Buy in bulk, queue in bulk as Costco customers stuck in 70-minute car park crawl

Friday, 25 July 2025 13:46

By David Murphy

Friday lunchtime meltdown as drivers trapped in standstill traffic just trying to leave

Costco Oldham customers were left stranded in “unbelievable” queues on Friday lunchtime after traffic around the Chadderton store came to a near-complete stop, with some drivers waiting over an hour just to leave the car park.

Shoppers described to our reporter, who was also stuck in the car park, the experience as “a nightmare”, with snaking tailbacks stretching from the car park exit right onto Broadway, sparking fresh criticism over the store’s layout and traffic light management.

“I just needed some bulk buys for the weekend,” said Royton mum Paula. “Instead I sat in my car for 70 minutes while nothing moved. People were yelling out of windows and kids were crying in the back seats. It was worse than Christmas at the Trafford Centre.”

Peter, a builder from Hollinwood, told Roch Valley Radio: “It was gridlocked in every direction. I’d finished early to avoid the weekend madness, but I could’ve done a full shift in the time it took to leave that car park.”

Some drivers timed the delay from engine-on to exit, with the longest reaching one hour and ten minutes.

Residents say the problem is made worse by the store’s entrance and exit feeding directly onto the busy A663 Broadway, which itself suffers regular congestion at the traffic light.

“It’s just not built to handle the volume,” said Lynn, 63. “There’s no traffic control, and no way an emergency vehicle would’ve got through. It’s not fit for purpose.”

Roch Valley Radio contacted both Costco and Oldham Council for comment. No reply had been received at the time of publication.

Locals are now calling for urgent changes to prevent further traffic build-up, including extra marshals, better exit signage, and a complete rethink of the site’s traffic layout.