Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign

The Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign is a voluntary group working to make cycling in Greater Manchester quicker, safer, easier and more enjoyable. The group wants more people to use bicycles - or other kinds of human powered vehicle - for transport and leisure. And it represents and empowers people who do this.

We have has been operating since 1981, under the former name, Sprocket. Successes and continuing campaigns include

• helping to defend the Wilmslow Road corridor for cyclists, persuading Manchester City Council not to axe the scheme
• successfully negotiating continued access to the city centre where consultants planned to prohibit cycling
• providing input to many planning proposals to make the area more cycle friendly
• lobbying for more parking in the city centre, at railway stations and in nearby towns
• representing our members on cycle forums in Greater Manchester. This gives us a direct link to councils, and increases their accountability.
• campaigning for the conversion of the former Fallowfield railway line into an East-West cycle route for South Manchester
• helping to produce the Manchester Cycling Map

We think more people should cycle because…

• cycling causes no pollution, no noise, and very little congestion
• bicycles don’t require large areas of land to be concreted over for roads and parking space
• most short journeys are cheaper and more convenient by bicycle
• for longer journeys, a bicycle plus a train, or a plane, is often the quickest way to get from door to door
• cycling is superb aerobic exercise that fits easily into most people’s lifestyle
• cyclists are significantly less likely to have heart attacks and strokes
• cycling saves the NHS £ millions by helping to prevent cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes
• riding a bicycle doesn’t threaten the safety of other road users
• cycling is the perfect way to enjoy the countryside without harming it
• people of all ages can ride bicycles
• more people own bicycles than own cars
• sensible cycling is safe, and governments and local authorities can work to make it safer at relatively little cost.

But less than 5% of journeys in Greater Manchester are by bicycle because many people who would like to cycle are intimidated by the quantity and speed of motorised traffic. The GMCC is campaigning to change this.