The Greater Manchester Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund
https://secretmanchester.com/bee-network/ is aimed at encouraging more people to cycle or walk.
There are 3 reasons for encouraging Cycling - to reduce Congestion and Pollution, and for Health Benefits, and these objectives will only be achieved if cycling is made safer and more convenient, particularly for longer local journeys that are often undertaken by car.
Unfortunately they keep using the term "short journey", but I suspect they meant more than just catering for the school run.
I attended a recent Cycling and Walking Workshop in Stockport, and from the little I saw practically none of those objectives will be achieved by Stockport’s plans. They appear to have been reached without consulting regular cyclists. I have been told they recently combined their Cycle User Group with a Walking Group but failed to provide a room in which to hold meetings.
None of the proposed “improvements” are in the Marple Area, and apart from one suggestion that has been on the books for about 10 years, the rest are minor changes that should have been dealt with by the Council under general improvements, such as a dropped curb in one case. This money should be used for major improvements and the two obvious improvements in our area are the proper surfacing of the MIddlewood Way, at least as far as High Lane and its connection to the A6MARR, and the Connect2 project - the route from Rosehill into Stockport via Chadkirk that is awaiting completion and is considered an Aspirational Route by Stockport Council but doesn’t appear in the proposals although this too has been on the books for about 10 years.
If there is anyone out there who can stop Stockport Council wasting money on minor changes that will only affect a few people instead of completing major projects, and to bring this Council into the 20th Century, let alone the 21st, then please take up this issue.