Greater Manchester leaders are asking national Government to change
the law to give people travelling on foot a much higher priority at
junctions, thereby improving road efficiency for all users.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) – which is made up
of 10 local council leaders and the Mayor of Greater Manchester –
is calling for changes to be made to regulations that govern
junction design in response to the Department for Transport’s
(DfT) consultation on its Cycling and Waking
Investment Strategy safety review.
The simple and cost effective proposals would see side road
crossings, which are currently set back from junctions in the UK
and out of the sight of some drivers, moved to a position flush
to the main road. The zebra crossings would also be installed
without expensive lighting features, which have in the past made
them too costly to use across Greater Manchester.
The new rules would improve safety and journey times and see
Greater Manchester fall into line with other major global cities
around the world such as Paris.
The proposed new rules would hugely simplify junctions, making
walking safer, quicker and more attractive, encouraging many more
trips on foot. The crossings could cost as little as £200 to
install, saving local authorities money and freeing up budgets to
install more of them.
The GMCA has also asked Government to work with them and
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to undertake a
feasibility study to research how traffic light junctions could
be made more efficient.
A move to change the phasing of major junctions and how they are
designed could help the city-region’s mission to reduce
congestion. A research model undertaken at a junction in Waltham
Forest, London, saw motor traffic queue lengths reduced by more
than 40%.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, , said: “We want to make
Greater Manchester much easier to navigate on foot or by bike and
we know that the UK is behind most other cities in the world in
terms of its approach to junction priority and design.
“With a few simple changes to legislation, we would not only make
our streets much more pleasant and safer for people travelling
without cars, we’d also make junctions with traffic lights a lot
more efficient - cutting journey times for all road users.
“This would go a long way to meeting the commitments we’ve made
in the Congestion Deal and would help us to improve air
quality.”
Greater Manchester Cycling and Walking Commissioner, Chris
Boardman, added:
“Crossing the street, either on foot or by bike, shouldn’t
require bravery.
“If we get these two new rules in place, we’ll be able to create
a much better environment for people to get from where they are
to where they want to be without a car. Even if people have to
drive, evidence has shown us that junctions can be made more
efficient for motorists too by reducing queuing times.
“These are tried and tested approaches that have worked
successfully in many countries around the world. Now it’s time
for Greater Manchester to reap the rewards.”
More information about the Waltham Forest junction study
is available here.
