Cycle lane scheme takes next step forward

Wednesday, 1 October 2025 15:59

By George Lythgoe

The controversial scheme taking a cycle lane from Castleton all the way to Rochdale town centre has reached a new milestone.

Phase 2 of this active travel scheme will see the cycle lane extended from the edge of Castleton, along Manchester Road/A58, into Rochdale. During Phase 1, motorists were plagued by huge delays to the cycle lane works, which sparked uproar in the area.

Locals even suggested it led to the closure of businesses in the area because getting into the town was much trickier.

Alongside the new cycle lane, the upgrade of a number of junctions along the busy Manchester Road was also promised as part of the Bee Network project. It will see the creation of new pedestrian crossings to improve safety, as well as optimised lights, which will speed up journey times at an estimated cost of £13.5m.

A new crossing point, close to the junction of Tweedale Street and Manchester Road, with separate lights for both cyclists and pedestrians is now complete. In addition, a third crossing has been created over Manchester Road.

In Castleton, major improvements have taken place on the stretch of road between the Royal Toby Hotel and the Tesco superstore in Silk Street. The pavement and road have been resurfaced, improving the appearance of the area, while an informal crossing, close to Gipsy Lane, has been replaced with a safer, push button crossing.

In addition, a cycle lane has been created along this route, so it now stretches from Castleton centre to Tesco.

A dedicated 34 space car park has also been created to serve Mandale Park and Beech House School in Manchester Road, which is being used as a site compound and will be brought into use for the public at the end of the project.

The next phase of the project will focus on the area around Manchester Road, New Barn Lane and Kemp Street. Major changes to be delivered during this phase include the creation of proper crossing facilities around the Highfield Hospital so people can access it without having to use the subway, which will be filled in.

The creation of the cycle lane will also continue during these latest works, with most of this section being built on Old Manchester Road, which is parallel to Manchester Road. It is believed that the cycle lane works will be less disruptive this time around because it will mainly take place on Old Manchester Road.

The next phase of work is set to start in early October and is expected to complete in March 2026. The entire project is due to complete in early 2027.

Coun Shah Wazir, cabinet member for highways at Rochdale Borough Council, said:

“This is one of the most ambitious schemes delivered on our road network in a number of years and the result will be transformative.

“Every junction along the route will be optimised with the latest technology to increase capacity and speed up journeys, bus stops will be upgraded and new crossings will be introduced in a major boost to safety.

“In addition, the cycle lane will be extended, which will create a seamless cycling route all the way from Castleton to Rochdale town centre.”