Traffic Congestion in Marple

[ringi]

It seems that many people drive from New Mills to park at Marple to take advantage of lower train fares

There are also more trains from Marple then New Mills.

[elpram]

I have completed the survey and commented thus...

More parking is needed for rail users. There is obviously demand and all those people are using rail rather than clogging up the roads out of Marple to other destinations.

I drive down to M Bridge in the morning to drop my children at Ludworth then board the 9.09 train to Manchester. I have to make sure I arrive at the P4 car park at 8.15 (even though my children don't need to be at school until 8.50) to ensure I can get a space...recently I arrived at 8.22 and couldn't!  Even Brabyns park car park is pretty busy then and during winter months I am reluctant to park there as it's muddy and poorly lit for then I'm coming back to my car at 6-7pm.
It seems that many people drive from New Mills to park at Marple to take advantage of lower train fares and this adversely affects available parking. Mostly, during winter months I have to end up parking on Winnington Road, walking up from the station in the evening and I am not alone as there are often up to 10 cars similarly parked.

[CTCREP]

I can't agree more with ringli's comments, however it has taken over 20 years of complaining to get Stockport Council to bring the MIddlewood Way up to its present barely acceptable standard. This is what we are up against. As one who has cycled to work from the suburbs into the centre of London, Birmingham and Manchester I would dearly love to to see cyclists treated as equal partners on the road in order to cycle to work, but the reality is that things have changed. If we can get some people cycling into Stockport via this route then eventually we may get a decent surface and ease or travel.

[ringi]

The Connect2 route from Marple to Chadkirk is of a very low quality, it has no lighting,  it has a lose surface so it not safe on a “fast” bike, has bend where you can’t see someone coming and will leave normal office cloths too dirty to use if you cycle in them.     (It even has lots of gates that are designed to make it hard for anyone in a wheelchair to use it that goes against the council policies.)

I very glad it was build, as it is nice for a walk into the country site and is used by lots of dog owners, but can in no way be consider as a “transport” option.

Commuting bikes have less suspension then cars, therefore bike tracks should be built and maintained to a higher standard then motorways, if they are to be a reasonable option for commuting.   The tacks also needs to be segregated from walkers and dogs, otherwise it is not safe to cycle at a useful speed.

[CTCREP]

Two re-quotes from John Bates' post.

An important part in the solution of the problem of traffic congestion in Marple is a train or tram to Stockport full stop.

and

And we do need the Bredbury bypass

, but do not ignore cycling. Cycling has been proven many times to be the fastest form of transport in an urban environment but Stockport MBC ignores this. They put off starting on the Connect2 route from Marple to Chadkirk as long as they could, and profess to be considering another bridge into Vernon Park to complete the route into Stockport. Have you seen any pigs flying  recently?  Upgrading the track from Otterspool Bridge through to Pear Mill and beyond would probably cost less than they spent on catering for a few motorists going to the Kennels in Mill Lane, and probably less than any other change they may consider.  Everyone must have noticed the increase in cycling recently and I can assure you there are many rural cafes and pubs that benefit from their custom. Upgrading the route from Marple to Stockport would enable many to cycle to work or shop, and Marple businesses could benefit from cyclists coming from Stockport to access the countryside. As the saying goes     " there are more ways than one to skin a cat"

[hatter76]

In terms of Stockport Road would mini roundabouts at the 3 traffic lights not speed up traffic flow? Also there is a complete in balance in traffic going towards Stockport due to the Church Lane one way system and the Nationwide exit.

For pedestrians they need to sort out the crossings, it takes ages for the green man and the junction near the swimming pool hasn't even got one.

[corium]

The solution lies not just on the road: it also lies on the rails. An important part in the solution of the problem of traffic congestion in Marple is a train or tram to Stockport full stop.

I wish I was so certain this were true; I've a nasty feeling it may just draw more cars to park near the stations

[JohnBates]

And we do need the Bredbury bypass

Absolutely

An important part in the solution of the problem of traffic congestion in Marple is a train or tram to Stockport full stop.

Agreed 

[amazon]

As the population of Marple and the proportion of population owning a car increases, the rush hour traffic jam which has been there for decades gets worse. I cannot see how the road to Stockport can take more traffic but at the end of the day a large proportion of the population of Marple work in Stockport. The solution lies not just on the road: it also lies on the rails. An important part in the solution of the problem of traffic congestion in Marple is a train or tram to Stockport full stop.

And ASDA? The replacement of the nameplate on the Co-op improved nothing! We needed a proper supermarket when the College site was available but the ostriches with their heads firmly buried in the sands of the 1950s shopping 9 till 5 and pursuing a campaign of ensuring Marple remained in the middle ages while the rest of us worked succeeded in ensuring that we have to do our main shop in Stockport/Bredbury.

good posting someone on my side for once .And we do need the Bredbury bypass

[Middle wood]

Indeed Marple is being used to avoid congestion elsewhere. My colleague in Stalybridge diverts through Marple and the rat run through to Marple Hall to join Stockport Road.

Stockport/Hazel Grove is a nightmare to travel to whatever direction you go in some mornings. Unfortunately the lack of a train route makes car travel the only viable option for many.

[marplerambler]

The traffic in Marple has certainly increased over the last few months. ....Stockport Road traffic is solid in the morning ... Are people using Marple as a rat run to avoid other congested areas...more traffic in Marple as people look for easier routes to get to the M56 / M6. Otterspool will certainly get worse..large number of BIG lorries...And then there is asda.

As the population of Marple and the proportion of population owning a car increases, the rush hour traffic jam which has been there for decades gets worse. I cannot see how the road to Stockport can take more traffic but at the end of the day a large proportion of the population of Marple work in Stockport. The solution lies not just on the road: it also lies on the rails. An important part in the solution of the problem of traffic congestion in Marple is a train or tram to Stockport full stop.

And ASDA? The replacement of the nameplate on the Co-op improved nothing! We needed a proper supermarket when the College site was available but the ostriches with their heads firmly buried in the sands of the 1950s shopping 9 till 5 and pursuing a campaign of ensuring Marple remained in the middle ages while the rest of us worked succeeded in ensuring that we have to do our main shop in Stockport/Bredbury.

[Condate]

So lets have zaba crossings as driver do seem to keep to them, and it is defined in law that the driver must stop if a pedestrian is waiting to cross.

Some drivers do seem to really resent people using the crossings, but at least they do usually stop. Not so it some countries. I remember being on holiday in northern Italy with my wife a few years ago. We soon learned to play "spot the German" when it came to using crossings. If the car coming towards you was Italian, it was not safe to cross. If it had a German registration, we knew it would actually stop and let us across.

[shambles]

The traffic in Marple has certainly increased over the last few months. This raises several questions.

Stockport Road traffic is solid in the morning but where does it all come from. Are people using Marple as a rat run to avoid other congested areas.
Is the increase in traffic partially due to road works on the A6 for the airport link road ?

When the air port link is completed are we going to see even more traffic in Marple as people look for easier routes to get to the M56 / M6. Otterspool will certainly get worse.

We see a large number of BIG lorries passing through but where are they going ?

And then there is asda. I will post my comments elsewhere !

[JohnBates]

I agree the open forum was not perfect, and the officers where somewhat defensive. The Dan Bank bit was also irrelevant.

It was encouraging to get a much bigger turnout at the meeting, and in particular I think the points raised re station parking did make an impression, even if not acknowledged as such.
As this was the first of these events I think we should give them a little appreciation in attempting it, and hopefully future ones get better.

I also was somewhat disappointed in the assumption that walking and cycling are only options.

I think that more enforcement of parking restrictions is needed, and we do need to stop station parking from choking Marple Bridge. Hopefully, once reflected on, we may get some ideas back in future from the officers.

I also appreciate people being upset at not being called upon. At least this is a positive sign that people do want to engage. For a first event I did feel there was a genuine attempt to field as many questions as possible with in the time constraints.

Thoughts on how it could be better done in future can be fed back.

[ringi]

Do the Stockport council staff even think of Marple as being part of Stockport?    Clearly the wardens etc will not walk to market to check the double yellow lines, unlike the center of Stockport.