Done... Some of my selected answers if other Mancunians are feeling in need of inspiration...
You said that car and van drivers (personal and domestic) receive too much consideration; why do you think this?
Transport planning and roads are based around the assumption that the 'default' is the personal/commuting motorist and everyone else is the 'special case' - this was very clear in the recent SEMMMS refresh. Roads themselves - when a pedestrian is walking straight along a road they are expected to step down into the road at each side road and cede priority (rather than the motorist have to go up over a gentle bump). Pedestrian lights are always on red for the pedestrians by default rather than green for the pedestrians and changing once a vehicle arrives.
Unless we make the (admittedly massive) mental leap from seeing 'congestion' as the problem to seeing individuals using motor vehicles when their are alternatives as the problem the situation will never change.
You said that motorcyclists receive too little consideration; why do you think this?
Motorcyclists take up far less road space than other motor vehicles and are more vulnerable and yet get very few (if any) areas of preferential treatment.
You said that cyclists receive too little consideration; why do you think this?
Almost without exception in South Manchester/Stockport every cycle scheme has pushed cyclists off of the main carriageway to share with pedestrians / dog walkers and where the 'shared area' crosses a carriageway/side road priority is far too often given to the main carriageway.
Whilst the stated aim of these schemes has been to 'make it safer for cyclists' the outcome has been to force cyclists off the main carriageway so that motor vehicles are not inconvenienced by cyclists whilst increasing cycle journey times for existing cyclists.
Even the A6MARR which could have been a fabulous new exemplar where plenty of space was available for a nice scheme has had a shared area added instead of separate pedestrian and separate cycle lanes - additionally at many of the junctions motorists get to carry on at 50/70mph in a straight line whilst cyclists and pedestrians have to go up and down ramps and stairs and wait for traffic lights...
Another example - how often do cycle facilities get the vegetation cut back and get swept and gritted when compared to main carriageways - look at the priority grading for gritting; cycle routes aren't even on that list!!
You said that Metrolink users receive too little consideration; why do you think this?
All the money going in to A6MARR should have gone into Metrolink / train.
You said that pedestrians receive too little consideration; why do you think this?
(Repeated my answer about cars).
Please use the box below to express any further comments you may have on the most effective way to reduce road congestion.
We need strong leadership from politicians to make the public accept that we will have to have some short/medium term pain - losing our freedom to jump in a private motor vehicle for every journey - to have long term gains; affordable, convenient public transport, better health outcomes (thanks to more walking and cycling), fewer deaths and serious injuries on the roads, more pleasant streets to be in (without traffic noise and fear of being killed by a motorist) and, on the rare occasions one needs to use a motor vehicle, a much quicker journey.
Please use the box below to express any further comments you may have on the relative impacts of road congestion.
I live in Gatley and it seems clear to me that the traffic through Gatley makes it a miserable place to be much of the time and the fact that there are almost exclusively takeaways, hair dressers and empty shops is a testament to this.
If you have any further thoughts regarding congestion or reducing congestion across Greater Manchester, please tell us using the space below.
This survey highlights the fundamental issue that we, as a society, still see 'congestion' as something that is a problem to be solved rather than simply the inevitable result of the actual problem which is that we, as a society, use private motor vehicles far too much.
