March 2024 - Update
Due to an error, we first posted this update on Wednesday 20 March. We're sending the update by letter to all properties in the area. These will arrive on Monday 25 March, so we wanted to publish the web page at the same time. We have agreed with local councillors to re-publish the web update today (Friday 22 March). The letters will arrive on Monday 25 March (the earliest possible date). We apologise to all residents, businesses and local councillors for any confusion caused.
We have now had time to review all the data and feedback the information gathered during the trial of this scheme.
The trial was intended to let residents and businesses tell us what effect the scheme had on them. You have done this, and this has informed our decision and will also inform next steps, alongside the monitoring and other evidence which we have gathered.
Having listened to your feedback we can confirm that a decision has been made by the Director of Highways, in consultation with the Executive Member for Environment and Transport, that the current trial will not be made permanent.
However, we are still keen to address the original objectives of the trial scheme – to create streets where people are prioritised over cars, which are safe and attractive spaces, and to deter people from using residential roads as cut-throughs. Residents on some roads supported the trial and felt that it made where they live feel safer.
That is why rather than returning the area to exactly as it was before the trial, we are trying to secure funding for an alternative scheme and potentially different traffic calming measures, like raised tables at junctions and speed cushions to try to address some of the issues which were raised by residents. This may also retain some of the filters which have proved effective, specifically the filters at Parsonage Road / Wilmslow Road and Burlington Road/Heaton Road. We would also look to include an additional crossing on Parrs Wood Road which was part of original proposals, but it was not feasible to include as part of the trial.
Working closely with your local councillors, we are now considering what kind of alternative scheme is feasible, based on what people told us about how the trial worked, alongside data which showed the effect it was having. Once we have a proposal for a revised scheme, the next step will be to seek funding, and we are exploring all possible sources. There is currently no funding allocated to deliver an alternative scheme.
During the trial, feedback and data monitoring has told us:
- Significant reductions in traffic have been recorded in the northwestern part of the scheme (Burlington Road / Heaton Road / Parsonage Road area)
- The area to the southwest of the scheme (Harcombe Road area) has seen an increase in traffic flows following the introduction of the trial
- It was difficult to draw any conclusions from the traffic monitoring data about the effects of the traffic interventions in the eastern half of the scheme (Heathside Road area). However, consultation feedback suggests that this area has seen an increase in traffic flows.
Next Steps
We are now working with our contractors to remove all filters except for the Parsonage Road/Wilmslow Road and Burlington Road/Heaton Road filters. The filters will start to be removed week commencing 8 April, and it will take approximately two weeks for the measures to be removed and pavements to be reinstated where bollards were in place.
Download the revised trial proposal plan.
The Experimental Traffic Order will be amended, and the remaining filters will be in place for at least another six months, to enable the legal processes to take place and objections to be made. These measures can be kept in place up until the Order ends on 14 February 2025.
Whatever we move forward with, pending funding being available, we will keep residents informed and seek their feedback on how measures are working once they are in place.
If you would like a copy of the trial evaluation report, please email us at parsonage@manchester.gov.uk. The summary of the report is also available to read.