GREATER Manchester’s Leaders are today asking government to back early delivery of a London-style public transport system for the city-region.
As part of the vision, which requires an initial £1.4 billion of funding from national government, Greater Manchester will deliver significant investment in transport facilities – integral to the infrastructure required to create the Bee Network – creating vital new connections between towns, high streets and communities, fast orbital bus routes, new and improved stations and high-quality cycling and walking routes.
The news marks an important step in Destination: Bee Network– the city region’s masterplan to deliver a London-style, integrated transport system across bus, tram, cycling, walking and rail.
The Bee Network will provide seamless connections across walking, cycling, buses and Metrolink, supported by clear customer travel information and simple fares and ticketing.
This is absolutely critical if we want to provide an attractive alternative to people using cars, help change the way people move and ultimately enable Greater Manchester to achieve its ambition to become carbon neutral by 2038.
Delivery of the Bee Network will unlock all of these benefits and will offer options for all journey lengths, from doorstep to destination for all Greater Manchester residents. It will be integrated, accessible, affordable, accountable and sustainable. But most importantly, it will give everyone an attractive alternative to driving.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Transport is central to our ambitions for a levelled-up Greater Manchester. Improving access to economic opportunity, unlocking new sites for residential and commercial development, promoting improved health and wellbeing through active travel, and making a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of the city region’s economy.
“We know that transport sits at the beating heart of all city-regions and the fact is that ours is just not fit for purpose. There is a huge mismatch between our ambition for Greater Manchester to be one of the best places in the world to grow up, get on and get old and the reality, which is a fragmented, expensive and frustrating transport system.
“A single 20-minute bus journey between Middleton and central Manchester can cost £4.50 – compared to the £1.55 hopper fare in London. Around one third of our residents do not have access to a car. Those that do, drive a lot due to a lack of better alternatives. Half of all trips in our city region are less than two kilometres, and, shockingly, four in 10 of those trips are currently made by car. These habits are stagnating our economy, polluting our air and holding us back from realising our potential.
“A single, London-style, integrated transport network that is accessible, affordable and reliable will unlock Greater Manchester’s economy. It will significantly improve air quality and it will help us to level up our communities. Delivering the Bee Network is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and we are demonstrating our commitment by putting forward millions of pounds in local contributions. We are asking government to give us the money and powers we need to get the job done as quickly as possible. Our people deserve much better and this is the first phase of our plan to give them a world-class transport network.”
Phase one of delivering the Bee Network will deliver a single, integrated and more affordable ticketing system for bus, Metrolink and cycle hire by 2024, and to include rail by 2030
It will see the introduction of minimum licensing standards for taxis and private hire vehicles across GM, covering safety, vehicle quality and livery
Improve access to and deliver new railway stations, including a new station at Golborne and step free access at stations in Salford, Wigan, Tameside and Manchester
Plans to 50 km of quality bus corridors across GM, improving reliability especially on current poor orbital connections and for significant improvements in the bus fleet, replacing 30-50% of the fleet with zero emissions vehicles by 2025 and ensuring a high-quality and consistent offer (with common branding, standards of service and information)
The creation of high-quality walking and cycling routes (that are fit for a 12-year-old, a double buggy or a wheelchair user), including through innovative new road layouts like our CYCLOPS junctions
And to do the development work needed to deliver the next wave of Metrolink expansions, with pipeline proposals to extend to Heywood and Middleton, Stockport, and Manchester Airport Terminal 2
Transport Commissioner, Chris Boardman, added: “London has benefitted from amazing public transport for decades; now it’s Greater Manchester’s time. For one sixth of the cost of Crossrail, we will deliver phase one of our Bee Network plans by 2026 and make public transport a much cheaper, easier and more attractive alternative to the car.
“It’s not being melodramatic to say that our future prosperity depends on these plans. Happily, our public transport ambitions mirror those of national government and the levelling up agenda so we’re confident that the vision we’re putting forward for government funding will be successful. These are very exciting times for Greater Manchester and we stand ready to put this vision into action.”
