A planned orbital bus route between Oldham, Rochdale, and parts of Tameside is set to have ‘gold standard’ cycle infrastructure alongside it.
The 15km (nine miles) route will see a bus corridor between Rochdale, Oldham, and Ashton, to be completed by the end of March 2027.
The project is set to begin the delivery phase in July 2023, funded as part of Greater Manchester’s £1.07 billion share of a £5.7 billion funding package from the Department for Transport, known as the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements.
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Now, at an event announcing new buses for the region as part of the city region's new ‘Bee Network’, Mayor Andy Burnham has said the route will also feature ‘gold standard’ cycling connections – similar to the quality of a route on Oxford Road in Manchester city centre.
The Mayor also compared the plans to the Leigh Guided busway – which includes a 4.5-mile shared walking, cycling, and horse riding path.
The Bee Network was originally announced by then-walking and cycling commissioner Chris Boardman in June 2018 as a walking and cycling scheme.
The branding has since been broadened to include the region’s trams, buses, and, in years to come, trains.
Speaking of the planned route, Mayor Andy Burnham said: “As I understand it, I’m pretty certain it has quite high standard cycling and walking infrastructure built into it.
“So, think Oxford Road – that is our gold standard. It’s not just about one mode of transport, building a bus stop – that with the active travel built around it.
“Think the Leigh guided busway – there are cycle hubs there at the interchanges, that is the vision here. It’s not departing in any way, shape, or form from that original Chris Boardman vision – we took that and we applied it to everything.”
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Speaking about the Bee Network, Greater Manchester transport commissioner Vernon Everitt said: “It really is a single, unified system – and who better could you have to champion the active travel agenda as well: walking and cycling commissioner Dame Sarah Storey, the mayor, and I speak on a regular basis.
“This will be a joined-up network incorporating walking, cycling, wheeling, and public transport.”
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