Current Campaigns
Manchester Road Cycleway Safety
We have been working with Cheshire East Council on their plans to improve the Manchester Road Cycleway with the production of a new Active Travel Route that will be designed to make the route safer and easier with a number of new improvements.
Recently we have increased our pressure on Cheshire East around this project due to the sad death of Emma Smallwood on a stretch of Manchester Road near the boundary of Wilmslow and Handforth – a location where another person was killed seven years ago. This project has been stalled for some time, and with the growing data showing the safety issues around painted and unprotected cycleways, we feel that we needed to push harder. As such, we have published this open letter –
An open letter from CycleWilmslow
Cycleway Clearing
If we want cycling to be a true option for families, and give people the ability to reduce their use of cars year round, we need a clear and ongoing programme of cycleway maintenance. As many cycleways are close to hedges and other greenery that can easily pose a hazard through overgrowth… we’re looking at you, brambles and hawthorn… we’ve taken this matter into our own hands on a small scale with Bramble Bash events.
Our first recent effort as a group was on 08 September last year when about eight of us met at the Welsh Row / Soss Moss cycle slip lane down on to Melrose Way / Alderley By-pass / A34. Despite rain in the afternoon, we made a significant improvement but there’s still plenty to go back to. We’re continuing to work on this as you could say the work is perennial!
Local Cycling and Walking Plans
Cycle Wilmslow Maps
Over the past few years we’ve worked to update, publish, and distribute our Cycle Wilmslow maps. These maps cover Wimslow, Handforth, and Alderley Edge, showing three cycle ride routes as well as the safer roads and resources for cycling in these towns.
You can download our latest map as a PDF here.
Past Successes
Waters Bend Altrincham Road
Cycle Wilmslow has worked to improve the connectivity for the town for a number of years – a major part of that is linking the town via safe routes to other key locations. Obviously, the route between Manchester Airport and Wilmslow Town Centre is a key route!
As part of this campaign, we got the route accepted as a major target in the Local Cycling and Walking Plans, and have been working with Cheshire East Council to slowly push forward. So far this new section joins up two existing shared paths to create a continued link between Mobberly Rd and the Airport runway tunnels.
Rob Sharpe, from Cycle Wilmslow, said: “We are delighted this route has come to fruition. It is a significant improvement for sustainable transport on a key route in and out of Wilmslow. And it will improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians on a very busy route.”