MAYORAL HUSTINGS ON SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT, 22 APRIL 2021.
Candidates from the four main parties were invited; Andy Burnham (Labour), Melanie Horrocks (Green) and Simon Lepori (Lib Dem) attended. (Laura Evans (Conservative) did not respond to invitations).
We asked the three candidates 11 questions on behalf of people in Great Manchester ahead of elections on Thurs 6 May.
👉 You can watch a recording of the event here
(see questions and timecodes in the video description if you click the link)
👇And read back our live Twitter thread below.
The event was chaired by Sunday Times reporter Hannah Al Othman and introduced by Claire Stocks, co-founder of Walk Ride GM and organised by a coalition of groups (including Walk Ride GM, Cycling UK, Living Streets, Friends of the Earth, Action Vision Zero and Action Vision Zero Youth Council, and the Ramblers)
Q1. Given we need 1m fewer car journeys a day by 2038 according to the GM transport strategy… do you accept we need more measures to disincentivise car use, not just incentivise alternatives?
— Walk Ride GM (@WalkRideGM) April 22, 2021
Q: All the candidates want a London-style public transport system but would they back a London-style congestion charge? A: @andyburnhamGM says "No, because it wouldn't be fair …You can't hit people with a tax before the alternative is properly in front of them."
— Walk Ride GM (@WalkRideGM) April 22, 2021
Q: What is your plan for tackling the school run – which accounts for a large part of morning congestion and pollution and deprives students the opportunity to travel actively to school?
— Walk Ride GM (@WalkRideGM) April 22, 2021
Q: What will you do to ensure that plans to create a major shift to walking and cycling are fully funded & how will you increase the pace of delivery?
— Walk Ride GM (@WalkRideGM) April 22, 2021
Q: Will you take steps to push for mayoral powers inside GM over
1. Local trains & stations?
2. Key roads?— Walk Ride GM (@WalkRideGM) April 22, 2021
Q: How, specifically, would you address the problem of high volume and speeds of vehicles using neighbourhood/residential streets?
— Walk Ride GM (@WalkRideGM) April 22, 2021
Q: What actions would you take to ensure pavements are for pedestrians not vehicles? (this question is from a pre-event survey and this was our most asked topic in pre-event questions)
— Walk Ride GM (@WalkRideGM) April 22, 2021
Q: How will you ensure everyone has easy access to quality green space, esp. those in less affluent urban areas where arguably most needed?
— Walk Ride GM (@WalkRideGM) April 22, 2021
Q: We know many low traffic neighbourhoods have divided communities. Do you think they are part of the solution?
— Walk Ride GM (@WalkRideGM) April 22, 2021
Final Q: What lessons have candidates learned from the handling of the pandemic about how to address the manifold crises that result from our current motor-vehicle-centric system?
— Walk Ride GM (@WalkRideGM) April 22, 2021