A message from Tameside Council to the cycling community...

See below for the text of an email recently sent by Tameside Council's Sustainable Travel Officer to members of Tameside Cycle Forum.

Dear Cyclist,

As you are aware the Tameside Cycle Forum has not met for a number of months.  The reasons for this are numerous and includes over a 1,000 staff leaving the authority in recent months, severe and ongoing budget reductions and additional work being taken on by remaining staff.

Part of the budget reductions is a year on year decrease by the Department for Transport funding for structural maintenance money which generally addresses resurfacing and bridge maintenance. Other minor maintenance work funding for elements such as footways repairs and potholes have also been cut. Apart from a small sum of council funded capital works there are no other capital monies available to improve the overall highway infrastructure.

Clearly the Greater Manchester Transport Fund is rolling out Metrolink, and other schemes within the GM area and a comprehensive Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LTSF) bid is being put together led by Transport for Greater Manchester on behalf of all GM districts. A LTSF report is being considered by TfGMC on 11 November 2011.

Please don’t forget if you have any maintenance issues which need to be looked at these can be reported this via the Tameside website at: http://public.tameside.gov.uk/symology/cs_index.asp

However, in respect of the cycle forum, Tameside is to seek views of the other Greater Manchester Districts as to whether they hold such meetings and if so how often and their Terms of Reference. Once this information has been collected, then a decision will be made as to how cycle issues in Tameside should be taken forward.

Michael Hughes, Sustainable Travel Officer 

E-mail:  michael.hughes@tameside.gov.uk



The policy decision to establish Cycle Forums in all of the 10 Greater Manchester local authority areas was adopted in the "The Greater Manchester Cycling Strategy" 2006 and also the Greater Manchester Local Transport Plan 2006/07-2010/11 which required local authorites:


"To strengthen partnerships with other public bodies, commercial organisations and voluntary bodies in order to promote and cater for cycling. 

3.8.1 Dialogue with local cyclists and other interested parties through Cycle Forums, which have been established in all councils, should be maintained and improved where necessary. Authorities should also work with local cycling groups, representatives from health authorities, schools, local businesses, the police and the passenger transport providers."  (Policy 8 Partnerships and consultation)

It seems a little strange that Tameside Council are proposing to "seek views of the other Greater Manchester Districts as to whether they hold such meetings and if so how often and their Terms of Reference. Once this information has been collected, then a decision will be made as to how cycle issues in Tameside should be taken forward".


How about asking the cycling (and non-cycling) communities in Tameside whether they would like to have a functioning cycle forum?  


So if you live, or work, in Tameside and have an interest in developing better cycling facilities - perhaps you would like to let the Sustainable Travel officer, or better still, your local councillor know your views on the matter..... just a thought!