A road safety scheme has just completed in the heart of Rochdale town centre, giving people safer access across a major dual carriageway connecting the town centre to its surrounding neighbourhoods.
The project has seen the delivery of a new crossing at St Mary’s Gate, a major route through Rochdale town centre, alongside a host of other improvements.
The crossing includes separate sections for cyclists and pedestrians to make it as easy as possible for people to use sustainable forms of transport.
The project was delivered using investment from the government’s Towns Fund
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 much easier to use and access local businesses.
The pathway linking Spotland Road and Redcross Street has also been rebuilt and improved, and now includes a dedicated, segregated section for cyclists.
Wider work to improve the nearby subway close the Townhead Junction is also under way and will complete soon. The improvements to the subway, which links High Street and Cheetham Street, include widening the opening to significantly improve visibility, repainting and cleaning the inside and boosting the lighting.
This stretch of road has seen 17 collisions between January 2018 and December 2023
The work will be a significant safety boost for a stretch of road which saw 17 collisions between January 2018 and December 2023, 2 of which were fatal. The data shows that those accidents which involved pedestrians took place because people were trying to cross the road without using a crossing point.
Councillor Shah Wazir, cabinet member for highways, 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 £2 million scheme was delivered using investment from the government’s Town’s Fund.
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."
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.