Increased park and ride provision planned for Tyldesley

Transport for Greater Manchester has submitted plans for a travel hub in the Wigan town in a bid to increase the number of people using public transport.

The park and ride facility will create 99 additional parking spaces at the existing Astley Street facility, which is located next to the Leigh Guided Busway.

The existing park and ride only has 46 spaces.

Subject to planning consent, the expanded facility is expected to open next summer.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “Park and rides play a vital role within the Bee Network by encouraging more people to use our integrated public transport system, while also reducing congestion on our roads and improving air quality.

“The success of the Leigh Guided Busway, including the trial of night buses, has seen demand for parking increase at Tyldesley Park and Ride. This expansion will improve access to bus services and provide the capacity needed to encourage more people to travel more sustainably. We listened to a strong call from the community on this, they asked and we have responded.”

The project will provide EV charging stations and accessible parking spaces. The plans include improved pedestrian access to the busway and new street lighting and CCTV to improve user safety.

The guided busway opened in 2016 and cost £122m to build.