John Knight, Cheshire East Green Party
Time and time again, residents respond with comments about not only the generally shocking state of the roads in Macclesfield, but also the almost complete lack of safe routes to cycle around town.
There are not many roadside cycle lanes; they are disjointed, mostly leading from nowhere to nowhere in particular, or petering out where they would be most useful, on climbs or at junctions. They are often obstructed by parked cars. There are hardly any traffic-free cycleways, physically separated from cars and lorries.
About the only such traffic-free route (apart from the canal towpath, which is not suitable for every bicycle or cyclist) is the Middlewood Way, linking Macc with Bollington, Poynton and Marple. This forms part of National Cycle Network Route 55; although extensive work was done last year, widening the pavement and improving crossings at Black Lane and Hibel Road, when it reaches the Silk Road underpass a few yards further on, it virtually disappears. The markings that used to guide cyclists through town have disappeared over the years, with only some tiny blue arrows remaining, giving no “nudge” to motorists about leaving adequate room.
Cheshire East claims an “ambitious target to be a carbon neutral council” (while at the same time wanting to destroy rare and vital peat bog at Danes Moss), yet active travel in Macclesfield, including cycling, appears as an afterthought, if that.
Join our “Make Macclesfield Roads Safer” bike ride on Saturday 7th June – meet 10:30 for 11:00 outside Whalley Hayes car park to ride round town to the Town Hall. Come early for a free bike check by eLOV!