Manchester 2040 Radials and Manchester Active Travel Strategy & Investment Plan
Sweco is proud to be supporting Manchester in its aim to achieve the vision of becoming a net zero city by 2038, by identifying the long term transport roles of key corridors and helping the council, alongside Transport for Greater Manchester, strategically plan an effective and sustainable active travel network.
Our experts are also helping Manchester City Council to establish an Active Travel Strategy and Investment Plan to ensure the council is ready to move forward effectively and quickly when future funding for walking and cycling schemes is released.

The challenge
The Greater Manchester vision is to to champion a transformational growth in active travel, through supporting population level behaviour change, system change and culture change, with a 2040 target for walking trips to increase by a third and cycling trips to double, and then double again.
Indeed, the Council’s City Centre Transport Strategy sets an ambition for 90% of all morning peak trips to the city centre to be made on foot, by cycle or on public transport by 2040.
The appetite for active travel is also growing, with:
- 47% of the Greater Manchester population saying they would cycle more if the conditions were better (includes feeling safer on the road, more cycle routes and easier access to bikes)
- 21% of people saying they would walk more if conditions were better, including more crossings and better-maintained surfaces


Project highlights
- Strategic cycle connections improved
- Improved places for walking as mode of choice
- Better accessibility for all
- Environmental benefits of mode shift from motor vehicles to active travel
- Promotion of health benefits from active travel