Bury and Salford get £5.4m active travel boost

Two cycling and walking schemes in Bury and Salford will now be delivered after securing £5.4 million from the Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund (MCF).

The Salford Chapel Street East scheme has received over £4.1m to transform a section of Chapel Street into a people focused route.

The scheme will include a new continuous footway and a terraced cycle track separated from traffic. There will also be new crossing facilities installed, along with new paving and street furniture.

Councillor Mike McCusker, lead member for planning and sustainable development at Salford City Council, said: “We need to create safe and pleasant routes for people to walk and cycle to encourage people to switch from cars to foot and pedal power, particularly for short journeys, and help ease congestion on major routes.”

The first phase of the Bury Fishpool scheme, which will be delivered in two phases, has received over £1.1m in funding and aims to increase the number of walking and cycling trips in the neighbourhood area.

The scheme will also improve cycling and walking connections between Bury town centre and Bury interchange.

Phase one includes the construction of a new bridge crossing over the River Roch, providing greater access to nearby areas and removing a key barrier to movement.

When complete, the scheme will enable a network of cycling and walking routes to support trips by active travel between Bury town centre and the residential areas of Fishpool and Gigg.

Cllr Kevin Peel, deputy cabinet member for the environment at Bury Council, said: “We're excited to be delivering this ambitious scheme, connecting communities in East Bury to retail, leisure and employment sites in Bury town centre and at Pilsworth, and we hope to see many more residents opting to walk or cycle as a result."

The largest cycling and walking network in the UK

The Mayor’s Challenge Fund was established in 2018 and pledged £160m of funding to cycling and walking, to enable delivery of the largest cycling and walking network in the UK.

It is part of a 10-year, £1.5 billion plan to create 1,800 miles of routes and 2,400 new crossings connecting every neighbourhood, school, high street and public transport hub in Greater Manchester.

Andy Burnham, Mayor for Greater Manchester, said: “Our ambition is to create the largest cycling and walking network in the UK, right here in Greater Manchester.

“To do that - and to make active travel the number one choice for travelling to work to school or to the shops – we’re investing in cycling and walking routes that are safe and accessible for all, exactly like these two schemes in Bury and Salford.”