ago, after my parents died, as I walked along there to the cemetery quite regularly. I still walk to the cemetery but, as Brian Hamilton remarked, the hedge is encroaching on to the path further along.Today, as I was walking along there, a jogger coming towards me, had to run out into the road. It was such a lovely walk along the lane when I was younger, in the fifties. It was fields either side and harebells grew along the embankment. There was a pond in the new bit of Riley’s School and I used to watch the cows going in to be milked at Chorley Hall Farm. Not many cars. Happy days!!

Councillor Browne - I would love to take you for a walk one day!
The 100meters of footpath is great, although I dread to think about the cost. Is it available under the Freedom of Information Act?
Now what about the rest of the mile or so of footpath that takes you to Foden Lane? As other readers have pointed out it is down to one person in places due to overhanging branches; overgrown bushes and hedges; and overgrown margins creeping across the path.
As another reader points out if two single people are approaching each other one has to step into the road.
And whilst I am on this subject - try walking down Moss Lane from Trafford Road towards the cricket club without stepping into the road. Why does the council allow the homeowners to grow their hedges across at least half of the pavement in most places?
Try walking along South Grove where one particular shrub virtually encroaches the whole of the pavement.
I could go on. Merrymans Lane. Etc.
Councillor - please let's go for a walk!

Here, here, well said about overgrown hedges and footpaths. I do a lot of walking around Wilmslow and Alderley. Hedges are taking up more and more space on pavements. In places dangerously overgrown hedges as mentioned on Foden Lane, one of many. Neglected over years since being managed by Cheshire East. Correct me if I am wrong but weren’t they voted the worst authority in the country?

Good to see the footway improved to a reasonably good standard. Well done to the operatives responsible.
There remains a lamppost located on/in the footpath. It’s fairly modern and it’s difficult to understand how it ever was erected there.
Despite the Highways team cutting the hedge back at that point , the width of the path is just 1.04 metres of tarmac, that’s a skinny 41 inches . If the lamppost was moved on to the grass verge and a few metres up Ryleys Lane, wheelchair and push pram access could be possible.

Hi Neil,

Thank you for your invitation, which I will be delighted to accept. My next community surgery will be on Saturday 27th November, at Alderley Edge Library, between 10am and 11am. If you can come to the library for 11am I will be happy to take a ward walk with you and discuss some of the issues you have raised (although I should add that both Foden Lane and Merrymans Lane lie outside the Alderley Edge Ward Boundary).

The total budget for footway repairs across the whole of Cheshire East is just £1.14m in 2021/22, so there are always going to be more footways that are in need of repair than there is available funding. The list of those footpaths that have made it into this year's programme are published on the Council's website at: https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/pdf/highways/highways-improvement-programme-2020-2021/highways-improvement-2021/latest-docs/footway-repair-programme-2021-2022.pdf

Unfortunately, I don't have access to the individual cost of each scheme, although you could probably obtain this through a Freedom of Information request if you wanted. What I can tell you is that there are 88 schemes on the list and £1.14m allocated to them, so dividing one figure by the other gives a rough average cost of £12,955 per scheme. Locally, Chorley Hall Lane, Devonshire Drive, Beaufort Close & Ryleys Lane have all made it onto this year's list.

With respect to overgrown hedges, the Parish Council published an article in the most recent newsletter, asking residents to make sure their hedges are not encroaching onto the footpath and it is apparent that a number of them have responded positively to this request. Cheshire East Highways also regularly write to householders asking them to make sure their boundaries are appropriately maintained.

I hope this helps and I look forward to meeting you on Saturday 27th November.

Kind regards,
Craig

Kevin Briggs

A clear width of 1.0m is the accepted norm in construction industry guidelines as being adequate width for both wheelchairs and push pram access. In some instances, 800mm is deemed acceptable. I, therefore, struggle to understand why you believe that wheelchair and push pram access isn't possible.

Many years ago, a gentleman complained to me about the same two problems of today i.e. green stuff on the pavements and encroaching hedges, along the trip to the cemetery.
I approached the local Officers and asked if they could ease the situation; within a week or so, the pavements were cleared and the farmer/s who owned the hedges were served with an order to cut back the hedges; which they did.
If you put up a clear suggestion and ask nicely, you can get things done?

Craig’s surgery was this morning so I wondered if there was any feedback from his walk with Neil afterwards?

As for those paths outside the Parish boundaries, I presume Neil will have already requested the relevant Councillor’s assistance with these?