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Picturesque bike trial turns eyesore

Marie Burchill
13/ 3/2008

CYCLISTS are calling for action to be taken over grot-spots on one of south Manchester’s most popular cycling routes.

Users of the Didsbury cycle track, which is part of the picturesque Trans Pennine Trail, have hit out at the state of the route – many parts of which are strewn with litter, unwanted furniture and covered in graffiti.

Cyclists are saying that the state of the track – which is the responsibility of Manchester City Council – has become so bad that people are being put off from using it.

John Ashurt, who lives on Leyland Avenue and frequently cycles along the trail, said: "The track is a disgrace and it’s really putting people off using the trail.

"This is not the first time that I have tried to get the council to clear this up, but they just don’t touch it from one year to the next.

"It is their responsibility, yet they have allowed it to fall into a state of disgusting squalor.

"They have promised me in the past that it would be cleaned three times a year, but as the pictures show, it hasn’t been touched for a very long time.

"The adjacent section of the track in Stockport is a sylvan paradise by comparison. This is despite Manchester City Council’s website promising that ‘rubbish tipped on council property will be removed in one working day’."

A spokesman for Manchester City Council said: "We are grateful that this issue has been brought to our attention.

"We have sent a team out to clean up the area and they are working on it at the moment. They are focusing on clearing the bigger items of rubbish, such as unwanted furniture, and will be back to litter pick the area once this first phase is completed.

"We will also make sure that the cycle track is kept clean in the future."