Have your say on bus plans for Middleton

First Bus

Residents and businesses in the Middleton area are being given the chance to have their say on plans to change bus links to the city centre.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council are consulting on proposals to change the Manchester New Road (A664) route between Mount Road and Mossway.

The five-week long consultation will launch on Monday 25 March. Over 2,000 leaflets are being sent to people in the area and will be available from community outlets. An event will also be held at Middleton Bus Station. More information is now online at www.tfgm.com/buspriority.

The proposals are part of a wider £54m bus priority package, which aims to improve links to employment, education, and healthcare facilities, such as the universities and hospital sites on Oxford Road to the south of the city centre.

Peter Boulton, TfGM’s Head of Programme Management Services, said: “We want to help people living or working along Manchester New Road to enjoy faster, more punctual and more reliable bus services to and from the heart of the city centre.

“But it’s not just about buses. Our plans will help improve traffic for all road users – and in doing so will encourage new investment and business growth along all of the routes.
“We have listened to feedback on previous plans and revised our scheme. We now want to hear what people think of the new proposals to help us finalise the details. I encourage everyone to find out more and take the opportunity to have their say.”

The proposals include:

• Changes to an existing pedestrian crossing point at Kingsway. 
• A new northbound bus lane where the M60 slip road joins Manchester New Road. 
• A new southbound bus lane at Alkrington Green.

Use of the bus lanes will be limited to buses, cycles, hackney carriages (taxi) and emergency vehicles.

The proposals will be complemented by other changes along Rochdale Road which cover the route from Blackley, Harpurhey and Collyhurst, to Shudehill Interchange in Manchester city centre. Public consultation for this section of the route took place in October 2012.

TfGM and Rochdale Council officers will be at Middleton Bus Station on Tuesday 16 April, 2pm – 7pm, to discuss the proposals.

Any comments on the scheme can also be made by email to: buspriority@tfgm.com, or by phone: 0300 123 1177, Monday to Friday during office hours (calls are charged at local rates and are included in inclusive minute allowances on mobiles and landlines.) Or, write to:

Transport for Greater Manchester bus priority,
FREEPOST RRHE-RKUU-KSJY,
Manchester M1 3BG

http://www.tfgm.com/buspriority/routes/Pages/A664-Manchester-New-Road.aspx