Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is seeking more than £150m from the UK government to support its plans to tackle air pollution and rebuild the economy in the city-region post-Covid-19.
The pandemic has reportedly seen air pollution levels drop by 30% and road traffic volumes fall by as much as 52% across Greater Manchester as a result of the lockdown – while at the same time cycling journeys are said to have increased by 42%.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has now asked ministers to financially support the city-region’s plans to rebuild the local economy in an environmentally sustainable way.
According to Burnham, the financial package, which totals £152m, would enable businesses and transport operators in the city-region to make the shift to cleaner vans, lorries, buses taxis and private hire vehicles ahead the introduction of a Greater Manchester-wide clean air zone in 2022.
“We’ve seen tremendous shifts in travel patterns over the last few months, with reduced air pollution levels, more people than ever before cycling and walking, and a significant switch to working from home, and we need to keep these benefits,” said Burnham.
“We can’t go back to how we were – no one wants to see the levels of air pollution and congestion we were experiencing.
“We must seize the opportunities offered by this difficult situation to support our businesses through recovery and into a greener future.
“To achieve that we need dedicated funding from government to support our businesses as they move to cleaner vehicles, and long-term funding to support the roll-out of more cycling and walking measures and to make sure our public transport network is capable of supporting our economy in a much more environmentally friendly way.”
GMCA is seeking £98m for a Clean Commercial Vehicle Fund for vans, HGVs, coaches and minibuses (increased from £59m); £16m for a Clean Bus Fund to support retrofit of the existing bus fleet; a £28m Clean Taxi Fund for taxi and private hire drivers and operators to switch to cleaner vehicles; and a new £10m hardship fund for small businesses and sole traders who could face additional financial concerns to help them switch to compliant vehicles.
Furthermore, the city-region is seeking funding for 350 new EV charging points, which would double the size of the existing Greater Manchester publicly-owned charging network, and for up to 600 electric buses by the mid-2020s.
This investment would come from sources other than government’s Clean Air Plan core funding, according to GMCA.
The ‘Safe Streets Save Lives’ initiative has seen the creation of a new-look space for pedestrians and cyclists in Manchester city centre with the temporary closure of part of Deansgate to motor vehicles.
Plans for a Greater Manchester-wide bike hire scheme are also said to be progressing while leaders continue to press the government for additional emergency funding to support Metrolink beyond 8 June, when the initial funding ends, and for a multi-year settlement for the Greater Manchester bus network.
Councillor Andrew Western, Greater Manchester Green City-region lead, said: “Our recovery must be green and sustainable, and that means a shift away from transport powered by fossil fuels.
“Transport and goods deliveries are at the backbone of our economy, so that’s why we’re making this ask of government to help us support local businesses and transport operators as they make the move to a greener, more sustainable future.”
Western added that certainty on the full funding package would be needed “as soon as possible” in order to give Greater Manchester businesses information required ahead of a Clean Air Plan public consultation and further development of proposals.
Greater Manchester local authorities said they intend to consult on proposed taxi and private hire minimum licensing standards alongside the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan consultation, including a roadmap to when taxi and private hire fleets should be zero-emission capable.
Last month Greater Manchester announced that plans to hold a statutory public consultation on the Clean Air Plan had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The consultation will be held as soon as is feasible and a report on the consultation will be brought to Greater Manchester leaders when “there is a clear timeframe for exiting lockdown and moving to the next phase of the coronavirus response”.
The delay to the consultation also means that the introduction of the Clean Air Zone has been moved back to 2022.
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https://www.cittimagazine.co.uk/why-greater-manchesters-radical-cycling-plan-deserves-funding/
https://www.cittimagazine.co.uk/greater-manchesters-first-electric-double-deckers-unveiled/
https://www.cittimagazine.co.uk/study-supports-plan-for-20000-crossings-in-greater-manchester/
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