Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some of the frequently asked questions about the project. Keep checking as this page will be updated on a regular basis.

1. What is an Active Neighbourhood?

An Active Neighbourhood is a residential area where people are prioritised over traffic, enabling them to leave the car at home and make short trips on foot or bike.

It’s simply about creating safe, attractive spaces for local people. Carefully placed planters or bollards (known as modal filters) on some streets remove rat-running through traffic but all homes and businesses can still be accessed by car. These changes are low cost but have a highly positive impact, creating streets where residents can get to know their neighbours and children can play. Accidents, pollution and noise can be dramatically reduced for residents(11).

2. Why do we need an Active Neighbourhood?

Work has started on a Greater Manchester-wide programme to make journeys on foot or by bike much easier and more attractive, providing benefits to the economy, personal health and reducing congestion and air pollution.

30% of all trips under 1km in Greater Manchester are made by car, over 250 million per year(6), so there is massive potential to replace some of these car trips with more walking and cycling.

Across GM, while traffic levels have remained consistent on main roads, journeys on residential streets have risen by a staggering 45% in the last ten years(12).

Neighbourhoods should be first and foremost for the people who live there. They should feel safe for people to ride, scoot or simply walk to shops and schools if they choose to. Active Neighbourhoods will enable this by reducing rat-running but also retaining access to all homes and businesses, for journeys that need to be made by car.

3. What are the benefits of an Active Neighbourhood?

Active Neighbourhoods enable residents to walk, cycle or scoot, as well as catch up with friends or play outside safely. They contribute to increased retail spend in local shops, more positive health and wellbeing, improved air quality and reduced traffic by 56%(3). Further details are available in the ‘additional stats and information’ section below.

New people-friendly spaces created around modal filters provide an opportunity for more greenery, such as planters or street trees.

4. How will key workers like carers, delivery drivers and people with access needs get around by car? Can I still access my house and/or business?

Active Neighbourhoods allow access by motor vehicle to every property in the area, although some routes to properties may change. The majority of existing parking arrangements won’t be changed.

5. Are Active Neighbourhoods new?

Active Neighbourhoods are not a new concept. Most housing estates built since World War Two are designed on this principle, as people don’t like living in neighbourhoods with high levels of through traffic. Active Neighbourhoods build on this idea by including better connections for walking and cycling.

6. What happens to all the removed through traffic?

Streets within Active Neighbourhoods have been shown to experience a drop in traffic volumes by 50-70%. As streets will only be used for vehicle trips starting and ending in the area, speeds should also significantly reduce. People drive more carefully in their own neighbourhoods.

In the short term, the main roads which through traffic is moved onto may experience a slight increase in traffic volumes, but evidence shows a return to normal within 3 to 6 months, and sometimes a further drop to below existing traffic levels.

7. What does this mean for wheelchair users and mobility scooters?

The aim of an Active Neighbourhood is to deter through-traffic - not remove all traffic. Anyone who needs to travel by car or taxi can still do so but the streets will be safer for everyone. The majority of existing parking arrangements won’t be changed.

Active Neighbourhoods can include more dropped kerbs which will help wheelchair and mobility scooter users to move between pavement and carriageway more easily. Active Neighbourhoods mean that everyone, including those who use wheelchairs or mobility scooters, have enough space to make their journeys comfortably.

8. Won’t everyone’s journeys just be longer?

Whilst some local journeys by car may become slightly longer in distance, the expected reduction in traffic on local residential streets will mean less congested journeys for those who do have to use a car. This means many journeys will not be impacted, and some may even become shorter. For longer trips, any delays will be barely noticeable compared to the full length of the trip, and some parts may even be quicker.

For wheelchair users and those walking and cycling, many trips within the area can become safer and more convenient, reducing journey times.

Even on boundary roads where a small increase in traffic may be seen in the short term, evidence suggests that journey times are not significantly affected. In Waltham Forest for example, research showed that bus journey times on main roads have not significantly increased following the introduction of an Active Neighbourhood(9). Less congestion on residential streets can also help some buses to run more on time.

Changes can take a few weeks to get used to, but existing schemes show that local people settle into them quickly and that most do no not want a change back to how things were before. In Waltham Forest for example, where there has been an Active Neighbourhood for a few years, only 1.7% of people would scrap the scheme(10).

9. Does this approach really work?

Lower traffic volumes and speeds are a huge proven benefit of Active Neighbourhoods. There is evidence of 56% less traffic on residential streets in some existing Active Neighbourhoods. Some streets have seen more than 90% reductions in traffic(3).

But Active Neighbourhoods are about more than just removing rat running. They create better space for people to spend time and opportunities to travel more by foot or cycle too. 63% of people in Greater Manchester think fewer vehicles on our streets would help them to cycle more and make their area a better place(7).

10. How will you measure success?

The success of the programme will be measured through monitoring the changes in levels of motor traffic and numbers of people travelling actively as well as importantly, perceptions and feedback from people who live, work and socialise in the area as well as.

11. How will the trial work?

Once the project team has worked with the community to create a design for their Active Neighbourhood, the features can be tested for several months to check that they work well and to let local people have their say on the changes.

Temporary measures such as wooden planters will be used as filters which are simple and adaptable to any feedback that may come through during the trial.

This is a low cost but effective way to see how the ideas work in real life and find out what local people think before anything becomes permanent.

12. What happens after the trial?

Once feedback from residents has been gathered about the trial and how it worked, the local council can choose to update and implement the design. There is an opportunity as part of this to add more greenery and public spaces to the area.

13. What is a modal filter?

A modal filter stops vehicles passing through but allows pedestrians, wheelchair users, scooters and cyclists through, allowing space to play or chat.

This prevents rat running while ensuring all local properties can still be accessed by car. Modal filters can be as simple as a single bollard, or could include seating, planting and play equipment. Some can even be designed to let buses through.

14. How will emergency services be affected by modal filters?

The emergency services will feed into the design and emergency vehicles will continue to have access to the area in question. Some modal filters can even be designed to let emergency vehicles through, while restricting other traffic.

Emergency services have generally been positive about Active Neighbourhoods. There is strong evidence that some emergency vehicles can even respond more quickly in Active Neighbourhoods because they are not held up by traffic(8).

Reducing traffic in residential areas also reduces the number of road traffic collisions the emergency services have to attend. The ambulance service has said that it is not aware of any Active Neighbourhoods causing significant delays to them or raising patient safety concerns(8).

15. I have a business based in the area. How will the changes affect my business?

There will still be full vehicle access to all properties - some driving routes may change slightly. The majority of existing parking arrangements won’t be changed.

Recent studies have shown that local people who walk and cycle spend more in local shops than those who drive over the course of a month. Existing Active Neighbourhoods have seen improved spend at local businesses, with some reporting a 30% increase in retail spend and a reduction in shop vacancies by 17%(5).

Lower traffic outside of shops and businesses can allow more space for customer seating, deliveries and servicing.

Image: Transport for London, 2012

16. Will the changes be 24hrs a day 7 days a week?

Once implemented, the changes will be 24hrs a day 7 days a week. This is to ensure residents can enjoy the benefits at all times and there is no confusion about access times.

17. Won’t this make things worse on the boundary roads?

Some roads will still need to accommodate through traffic. Main roads are designed to take the majority of traffic, so can manage increases in traffic better than residential streets.

Evidence shows that boundary roads can see a short term increase in traffic levels, but that very quickly (within 3 to 6 months) these levels often return to normal and can even drop below previous traffic levels. This is because shorter journeys become more convenient by foot or cycle, encouraging people to use their cars for them less. It’s important to remember that a small increase in traffic on a main road is less noticeable than the positive transformation brought about by a dramatic reduction of traffic on a residential street.

Improvements can still be made to them, including improved crossing points, streetscape improvements, traffic calming, and pavement improvements. Residents on boundary roads can still benefit from the wider area improvements such as reduced noise and air pollutions and a network of quiet filtered streets nearby.

18. How will Sat Navs and online maps be informed of the changes?

All new roads and closures are captured in the Local Street Gazetteer. This information is available for SatNav providers to download data and update their systems.

19. Who are the project team?

The Active Neighbourhoods Project has been commissioned by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) as part of the Mayor’s Challenge Fund. TfGM is the project lead and will work with Councils and the project team (Arup, Sustrans, and 10GM). The project team will work to include local people in shaping the design for an Active Neighbourhood and will produce a final design to be trialled. You can learn more about the team on our project background page.

20. When will this be delivered?

The project team have worked with local people to create a design for the Active Neighbourhood. A leaflet with the planned improvements was sent out to all households in February 2022. This included a survey to gather feedback about the proposals. A Draft design drop in event was also held in February 2022.

The results from the survey and design drop in event will be reviewed by Trafford Council. They will consider everyone’s views and will decide whether to proceed with any of the proposed improvements.

Any implementation will be likely to be undertaken on a temporary (trial) basis initially. If Trafford Council would like to proceed further, potentially with a trial of the scheme, Trafford Council will get back in touch with local residents to give advance notice and details of how local people can provide further feedback as part of a formal consultation.

21. How will existing traffic levels be monitored?

Monitoring and data collection are a really important part of the process. Data collection will be undertaken in your neighbourhood to help us gather factual information about travel patterns and behaviours which will enable everyone involved in the project, including the local community, to have a better understanding of the existing situation and what problems might exist.

The equipment installed includes Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, Automatic Traffic Counting (ATC) Loops and video surveillance cameras designed to capture the movement of pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles. The ANPR cameras match number plates electronically and no information that could identify individual vehicles is provided with the survey results. The ATC loops capture only anonymised information and do not capture any personalised information. The video cameras are used by the survey company only to record specific turning movements or to count pedestrians and cyclists at a certain point. The results are presented in spreadsheet form only – no video footage is shared and no personalised information is captured or recorded. All of the raw data will be deleted upon completion of the project. All results of the monitoring will be made available to residents through the engagement process.

The camera equipment is typically attached to lamp posts and street lights so you may see these appear in your neighbourhood. The equipment will be installed by specialist contractors who have obtained the necessary permission from the Local Authority.

Additional information and stats

30% of all trips under 1km in Greater Manchester are made by car, so there is considerable scope to replace some of these car trips with more walking and cycling. 1km equates to a 10 minute walk or 4 minute cycle for most people(6).

Active Neighbourhoods aren’t the whole story but they are an important step towards safer streets which are more attractive for walking, cycling and socialising.

Health and wellbeing

References

1 Aldred,R. et.al (2019) Impacts of an active travel intervention with a cycling focus in a suburban context: One-year findings from an evaluation of London’s in-progress mini-Hollands programme. Available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856417314866

2 Dajnak, D. and Walton, H. (2018) Waltham Forest study of life expectancy benefits of increased physical activity from walking and cycling. Available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BqGRWsN17qZNbvuqrMARql1QYu3_M7Rd/view

3 Waltham Forest (2020) COMPARISON OF VEHICLE NUMBERS BEFORE AND AFTER THE SCHEME AND DURING THE TRIAL. Available at https://enjoywalthamforest.co.uk/work-in-your-area/walthamstow-village/comparison-of-vehicle-numbers-before-and-after-the-scheme-and-during-the-trial/

4 Transport for London (2020) Economic benefits of walking and cycling. Available at https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/economic-benefits-of-walking-and-cycling

5 Waltham Forest Cycling Campaign (2020) Facts and Evidence. Available at https://wfcycling.wordpress.com/mini-holland/evidence/

6 Transport for Greater Manchester (2020) Change a region to change a nation: Greater Manchester’s walking and cycling investment plan. Available at https://assets.ctfassets.net/nv7y93idf4jq/Xx5s7azQY1SYmdNKIAviX/e4395ab029410907365cd0962d17bf81/19-1950_Bee_Network_delivery_plan-style_-_website_version.pdf

7 Sustrans (2020) Bike Life: Greater Manchester. Available at https://www.sustrans.org.uk/bike-life/bike-life-greater-manchester

8 Walking and Cycling Alliance (2020) The urgent case for more walking and cycling in the UK. Available at https://cyclingindustry.news/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/The-urgent-case-for-more-walking-and-cycling-WACA-report.pdf

9 London Borough of Waltham Forest (2017) Walthamstow Village Review. Available at https://londonlivingstreets.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/2017-08-23-wv-report-final.pdf

10 Cuff, M. (2020) Efforts to spark a green ‘cycling revolution’ are causing road rage on some British streets. Inews. Available at https://inews.co.uk/news/green-cycling-revolution-causing-road-rage-703827

11 Department for Transport (2020) Gear Change: A bold vision for cycling and walking. Available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/904146/gear-change-a-bold-vision-for-cycling-and-walking.pdf

12 Department for Transport (2018) Road traffic statistics (TRA) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/road-traffic-statistics-tra#traffic-by-local-authority-tra89