This week, the region’s active transport community came together in Levenshulme to celebrate an impactful year of making Greater Manchester a safer city for all to travel.
Despite the dark winter night, it was standing room only at Station South as nominees and activists came together to reflect on all the progress made through 2024 and celebrate the rich diversity of community members, local authorities, schools and other stakeholders who have come together to advance active travel in our region.
Trophies aside, the night was a celebratory showcase of the breadth of work taking place to make Greater Manchester’s roads and paths an accessible, inclusive and enjoyable space for all. Every nominee was well-deserving of an award, but without further ado, the winners were…
Best Council
This award intends to showcase where our local authorities are politically and operationally showing ambition and solid delivery on the active travel agenda.
With all 10 councils on the ballot, Trafford Council won once again this year with 65% of the vote.
Trafford has shown the political will and put in place the officers needed for delivery, with a particular mention to the Highways and Transportation Programme Manager. Several active travel infrastructure projects including two CYCLOPS junctions have gone in (and been built very quickly) creating a further section of safe cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. They are the only council with a dedicated School Street officer and this has paid off with multiple School Streets and travel to school interventions coming in. To top it off, they have re-instigated their Walking and Cycling forum in an inclusive and welcome format.
Best Route to School Scheme
Walking and cycling to school is better for health, the environment, as well as helping children to build self-confidence and social skills. Active travel to school has become a priority for GM but all of these schools and their volunteers have pushed forward the agenda and helped set the direction of travel for their evolving strategy and delivery programme. This award is to celebrate their hard work and dedication .
The award goes to St Thomas’ Primary School in Heaton Chapel, Stockport, won for the dedication they have put into running a School Street continuously for 17 months, finding volunteers to marshal 5 closure points every morning and every afternoon during term time. A huge effort has gone into this, led by a fantastic team of volunteers (including parents, residents and campaigners) and strongly supported by the Deputy Head and PTA.
Other nominated schemes included:
- Manley Park Primary School Street in Manchester: Also tirelessly supported by a group of dedicated volunteers over the last few years, as well as running the Friday Bike Train, usually attended by up to 50 families.
- St Margaret’s C of E Primary Walking Bus in Manchester: For their Walking Bus, led by parents and teachers and running from 4 different locations into school.
- Urmston Primary School Street in Trafford: an ambitious School Street with three schools, a nursery and a play centre on it. It’s permanently marshalled by an amazingly determined group of residents, councillors and a few parents / ex-parents.
Best Proposed Scheme
This award intends to advocate and support the policy proposals that we feel best reflect the spirit of active travel ambitions in GM.
The award goes to Peel Green, Salford. This is 2024’s most ambitious active travel proposal, designed to transform a low-density suburban area. The plan incorporates a comprehensive national guidance (LTN 1/20) compliant scheme, complete with continuous crossings, sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) and striking red cycle lanes. Salford faces considerable political hurdles in delivering such initiatives, contending with limited support within the council and substantial local opposition on platforms like Facebook.
The other nominated schemes were:
- Atherton & Tyldesley Strategic Links North, Wigan: This may not be the grandest Mayor’s Challenge Fund scheme, but demonstrates a strategic approach to deliver a lot, with little finance and demonstrates a pragmatism around delivering schemes that work for local needs.
- Castleton Phase 2, Rochdale: Last year, Rochdale successfully completed Castleton Phase 1, introducing the town’s first LTN 1/20 standard cycleway through the heart of Castleton. Despite facing considerable criticism from national media, Rochdale has demonstrated commendable political determination by approving Castleton Phase 2 this year, extending the scheme to connect directly with Rochdale. This bold commitment to active travel deserves recognition.
- Seymour Grove / A56, Trafford: Trafford is making rapid progress with new cycling schemes being announced and delivered within a year. The Seymour Grove project adds two innovative CYCLOPs junctions to complement the existing A56 light segregation scheme. Trafford’s impressive pace and commitment to high-quality infrastructure warrant recognition.
Best Completed Scheme
Evidence shows that good infrastructure is key to increasing walking and cycling, so this award intends to shine a light on the schemes that have had a noticeable and positive impact on the community.
The award goes to Chorlton Cycleway, Manchester. It’s been a long time coming, but it has set the standard for continuous protected cycleways, with a number of firsts, including the first ever CYCLOPs junction. The sheer dedication that officers and councillors went through to get the scheme over the line should also be recognised.
The other nominated schemes were:
- Castleton Phase 1, Rochdale: This 1.4-mile protected cycleway represents an ambitious effort to improve cycling infrastructure in a district with a traditionally low cycling modal share by Greater Manchester standards. Designed and built to high LTN 1/20 standards, the scheme overcame significant political opposition during the election period. Its standout features include a CYCLOPs junction, premium paving, and wide buff-coloured cycle lanes.
- Kingsway Regeneration, Trafford: Kingsway has been transformed into a flagship placemaking scheme, redefining it as a key destination for the regeneration of Stretford Town Centre. Once a hostile four-lane dual carriageway, it now features generous pavements, lush planting, dedicated cycle lanes, signalised crossings, play areas, and seating areas. The reduced road space enhances safety while fostering a more welcoming and vibrant environment.
- Stockport Transport Interchange, Stockport: The Stockport Interchange walking and cycling ramp is a triumph over what could have been a missed opportunity. In a town built on a hill, navigating the steep grade has long been a barrier to active travel. Before the ramp’s conception, cyclists would have relied on a lift to safely traverse between Stockport’s bus and train stations. The new ramp eliminates this obstacle, blending functionality with striking design. Now an architectural landmark, it highlights Stockport’s evolution into a modern, forward-thinking town.
Best Campaign / Community Group
Walk Ride GM is all about bringing people together. We’re here to support, highlight, and organise the amazing efforts of our community to create real change. This award is a way to celebrate the campaigns and local groups making a big impact at the grassroots level, showing just how powerful community action can be.
The award goes to the GM Barrier Removal campaign, led by Leigh Day Solicitors, the GM Coalition of Disabled People, British Cycling, Walk Ride GM and Wheels for Wellbeing. This groundbreaking legal campaign showcases the power of collaboration among active travel organisations in Greater Manchester. After decades of exclusion from off-road cycle paths, disabled cyclists are finally seeing progress toward accessibility and inclusion, marking a pivotal step in breaking down long-standing discrimination. The campaign is on a mission to remove every single discriminatory barrier in the city.
The other nominated schemes were:
- Bee Pedal Ready: For inspiring work to diversify the cycling industry, providing a space for women and girls to learn, repair and ride bikes.
- Walk Ride Stockport: For the work this year including engagement with a range of key stakeholders and a dedicated campaign to shift the Overton Window on ambition for the A6 corridor and other key consultations.
- Walk Ride Trafford: Established formally earlier this year, the group has succeeded in pushing for a forum that, based on initial evidence, promises to be the most fruitful in the region.
- Lady Pedal Cycling: For creating a strong community of women in cycling, encouraging and helping them to feel safe and confident on Manchester’s roads.
- GM Ringway: The introduction of an astounding 200 mile circular walk around the whole of GM getting more people active across the region.
Best Activation Event
The award was presented to Kidical Mass Manchester for their relentless dedication to mobilising hundreds of parents and children on wheels to demand safer cycling infrastructure in the city. Held twice a year, the event sees families flood the city centre streets, reclaiming the roads to highlight the need for safe cycling infrastructure. Each ride culminates in a park with engaging activities, including a speakers’ corner and an awards. With participation growing every year, the most recent ride attracted over 600 people, demonstrating the campaign’s growing impact and community support.
The other nominated schemes were:
- Lights Up in Manchester: a night time ride with 170 women taking a moving disco on wheels around Manchester demonstrating the right to ride safely at night.
- Leigh Bike Library in Wigan: now the busiest bike library in GM, it’s attracted 270 members with 230 bikes loaned with 40% of bikes purchased at the end of the loan.
- Cycle Three Sisters Event in Wigan: over 400 people joined to cycle around the track with balance bikes and cycle skills sessions for children and adapted cycles for people with a range of disabilities.
- Gorse Hill Ride and Stride Festival in Trafford: Celebrating the new walking, wheeling and cycling crossings on Talbot Road and included Smoothie Bikes, jukebox bikes, story book treasure trail, face painting, bike blinging
- Horwich Ride Social in Bolton: With numerous events including welcoming beginner sessions women and general sessions and bike maintenance
People’s Active Travel Champion
This award intended to highlight the tireless work of campaigners behind the campaigns – the incredible people mobilising initiatives, events and policy across Greater Manchester. Their contributions can be too easily overlooked so we wanted to celebrate these leaders – who just so happen to all be women.
The award goes to Naz Khan for her work promoting active travel across Manchester, particularly in the north. She is involved in many groups and events including Mini Riders and the Eid Cycling Festival and is a role model for showing what’s possible – for women, for the Muslim community and for any other community who don’t feel they don’t belong on a bike.
Nominations also included:
- Belinda Everett: for her work on diversifying the cycling industry through Bee Pedal Ready and the amazing work she does as Greater Manchester’s Bicycle Mayor.
- Layla Siebert: for her work on organising the Kidical Mass events in Manchester and dedication to making a success of the School Street at Brookburn Primary in Chorlton, against some difficult opposition.
- Gosia Polanska: as the founder and leader of the Manley Park Bike Train.
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Think we missed something or someone? Want to replicate some of the remarkable work of the winners in your local area? Keen to join up with other advocates to agitate for accelerated action? You’ll find us at Greater Manchester’s Green Summit on Monday 9th December, or you can join our community online year-round at Discord.