Cyclists will be able to use the Metro to extend their range of cycling destinations. And anyone who currently takes their bike to Oldham or Rochdale on the train will still be able to do this after these lines are converted to tram routes.
Metrolink passengers can save time when they get off the tram, by cycling to their final destination. Cycling is more than three times faster than walking, and being able to cycle from a Metro station brings ten times more destinations in range of the station.
The travelling public will have a new, multi-mode way of getting from door to door around Manchester. And it will be quick, clean, healthy, convenient and affordable.
Everyone in Greater Manchester will benefit because a bike plus a tram is a truly realistic alternative to the car, and fewer car journeys means less pollution and congestion, and a better, safer environment for everybody.
The Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign believes that bikes should also be allowed on Phases I and II of Metrolink, and that design and management issues can be readily resolved to enable this to happen in the near future.
The move by Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority's Development Committee, follows months of consultation which collected a number of views and ideas from cyclists and tram users in a bid to determine the opinion of stakeholders on the issue of accommodating cycles on Metrolink trams.
Councillor Roger Jones, Chair of GMPTA, said: "The consultation we carried out does show a majority wanting to carry bikes on trams, but there is also a clear realisation that this is not possible on existing trams. Although the Committee has today agreed that, in principle, there is no objection to cycles being transported on Phase III trams in non-peak hours, there are still a number of issues that need to be explored and resolved before we can agree to allow cyclists to board trams with their bicycles. These include assessing the interior layout of the Phase III trams for carrying cycles in respect of safety, the potential conflict with disabled passengers - who we are currently in discussion with - and issues of enforcing the permitted times of travel. But I think this does demonstrate that the Authority is always willing to listen and act upon the many consultation exercises it carries out on a regular basis."
In addition to entering into discussion with the Phase III bidders on the issue, GMPTE now intends to carry out further consultation over the next nine months to collect the views of current and prospective users of trams from a range of backgrounds and to focus on options that will contribute to GMPTE's aspiration to effect a modal shift in transport.
Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign (0161 224 3843, [email protected])
Rob Pett or Becky Marr, GMPTA (0161 242 6245)
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