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Author Topic: Alan Newton Way  (Read 6893 times)

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rsh

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Re: Alan Newton Way
« Reply #12 on: July 10, 2016, 04:36:25 PM »
I (and it seems, most other people on bikes) tend to avoid the route down to the bridge from Marple Hall - far too narrow and windy, making it difficult and frustrating with the amount of dog walkers also naturally wanting to share the space. Climbing back up from the river on the other hand is the direct opposite of an "easy" cycle route the councillors are claiming!

Last time I went down there about a month ago, it seemed to be becoming very overgrown at the sides. Laughable they've had a belated "opening" ceremony whilst doing nothing to improve, extend or even maintain the original Sustrans project in the past four years. There's also a real lack of route information or maps online anywhere to show people what the Alan Newton Way actually is.

Still such a shame they weren't able to progress the originally intended Dale Road route, which would have been a lovely gentle, wide descent down to river and a much more logical continuation of Middlewood Way. Shame on the neighbouring NIMBY landowners for kicking up unfounded fears as if they were due to have a motorway ploughed past their land! At the time it was said the Marple Hall route was just put in place quickly to make the connection, now it seems it's all we're getting.

CTCREP

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Re: Alan Newton Way
« Reply #11 on: July 07, 2016, 09:59:25 AM »
It was interesting to see the pictures, it will be also interesting to see how many of these Officials will do anything to ensure the Alan Newton Way is suitable for commuting cyclists to travel between Marple and Stockport. It is the Government's desire to encourage sustainable transport, which in this case is cycling, but Stockport Council fails to make any attempt to bring this about apart from wasting money of facilities that regular cyclists will never use such as on Millgate,

CllrGeoffAbell

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Re: Alan Newton Way
« Reply #10 on: July 04, 2016, 12:08:39 PM »
Alan Newton Way now open!

Photos from the opening on Sat, 2 July -
http://marple.mycouncillor.org.uk/2016/07/04/alan-newton-way-opens/#page-content

CTCREP

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Re: Alan Newton Way
« Reply #9 on: March 06, 2016, 12:31:36 PM »
Hello Hatter  Re:-  Just a thought if the pot holes on the Bredbury Hall path are an issue, could they not just fill them in with stones, it would be temporary low cost solution.

At the time we asked the Council to improve the surface and deal with the drainage but they preferred to cater for a few motorists attending the kennels on Mill Lane, it was only after holes the full width of the track and nearly 2 ft deep appeared were they persuaded to do anything for cyclists.

Hello Wheels, the probable improvement in safety with more people cycling is recognised, but very slow to achieve, and still doesn't change the mindset of our Politicians and Highways people.  When trying to get a cycle path up the left hand side going uphill on Otterspool Road the answer we got was " nobody has been killed on that road yet", totally unaware that many cyclists will accept having to make a considerable diversion to avoid it for their own safety. So the hope that improved road design will eventually come about is very much a pipe dream. In the meantime, for very little expense in comparison with other road alterations we could have a pleasant route between Marple and Stockport. I would also add to this that the completion of this path could bring more leisure cyclists from Stockport visiting Marple and making use of our shops and cafes etc.

wheels

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Re: Alan Newton Way
« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2016, 02:06:39 PM »
In the 17 yrs I've been cycling to Stockport either along the main road through Offerton then via  Hempshaw Lane or sometimes along the Middlewood Way and then along the A6 there has been a steady growth in cycling. That's how I get to feel safer by having other cyclists on the roads and in such numbers that motorists become more cyclist aware. Indeed motorists have become more cyclist aware during this period.

I might argue that spending money on off road routes rather than tackling  cyclists safety on our roads via better design of roundabouts and junctions is a waste of the megger funds available for cyclists.

hatter76

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Re: Alan Newton Way
« Reply #7 on: March 05, 2016, 12:59:46 PM »
I enjoy cycling on the Middlewood Way in the summer and agree that we should promote cycling. Its good for you and promotes a better environment. However I don't feel safe enough to cycle on busy roads even with a cycle path painted on the road. I would be happy on a shared or dedicated path. 

I will have to see how far this proposed shared path goes into Stockport before giving it a go.

Just a thought if the pot holes on the Bredbury Hall path are an issue, could they not just fill them in with stones, it would be temporary low cost solution.

CTCREP

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Re: Alan Newton Way
« Reply #6 on: March 05, 2016, 12:28:47 PM »
Re "OK, assuming I risk the traffic in Marple and join the path near Marple Hall School and follow it through to Bredbury Hall, where do I go from there?
I am struggling to see any benefit, will it really encourage people out of their cars if they then join the heavy traffic near Portwood?"


Of course it depends on where you want to go. People already cycle into Stockport down Stockport Road West. It is far from ideal, but ideal doesn't happen overnight.  The Council is creating a shared cycle path from the Stockport ASDA along Millgate to link up with St Mary's Way. Hopefully they will deal with linking up with the proposed Alan Newton Way. By the way, I understand the Shared Path proposal was opposed by cyclists, preferring an on road cycle lane.  it has been shown time and time again that cycling is the fastest form of transport in an urban environment, so why make it more difficult for cyclists to travel, particularly on a road with ample width to accommodate a cycle lane? We need more cyclists to make their voices heard

You say you can't see the benefit, well as my daughter who cycles from Didsbury into the centre of Manchester says, "just look at the faces, the cyclists are smiling while the motorists are grimacing, particularly when stuck in traffic jams caused by motorists". Just try it, you may be surprised, however I do agree that until proper provision is made for cyclists in Stockport it will be difficult to encourage more to leave their cars at home, but we have to start somewhere.


marpleexile

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Re: Alan Newton Way
« Reply #5 on: March 05, 2016, 12:20:59 PM »
OK, assuming I risk the traffic in Marple and join the path near Marple Hall School and follow it through to Bredbury Hall, where do I go from there?
I am struggling to see any benefit, will it really encourage people out of their cars if they then join the heavy traffic near Portwood?

If you know where you're going you can cross the main road and find a path that takes you through the bottom of Reddish vale, past Tesco and out near Sainsbury's. However, it's not a great path, isn't well advertised, and is quite circuitous.

hatter76

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Re: Alan Newton Way
« Reply #4 on: March 05, 2016, 11:21:34 AM »
OK, assuming I risk the traffic in Marple and join the path near Marple Hall School and follow it through to Bredbury Hall, where do I go from there?
I am struggling to see any benefit, will it really encourage people out of their cars if they then join the heavy traffic near Portwood?


CTCREP

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Re: Alan Newton Way
« Reply #3 on: March 05, 2016, 10:10:43 AM »
Cyclists can never get totally traffic free routes in an urban environment. The route into Stockport from Chadkirk is part of the Sustrans National Cycle Route 55 ( the yellow route on their web site } and locally stretches from the Middlewood Way into Stockport.  When we were discussing this with Stockport Council at the time of Connect2 - which resulted in the new bridge over the river at Chadkirk - we firmly believed the route would continue from Chadkirk into Stockport, and the Council did too, for the first thing they did was to propose introducing both a pedestrian and a separate equestrian crossing of Otterspool Rd. In this instance they realised this was an ambition too far and only put in the pedestrian crossing.  Some time after Connect 2 was completed they came back to us - Stockport Council's Cycle User Group - saying they were going to upgrade the route from Otterspool Bridge to Bredbury Hall,  We were delighted but knowing finances were a bit tight we said that if the whole route couldn't be resurfaced then a metre wide tarmac strip would benefit cyclists, and if even that were beyond their means then to take measures to tackle the flooding problem on the route. They chose to resurface the road from Otterspool Rd as far as the first farm saying the motorists were complaining about the surface.  Within days of the road being resurfaced the equestrians said a rise at the junction with Otterspool Rd was too slippery and so part of it was dug up and replaced by cobbles - a surface disliked by cyclists - and a strip of anti-skid surface laid down for the length of the perfectly flat remainder of the road.   While this was going on holes, virtually the whole width of the track and nearly 2ft deep. appeared on the track caused by nearby land drains emptying straight onto it.  Admittedly this did result in some improvement, but obviously this Council has no interest in catering for cyclists who could help reduce congestion and improve health and the environment .

hatter76

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Re: Alan Newton Way
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2016, 08:57:20 PM »
I regularly walk this route and yes its an off road path bordering fields, (assuming its the path from Chadkirk to Lower Bredbury). The problem is there is no traffic free route for me to access this path from Marple or exit it at the Stockport end. Unless it links in with other routes I wouldn't use it on my bike!

CTCREP

  • Guest
Alan Newton Way
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2016, 07:02:55 PM »
Although it is a pleasure to see a cyclist being recognised, it would be even better if the Alan Newton Way, an Off Road Cycle and Pedestrian route from Marple into Stockport, were a reality. The Council says it considers it to be an "aspirational route".  Currently the surface needs to be upgraded considerably, and, unless things have changed recently, the Council's plan is to take the route into Vernon Park via another river crossing. If they can't find the money to re-surface the route then they are never likely to find the money for a new bridge. What a wonderful excuse to do nothing.

Although it could be a pleasant route into Stockport via Vernon Park it is not essential to go that way, and not being able to provide a bridge should not stop the Council getting cyclists as far as the Pear Mill area to enable cyclists to bypass the busy roads they have to use at present.