Cash boost of more than ?1.5m approved for Oldham transport …
A grant of £855,00 provided by the Department for Transport (DfT) City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) will be used to help fund transport networks at the Beal Valley and Broadbent Moss housing developments.
At Beal Valley 482 homes are planned and at Broadbent Moss 874 homes are set to be constructed by 2037.
Both projects are part of the Places for Everyone plan for the borough[1] which will see the creation of 1,930 new homes and 21,000 square meters of employment space in Oldham.
The CRSTS grant will fund improvements to transport links for new residents and employees at the two developments.
The package includes upgrading the “Big Lamp” roundabout to a CYCLOPS junction that will incorporate pedestrian/cycle crossing facilities, the creation of a segregated cycle link alongside Crompton Way linking to Shaw town centre, and upgrades to bus stops on key routes to Shaw and Oldham town centre.
Another grant of £675,000, also from the CRSTS, is being used to draw up plans for a scheme to improve transport in and around Mumps, specifically the Oldham Mumps Corridor. The overall cost of the Oldham Mumps scheme is set to reach £4.5m.
The Oldham Mumps Corridor includes A669 Lees Road, A62 Bottom O’ Th’ Moor/Huddersfield Road, and B6194 Cross Street to the east of Oldham town centre.
The scheme aims to improve accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists, and buses amid road safety concerns. The improvements will allow for quicker and safer access for bus users and people walking and cycling along the corridor.
As part of the scheme, the road layout will be altered to make it more accessible to pedestrians at the Oldham Way and Lees Road junction by making the footpath wider and introducing a bus lane.
The road layout at Bottom O’ Th’ Moor will also be changed to include a bus lane and a two-way cycle path. Traffic calming measures are also set to be introduced along Greenacres Road.
The council will also look to improve the area around the existing Mumps transport interchange and create an improved cycle parking hub.
The plans are set to support nearby developments, including the regeneration of Southlink[2] where up to 150 houses are being built.
The funding from the CRTS was formally accepted by the borough’s cabinet at a meeting on Monday.
Following Monday’s Cabinet meeting, Cllr Arooj Shah, leader of Oldham Council, said: “With Oldhamers facing rising costs every day we want to make it easier for people to get about without using their cars. By building an affordable and reliant public transport system, we’ll be helping to cut pollution and free up road space for essential journeys.
“Everyone in Oldham has something to offer and better transport brings long-term benefits which will support the development of new homes, jobs and businesses whilst opening up the rest of Greater Manchester to our residents.
“We welcome this funding but I would always like to see more coming into the town so we can deliver a joined-up transport system.”
The CRSTS programme is a £5.7bn investment in local transport networks by the Department for Transport (DfT) that focuses on improving sustainable transport such as walk/cycle networks.
Greater Manchester received a total of £1.7bn to be split across deliver rail, bus and Metrolink schemes throughout all 10 boroughs.
References
- ^ Places for Everyone plan for the borough (www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk)
- ^ Southlink (www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk)