Tameside welcomes The Big Active Conversation

CYCLING, school runs, business travel and changing behaviour were all under the spotlight at the Big Active Conversation event held in Tameside.

The Big Active Conversation, hosted by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) working with other GM Moving partners including Tameside Council, is an annual event that allows views and open discussion from all communities regarding the shaping of future active travel across the city region.

Six months on from when Active Travel Commissioner Dame Sarah Storey unveiled a refreshed active travel mission for Greater Manchester, this year’s event - held at the Village Hotel in Ashton on 5 June - opportunely took place on World Environment Day and between the end of National Walking Month – in May – and the start of the 100^th annual Bike Week.

Greater Manchester Transport Commissioner Vernon Everitt joined Dame Sarah Storey on the day along with representatives from the Greater Manchester’s Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE), business and active travel communities.​

Delegates attending from Tameside Council included Executive Leader Cllr Gerald Cooney, Executive Member for Transport Cllr Jan Jackson and Assistant Executive Member for Transport Cllr Warren Bray, while council officers supported the many workshops that took place.

The workshops included Streets for ‘All Design Guide’, ‘Activating the School Run’, ‘How do we Engage the Public about Vision Zero and how can you help?’ Along with ‘Community Engagement: Tips, Tools and Exploration’ and ‘Changing Behaviours to Enable More Active Travel.’

Other sessions were: ‘Adapted Cycle Taster Session’, ‘Behaviour Change Walkshop’ and ‘Striving for Net Zero: Business and Active Travel’.

The ‘Adapted Cycle Taster Session’ highlighted the Tameside Cycle Circuit and how cycling can be accessible to all. The one kilometre circuit is a car-free zone, allowing users to become comfortable with cycling.

In terms of active travel, there are a number of Bee Network active travel schemes being installed in Tameside, with two already operational at Chadwick Dam and Hill Street in Ashton-under-Lyne.

Additionally, there is the Tame Valley Loop, and the GM Ringway walking route passes through part of the borough.

Tameside Council Executive Member for Planning, Transport and Connectivity, Cllr Jan Jackson said: “We’re proud to be contributing to the Big Active Conversation. We’re keen to help people move more, more often and live happier, healthier lifestyles, and enabling active travel by building the infrastructure is part of that. It was also great to showcase some of Tameside’s Active Travel opportunities to the event delegates from across the region.”

Tameside Council’s Population Health service is in the process of refreshing the authority’s approach to physical activity and is currently developing a new strategy that will tie in with promoting active travel.

To learn more about what took place at last year’s Big Active Conversation, read the summary report here.