Town hall to look into keeping future of cycling on road
THE council has reaffirmed its intentions to ensure cycling infrastructure has a place in the borough’s long-term future.
The borough’s highways network will be reviewed in a bid to create new long-lasting cycling infrastructure in Rochdale in addition to projects already underway.
Plans to create a new £1.2m cycle lane at Castleton as part of Greater Manchester’s Bee Network are already on track.
A public consultation on phase 1 of the project, from central Castleton to Sudden, is set to take place later in the summer.
The council is also developing a second phase of the Castleton scheme which would see it extended further along Manchester Road into Rochdale town centre, and highway engineers have also developed a concept for a four-mile cycle lane from Middleton to Manchester city centre.
Cycling group Walk Ride Rochdale recently criticised the council for its decision not to put forward any bids to receive funding from a Greater Manchester bid of £21.5m from the Government to improve infrastructure, helping people get to work without using public transport as the Covid-19 pandemic continues.
The council’s decision not to apply for grants from the first round of funding, earmarked for temporary projects only, made it the ‘odd one out’ in Greater Manchester although it has indicated it may submit applications in the second round, for ‘longer term projects’.
Councillor Neil Emmott, cabinet member for environment at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “We’re constantly reviewing our cycling provision and always looking for new opportunities to improve facilities.
“Cycling is a great way of encouraging active lifestyles and protecting the environment.
“But our roads need to work for everybody, including people who need to travel by car for any number of reasons, such as residents with disabilities.
“Plans that are too hastily put together often create more problems and end up not being well used or they create conflict between different groups of people.”
The council says a number of factors have to be considered before cycle lanes are installed, including the need to maintain a minimum road width to ensure other vehicles, like emergency service vehicles, can safely travel past, and keeping enough space on the pavement for walkers and people with prams and wheelchairs.
Coun Emmott added: “We’re already working closely with TfGM on our Castleton cycle scheme and are aware that funding for other long-term projects is likely to become available in the near future. That’s why we’re looking at options for more cycle schemes like this which will work for the long term.”