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Cycling in Greater Manchester

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Cyclists using the cycle lane on Oxford Road, passing an electronic bicycle counter

Cycling for transport and leisure enjoys popularity in Greater Manchester and the city also plays a major role in British cycle racing. The Bee Network was launched in 2018.[1][2] The University of Manchester is home to the Manchester Cycling Lab.[3]

Since 2014, Manchester has been upgrading many key thoroughfares into the city centre to include dedicated cycle lanes which are segregated from buses including Oxford Road, Chorlton Cycleway, the reconfiguration of other major junctions and creation of low traffic neighbourhoods.

Utility cycling

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A cyclist at Salford Quays
A bicycle park at a Trafford Metrolink station

Cycling is a significant mode of transport for people commuting to work in Manchester. Current figures suggest that around 2% of all trips in Manchester are made by bike (2023).[4][5]

Transport for Greater Manchester aspire to "achieve at least a 300% increase in the levels of cycling across the city region by 2025"[6] and have produced a corresponding cycling strategy.[7]

Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign is a volunteer-run group.[8] Another pressure group for Greater Manchester is Walk Ride GM, which advocates for better environments and facilities for pedestrians as well as cyclists.[9][10]

The Manchester Cycle Forum enables people with an interest in cycling to meet councillors and council staff from Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester staff, and representatives from various cycling and transport organisations to discuss cycling-related issues in the city. Meetings take place quarterly.[11]

Manchester Friends of the Earth coordinate the 'Love Your Bike' campaign,[12] which promotes cycling as an environmentally friendly mode of transport. One of its activities is the 'Bike Friday' scheme, monthly rides from outer districts into the city centre. These are aimed at encouraging commuters to cycle in to work, benefiting from the added safety and sociability of riding in a group.[13]

In 2015, Manchester was described as a "terrible cycling city" by Helen Pidd, the North of England editor of the Guardian newspaper.[14]

Chris Boardman was appointed Cycling and Walking Commissioner for Greater Manchester in 2017 by mayor Andy Burnham.[15] His remit includes overseeing projects to enhance the region's cycling network and increase the number of people who travel by bike.[16] He was replaced by Dame Sarah Storey in 2022 [17]

Bicycle hire

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In June 2017 Mobike started a bicycle-sharing scheme across the city allowing users to hire bikes via its app. Riders paid a deposit and were then charged 50p per 30 minutes.[18] The scheme was suspended in September 2018 due to the high level of vandalism caused to many of the bicycles.[19]

A 2013 study by TfGM into the possibility of a bike hire scheme had suggested that an initial scheme should focus on a concentrated portion at the centre of the conurbation, including Manchester city centre, Salford Quays, Oxford Road and Hulme.[20]

The new bike hire scheme known as Beryl,[21] started in November 2021 as a public trial with 250 cycles on Oxford Road. By the summer of 2022 they plan to have 1,500 bikes across Manchester, Trafford & Salford. The scheme will have 200 stations with around 198,000 residents with in a 5-minute walk, with stations roughly 300–500 meters apart. The stations contain stands to place the bikes on but are not secure docking stations. It works on a PAYR (Pay as you ride) basis and the back wheel is locked when stationary. When it launches me Mechanical hire cycles will cost 50p to unlock and 5p per minute, The E-bike will cost £1 to unlock and 10p per minute to ride.[22]

The Beryl bike hire scheme was hit by a wave of vandalism during 2023 with damage taking 564 of the 943 bikes off the roads leaving only 379 bikes in Manchester, Salford and Trafford[23]

The city was the first to get a "Brompton Bike Hire" facility, at Piccadilly station.[24]

The Bee Network

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The Bee Network is a project launched by TfGM with the aim to connect up every area and community in Greater Manchester, making it easy, safe and attractive for people to travel on foot or by bike for everyday trips. A large focus is being put on to cycling in this project, therefore TfGM are investing money in many things that encourage cycling in combination with Local Authorities such as cycling infrastructure, Cycle hire scheme, Cycle hubs and many courses to help people learn to ride a bike.[25]

Cycle routes and cycling infrastructure

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The cycleway in Whitworth Park
Cyclists on the Pennine Bridleway

Major dedicated cycle routes in Greater Manchester or passing through areas of the city include:

[26]

Regional Cycle Route 85 deviates from National Cycle Route 6 at Whalley Range to link the city centre with Wythenshawe and Manchester Airport. Other numbered regional routes include the 82 (better known as Bridgewater Way) and the 86 (which follows the River Medlock).

Future cycling infrastructure proposals

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School Streets

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A pair of digital bicycle counters installed on either side of the road near Whitworth Park in September 2016 had reached a combined total of 1,000,000 bike journeys by late 2017.[27]

In 2019, TfGM began developing a "Bee Network" of cycle routes across Greater Manchester.[28][29]

The 1st part of the Chorlton Cycleway has been delivered with Dutch style junctions known as cyclops junctions, a first in the UK.[30]

As part of the segregated Chorlton Cycleway, the UK's first 'Cyclops" junction was completed in July 2020 in Hulme.[31]

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods

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Modal filters across Greater Manchester have been in place for over 40 years.[32]

The Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood was partially completed in 2023 with a series of filters throughout the neighbourhood to help encourage active travel trips.[33]

Regular events

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The Manchester Sky Ride, a mass participation bike ride, was held in August every year,[34] and became the HSBC UK City Ride from July 2017.[35][36] The Great Manchester Cycle is a similar large-scale event held during the summer in recent years. A Critical Mass event takes place on the last Friday of every month, starting by Manchester Central Library.[37] A naked bike ride is held annually early in the summer,[38] along with a non-corporate DIY cycling festival, North West Velofest.[39][40]

There are over 200 cycle clubs in Greater Manchester, catering to many styles of cycling,[41] with Manchester Wheelers' Club being one of the most well-known.[citation needed]

Well known sportives include the "Manchester 100", a choice of 100 mile or 100 km rides to the south of the city,[42] and the "Tour de Manc", a 100-mile ride through all the ten boroughs.[43]

History

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A combined velodrome and athletics stadium, Fallowfield Stadium opened in 1892. The cycling track was 509 yards in circumference and was used for the 1934 British Empire Games. It was demolished in 1994.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Charlotte Cox (23 April 2014). "Census shows more people in Manchester are cycling to work". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  2. ^ Justin Connolly (26 September 2014). "Rapha Cycle Club opens in Manchester". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 16 February 2016. There's a rich cycling heritage here, and Manchester is the home of British cycling.
  3. ^ "Welcome to the Manchester Cycling Lab!". Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  4. ^ https://democracy.manchester.gov.uk/documents/s38131/Appendix%201%20draft%20Manchester%20Active%20Travel%20Strategy%20and%20Investment%20Plan-compressed.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ "Mad Cycle Lanes of Manchester: Cycling levels up and down in GM". madcyclelanesofmanchester.blogspot.co.uk. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  6. ^ "Pages - Cycling Strategy". cycling.tfgm.com. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Greater Manchester Cycling Strategy July 2014" (PDF). 30 June 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  8. ^ "GMCC Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign". gmcc.org.uk. Retrieved 26 September 2014. Working to make cycling quicker, safer, easier and more enjoyable.
  9. ^ "Walk Ride GM". Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  10. ^ "A summary of the AGM 2019". NewCycling. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Manchester Cycle Forum". Manchester City Council. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  12. ^ "Manchester Friends of the Earth - Love Your Bike". Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  13. ^ "Manchester Friends of the Earth - Bike Friday". Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  14. ^ Helen Pidd (18 August 2015). "Why Manchester is a terrible cycling city". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  15. ^ Helen Pidd (31 August 2017). "Chris Boardman: riding a bike on UK roads feels too dangerous for me". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  16. ^ "Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman is announced as Greater Manchester's new cycling and walking commissioner". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  17. ^ "Dame Sarah Storey appointed Greater Manchester's cycling commissioner". BBC News. 15 March 2022.
  18. ^ Charlotte Cox (24 August 2017). "Mobike Manchester city bikes: How to use them, where are they and how to get the app". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  19. ^ "Crime-hit Mobike suspends Manchester sharing scheme". BBC. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  20. ^ Transport for Greater Manchester Cycle Hire Study (PDF) (Report). 13 September 2013. p. 90 (section 6.4). Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  21. ^ "Get a bike - Access to bikes". TfGM Bee Active.
  22. ^ "GM Bike Hire scheme to launch in November 2021". Transport For Greater Manchester Active Travel. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021.
  23. ^ "More than half of bikes in Greater Manchester hire scheme need repairs". BBC News. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  24. ^ Alex B (13 April 2012). "Manchester, first city to get a Brompton Dock hire facilty [sic]". Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  25. ^ "The Bee Network". TfGM Active Travel. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  26. ^ "Cycle Commuting Guide - Manchester". British Cycling. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  27. ^ "Cycleway surpasses one-million milestone". Transport for Greater Manchester. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  28. ^ "Schemes in Manchester". TfGM Bee Active. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  29. ^ Cox, Charlotte (20 July 2018). "Mapped: The first 15 routes in Chris Boardman's £1.5bn cycling and walking masterplan". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  30. ^ "Manchester to Chorlton cycling and walking route". Transport for Greater Manchester. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  31. ^ "UK's first 'CYCLOPS' junction opens in Manchester to boost bike safety". 9 July 2020.
  32. ^ Walker, Peter (16 May 2021). "Critics of UK low-traffic schemes told that 25,000 filters already existed". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  33. ^ "Proposal | Levenshulme and Burnage active neighbourhood | Manchester City Council".
  34. ^ Charlotte Cox (17 March 2015). "Sky Ride Manchester: Cyclists to takeover [sic] the city centre roads for traffic-free event". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  35. ^ "HSBC to take over from Sky as British Cycling sponsor". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  36. ^ "Let's Ride - City Ride Manchester". Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  37. ^ "Manchester makes strides with mass ride". London Cycling Campaign. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  38. ^ "Hundreds take to Manchester streets for naked bike ride – pictures and video". Manchester Evening News. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  39. ^ "North West Velofest". North West Velo Fest.
  40. ^ Alex Bowden (27 May 2017). "Manchester cycling festival to begin with nude bike ride". road.cc. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  41. ^ "Local Groups". Chorlton Wanderers Bicycle Rides Group. 8 May 2022.
  42. ^ "Cyclo-Sportive: Manchester 100". Cycling Weekly. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  43. ^ "Tour de Manc". Retrieved 21 October 2019.
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