New fully designated walking and cycle route to be built in Salford

Greater Manchester’s Bee Network plan to deliver the UK’s first joined up cycling and walking network is set to be boosted by almost £12m worth of cycling routes.

On Friday 30 October, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) approved £11.8m of the Mayor’s Challenge Fund to build five cycling and walking schemes in Manchester, Salford and Stockport.

This funding will see these fully-designed cycling and walking proposals delivered on the ground, with construction on the first schemes expected to start before the end of the calendar year.

The latest approvals come after cycling and walking commissioner Chris Boardman announced that around 55 miles of high quality cycling and walking schemes will be on the ground across Greater Manchester by the end of 2021.

Chris Boardman, Greater Manchester’s Cycling and Walking Commissioner said, “During the lockdown, while a huge number of people took to their bikes and enjoyed the quieter roads, GM’s councils were working hard behind the scenes to get their cycling and walking proposals ready for delivery.

“These five schemes signify further progress on our commitment to providing safe spaces for the people of Greater Manchester, enabling them to rethink how they make their journeys.

“Many significant schemes will be completed during 2021 and these latest additions will add even more mileage to our Bee Network, enabling an ever-increasing number of Greater Manchester residents to leave the car at home if they choose.”

The route that will be constructed in Salford will be called ‘Salford Swinton Greenway’.

The route will follow a former railway line and the full route runs between Monton Road in Monton (to the south) and the A6 Manchester Road in Swinton (to the north).

Several will connect to local schools, colleges and the wider communities that live and work along the route.

Swinton Greenway is 7.2km in length of which 5.7km is off road and 1.5km on road.

Improvements along the route include significant lengths of widening, surfacing and access improvements, enhanced lighting as well as planting and landscaping improvements.