The active travel commissioner spoke at an event in Little Hulton, Salford, earlier this week to celebrate 50 new school streets across the region – a measure aimed at making school runs safer by closing off roads during key periods.
One in four vehicles across Greater Manchester’s congested roads is believed to be linked to the school run.
Walking or cycling to and from school has the added benefit of keeping children active.
Manchester remains in the top five most congested cities in the UK, according to analysis by INRIX, and is home to some of the busiest stretches of motorway outside of London.
Meanwhile, climate change projects worth £100m are being planned in Manchester in a bid to slash emissions amid concerns about a city’s slower-than-hoped progress in achieving “carbon zero” status by 2038.
This includes increasing the use of public transport and active travel such as cycling and walking.
Bee Network bosses said they had set themselves ambitious long-term goals to encourage and enable more people to make everyday journeys either by public transport or walking, wheeling and cycling.
They said they were investing in a more joined-up, reliable and attractive alternative to the car – and said since buses had come under local control, their use had increased by about 24%, while Metrolink trams were carrying record numbers of passengers.
The Bee Network said that local rail services would also be integrated by 2030, creating the UK’s first fully integrated public transport and active travel network.
A spokesperson said that while it recognised there was more to do, “significant progress” had been made through continued investment in buses, trams, rail integration, walking and cycling infrastructure, and safer, better-connected communities that give people genuine alternatives to the car.
It said it was also finalising its next phase of investment in the Bee Network and wider transport system.