It’s election season in Stockport once again, and we’ve taken the opportunity to quiz candidates on their vision for the future of the borough, following on from last year’s bumper ‘all-out’ election questionnaire.
Stockport’s Walk Ride groups have prepared the following questions and sent them to the parties’ candidates. We will add their replies to this page as they arrive.
The questions
1. Space for cycling
Do you commit to supporting the creation of direct and protected safe cycling routes on major roads in Stockport, such as the A6?
2. School streets
Do you commit to supporting a School Street in your ward, and to enabling the introduction of School Streets across Stockport?
3. Cycle hire expansion
Do you commit to supporting the expansion of the Bee Network branded cycle hire scheme to appropriate locations in your ward?
4. Pavement parking
Do you commit to supporting a ban on pavement parking in your ward?
5. Anything else?
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Bredbury & Woodley
Joe Barratt – Labour
1. Space for cycling – Yes
2. School streets – Yes
3. Cycle hire expansion – Yes
4. Pavement parking – Yes – see statement below
5. Anything else –
The issue of dangerous, obstructive and illegal parking has been raised with us numerous times by local residents. Our frustration is that most of these instances are only enforceable by the police, and there is limited resource and capacity from the police for these matters to be appropriately addressed, and therefore prioritised.
We would, therefore, welcome the introduction of Operation Park Safe, which has been successfully trialed in Crewe and rolled out across Cheshire, to be similarly introduced in Stockport & Greater Manchester. This would give residents and councillors the ability to report illegal, dangerous and obstructive parking directly to the police to then investigate and enforce against.
We would also welcome a review into pavement parking, particularly in reviewing whether it is appropriate for the police to retain powers in relation to obstructive parking on the pavement. Creating more accessible spaces for residents, particularly those with mobility difficulties, has to be a priority for local councils, along with creating more effective public transport systems.
Any potential ban on pavement parking, however, also needs to be measured against the lack of appropriate parking spaces in certain locations to ensure that accessibility for all modal types is possible, without compromising the ability of our most vulnerable residents to be able to freely travel throughout their local area.
Manor
Fiona Aviani-Bartram – Green
1. Space for cycling – I believe that all major roads need protected cycle lanes. The A6 needs protected cycle lanes all the way from Manchester City Centre to Hazel Grove at the very least, ideally to New Mills.
2. School streets – I think every street with a school should be a school street wherever possible, with initiatives to encourage using active travel as a way to get to school.
3. Cycle hire expansion – Absolutely. Cycle Hire should be available, no less than a 10-15 minute walk from every household.
4. Pavement parking – Absolutely, pavement parking is a scourge and should be eliminated everywhere.
5. Anything else – I also think we should have cycle lockers on streets for those who cannot keep their bike in their house, and we should have discounted cycle schemes.
Jon Byrne – Labour
1. Space for cycling – The creation of viable alternatives to making journeys by private car is the only way we can reduce the traffic on our roads. Direct cycle routes are an important part of this solution and I fully support them, the design of these routes must take into account the needs of residents and businesses as well as those passing through, they must link with local facilities such as cycle parking, shops and schools, finally, these schemes should not be half-baked but be designed to allow safe cycling for all ages and abilities.
2. School streets – There is only one school (2 on the same site to be specific) in Manor and many of the children enter and exit the school via a local park. I am not an expert on school streets and am not sure how it could be effectively implemented at this site, however, I am very keen to move traffic away from our schools, if a School Street is a viable solution then I will support it, but I would also be open to other ideas to promote alternative ways to get to school if those are a better fit.
3. Cycle hire expansion – Yes!
4. Pavement parking – Pavement parking is often antisocial parking and we need to remove this problem. Banning pavement parking needs to be part of the solution but it cannot be the only part. We need to ensure that those who need to use a car and also park near their houses are able, we need to ensure we protect access for emergency vehicles and we need to ensure that there is an equitable distribution of limited on-street parking. With this in mind a local pavement parking ban needs to come with a local parking review, implementing permit parking where appropriate, ensuring corners of roads are adequately protected and this protection is enforced, and finally maintaining the current free residents’ carparks which allow residents and parents at Banks Lane to park responsibly away from the school and busy roads.
5. Anything else – I welcome all suggestions to help improve our roads and environment, I am especially keen on hearing from local residents on their views on what we can do locally. One of the major issues raised when I speak to residents is speeding and road safety, I will work with the council’s transport team and the local police to make our roads as safe as possible for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.
Reddish South
James Frizzell – Green
1. Space for cycling – Yes, I support this. I think we should make every effort to help people travel around Stockport by either walking, wheeling, cycling or public transport. Lots of people who might consider cycling as an option are put off by the fact that it is not as safe as it should be. Well lit, direct, segregated cycle lanes are the answer to this. More people cycling means less traffic on the roads, so that people who really need a vehicle will feel the benefit too.
2. School streets – Yes, I commit to supporting the introduction of school streets in my ward and across Stockport. Ideally these should be properly funded so that paid staff operate them. We already have a volunteer led one in our ward, and I am keen to see more.
3. Cycle hire expansion – Yes, I would love to see the Bee Network cycle hire scheme in Reddish South. It provides another option for active travel and can do a great job of connecting people to other public transport. It would probably help to increase the popularity of cycling, as those currently without a bike could give it a try, perhaps with a promotional free trial period.
4. Pavement parking – In 1990 there were about 21 million registered passenger cars on UK roads. At the end of September 2023 there were over 41 million and counting. Problems of congestion, pavement parking and terrible air quality stem from this ever-growing number, and with the massive rise in popularity of much larger cars, space to park them is at even more of a premium. It is clear that we are running out of space to put all these cars, which is why they are ending up on the pavements. I support a ban on pavement parking, on the understanding that we offer people a real alternative to car ownership by having outstanding, affordable public transport and active travel networks.
5. Anything else – We are in the middle of a climate crisis, and part of the solution to that is acknowledging that we have to do a whole lot better when it comes to how we travel. Other cities and towns across the world have either successfully addressed their transport problems or are well on the way to doing so. Some very positive steps are being taken in Stockport, but we need to carry on, and be more ambitious in providing a new kind of attractive, safe infrastructure for the benefit of all who use it.