A piece of Holland is coming to city centre Oxford Road, thanks to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Manchester City Council.
As part of an investment to revolutionise travel along Oxford Road, Greater Manchester’s first ever “Dutch-style” bus stop and cycle lane has been revealed.
The new-style bike lane, a common feature on city roads in Holland, is designed to make it safer for cyclists passing bus stops. Instead of overtaking a bus, the rider can safely cycle ‘behind’ the bus stop.
A coloured cycleway featuring pedestrian crossing points, including a zebra style crossing, informs riders, pedestrians and bus passengers of the layout so they are also able to watch out for each other.
Oxford Road, Manchester
The first of these bypass lanes is up and running on Oxford Road opposite Whitworth Park and will be used to run a ‘real-time’ trial before more are built.
The new “Dutch-style” cycle lane and bus stop is easy to spot with its eye-catching design featuring tulips, clogs and windmills.
Anyone using it – including cyclists, bus passengers and pedestrians – will be asked for their feedback on the new design.
The new cycleway and bus stop is already available to use in advance of the official two week trial.
Comments will be used to help review and improve the “Dutch-style” design before a further roll-out at stops along the length of Oxford Road.
The scheme will form part of the Wilmslow Road Cycleway which, once complete, will run from Didsbury village through Rusholme and into Manchester city centre.
Manchester City Cllr Chris Paul, Cllr Andrew Fender and Cllr Kate Chappell
Councillor Andrew Fender, Chair of the TfGM Committee, said: “This is an exciting scheme that will revolutionise sustainable travel along one of the busiest routes into Manchester city centre, with better access to the universities, healthcare and businesses along the route.
“It’s part of a major investment in our infrastructure that will help us make travel greener and more sustainable while also providing huge benefits for the city’s economy.”
Councillor Chris Paul, Cycling Champion on the TfGM Committee, said: “This is such an exciting time for cycling in Greater Manchester. We’ve been learning lessons from our European neighbours on how we can encourage more people to get on their bikes.
“The introduction of safer, segregated cycling facilities along Europe’s busiest bus route is expected to encourage more people to choose to cycle along Oxford Road.”
Councillor Kate Chappell, Manchester City Council’s executive member for the environment, said: “These innovative new designs will improve safety for the thousands of cyclists who travel down Oxford Road, one of the UK’s busiest bike routes, every week.
“This is just one of the many schemes which will make it far easier to get around Manchester, and the wider region, by bike over the next few years.”
The scheme, which is being delivered in partnership with Manchester City Council, will limit general traffic along sections of Oxford Road and include over 4km of segregated cycle lanes.
It is part of a wider bus priority package that will significantly improve the quality, punctuality and reliability of bus services on 25 miles of key routes in Greater Manchester. It is also the flagship scheme in the Cycle City programme that will look to increase cycling to 10% of all trips made in Greater Manchester by 2025.
For more information on the bus priority project as a whole, please visit www.tfgm.com/buspriority
