To receive a presentation from the Corporate Director of Place.

The Executive Member for Environmental and Regulatory Services introduced the item to the Committee and gave a brief overview of the Council’s position on active transport. A report had previously been brought to the Pandemic Scrutiny Committee which detailed the work that had been carried out utilising the emergency active travel fund. The update was to inform the Committee how the Council were moving forward from those temporary measures towards long term arrangements and the work that supported the transition.

Following the introduction the Director of Highways, Transport and Environment delivered the presentation that had been circulated with the agenda. The Committee were informed that Trafford had been working to identify active transport schemes in response to the challenge from government. The Tranche One schemes had been put in place at short notice in order to be eligible for funding, which had not provide opportunity for consultation prior to implementation. The second tranche of funding would look at providing semi-permanent or permanent arrangements and had a longer timeframe for implementation.

The Council had used an online community engagement tool called Commonplace to identify sites to develop active transport schemes across the borough. The Council analysed the responses received and fourteen areas were identified of which six became part of Tranche One. Since implementation Tranche One schemes had been monitored regularly by staff from the Council, Amey, and the One Trafford Framework with support also provided by Transport for Greater Manchester.

The Committee were shown a list of the six Tranche One schemes, the measures that were put in place, and an update on the current position. The Director of Highways, Transport and Environment went through each one and provided additional detail as to how the schemes had been received by residents and the Council’s response. The Committee were informed of the consultations that had been conducted including three consultations for Longford Park Scheme, which had a further consultation planned for June 2021.

Tranche Two consisted of three schemes which were to be implemented by March 2022. As the Tranche Two Schemes were to be implemented at a slower rate than Tranche One it would allow more time for public consultation. Even with the increased time some of the consultation for Tranche Two was still not up to the Council’s normal standard, which was due the timeframe dictated by the Department for Transportation.  The Committee were informed that the consultation on phase four to seven of the A56 was due to start on the 21^st June. The Consultation for Edge Lane in Stretford was also due to start on the 21^st June and the consultation for Oxford Road/Peter Street was due to commence on in March 2021. Lessons learnt exercises had been completed for all of the original schemes and that learning was being fed into both Tranche One and Tranche Two Schemes as well as any future developments.

Following the presentation questions were raised on a number of areas including the economic impact of the schemes, how the impact was measured, and how support or opposition was captured. The Director of Highways, Transport and Environment, the Corporate Director of Place, and the Executive Member for Environmental and Regulatory Services provided in depth responses to each question. In response to a question on the level of usage of the schemes the Director of Highways, Transport and Environment agreed to circulate figures to the Committee.

RESOLVED:

1)    That the presentation be noted.

2)    That the Director of Highways, Transport and Environment provide figures on the usage of the active transport schemes to the Committee.