Traffic Congestion in Marple

[elpram]

Marple is geographically quite small. If you are not physically disabled, have you thought of walking?

Harry, I positively dream of the day when my children can take themselves off to school and I can stroll 5 mins to Rose Hill for my train to work in Manchester. Even better coming back at 7pm and popping into The Railway for a G&T before sauntering home   

[Melancholyflower]

One idea I'd like to see explored is to give Strines a much better service, at least hourly, and encourage people to stop there instead. There's plenty of space to expand the car park and ticket prices are only about 20p higher than Marple. If people knew they could actually get a train and a parking space there with much less hassle than the "Brabyns bunfight" of multiple car parks, it could have an effect.

For a very "wishful thinking" solution, how about a new New Mills station near their Co-op and the industrial units behind, which are level with the railway line and could provide a large area for parking. Or re-open the line to Hayfield (where I'm sure a lot of Marple patronage must also come from) and use that as the terminus for tram-trains... 

Interesting ideas, rsh.  I'd not realised about the land behind the New Mills Co-Op. 
Though I think it's a good idea, I can't ever see the Hayfield line re-opening. There seems to be a lack of enthusiasm to actively explore these options.

Who are the best people to contact?

[ringi]

What would it take to make most of the car part at the station “residents only” and would people be happy to pay £30 a year to get the residents permit to park there?

[rsh]

It's not just ticket prices, it's also the relatively infrequent train service from New Mills, and the lack of car parking at that station.

The frequency from New Mills is mostly the same as Marple these days Mon-Fri, but car parking is the major problem. Why even attempt that eye watering hill down to the station there when you can drive 5 minutes to Marple, get a space AND pay over a third less for your ticket each day.

One idea I'd like to see explored is to give Strines a much better service, at least hourly, and encourage people to stop there instead. There's plenty of space to expand the car park and ticket prices are only about 20p higher than Marple. If people knew they could actually get a train and a parking space there with much less hassle than the "Brabyns bunfight" of multiple car parks, it could have an effect.

For a very "wishful thinking" solution, how about a new New Mills station near their Co-op and the industrial units behind, which are level with the railway line and could provide a large area for parking. Or re-open the line to Hayfield (where I'm sure a lot of Marple patronage must also come from) and use that as the terminus for tram-trains... 

Sadly Derbyshire and High Peak don't seem concerned whatsoever in the problems of ticket prices and parking there, never mind the effect it's having on neighbouring boroughs. A vast swathe of land next to Newtown station which could have been a Hazel Grove style park and ride is due to be an Aldi, with them giving a token gesture of about 10 overflow station parking spaces for the already useless car park.

[Dave]

Regional ticketing issues mean that some new mills residents are driving to Marple, which is an unnecessary, and ridiculous, situation. I'd be interested to know how many do this, and if ticket prices between Derbyshire and greater Manchester can't be sorted out to stop this.

It's not just ticket prices, it's also the relatively infrequent train service from New Mills, and the lack of car parking at that station. 

[amazon]

What on earth is the link between usage of the Middlewood Way and commuting from Marple? If you are on the Middlewood Way, Marple ends half a mile away from Rose Hill at Wood Lane. From there to Macclesfield you are talking about cycling for pleasure, not addressing commuting problems to and from Stockport. Connect2 directly addresses the problem of commuting by providing a largely traffic free cycle route to Stockport and it is this that should be prioritised (and, by heavens, if this route were to be established, you really would have a strong argument for action for renovation of Rollins Lane to justify a through cycle route  from Compstall to Stockport).

Not Rollins lane again .i can just see someone going for early morning train with his suite on , drk morning winter .Going down Rollins lane .

[Melancholyflower]

I can see arguments for both sides.  I have sympathy with Simone's views that there are lazy motorists - like rambler said a certain element always will be, and will refuse to be educated on the benefits of other modes of transport.

Yes, the hilly terrain doesn't make Marple easy to walk to for some residents - surely a free bus service linking hawk green / ridge / compstall or something like the one already in Stockport town centre could be an option?

More car parking would be good in some respects but it isn't the only answer. Regional ticketing issues mean that some new mills residents are driving to Marple, which is an unnecessary, and ridiculous, situation. I'd be interested to know how many do this, and if ticket prices between Derbyshire and greater Manchester can't be sorted out to stop this.

More cycling should be encouraged and routes to Stockport actively campaigned for, especially this connect2 idea.

[Dave]

There is no answer to the traffic congestion, not one that I have....... What isn't an answer is to provide more facilities to accommodate the car..... People will just not get out of their cars and until we solve that, all the car parks, by passes, will just fill up as quickly as we open them.

There's Planet Simone, and then there's the real world!   People who live a mile or more from Marple station will not walk or cycle there in the wind and rain, carrying their briefcases.  This is not Cambridge or York or Amsterdam (flat, with a relatively dry climate), it's hilly and rainy round here!

If stations have adequate car parking people will use it, and that reduces traffic congestion.   Every car parked at Marple station is one less car clogging up Dan Bank or Bents Lane Bredbury (a nightmare!), or Werneth Low.  Park-and-ride works, and it is used all over the developed world as a successful antidote to traffic congestion. 

[marplerambler]

I can't agree more with ringli's comments, however it has taken over 20 years of complaining to get Stockport Council to bring the MIddlewood Way up to its present barely acceptable standard. This is what we are up against. As one who has cycled to work from the suburbs into the centre of London, Birmingham and Manchester I would dearly love to to see cyclists treated as equal partners on the road in order to cycle to work, but the reality is that things have changed. If we can get some people cycling into Stockport via this route then eventually we may get a decent surface and ease or travel.

What on earth is the link between usage of the Middlewood Way and commuting from Marple? If you are on the Middlewood Way, Marple ends half a mile away from Rose Hill at Wood Lane. From there to Macclesfield you are talking about cycling for pleasure, not addressing commuting problems to and from Stockport. Connect2 directly addresses the problem of commuting by providing a largely traffic free cycle route to Stockport and it is this that should be prioritised (and, by heavens, if this route were to be established, you really would have a strong argument for action for renovation of Rollins Lane to justify a through cycle route  from Compstall to Stockport).

[simonesaffron]

I am sure that you are right but the solution at Rose Hill is to build a car park on the allotment site. Digging for Victory was all very well in 1939 but the allotments are an expensive anachronism which truly are a waste of Council land providing land on the cheap for those with green fingers who choose not to dig up their own front and rear gardens to plant vegetables. Build a two storey car park and let those who wish to plant and dig occupy nearly the same surface area on the flat roof and up and down the walls to disguise the new car park.

Simonesaffron fails to grasp the point that we cannot do anything about many people who will not get out of their cars. We may walk or cycle past them as they sit in solid traffic and chuckle that we are moving but the motorists quite simply think that the walkers/ cyclists/ bus passengers are quite mad because they chose not to sit in solid traffic in the warm and dry of their own little box on four wheels even though the engine ticks over not to provide propulsion but to provide warmth and music. Many people have never walked in their lives and never will and feel that they have paid a lot of money to use the road so they might as well use it even though they sometimes get nowhere fast.

I don't think the cyclists are the only one's who are having a 'chuckle' Rambler. I think that you are having a little chortle yourself, with this post.

[marplerambler]

I wish I was so certain this were true; I've a nasty feeling it may just draw more cars to park near the stations

I am sure that you are right but the solution at Rose Hill is to build a car park on the allotment site. Digging for Victory was all very well in 1939 but the allotments are an expensive anachronism which truly are a waste of Council land providing land on the cheap for those with green fingers who choose not to dig up their own front and rear gardens to plant vegetables. Build a two storey car park and let those who wish to plant and dig occupy nearly the same surface area on the flat roof and up and down the walls to disguise the new car park.

Simonesaffron fails to grasp the point that we cannot do anything about many people who will not get out of their cars. We may walk or cycle past them as they sit in solid traffic and chuckle that we are moving but the motorists quite simply think that the walkers/ cyclists/ bus passengers are quite mad because they chose not to sit in solid traffic in the warm and dry of their own little box on four wheels even though the engine ticks over not to provide propulsion but to provide warmth and music. Many people have never walked in their lives and never will and feel that they have paid a lot of money to use the road so they might as well use it even though they sometimes get nowhere fast.

 

[simonesaffron]

The decision to prevent Asda from building a 25,000 sf supermarket on Hibbert Lane was in my opinion the right one. Such an operation would have only served to take business away from local traders because of its 'out of town' location and would have caused even more traffic congestion than we have now.

Every year that passes sees another 1/2 Million cars on the roads in England. Marple was built for horse and cart not for cars. There is no answer to the traffic congestion, not one that I have.

What isn't an answer is to provide more facilities to accommodate the car. More car parks, by passes etc. We should think around more facilities to accommodate the cyclist/pedestrian.  One of my neighbours travels into Manchester regularly and he always goes in his car because he gets free parking, yet he gets free travel on the train. Another neighbour takes her kids to school in her car then comes home immediately after, it's a round trip of less than a mile, she could easily walk. You have only got to stand outside any school gates at opening/closing time and you will see all the cars picking up/ dropping off.

People will just not get out of their cars and until we solve that, all the car parks, by passes, will just fill up as quickly as we open them.   

[shambles]

People like elpram parking at the end of Winnington Road are making life difficult for those of us who actually live on Winningtonn Road. The junctions around Winnington, Bradshaw, and Station roads are becoming more and more difficult due to the number of cars parked too close to the actual junctions. I took the council several years to restrict some of this parking by painting yellow lines, but they just park farther down.

[Dave]

Marple is geographically quite small. If you are not physically disabled, have you thought of walking?

I don't know how Harry defines Marple, but AFAIK it is the local authority wards of Marple North and Marple South, which extend from Dan Bank to Mellor, and from High Lane to Compstall.  Most of that area is not within sensible walking distance of Marple station.

Speaking for myself, I live about 25 minutes rather hilly walk from Marple station.  On a fine day its a pleasant walk.  On a wet day or a dark night, it certainly isn't, especially if I'm carrying a suitcase or a heavy briefcase.  And I don't see why we should put up with being lectured at about how we ought to walk or cycle to the station - which we also were at last week's open forum meeting. 

Hazel Grove station has a huge park-and-ride car park, and that's what we need in Marple - and there is plenty more space that could be used at the back of the car park across the road from the station. 

[Harry]

I drive down to M Bridge in the morning .........

Marple is geographically quite small. If you are not physically disabled, have you thought of walking?