In October 2022, Dame Sarah Storey (DSS), Greater Manchester’s Active Transport Commissioner, responded to our open letter (open letter #1 on 23 October 2022) about the disappointing Phase 2 designs for the Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood Scheme (LBAN). A bit of context first for those of you who have lost the plot (and we wouldn’t blame you!): the Phase 2 designs, published in October 2022, represented a watered-down version of what had originally been proposed and consulted on. At the same time, at a meeting with S4PLB, Ian Halton of MCC Highways, suggested that there had been an unofficial agreement between MCC and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to limit the scope of the active neighbourhood project, and that it had been TfGM, not MCC, which had intervened to water-down the project by limiting the number of modal filters. DSS, in her October response, said that she would ask for a detailed response from TfGM and she promised she would personally attend the Design Review panel meeting regarding Phase 2 designs.
Three months later, we have had no update from her on those enquiries, despite an explicit request for this in our reply (see open letter #2 on 21 November 2022). This is why we are now publishing our most recent open letter (open letter #3 on 31st January 2023), bringing new information and asking again for the project to be rigorously reviewed.
As we set out in the letter, there have been a number of recent developments in the active neighbourhood projects, where interventions of a very poor standard have been installed. In a previous response, DSS has stated that these intervention have not received approval from TfGM’s Design Review Panel (DRP) – the body that acts on behalf of her to ensure that any active travel measures funded by the Greater Manchester Mayor reach minimum high standards of quality. However, a recent Freedom of Information request provided to Streets for People shows that the DRP did, in fact, approve these designs.
In our letter, we therefore ask DSS to explain what is happening with the Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood project, and reiterate our plea to her to ensure that only the highest quality infrastructure is provided, and in a way that provides new and safe active travel routes in our community. While we recognise that DSS has a lot on her plate, we also reminded her that this project has already dragged-on for a long time (our handy timeline testifies to that!). More timely interventions from all sides is surely a priority.
Streets for People - Levenshulme and Burnage 