They've shrunk Wigan!

I'm returning to a rather old project which got parked in the long grass many years ago. I won't share details yet as I may not have time to finish it, but I will say that it involves maps, specifically maps of cycle routes to complement the route descriptions on this blog. So my starting point was to try and get my hands on copies of all the Transport for Greater Manchester cycle network maps. That didn't succeed, as the 2022 maps are now out of print and TFGM are waiting for all the local councils to update their routes, so despite several attempts I still don't have copies of three of the maps.

So, the alternative approach was to download the PDF versions of the maps and print them out on A3 paper. This turned out to be quite a good way of visualising the GM cycle routes as I could tape the sheets together and make one big GM cycling map, except there was one problem...

The sheets for Wigan, on the left, could be matched up with each other, but didn't fit into the rest of the maps. It took a few attempts before the penny dropped, they are a different scale to the rest of the maps. While the scale on the Wigan maps insist that the map is a 1:16,000 scale, like all the others, it is actually 1:20,000. On closer inspection it is clear that the Wigan maps have been shrunk, rather than re-scaled, with smaller text and narrower lines.

So, possibly ever since they were first produced, the Wigan cycle network maps have been printed with the wrong scale, just one of the many errors that persist in this map series, along with non-existent cycle routes. 

I eventually managed to fit Wigan into the rest of the maps by up-scaling the sheets on the printer, so I can get on with the next stage of the project.

Bolton's Non-Existent Cycle Route

Just north of the boundary between Bolton and Salford the cycle map for Bolton shows a cycle route on the north side of the M61 between Buckley Lane and Worsley Road.



This cycle route does not exist, and never has done. It is a fantasy dreamed up by somebody at Bolton Council or TfGM.

This is the thick woodland at the western end, no sign of a path here.



At the eastern end the alleged path goes straight on from here into the thick woodland.



If you look along the motorway you can see that this woodland is very thick and runs all along the north side of the motorway.


 

There is no cycle path here,  whatever Bolton or TfGM might think.

This may be yet another case of council officers believing that we can all cycle through trees.

Irwell River Path Map 2

A second map has appeared showing the Irwell River Path as a cycle route. The map is called Getting to Salford Quays and MediaCityUK and shows tram, bus train,cycling and car options.

Like the Heritage Cycle Trail map, it does not mention the locked gates on the Salford section, and it also shows a very strange route along the Trafford section, probably reflecting the route as it would have been about a year ago.



The on-line version

Cycle GM Maps 2011/12

The new online Cycle maps covering Greater Manchester turn out not to be quite as new as you might expect. Only Rochdale, Oldham and Manchester have produced updated maps this year, all the others are last year's version.

However, even the new updated map of Manchester omits one of the most useful traffic free routes along the River Irwell, as featured in this map. So even the updated maps don't feature some of the best routes, whilst showing some lines on maps that don't match the situation on the ground.


This poorly maintained pavement in Salford is marked as a "traffic-free" cycle route on these maps, despite there being no evidence of any cycle infrastructure on the ground.

The Maps

Map 1 - Wigan 2010/11

Map 2 - Bolton 2010/11

Map 3 - Bury 2010/11

Map 4 - Rochdale 2011/12

Map 5 - Oldham 2011/12

Map 6 - Tameside 2010/11

Map 7 - Stockport 2010/11

Map 8 - Manchester 2011/12

Map 9 - Trafford 2010/11

Map 10 - Salford 2010/11

Irwell River Path Map

Odd one this, a leaflet contains lots of get-off-and-walk-on-the-pavement stuff, but is the first map to show how to get round the missing bridge on the Irwell River Park route.



If you ride the route it gives views like this.



found via MOSI Facebook