Walking, wheeling, cycling

Greater Manchester (GM) has a shared ambition to enable the greatest number of people to routinely walk, wheel and cycle for pleasure, personal or environmental benefit and travel convenience.

Walking and wheeling

Walking and wheeling is the simplest way to build movement into everyday life. Therefore, creating the conditions for more people to walk and wheel has an important role to play in achieving the shared GM Moving in Action ambition of active lives for all.

Walking (including wheeling) is the most common form of exercise among adults in England (Active Lives survey, 2023).

Regionally, levels of leisure walking have increased since pre-pandemic levels. Almost half of adults (45%) are walking for leisure at least twice in 28 days.

Walking for travel is similar to pre-pandemic levels.

Around one in three adults (31%) are walking for travel at least twice in 28 days. This follows a dip in adults walking for travel during and following the pandemic. In Greater Manchester, walking accounted for 31% of trips and cycling accounted for 2% (TRADS, 2023).

We know there are challenges—making sure people feel safe, keeping pavements easy to use, and making sure everyone has fair access to green spaces.

Making walking easier helps more people reach public transport, shops, leisure, schools, and jobs.

There are several ways that Greater Manchester Moving are addressing these challenges.

How we enable walking, wheeling, and cycling

How we work across the system

The Bee Network 

The Bee Network is Greater Manchester’s new, joined up transport network, taking you where you need to go.

A key part of the Bee Network is walking, wheeling and cycling routes that join up better with buses, trams and trains.

Greater Manchester is currently building the country’s largest active travel network.

The Network is connecting every area and community in Greater Manchester with 1,800 miles of safe routes and 2,400 new crossings. The aim is to put nearly all residents (95%) within 400 metres of a high-quality walking, wheeling and cycling route. 

To find out more about cycling and TfGM’s work to support walking in Greater Manchester, visit the Bee Active website, and their dedicated walking page.

Active Soles

Active Soles is a movement which gives everyone the freedom to wear shoes to work that they're more able to move in. 

Flat, comfortable shoes or trainers enable and encourage people to move more, and moving more makes us more productive at work and less likely to take time off sick.

We can all do great work in our #ActiveSoles. 

Creating Healthy Active Places

The design of our streets and spaces makes a difference to the way we live our lives.

If we design places where people feel safe, welcome and that they belong, people will be able to move more in those spaces through walking, cycling, playing and meeting others.

This in turn creates thriving, connected and healthy communities.

Learn out about our work to create healthy, active places