Olympic gold medal cyclist Chris Boardman unveils big plans to cut congestion in Greater Manchester
He's joined forces with the Mayor, Andy Burnham, to deliver a ten year plan.
Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman has called for £1.5 billion in funding over a decade to transform Greater Manchester into a world class region for cycling and walking.
Boardman, who triumphed in the individual pursuit at the 1992 Barcelona Games, was appointed by Mayor Andy Burnham in the summer as cycling and walking commissioner.
On Friday, he will deliver his Made to Move report at a meeting of councillors and outline proposals which include establishing a ring-fenced 10-year infrastructure fund which aims to bring the region in line with other conurbations such as London and Oslo.
Boardman said: There's no doubt that this is an incredibly ambitious but wholly deliverable plan to get Greater Manchester moving by bike and walking.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester tasked me with thinking creatively, challenging assumptions and pushing the boundaries of what should be possible. My proposals, the product of many months of work, will ease congestion on our overcrowded roads, improve our general health and wellbeing and help us breathe cleaner air in a greener city-region.
It will require significant support but the decades of improved living that we, our children and grandchildren will be able enjoy will make it worthwhile.''
Mr Burnham said: When I appointed Chris I asked him to produce a bold and challenging plan to get people cycling and walking. This report more than meets the test set and together with Greater Manchester's 10 council leaders we are ready to rise to the challenge.
It is now urgent with Greater Manchester being asked to produce plans to tackle illegal air pollution.
Chris has identified the need for substantial investment in our cycling infrastructure and in response we are aiming to create a challenge fund of around #50 million a year from 2019 to 2021, which will be able to be accessed by our 10 districts if they are building to the required standard and meeting part of the costs.
This will go a considerable way towards meeting the required funding challenge and we will provide initial funding next year to get things going.
Investing in cycling and walking will not only improve the air that we breathe, it will help tackle our crippling congestion problem and improve our health, wellbeing and environment.''
Joe Irvin, chief executive of Living Streets - the UK charity for everyday walking that has been working with Boardman on the project - said: The Made to Move report sets out some ambitious but vital steps to ensure walking is a safe, easy and pleasant way to get around for everyone in Greater Manchester.
Making walking the natural choice for short trips will require a broad approach, working closely with communities, schools, employers and partners to help to build a culture of walking. It won't happen overnight, but we look forward to working with the commissioner and the mayor to help realise this exciting vision.'