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.