Plans to revamp one of Stockport’s busiest roads could “change how people travel” in the town, a councillor has said.
Stockport council and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) are aiming to shorten bus journey times along the A6 by creating new bus lanes, and improving junctions and crossings.
The £15-million plan also includes new cycle routes on side streets to the east and west of Wellington Road North.
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The A6 is a major route connecting Stockport to Manchester city centre, used by the 192 bus service, and is a busy route during rush hour.
The new scheme for the road is expected to be rubber stamped at the council’s cabinet meeting this week, and if approved will be another major development in Stockport’s efforts to improve public transport infrastructure.
The town’s buses have benefitted from Stockport’s £140m transport interchange which opened in March, and they are set to join the Greater Manchester Bee Network from January 5, bringing multiple benefits for passengers as the region looks to create a London-style integrated transport system.
Stockport is also planning to roll out a new fleet of electric buses to make travelling on public transport greener.
Council bosses believe the plans for the A6 will join up all the work happening in the borough and restore trust in public transport.
“I think it will create a big change in how people travel,” says Coun Grace Baynham, the council’s transport lead.
“At the moment there are issues with the bus network not always connecting as people would like.
“Certain routes that were lost during the pandemic and were not put back in place. It’s important this work is in partnership with the wider changes that are part of the Bee Network that these routes are reinstated, or routes of a similar quality are put back in place.
“At the moment people are put off, particularly in certain areas, from using public transport because the bus routes have declined.
“Getting the buses running reliably and improving the network will create more opportunities for people to get back on public transport.”
It is hoped that the new bus lanes will help make bus travel smoother, and reduce the chances of buses falling behind schedule while making their way to and from Stockport town centre.
It also aims to make travel by car easier for those who need it, with the hope that some drivers will prefer to take the bus instead.
While there is optimism about the plans for the A6 in the town hall, active travel campaigners have called for cycle routes to be installed directly along the A6.
They say this is the safest route and the one most likely to be used by those travelling by bike.
The scheme has also faced criticism from some councillors who say a few of the roads included in the new cycle networks are “dangerous” – and are shared streets with heavy-goods vehicles.
Stockport council said it could look at creating new cycles along the A6 in future if new funding becomes available.
TfGM was contacted for comment.