Agenda item

Councillor Hobin declared a person interest in this item and took no part in the discussion.

Consideration was given to a report which presented the Committee with the draft Greater Manchester Streets for All Strategy, a sub-strategy of the GM2040 Transport Strategy.

The Committee was informed that the updated GM2040 Transport Strategy documents were approved by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) in January 2021 which included a refreshed version of the long-term statutory local transport plan, the Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2040, a final version of Our Five-Year Transport Delivery Plan (2021-2026) and ten new Local Improvement Plans, one for each of the Greater Manchester Local Authorities.

The Committee was advised that the Greater Manchester Streets for All Strategy was one of a suite of sub-strategies being developed to support the overarching local transport plan documents. Streets for all was a new approach to support Oldham’s placed-based agenda as well as achieving the ambition for more travel by walking, cycling and public transport which would help to tackle the most pressing economic, environmental, quality of life and innovation challenges. The ambition was to design more welcoming and greener streets that: would enable people to incorporate more physical activity into their daily lives, would have clean air, would provide good access to public transport, and would be accessible for those with mobility impairments.

It was explained that the Streets for All Strategy would be guided by seven essentials that GMCA, the ten Greater Manchester Councils and Transport for Greater Manchester (TFGM) would deliver in partnership with residents, businesses, transport operators, the NHS and emergency services. The essentials were as followed:

·         An attractive and inclusive walking environment.

·         A safe and connected cycling experience.

·         A reliable, integrated and accessible transport network.

·         Goods are delivered on time with minimal impacts on local communities.

·         Streets that enable people to drive less.

·         A future proofed network.

·         Green, vibrant streets that are welcoming places to spend time in.

The Committee was informed that the Streets for All approach involved working at three levels that would ensure Greater Manchester’s roads could transition to deliver the strategy. The levels would be Spatial Planning, Network Planning and Street Design and Management. Central to the approach was reducing the distances people needed to travel to reach everyday destinations such as work, healthcare, education, green spaces and leisure facilities.

The Committee were advised of the different street types and the roles they undertook. Destination Places and Active Neighbourhoods had low levels of moving vehicles and the aim was to make these kind of streets pleasant places to live and spend time in, whilst being easy to access facilities on foot or by cycle. High streets had high levels of active travel alongside public transport which played an important role in supporting economic success. Connector Roads were important for moving buses and enabling public transport to be given enough priority to be reliable and attractive to users. These roads were important for service and delivery vehicles accessing town centres. Strategic Roads were for larger vehicles on longer journeys that would ensure that impacts of motorised traffic on local streets were minimised.

Members made reference to the Quality Bus Transit Scheme and the funding received for the scheme. Members were advised that bid funding would be looked at from Central Government with TFGM to submit the proposals on behalf on the Greater Manchester Councils.

Members queried accessibility for those with additional needs and noted that some pavements within Oldham were unsuitable for walking due to pavement parking and the topography of the land. Members were advised that shifting the philosophy was key to accessibility with a joint approach from all involved. Feedback was required from residents and needed to be right for each area.

Members felt that engagement was crucial and asked for ways the strategy could be promoted. Members were advised that re-education of the system and change of attitude were needed with reregulation being a step towards bringing services and users back together. There was a need for community groups to engage and a uniform approach in all authorities.

Members asked for clarification on funding that had already been agreed for the Borough and what would be done with the current infrastructure. It was noted that £14 million had been allocated to Oldham under the Bee network funding. Within that funding £8 million would be used for the Centre of Oldham with the remaining £6 million for the growth deal. In terms of infrastructure, investments had been made in the last 10-15 years and although Oldham’s bus station was 21 years old it was not included within the proposals.

RESOLVED that the draft Greater Manchester Streets for All Strategy be noted and an update be provided to the Committee in 12 months’ time.