Castleton to Rochdale town centre to be one of the first new cycling and walking schemes

Manchester Road, Castleton

Castleton to Rochdale town centre is to be one of the first new cycling and walking schemes set to transform how people travel in every area of Greater Manchester.

The project will provide a major enhancement to the high street in the local centre in Castleton including high quality, dedicated facilities for walking and cycling, and improved access to Castleton station. The project is expected to cost in the region of £1.2 million.

The scheme, along with 14 others that will form part of Greater Manchester’s cycling and walking network, have been put forward for funding and will be considered by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) next week.

If all 15 are approved, it would see around £25 million provided from the Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund and a further £4 million funded by Greater Manchester’s district councils and the Department for Transport’s Cycle City Ambition Grant.

All 10 Greater Manchester local authorities stand to benefit from at least one scheme with work beginning by the end of the year.

The proposed projects will deliver 60 new and upgraded crossings and junctions as well as 15 miles of new cycling and walking routes. This includes six miles of Dutch-style cycle lanes that are separated from motor traffic.

Greater Manchester’s Cycling and Walking Commissioner, Chris Boardman, said: “We asked Greater Manchester’s 10 local authorities to hit the ground running and they’ve been able to turn these first proposed projects around very quickly. This is a real achievement in itself and will help us to keep up momentum on transforming the city-region into a better place to be.

“The list of proposed projects announced today is the first of many for each local authority and we hope to publish the next list in the coming weeks. One thing we won’t compromise on is quality; we’re working closely with all 10 local authorities to ensure that every single project on this list meets a tough set of design standards. Only by doing this will we enable thousands more people to consider making more trips on foot or by bike.” 

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “The network will connect every community in Greater Manchester, opening up our neighbourhoods and making it far easier to travel on foot or by bike to school, to the shops, to work."