Work on a long-awaited cycle lane and road crossing in the heart of Rochdale town centre has finally finished.
The £2m project has delivered a new crossing at St Mary’s Gate – a major dual carriageway between the town centre and the surrounding neighbourhoods.
It also includes a footpath linking Spotland Road and Redcross Street with separate sections for cyclists and pedestrians.
Safety concerns had been raised locally, with the stretch of road seeing 17 crashes between January 2018 and December 2023, two of which were fatal.
Rochdale Council believe the work will be a significant safety boost, as previously many had tried to walk across the busy road where there was no crossing point.
Rochdale resident, Alan Butterworth, 89, welcomed the changes. He said: “I live in Norden and try to walk into Rochdale a few times a week to stay healthy. This is a huge improvement.
“It was quite risky using this road before, but this will make my journeys much safer and anything which encourages me to keep walking is a really good thing.”
Access to the nearby Hunter’s Lane car park, which sits between Yorkshire Street and St Mary’s Gate, has been improved, with motorists now able to enter and exit via Hunter’s Lane.
The 40-space car park has also been reconfigured to make it easier to use and access.
Wider work to improve the nearby subway, close to the Townhead Junction, is also under way and will complete soon. The subway improvements, which links High Street and Cheetham Street, include widening the opening to significantly improve visibility, repainting and cleaning the inside and boosting the lighting.
Coun Shah Wazir, cabinet member for highways at Rochdale Council, said: “St Mary’s Gate is a major gateway into Rochdale town centre and it’s very well used, so these improvements are massively welcome.
“Before we delivered this project, pedestrians and cyclists were having to either use the subway, or risk crossing a busy junction without proper facilities, so this scheme will substantially improve safety and make it easier for people to travel in and out of our vibrant town centre and enjoy everything it has to offer.
“The changes have also created facilities for cyclists for the first time, so we’re making it easier for people to get active and choose healthy travel choices, if they are able to.”
The council’s environmental team will be undertaking planting along the verges in the near future, to enhance the appearance of the area and finish off the scheme.
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