Three initiatives for greener travel in Tameside

Date: 24/10/2012

A £1 million investment scheme will provide three new ways for the residents of Tameside in Greater Manchester to travel around in an environmentally friendly manner.

In a partnership between Tameside Borough Council and Transport for Greater Manchester new cycle paths will be put in place, the access to Hattersley train station improved and a new link put in between Ashton and a local business centre.

Councillor Peter Robinson, Tameside Council Executive Member for Transport and Development, said: "I fully support these exciting sustainable transport initiatives in the borough, which are part of a bigger package of measures across the Greater Manchester area."

It is thought that once the work has begun, it will take three years before all of the changes are complete and ready for use by the public.

Councillor Robinson said: "They will help us all to access our local town centres and improve links to employment opportunities while at the same time reduce our reliance on our cars."

Funding for the project has come from the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund, which will be backed up by a contribution from Sustrans.

The sustainable transport charity is to work alongside the Canals and Rivers Trust to design a two mile canal tow path which will link the town centres of Ashton and Hyde.

It will provide access for local people to all the main employment locations in the area, making it easier for them to travel to work sustainably.

The route between Ashton town centre and the Ashton Moss business park will also see its off-road link upgraded.

This will make it safer for pedestrians and much easier to navigate with a starting point in Katherine Street, though the end point has not yet been decided although it will be somewhere between Lord Sheldon Way and the Village Hotel.

Improvements to Hattersley train station will include working on the pedestrian access and replacing the existing lighting.

Posted by Nick Anderson

International Transport News and Sustainable Transport News