Work on speed limit reductions across the borough continues

Photo: Google, DigitalGlobe

Chesham Avenue

Rochdale Council will begin work on five new 20mph zones in ‘urban areas’ – and some residential streets – in Rochdale borough this month.

Councillors committed to a maximum speed of 20mph in certain areas at a council meeting in October 2021 with work on phase three of the scheme due to start later this month.

The limit on main roads will not be changed.

Speed bumps, chicanes and other speed reduction measures are to be implemented.

Phase two of the scheme is already underway, with areas in Heywood, Smallbridge, Caldershaw and Norden seeing new traffic calming measures.

More work will start later this month.

The targeted areas for Phase 3 include:

• Willows Lane area, Pennines
• Chesham Avenue/Trub area, Rochdale South
• Clay Lane/Shelfield Lane area, Rochdale North
• Hopwood Triangle area, Heywood
• Hall Drive area, Middleton

The completion date for some elements is spring 2026. Further work is yet to be confirmed.

Councillor Shah Wazir, cabinet member for highways at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “We’re proud to be leading the way in implementing reduced speeds on roads across Rochdale borough.

“This will be a major step towards better road safety for everyone, particularly our most vulnerable road users, like children, older residents and those who are less mobile. It will also make it easier for people to make healthier travel choices where possible, like walking and cycling.

“We’ve committed £1.2m to this important project and it’s being rolled out now, with a number of roads already having the new speed limit implemented and the next phase of the rollout set to start imminently.”

George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporter