Back in 2015, Helen Pidd, North of England editor for The Guardian,<\/em> wrote an article claiming \u2018Manchester is a terrible cycling city’<\/a>. To be fair to her, at the time, she was probably right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A city rife with roadworks, collisions and one-way systems, Manchester was hardly the commuter’s dream four years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But now, this is all becoming a thing of the past.<\/p>\n\n\n It was last July when the \u2018Bee Network’ project, the brainchild of former Olympic cyclist and current Cycling and Walking Commissioner for Greater Manchester, Chris Boardman, was unveiled to the public, showing the first 15 routes of his plan to transform the region into a cycling haven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And now, with plans having been revealed in March to spend almost \u00a3140 million on cycling and walking facilities in Greater Manchester<\/a>, the movement is only gathering momentum, with Mayor Andy Burnham believing the region could soon \u2018compete with some of the world’s best and most liveable cities,’ and Boardman saying: “I can almost guarantee that within two years we will be surpassing everybody.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having long been left to fester while more affluent regions such as London have prospered, much work is needed to transform Greater Manchester in the way Burnham and Boardman hope to; with the Bee Network project expected to cost an eye-watering figure of roughly \u00a31.5 billion in total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the ambition in these plans is patently obvious, such as the \u00a357 million bridge which would enable cyclists to ride between transport hubs in Stockport, or the \u00a311.6 million pathway which would connect stations Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, the first proposed projects last July included 60 new and improved crossings for cyclists and walkers, in addition to the 15 miles of new routes to explore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only that, but in March, schemes were announced to see Greater Manchester take on the biggest cycle-hire project \u2013 similar to that used in London with \u2018Boris Bikes’ \u2013 in the country, which will not only benefit cyclists, but ease congestion on the roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe asked Greater Manchester’s 10 local authorities to hit the ground running and they’ve been able to turn these first proposed projects around very quickly. This is a real achievement in itself and will help us to keep up momentum on transforming the city-region into a better place to be,\u201d Boardman said in an interview with Manchester Evening News<\/a> last July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne thing we won’t compromise on is quality; we’re working closely with all 10 local authorities to ensure that every single project on this list meets a tough set of design standards. Only by doing this will we enable thousands more people to consider making more trips on foot or by bike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Boardman even admitting himself he has been \u2018overwhelmed’ to what will be the largest cycling and walking network in the UK, his project is sure to make cycling in Manchester a far cry from the hazardous nightmare it used to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/discerningcyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/sweat-free-cycling-in-line-2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n\nCycling in Manchester is getting a makeover<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/discerningcyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/manchester_albert_square_town_hall.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/discerningcyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/great_manchester_cycle-1-1024x682.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhere are the first 15 cycling routes in the \u2018Bee Network’ project?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n