Workstream #2 - Travel and transport
Action 2.1 Decarbonise Waste Collection
We have made a £9.8m investment into decarbonising waste collection and improving air quality by purchasing 27 Electric Refuse Collection Vehicles (ERCVs) to replace 50% of the fleet. The manufacturer of the vehicles is based in the North West and delivery is planned in phases between new year and March 2021. Electrical charging infrastructure has been installed at Hooper Street and Longley Lane depots in readiness for the new vehicles, and charging infrastructure works are nearing completion at Hammerstone Road depot.
Once operational these vehicles will save 900 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Action 2.2 Decarbonise Operational Fleet
Our operational fleet comprises approx 220 vehicles (numbers fluctuate over time as leases expire and are renewed) and work began several years ago to move away from traditional fuels.
To date 16 diesel vans have been replaced with fully electric vans and four cars have been replaced with 1 fully electric and 3 hybrid cars. In June 2020, charging infrastructure was installed at Hooper Street depot for use by the Council's facilities teams and security contractors Engie and Mitie. Further analysis is underway to assess the potential for extending the charging infrastructure to enable a greater number of electric vehicles to be deployed within the operational fleet.
Action 2.3 Sustainable Travel Policy
Our new Staff Travel Plan has been delayed as a result of staff in HROD being required to support the response to Covid-19 but is now being prioritised with the support of an external specialist. The Plan represents an opportunity to build on some of the positive changes to behaviour which have emerged during 2020 including the promotion of cycling, walking and public transport, and reducing the need to travel through the use of technology such as video conferencing.
Action 2.4 Walking and Cycling
- £13.4m investment from the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Challenge Fund supported delivery of the Chorlton to Manchester City Centre cycling route, which includes the UK’s first ‘Cycle Optimised Protected Signals’ or CYCLOPS junction at Royce Road in Hulme. The junction was opened on 3 July 2020 and won a Vision Zero Leaders Award. You can watch a short film about this junction on You Tube.
- In addition, £5.5m of funding from the Government Active Travel Fund will be invested into two projects that promote sustainable forms of transport and prioritise walking, wheelchair access and all forms of cycling. £4m of this will fund the City Centre Triangle, which will see improved cycling and walking links between the city centre’s three major train stations - Deansgate, Piccadilly and Victoria, and the final £1.5m will fund cycling and walking improvements between Wythenshawe town centre, Wythenshawe Hospital and Manchester city centre.
- £11.5m of additional investment from the Greater Manchester Mayors Challenge Fund has been secured to support the Northern Quarter Cycleway, which will encompass all routes from the Northern Quarter, Piccadilly and Victoria.
- £774k of funds, also from the GM Mayors Challenge Fund, has been secured to support active travel schemes in Levenshulme and North Burnage: following public consultation, a 6-month trial began in January 2021 to allow a temporary version of the Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood scheme to be tested. A key target of the approach is to reduce the number of vehicle journeys and improve air quality. Filters, such as planters, have been placed at a series of locations where they will help to reduce levels of rat-running traffic through residential streets, while maintaining essential access and encouraging more people to consider walking and cycling for their local journeys. The trial allows the scheme to be seen in action, tested and analysed so it can be refined and amended where required.
- In Harpurhey, proposals have been brought forward for 11 new or improved road crossings to make active travel into the centre of Harpurhey by bike or on foot safer and more convenient. A consultation was carried out in October 2020 to ensure local residents had the opportunity to give their views.
Action 2.5 Strategic Transport Infrastructure
A Draft City Centre Transport Strategy for 2040 has been developed in partnership with TfGM and Salford City Council. It outlines plans for future City Centre Transport and builds on input from residents, commuters, businesses, visitors, transport operators and other stakeholders to ensure it reflects both existing transport challenges and future aspirations for the city centre of those that use it each day. It seeks to bring together:
- the ambitious plans to make the city centre a more attractive place to live, work and visit;
- the medium and long-term plans for continued growth in the number of jobs and homes;
- the demands that the transport system needs to meet;
- the short-term measures that have been needed to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Action 2.6 City Centre Transport Strategy
A public consultation on the City Centre Transport Strategy was held between September and November 2020: a total of 2450 responses was received.
The strategy includes ambitious plans for the city centre to improve air quality, increase the amount of quality public space and prioritise walking, cycling and public transport to further reduce dependence on private cars. It envisions a well-connected, zero-carbon centre at the heart of the North, offering residents, workers and visitors a great place to live, work and play, and getting the right balance between the different ways of travelling. The headline target is for 90% of morning peak trips to the city centre to be made by public transport and active travel by 2040.
The Strategy sets out these principles in seven ambitions and presents committed interventions and future proposals to achieve the ambitions. The proposals are grouped thematically around Our Bus, Our Metrolink, Our Rail, Our Streets and Our Integrated Network. The strategy also includes a commitment to build on the successful street closures during Covid-19 including bringing forward detailed proposals for Deansgate and other city centre streets.
This is all part of an overall strategy to ensure the city centre can lead a strong, sustainable, healthy and inclusive recovery, and balance the competing demands for city-centre space.
Action 2.7 Aviation Emissions
Manchester Airport Group have joined Manchester Climate Change Partnership as a formal partner. There will be 6-monthly senior-level meetings to progress the aviation actions in the Framework. Manchester Airport Group are also a member of UK Government Jet Zero Council, a partnership between industry and government to drive the ambitious delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions.
Action 2.8 Sustainable Travel Incentives
Travelling to work has been significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic for many Council officers, however, increasing the number of staff that travel to work by sustainable modes of transport remains a priority and is being reviewed in conjunction with the development of a Sustainable Travel Policy for business travel (see action 2.3.) A range of incentives and support will be considered including salary sacrifice schemes for bus, tram and rail tickets. Positive behaviour changes that have come about due to Covid-19, such as reducing the need to travel by using technology such as video conferencing, will also be considered. Between January and December 2020, the Council received 169 applications for the cycle to work scheme.