Marple District Centre Walking and Cycling Improvements

[CTCREP]

Will the Council make all shopping areas Pedestrian Priority?

[Steve Gribbon]

My apologies, I forgot to add that during the meeting we have requested that the speed bumps on Stockport Road and nearby roads with similar temporary bumps be removed at the earliest opportunity and this has been accepted. All being well these will be gone within the next 14-21 days and the 20 mph will stay with additional signage/guidance. This has been accepted by the  highways planning department following an agenda item on the subject last night.

Steve

[Steve Gribbon]

Good morning.

Many thanks to so many who have been in touch and commented on the recently published cycle/walk proposals that have been presented by SMBC. At our Marple Area Committee last night your local councillors agreed to return this to planning officers.

We have advised officers that before anything happens it is only right that residents have their say and this has been accepted so a public consultation will take place and allow all who want to be involved can do so. As chair of the meeting I have requested a 3 Month time period from the date of the consultation and as soon as this become available we will update on how to get involved.

Kind regards

Steve

On behalf of all councillors for Marple North and Marple South & High Lane

[andrewbowden]

I admit that I have not read the 'new' highway code but am confused about Tiger, Zebra, Puffin, and Toucan crossings, and what is the difference between a roundabout and a 'Cyclops' style junction?

Zebra crossing is your standard crossing with flashing yellow lights, for pedestrians.
If I have this right, a Tiger crossing is a zebra but cyclists can use it too.  They're relatively new I think.  Certainly not common.  The stripes used to be yellow.

Puffin crossing is a light operated crossing where the red and green man lights are on the same side of the road as you.  The crossing on Stockport Road/Hollins Lane is a Puffin crossing.  They usually have sensors too to detect what pedestrians are doing.  They're generally believed to be better than the older Pelican crossing as the lights are placed to your right so you are focusing your attention in the direction of traffic rather than the older style Pelicans where your focus is on the red/green across the road.  Apparently it's not possible to install new pelicans anymore - they have to be Puffins instead.

Toucan crossing is a Puffin/Pelican but with bike option as well.

For good measure there's a Peagasus crossing here it's pedestrians/horses.

Cyclops crossings are very rare and very new, but they're growing and they're going to become a lot more common.  IThey focus on the safe crossing of pedestrians and cyclists at busy junctions, with safe routes around them for both.  They're designed to avoid accidents and cyclists can turn right on a separate dedicated lane if they wish.

More information here about Greater Manchester's first Cyclops junction is in this: https://news.tfgm.com/news/manchester-opens-uks-first-cyclops-junction

[Deniseredmini]

It would help to reduce traffic going up Church Lane if the petrol station traffic was allowed out of the entrance on Stockport Road rather than having to exit and turn right onto Church Lane. 

[GM]

Jimblob, your forgetting that atleast the Toucan can fly away to a place that needs all this money squandering 🙂

[jimblob]

option2 seems to pander to Puffins, Tigers and Zebras, making it easier for them to cross... what about the poor Toucans?
People with One eye will also be safer with the proposed Cyclops junctions!
 

[andrewbowden]

Personally I think the option (2) to close Church Lane to through traffic could have some merit so long as they can do it in such a way to accommodate residents access and parking. There has long been a problem with HGVs going up Church Lane and it would put a stop to that. I'm not convinced the road is wide enough to do this but it could be worth looking at in more detail then consulting properly. if I were a local councillor that's what I'd be keen to understand but I agree with Dave that the gyratory idea is bonkers.

I walk down Church Lane a lot and it's horrible due to the traffic.  And it's mostly through traffic on there, so closing it off would probably work okay for locals using it to get to their houses in a two-way scenario.  There's enough side roads for people to access it.  May need a couple of passing places but it could work.

Some may claim changes to Church Lane are unnecessary.  But it's being used as a cut through.

[Condate]

Really what we are looking at here are completely unnecessary changes to solve non-existent problems.  If this is what our councillors think is important, then we need to get rid of them and find others who can concentrate on other things. However, the councillors have an opportunity to show that they know what is good for Marple by rejecting all these proposals. By doing so, they would show they really care about Marple and its people.

[tonyjones]

Closing Church Lane at the Station Road junction does make some sense but as to the rest of the proposal !
Making the roads one way will push all the west bound traffic through the centre of Marple and all the east bound traffic up Station Road including all the BIG lorries that head towards New Mills in contravention of the 7.5ton weight limit !
I admit that I have not read the 'new' highway code but am confused about Tiger, Zebra, Puffin, and Toucan crossings, and what is the difference between a roundabout and a 'Cyclops' style junction?
I have lived in Marple for over 50 years and never knew we had a High Street !

[Howard]

Personally I think the option (2) to close Church Lane to through traffic could have some merit so long as they can do it in such a way to accommodate residents access and parking. There has long been a problem with HGVs going up Church Lane and it would put a stop to that. I'm not convinced the road is wide enough to do this but it could be worth looking at in more detail then consulting properly. if I were a local councillor that's what I'd be keen to understand but I agree with Dave that the gyratory idea is bonkers.

Edit: What I'd also like to see is for councillors to insist that officers work closely with WalkRide Marple to develop any such scheme as they are the ones with the local knowledge and expertise and are prepared to put in the effort to make their community better.

I'm with you on Church Lane, Mark. Large vehicles going up that road are a menace. In fact, there are many cars that go up there WAY to fast for the width of the street. I'd like to see it as "access only" somehow. They'd have to look at improving the Stockport Road/Hibbert Lane junction somehow otherwise traffic heading to south Marple would just go via Cross Lane and Buxton Lane and that's not ideal either.

[admin]

Let's hope they have the courage to dismiss both; the proposals are fixing a problem that doesn't exist and are now out of date. They don't include the proposals for a new swimming pool in memorial Park, nor do they take into account recent changes to the highway code (ridiculous as they are) which give higher priorities to pedestrians and cyclists over motor vehicles. Why build cycle lanes when now, cyclists are not obliged to use them and can ride two-a-breast on a road.
This is yet another example of wasting money and Stockport Highways Team and The Council interfering.

Personally I think the option (2) to close Church Lane to through traffic could have some merit so long as they can do it in such a way to accommodate residents access and parking. There has long been a problem with HGVs going up Church Lane and it would put a stop to that. I'm not convinced the road is wide enough to do this but it could be worth looking at in more detail then consulting properly. if I were a local councillor that's what I'd be keen to understand but I agree with Dave that the gyratory idea is bonkers.

Edit: What I'd also like to see is for councillors to insist that officers work closely with WalkRide Marple to develop any such scheme as they are the ones with the local knowledge and expertise and are prepared to put in the effort to make their community better.

[jimblob]

Watch Live tonight from 6pm
 They are being asked to consider the contents of the report and recommend that the Cabinet Member (Economy & Regeneration) approves the development of one or both of the different approaches

Let's hope they have the courage to dismiss both; the proposals are fixing a problem that doesn't exist and are now out of date. They don't include the proposals for a new swimming pool in memorial Park, nor do they take into account recent changes to the highway code (ridiculous as they are) which give higher priorities to pedestrians and cyclists over motor vehicles. Why build cycle lanes when now, cyclists are not obliged to use them and can ride two-a-breast on a road.
This is yet another example of wasting money and Stockport Highways Team and The Council interfering.

[admin]

Watch Live tonight from 6pm

As many will have learned since the post on Monday 24th, tonight at Marple Area Committee Meeting Marple's six Local Councillors will considered two schemes that have been proposed by council officers in a report entitled "Capability Fund – Marple District Centre Walking and Cycling Improvements". They are being asked to consider the contents of the report and recommend that the Cabinet Member (Economy & Regeneration) approves the development of one or both of the different approaches (Options 1 and 2) and subsequent consultation for the proposals.

You can watch councillors discuss this live tonight from 6pm (item 8 on the agenda) via this direct link:

https://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=27506&EVT=101&DT=A

Here are some direct links to the documents:

Capability Fund – Marple District Centre Walking and Cycling Improvements PDF 341 KB

Additional documents:

• Appendix A - Option 1 Schematic , item 8. PDF 695 KB   
• Appendix A - Option 2 Schematic , item 8. PDF 692 KB   
• Appendix B - Marple Transport Study Phase 2 Report , item 8. PDF 8 MB

[GM]

Or have a little backbone as a locally elected official and say none of these options are suitable and reject the proposal to waste money.