Residents will be able to have their say on traffic management for the next stage of guided busway works on Astley Street at a public meeting.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is working with Wigan Council and myself to host the meeting, which will take place from 12pm in the main hall of Fred Longworth High School on Saturday 8 November.
I will chair the meeting which is a fully accessible meeting venue open to all, with no need to pre-register.
Officers and councillors from Wigan Council will attend, alongside representatives from TfGM, Balfour Beatty, and Urban Vision, who are managing busway works along the A580 on behalf of Salford City Council.
Officers will present the preferred option for traffic management on Astley Street and an open question and answer session will give people the chance to discuss the busway with the people responsible for delivering the scheme.
The work on Astley Street is due to start in December once Hough Lane has fully re-opened.
When complete, the busway will improve the frequency and reliability of bus journeys between Leigh, Tyldesley, Atherton and Manchester, with journey times of less than 50 minutes to and from the city centre.
More information about the busway – and the wider bus priority package – can be found here or by calling 0300 123 1177 (calls charged at local rate, lines open Monday – Friday, 9-5pm) or by email.
Burnham For Mayor
Showing posts with label Leigh Guided Busway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leigh Guided Busway. Show all posts
Tuesday, 4 November 2014
Tuesday, 14 October 2014
Transport Bosses take steps to cut congestion
Transport bosses say they’re doing all they can to cut congestion and minimise disruption in the east of Wigan Borough caused by construction work on the Leigh guided busway.
It follows a meeting called by myself and local councillors to address concerns raised by the public about traffic problems in Leigh, Astley and Tyldesley.
My constituents are fair-minded and often prepared to put up with a lot. But in recent weeks they have been saying “enough is enough”. Traffic congestion has gone way beyond acceptable levels and, together with local councillors, I called this meeting to give voice to the frustration that our constituents are feeling.
It was a positive meeting and I can assure people that those in charge of the busway construction are fully aware of how strongly people feel. It is clear mistakes have been made and we received assurances they will not be repeated. We also asked for a number of steps to be taken to improve the current situation as it clearly cannot continue. I have to say drivers are unlikely to see an improvement overnight but I am confident that we will get to a point where the level of disruption is more acceptable to the public. We have called a follow-up meeting next week and we will give people a further update after that.
Representatives from Wigan Council, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and busway contractor Balfour Beatty met with Mr Burnham and local ward councillors on Monday (October 13). A series of steps were agreed to combat congestion. They include:
• No other non-busway road works to take place in the area except for emergency utility works needed to keep on gas, water and power supplies to homes.
• A review of the plans to construct the busway and park and ride junctions on Astley Street in Tyldesley.
• A review of temporary traffic management on the A580 to see if disruption can be reduced, including investigating whether some works can be rescheduled and carried out at weekends to minimise the impact on commuters.
• Develop a single point of information for busway-related road works including improved coordination with the works in Salford.
It’s hoped these measures will relieve some of the difficulties drivers have been experiencing in the area in recent weeks.
Transport bosses insisted everything was being done to keep disruption to a minimum and lessen the impact on residents. But they agreed to look again at some of the plans for works being carried out in the coming weeks. TfGM, Wigan Council and Balfour Beatty have agreed to review again the options for completing the works on Astley Street and will present them at a second meeting organised for next Monday (October 20).
They also confirmed work on Hough Lane in Tyldesley, which is currently closed, was on track and should be completed on time allowing the road to reopen by the end of November.
Terry Dunn, director of environment at Wigan Council, said: “I want the public to know we are listening to their concerns. I know there have been unacceptable traffic delays in Leigh, Tyldesley and Astley recently and I’d like to apologise for that.
“This is a huge construction project taking place in an area with an aging infrastructure. The reason we’re building the busway is because we want to improve and invest in that infrastructure. This construction phase was always going to be extremely challenging and every effort has been made to ensure the impact is minimised.
“However, it’s clear the current situation cannot continue and we are going to explore every option open to us to see if we can reduce disruption further and cut congestion in the areas affected.”
Peter Boulton, head of programme management services at TfGM, said: “We fully appreciate the impact busway construction is having locally and we are committed to working with all our partners in Wigan and Salford to explore any options that will reduce that. We’ve had a positive meeting today and will continue to keep listening to local people and their representatives and, wherever possible, acting on their feedback.”
It follows a meeting called by myself and local councillors to address concerns raised by the public about traffic problems in Leigh, Astley and Tyldesley.
My constituents are fair-minded and often prepared to put up with a lot. But in recent weeks they have been saying “enough is enough”. Traffic congestion has gone way beyond acceptable levels and, together with local councillors, I called this meeting to give voice to the frustration that our constituents are feeling.
It was a positive meeting and I can assure people that those in charge of the busway construction are fully aware of how strongly people feel. It is clear mistakes have been made and we received assurances they will not be repeated. We also asked for a number of steps to be taken to improve the current situation as it clearly cannot continue. I have to say drivers are unlikely to see an improvement overnight but I am confident that we will get to a point where the level of disruption is more acceptable to the public. We have called a follow-up meeting next week and we will give people a further update after that.
Representatives from Wigan Council, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and busway contractor Balfour Beatty met with Mr Burnham and local ward councillors on Monday (October 13). A series of steps were agreed to combat congestion. They include:
• No other non-busway road works to take place in the area except for emergency utility works needed to keep on gas, water and power supplies to homes.
• A review of the plans to construct the busway and park and ride junctions on Astley Street in Tyldesley.
• A review of temporary traffic management on the A580 to see if disruption can be reduced, including investigating whether some works can be rescheduled and carried out at weekends to minimise the impact on commuters.
• Develop a single point of information for busway-related road works including improved coordination with the works in Salford.
It’s hoped these measures will relieve some of the difficulties drivers have been experiencing in the area in recent weeks.
Transport bosses insisted everything was being done to keep disruption to a minimum and lessen the impact on residents. But they agreed to look again at some of the plans for works being carried out in the coming weeks. TfGM, Wigan Council and Balfour Beatty have agreed to review again the options for completing the works on Astley Street and will present them at a second meeting organised for next Monday (October 20).
They also confirmed work on Hough Lane in Tyldesley, which is currently closed, was on track and should be completed on time allowing the road to reopen by the end of November.
Terry Dunn, director of environment at Wigan Council, said: “I want the public to know we are listening to their concerns. I know there have been unacceptable traffic delays in Leigh, Tyldesley and Astley recently and I’d like to apologise for that.
“This is a huge construction project taking place in an area with an aging infrastructure. The reason we’re building the busway is because we want to improve and invest in that infrastructure. This construction phase was always going to be extremely challenging and every effort has been made to ensure the impact is minimised.
“However, it’s clear the current situation cannot continue and we are going to explore every option open to us to see if we can reduce disruption further and cut congestion in the areas affected.”
Peter Boulton, head of programme management services at TfGM, said: “We fully appreciate the impact busway construction is having locally and we are committed to working with all our partners in Wigan and Salford to explore any options that will reduce that. We’ve had a positive meeting today and will continue to keep listening to local people and their representatives and, wherever possible, acting on their feedback.”
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Work starts on Leigh Guided Busway
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| Pic with Bob Morris (TfGM), Peter Commins (Balfour Beatty), Cllr Mark Aldred (TfGM ViceChair) and Cllr Andrew Fender (TfGM Chair). |
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has appointed Balfour Beatty to design and construct the 4.5 mile busway, which will run from Leigh to Ellenbrook in Salford.
Due to open in 2015, the busway forms part of a 21km high quality bus priority route being developed between Leigh, Salford and Manchester.
The only vehicles able to use the guided section will be specially adapted buses, allowing them to avoid traffic congestion and offer passengers a smooth ride.
Services will run along on-highway bus lanes on the A580 through to Manchester city centre – providing the first cross city links from Leigh to key employment, education, health, leisure and retail destinations.
The 14 stop route (seven in each direction) follows the former railway route between East Bond Street in Leigh and Newearth Road in Ellenbrook. Walkers, cyclists and horse riders will be able to use a 4.5m wide path along the entire length of the busway, surfaced for use all year round.
All stops will be fully accessible, and will include shelters, CCTV and real time information.
Three park and ride sites will serve the busway, providing a minimum of 440 parking spaces. These will be located in Leigh, at Tyldesley Interchange and on the A580 East Lancashire Road near to the M60/61 junction.
The busway – between Leigh, Atherton and a section of the A580 East Lancashire Road to Walkden Road – will cost £68million. It is being funded through the Greater Manchester Transport Fund, for key transport priority projects.
I know many people are still to be persuaded of the merits of the Guided Busway. But the simple fact is Leigh urgently needs better public transport and this is the only project that can realistically be delivered in the next decade. Leigh can't wait forever for decent public transport.
I believe the Busway will be better than people expect and will bring a number of major benefits to the Leigh and Tyldesley areas. Not only will it halve travel times to Manchester at peak times, it will also bring more people and business back into Leigh town centre and support the continued revival of our town.
The Guided Busway alone won't solve Leigh's transport problems and that is why I will continue to make the case as best I can for a new rail station as part of HS2. I will also be working to ensure tickets for the Busway are affordable to all and a 45-minute journey time becomes a reality.
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