Leaders approve use of £69.5m government transport funding – and say they’re using it better than Whitehall

Greater Manchester leaders have agreed to spend more than £69m on developing a ‘world class’ public transport system in the city-region.
 

Read more: Improved bus routes under £69m plans to develop public transportPublished: 28 January 2021

The plans aim to improve and develop rail stations and the bus network, delivering more electric vehicle charging points and working up plans for potential new Metrolink stops.

They include so-called ‘Quality Bus Transit’ for the Rochdale-Oldham-Ashton corridor – whole-route upgrades of key bus corridors - with additional corridors being developed over the next five years.

This includes improvements to the corridors connecting Media City to Salford Crescent; Wigan, Bolton, Bury and Rochdale; and Ashton and Stockport.

A total of £22m has been identified for buses, with £10m of that earmarked for the local improvements. There are also plans for services to be improved across Greater Manchester (£10m) and a £2m travel hub with park and ride provision at Tyldesley.

Furthermore, £10m will go in match funding for electric vehicle charging posts across all ten local authorities in Greater Manchester.

The schemes are the latest to be supported through the government’s £1.7bn Transforming Cities Fund, of which Greater Manchester has been awarded around £312m since 2018.

Most of the money – £234m – has been used to develop the regional Bee Network and to buy 27 new Metrolink trams.

The Bee Network is part of Greater Manchester’s plans to deliver 1,800 miles of cycling and walking routes across the city-region. 

 

 

Proposals to create a brand new cycle lane in Castleton, which will be part of the Bee Network, are currently open for public consultation, with residents able to review the plans to create a new lane stretching from Castleton railway station to the Royal Toby Hotel and provide feedback to Rochdale Council.
 

Read more: Consultation opens for Castleton cycle lanePublished: 25 January 2021

Mayor Andy Burnham has insisted that the city-region is using the devolved funding to help areas that had been ‘traditionally neglected’ by the government.

He told a combined authority meeting on Friday (29 January): “I think we can say with some confidence that we’re using this funding better than perhaps if it had been decided in an office in Whitehall.

“We’ve decided that our communities need to have better access to walking and cycling, and we know where the rail stations are that need support.

“We are deciding to improve Swinton when nationally that wasn’t seen as a priority. 

“I think this makes the case for devolved funding and I’m pleased the government has committed to devolved intra-city transport funding going forward.”

The combined authority meeting on Friday also saw leaders agree to republish a revised version of its long-term strategy for all journeys in the city-region to be by public transport, cycling and walking by 2040.

Niall Griffiths, Local Democracy Reporter

Additional reporting: Rochdale Online