A Green Party candidate for Manchester mayor has previously backed calls for “car-free” Sundays.
Geraldine Coggins, who is hoping to replace Andy Burnham as Mayor of Greater Manchester, has supported proposals to introduce car-free Sundays and also backed plans to charge residents for parking outside their own homes.
The Trafford councillor, unveiled this week as the Green Party’s mayoral candidate, served on a council taskforce that drew up a range of proposals aimed at cutting car dependency across the borough.
The taskforce, which Cllr Coggins sat on between January 2023 and February 2024, recommended Trafford council examine “the feasibility of introducing car-free days and pedestrian high streets on Sundays.”
It also proposed parking charges for residents’ zones, car parks and pay-and-display bays, with fees increasing depending on a vehicle’s size or engine.
Other recommendations included a widespread rollout of 20mph speed limits, reducing rural road limits from 60mph to 40mph, and narrowing roads to create wider pavements lined with trees every 25 metres.
The group also suggested the council promote cargo bikes through its website and social media, encouraging them as a normal option for daily travel.
Cllr Coggins also argued that new housing developments should have fewer parking spaces, saying developers should “decouple housing from parking.”
She said developments with limited parking could work where there were “really good ways of getting around without cars — or at least without so much parking.”
Although Cllr Coggins left the taskforce before its report was formally presented to the council’s executive, she spent more than a year helping shape its recommendations.
She was announced as the Green candidate with a pledge to “prioritise people and planet over profits” and deliver a “world-class transport system” for Greater Manchester.
The Greater Manchester mayoral election is set for July 30 and is being seen as one of the first major tests of whether Green Party leader Zack Polanski can turn recent polling gains into real votes.
Transport is expected to be one of the key issues of the campaign.
Bev Craig, Labour’s candidate and leader of Manchester City Council, has been chosen to represent the party after Burnham’s return to Westminster.
Polling last week showed Labour and Reform UK separated by just three points, highlighting how competitive the race has become.
The Green Party defended Cllr Coggins, saying she makes “no apology for campaigning to keep people safe on our streets” and remains committed to improving public transport, reducing living costs and delivering cleaner air.
The contest carries extra significance after Burnham, who had held the mayoralty since 2017, returned to Westminster following his by-election victory.
The July 30 vote will offer an early sign of whether the political shift seen in recent local elections — particularly Reform’s strong gains — continues in high-profile regional contests.
