Oxford Road bus and cycle lanes back on agenda
Transport for Greater Manchester and Manchester City Council will hold a five-week public consultation on plans to transform travel along Oxford Road with priority for buses, pedestrians and cyclists.
Consultation into the Cross City Bus Priority plans will run from Wednesday 22 May to Wednesday 26 June.
The proposals include measures to improve bus travel in the Portland Street and Chinatown areas of the city centre.
The plans will allow shorter bus journey times on more reliable, punctual services that can travel from a wider area through the city centre.
Earlier attempts to 'green' Oxford Road stalled when the recession struck and new funding had to be secured before the plan could be revisited.
If approved, the revised plan is for parts of Oxford Road to be made available for use by buses, black cabs, emergency vehicles and cycles only.
Cyclists could travel on improved cycle routes along new Dutch-style cycle lanes, while pedestrians would benefit from widened footpaths and improvements at junctions and crossings.
Full details of all the proposals will be available online at www.tfgm.com/buspriority from Wednesday 22 May.
If approved, work could start on the proposed changes to the city centre and Oxford Road area during spring 2014, with completion scheduled for summer 2015.
Very encouraged to read dutch style cycle lanes. Anyone who has visited Holland can see how cycle lanes are seperated from vehicle lanes by raised kerbs. This really is the only solution to ensure the safety of both cyclists and vehicle users.
By PS
Not sure that’s exactly what’s planned in this case – the picture suggests the road will have a lane shared by buses, cabs and bikes. There’s no obligation for cyclists to use dedicated cycle lanes in the UK. Anyone who has used the raised cycle lanes / bike lanes through parks in other parts of the Oxford Rd/Withington corridor will know that pedestrians ignore them and wander out in front of you at will, which is why I end up sticking to the road. The only discernible benefit is that hitting a ped is generally less painful than being hit by a car, not that peds share that view.
By Nick