Multi-million pound cycle lane has killed our village
Shop trade crippled as parking bays ripped up for ‘unused’ bike path
A NEW cycle lane has devastated a village by crippling trade, shopkeepers and residents say.
They claim the bike route, part of a £4.4million road improvement scheme, is hardly used and has literally driven away customers who no longer have spaces to park.
The traders’ crisis follows 18 months of traffic chaos while the lane was being built.
Stephen Thomas, 60, who owns Smith’s Bakery and Confectioners said he was forced to close one of his two shops in Castleton, Greater Manchester.
He said: “I had to let my staff go and I had to close the shop, because it just wasn’t paying any more.
“Tradesmen used to jump out of their vans and people with mobility issues could park outside and come in. Unfortunately all of that has been taken away from us. “My family has been trading in this village since 1928 and I’m the third generation to own this business.
“We were hoping to get the business to 100 years so I am just absolutely gutted.”
Stephen said cyclists rarely used the new lane because it was not a main bike route in the village. He added: “I think I’ve seen three cyclists in it. I honestly don’t know why they did this.” Mark Fowler, 46, who has owned the New Bridge chip shop for more than 20 years, says trade has plummeted by half.
He added: “There used to be four parking spaces outside my shop and the pub next door – you could wait for 20 minutes. Mothers with children would leave the kids in the car, come in and get a bag of chips and that would be it.
“Now they are having to park far away, drag their kids up to the chippy and put them back in the car...so they might as well go to another shop.” Resident Julie Jones, 55, said: “You don’t see cyclists using the lane at all. Most people use the canal.”
However, cyclist Phillip Leicester, 70, who used the lane for the first time last week, said: “It will be a good idea when everything is joined up with the cycle lane. It’s causing a lot of disruption with the local businesses, but I suppose you have to wait until everything is done.”
Rochdale Council said it was sorry to hear about shopkeepers’ concerns.
A spokesman said: “Construction work on this project only finished very recently, so footfall may not have had chance to fully recover.
Opportunities
“We’re aware multiple factors relating to global prices and the economy and not related to the council are impacting businesses.
“That’s why we’re working on a number of big regeneration opportunities for Castleton to help increase footfall and bring more investment.”
The council said measures included creating a nearby 80-space free car park and another next to the village’s railway station.