Steer has been supporting Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) in developing proposals for the A62 Oldham Road radial corridor, with the project reaching a crucial milestone with the launch of public consultation this month.
The project forms part of Greater Manchester’s City Centre Radials programme to transform key radial routes into the regional centre, improving journeys for bus passengers, pedestrians, wheelchair users and cyclists while supporting inclusive urban growth.
Background
The A62 Oldham Road is a key strategic route connecting communities in north-east Greater Manchester to Manchester city centre. The corridor passes through areas experiencing rapid change, with growing populations, new housing and expanding employment opportunities.
TfGM identified the corridor as a priority for improvement as part of its Streets for All strategy, a design approach that seeks to rebalance streets to support safer, healthier and more accessible travel.
Steer and partners Sweco, Planit and Arcadis were appointed to develop corridor-wide proposals that could improve reliability for buses while creating better conditions for walking, wheeling and cycling.
What we did
Working collaboratively with TfGM, Manchester City Council and local partners, Steer helped develop the scheme from inception through to a consultation-ready design.
Our work included:
The team brought together expertise in transport planning, traffic modelling, active travel, urban design and landscape architecture to shape a coherent and ambitious corridor proposal.
Steer also drew on its experience supporting the development of the Streets for All strategy itself, including work on the Deansgate pilot study, helping ensure the approach was applied consistently in a real-world corridor context.
Our long-standing experience across Greater Manchester meant we were able to navigate the local political and stakeholder landscape effectively, ensuring that proposals balanced strategic transport objectives with the needs of communities along the route.
This collaborative process helped shape a scheme that is both technically robust and strongly supported.
Outcomes and impact
The A62 Oldham Road project is the first of Manchester’s City Centre Radial corridors to reach the consultation stage, marking an important step towards delivery.
By developing an integrated approach to bus priority and active travel, the project demonstrates how major corridors can be reimagined to support sustainable growth while improving everyday journeys.
The scheme has now entered the public consultation phase, and we look forward to sharing further updates as the project progresses.
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Get in touch to discuss how we can help develop transport corridors that support sustainable growth and better everyday journeys.
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