Public asked to join Mayor's 'congestion conversation'

Andy Burnham would like to hear how congestion is impacting people’s lives and what ideas the public has to help solve it, as latest figures show residents across Greater Manchester lose nearly 40 hours a year as a result of congested roads.

Congestion is directly linked to a growing economy but congestion can also cause the economy to slow as the region becomes unattractive to businesses and new investment.

It is estimated congestion costs the Greater Manchester economy £1.3bn per year, through issues such as lost productivity and late deliveries.

Launching his ‘congestion conversation’ on Friday, September 22, the Mayor said: “Congestion is a crippling problem facing so many roads in Greater Manchester. It affects people’s quality of life, it costs our businesses and it creates poor air quality that contributes to illness and premature death. This can’t carry on. 

“That’s why I am launching my ‘congestion conversation’ today. I want to get people’s views on tackling congestion, what impact it has, what causes it and ideas on how we can work together to make things better.

“I want to find out what it would take to encourage people to leave their cars at home and instead use public transport, cycle to work, or car share with others.”

According to INRIX Manchester is the second most congested city in the UK and the 46th most congested in Europe.

People can get involved in the ‘congestion conversation’ by visiting www.tfgm.com/congestion.

Views are being sought for six weeks until Friday, November 3 and Andy Burnham, along with the 10 Greater Manchester local authorities, is expected to publish a plan to address the region’s congestion issues in January 2018.

 For information on public transport across Greater Manchester visit www.tfgm.com or follow @OfficialTfGM on Twitter.