A MULTI-million pound scheme to get children in Bolton walking to school and adults out of their cars needs Government cash to drive it forward.

The Bolton News reported at the end of last year about plans to transform the way people travel in the future ­— with a £14.8 million investment to develop the network of Beeways in the Astley Bridge and Crompton, and Westhoughton areas. This, it is said, would enable a "transformative level" of journeys to be made on foot and bike.

The schemes ­— apart of a larger Greater Manchester scheme ­— will provide walking and cycling access to five secondary schools, 15 primary schools and three major local shopping streets as well as opening up several neighbourhoods.

Metro Mayor Andy Burnham and Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman are today announcing the publication of a new report, titled ‘Change a Region to Change a Nation’, which will be delivered to Westminster next month to make the case for the government backing needed to deliver the wide-ranging plans.

Already in development is a "quiet route" along Chorley Old Road and plans are being drawn up for a number of improvements to the town centre and surrounding areas, which will be revealed in spring.

The scheme is part of larger Bee Network across Greater Manchester.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Greater Manchester is creating the blueprint for a real culture change in the way people travel.

“Our city-region’s 10 districts have been working on these plans since 2017 and crucially, residents have helped to develop them, based on what they want their neighbourhoods to look like.

“Now we have a world-class plan and we know how to deliver it, but we cannot do it alone. We need the Government to back us with sustained funding over the next ten years to enable us to complete the Bee Network. If they do so they will be helping create a model that can be replicated across the rest of the country.

“Put simply, if they help us change our city-region, we can help change the country too.”

Cycling and Walking Commissioner for Greater Manchester, Chris Boardman, said: “With one in three car journeys in Greater Manchester being less than 1 kilometre, it’s clear we have to change. It’s impacting our air, our health, and the place we’re expecting our children to grow up, get on and grow old.

“All 10 Greater Manchester councils have taken on this challenge and they’ve already started transforming ambition into action. But without guaranteed government investment, we are hamstrung. To revolutionise travel across a whole city region we’re asking for the same financial backing over a ten-year period as it’s costing for a single junction improvement scheme in Bedford. I know which will return the best investment – not only for our city-region but the nation as a whole.”

Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Cllr Stuart Haslam, added: “This is great news for all Bolton residents as we aim to make walking and cycling safer and more desirable travel options. As a council, we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint, limiting air pollution and helping people lead healthier lives.These two new schemes will help us achieve this by reducing car emissions while also encouraging everyone to be more active. All schemes being developed will be shared with residents for their feedback.”

Outlining the case for a healthier way to travel across Greater Manchester

THE “revolutionary” cycling and walking network in Greater Manchester would provide a national blueprint to reduce congestion and air pollution as well as improve health, a report says.

The foundation of the “world-class” plan is the Bee Network, which will provide 1,800 miles of protected space for cycling and walking throughout the region.

In addition, there are plans for 17 “filtered neighbourhoods” — Dutch-inspired areas - that prioritise the movement of people over the movement of motor vehicles.

It is anticipated these measures will allow children to walk or ride to school safely and give people the option to leave the car at home.

Over the next 10 years it is projected the network will help deliver a 350 per cent increase in daily cycling trips from 100,000 to 450,000 and a rise in daily walking trips by a third from 1,480,000 to 2,050,000.

Other expected benefits include up to 130,000 fewer daily private car and taxi trips, a 10 per cent reduction in traffic, an improvement in some journey times by up to 50 per cent and an estimated £6.73 billion health boost.

But the Government needs to provide financial backing to make the proposals, costing £1.5 billion, become a reality, says Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

The Change a Region to Change a Nation report was jointly commissioned by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and the Mayor.

The report will be delivered to Westminster next month make the chase for funding to deliver the plans.

Overall there have been 82 projects approved as part of the Bee Network across the region and, according to the GMCA, these schemes make up a third of the overall plan, which is set to reach £1.5bn of investment.