Oldham residents urged to have their say on city centre transport

Transport optins in the city centre are being discussed

People in Oldham are being encouraged to get involved with the debate of how transport in the city centre will look in the years to come.

With four weeks to go, there’s still plenty of time for people to take part in a conversation that will help to shape the future of city centre transport.

To date, the conversation, called 'Your city centre is changing', has seen more than 2,000 people provide feedback, all of which will help influence the next wave of investments in to improving transport and public spaces in the city centre.

Such investments could include rail tunnels under the city centre through to the creation of high quality streets and public spaces that will help to improve air quality for everyone.

The ten-week conversation was launched on 8 August and is being delivered by Manchester City Council and Salford City Council, with support from Transport for Greater Manchester.

Based on the feedback received so far some interesting trends are emerging.

Tackling congestion is proving popular with 70% of people feeling that the city centre could be a better and easier place to get around if traffic levels were reduced.

Interestingly, 42% of those that said that they drive into the city centre went on to state that they always have access to an alternative mode of transport. Improving the air that we breathe is an area that people feel strongly about with 91% saying improvements to air quality should be prioritised.

In future any improvements to transport and public spaces will need to support a vision for a well-connected, sustainable and inclusive city centre at the heart of the North, offering our residents, employees and visitors a great place to work, live in and visit.

The conversation presents those who know the city centre best with a real opportunity to let transport planners know what they think of the city centre today and what, if anything, they think should be done to improve all aspects of travel in the city centre through the coming decade.

All the feedback that’s received will go on to shape the next City Centre Transport Strategy which is being developed to support further growth in city centre living, employment and visitor activity expected in the future.

The last City Centre Transport Strategy, published in 2010, looked to the year 2020 and saw several major transport improvements delivered across the city centre.

They include: the Metrolink Second City Crossing, dedicated cross-city bus services as part of the wider Bus Priority Package, the transformation of the Oxford Road corridor, new and improved cycle infrastructure and improvements to streets and public spaces like St Peter’s Square.

Anyone wanting to take part in the conversation can do so by visiting tfgm.com/your-city-centre or emailing your.city@tfgm.com by Wednesday 17 October 2018.

Findings from the conversation will be fed into the development of the draft City Centre Transport Strategy after which a formal consultation on its proposals will take place next year.