Improving journeys: Oldham

Through the Bee Network, we’re building a joined-up transport system that connects people with places and opportunities.

We’re working to improve all your journeys, no matter how you travel: by road, bus, tram, train, walking, wheeling and cycling.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and local councils are improving travel along the main route between Rochdale, Royton, Oldham and Ashton town centres (A627 and A671), making it safer, easier and more reliable.

This route is used by the 409 bus service – one of the busiest bus routes in Greater Manchester – and thousands of residents every day.

Improvements will take place through to 2027.

This webpage provides further information on the Oldham section of the route. See more about the whole route linking Rochdale, Oldham and Ashton.

Oldham proposals overview and next steps

We want to improve local streets, roads and journeys in a way that works for everyone.

Public engagement took place on the outline proposals for the Oldham section of the route from 17 February to 31 March 2025.

You can see more details about this in the ‘Phase two engagement: You said, we did’ section below.

Detailed proposals are now being developed and will be shaped by your feedback on the outline proposals. We will update this webpage once the detailed proposals have been completed.

There will be a further opportunity to have your say on the detailed proposals during a public consultation in 2026.

You can see an overview of the proposals for Oldham, including maps and visualisations, below.

The map below provides an overview of the route connecting Rochdale, Royton, Oldham, and Ashton.

It highlights several areas in Royton and Oldham, for which more detailed maps are available.

These detailed maps show the proposals that were consulted on in Royton and engaged on in Oldham from 17 February to 31 March 2025.

The proposals for Royton are more developed than the proposals for Oldham, which is why a consultation exercise for Royton and an engagement exercise for Oldham took place separately.

Engagement is a less formal exercise that comes before consultation. An engagement exercise for Royton took place in spring 2024. A consultation exercise for the Oldham proposals is planned to follow later in 2025.

Map 1: Covers proposals for the town of Royton and can be found on the Royton webpage.
Maps 2 to 7: Cover proposals for the rest of Oldham and can be found below the overview map below.

Map overview showing the Rochdale Oldham Ashton Bus Corridor. Areas along the A671 proposed for improvement works are highlighted. These are Map 1 Royton Town Centre, Map 2 High Barn Street to Shaw Road, Map 3 Sheepfoot Lane to Featherstall Road North, Map 4 Chadderton Way, Map 5 St Mary’s Way, Map 5 West St gyratory to Union Street, Map 7 King Street Roundabout.

Oldham Road, High Barn Street to Shaw Road

Map outline showing proposed improvements on Oldham Road between High Barn Street and Shaw Road. Improvements proposed are explained in accompanying text and include removal of the existing cycle facility, relocation of the Rochdale-bound bus stop near Shaw St and extension of a southbound bus lane to the junction with Shaw Road.

The proposed changes on Oldham Road (A671) between High Barn Street and Shaw Road include:

Retention of bus lanes north and southbound, with the southbound cycle track removed and integrated with a wider southbound bus lane.
Improvements to the southbound bus stop near Turf Lane (Shaw Road stop D and Shaw Road stop E) to enable cyclists to travel behind the stop. Zebra crossings across the cycle track will enable bus passengers to access the stop and boarding area to get off the bus.
The northbound bus stop near Shaw St (High Barn Street Stop G) will be moved north by about 30 metres so that it is away from the existing pedestrian island and crossing point.
Side roads of Shaw Street, Crompton Street, Roman Road, Vaughan Street and Turf Lane will be improved by raising a section of the road to the level of the footway. This design makes it clearer pedestrians have priority, encouraging drivers to slow down and give way, as well as making it easier to cross. Tactile paving will be installed to alert pedestrians with visual impairments to the crossing point.
Removal of guardrail around the junction of Oldham Road with Turf Lane to enable the bus lane to be extended south towards the junction of Oldham Road with Shaw Road and Broadway.
A northbound cycle track will be provided from the northern end of Shaw Road stop C to Roman Road.
Improved pedestrian crossing facilities Oldham Road to the north of Shaw Road and Broadway junction.

Hospital to Sheepfoot Lane

Map outline showing proposed improvements on Oldham Road between Sheepfoot Lane and Featherstall Road North. Improvements proposed are explained in accompanying text and include relocation of Oldham-bound bus stops with new shelters, removal of the bus gate at Featherstall road junction and a new push button crossing at the pedestrian entrance to the hospital.

The proposed changes on Rochdale Road (A671) between Sheepfoot Lane and Featherstall Road North (adjacent to Royal Oldham Hospital) include:

Existing pedestrian crossing south of Sheepfoot Lane to be retained.
New signalised crossing at the pedestrian entrance to Royal Oldham Hospital.
Northbound bus stops to remain.
Southbound bus stops to move south of Booth Hill Lane to allow for more space for pedestrians to pass and bus passengers to wait at the stop.
Bus stop (Featherstall Road North Stop F) and bus gate at the junction with Featherstall Road North to be removed and replaced with a cycle track link to the cycle and pedestrian space in Coldhurst Community Park.

Chadderton Way/Rochdale Road Junction

Map outline showing proposed improvements at the junction of Rochdale Road and Chadderton Way. Improvements proposed are explained in accompanying text and include new pedestrian crossings and removal of the layby to the east of the junction.

The proposed changes on Rochdale Road (A671) at the junction with Chadderton Way include:

New signalised pedestrian and cycle crossings across all arms of the junction.
Removal of the layby on the east side of the junction to enable safer crossing for pedestrians. This layby has loading restrictions in place which will be reviewed as the scheme is developed.
Tactile paving to alert users to areas of shared space where cyclists and pedestrians will be accessing the crossings.
Improvements to existing pavements and 2-way cycle facilities from south of Chadderton Way to West St.

St Mary’s Way/Rochdale Road Junction

Map outline showing proposed improvements at the junction of Rochdale Road and St Mary’s Way. Improvements proposed are explained in accompanying text and include new pedestrian and cycle crossings and the removal of the mini roundabout at New Radcliffe Street.

The proposed changes on Rochdale Road (A671) from south of Chadderton Way to south of New Radcliffe Street include:

Improvements to existing pavements with 2-way cycle facilities on the west side of the road from south of Chadderton Way to West St. New cycle tracks will link to new cycle provision under development on St Mary’s Way.
New signalised pedestrian and cycle crossings across the eastern and southern arms of the junction of Rochdale Road and St Mary’s Way.
New signalised pedestrian crossings across the northern arm of the junction of Rochdale Road and St Mary’s Way.
Tactile paving to alert users to areas of shared space where cyclists and pedestrians will be accessing the crossings.
Removal of the mini roundabout at the junction of Rochdale Road with New Radcliffe Street. To be replaced by a right turn lane.
New southbound bus lane from south of New Radcliffe Street to West Street gyratory.
New northbound bus lane from bus stop (Oldham College Stop RA) to New Radcliffe Street.
Alderson Street side road will be improved by raising a section of the road to the level of the footway. This design makes it clearer pedestrians have priority, encouraging drivers to slow down and give way, as well as making it easier to cross. Tactile paving will be installed to alert pedestrians with visual impairments to the crossing point.

West Street Gyratory, Rochdale Road/King Street

Map outline showing proposed improvements at West Street Gyratory to Union Street. Improvements proposed are explained in accompanying text and include new bus lanes on Rochdale Road and a southbound bus only section between Manchester Street and Union Street.

New northbound bus lane and southbound bus lanes on Rochdale Road between West St gyratory and Radcliffe Street.
Temporary southbound bus stop outside civic hall (West Street) to be made permanent.
Improvements to the northbound bus stop (Oldham College Stop RA) to enable cyclists to travel behind the stop. Zebra crossings across the cycle track will enable bus passengers to access the stop and boarding area to step off the bus.
Bus only section between Manchester St and Barn St in a southbound direction. Taxis will be permitted in line with GM policy. Cycles will also be permitted, and will also be able to use the shared space section on the west side of the street, by the leisure centre and Mecca Bingo.
Private hire vehicles and all other traffic will not be permitted to use the section of King Street between Manchester St and Barn St travelling southbound.
Improvements to pedestrian facilities and passenger interchange between King Street Metrolink and bus stops. Further details will be provided during consultation planned for late 2025.

King Street Roundabout

Map outline showing proposed improvements at King Street Roundabout. Improvements proposed are explained in accompanying text and include junction improvements for all traffic including buses and a bus gate on King St to the south of the roundabout.

The proposed changes on King Street Roundabout and King Street from Oldham Way to Falcon Street include:

Improvements to the lane layout and signal timings at the junction to reduce delays for bus passengers and general traffic.
Widening of footways at pinch points to improve pedestrian facilities.
Cycle track on eastern side of King Street (south of the roundabout) to be widened and become a shared space with pedestrian pavement.
Extension to the existing bus lane and new bus gate on King Street (south of the roundabout) to help northbound buses get into the correct lane heading into Oldham Town Centre.
Improvements to northbound cycle way on King Street (south of the roundabout) to the roundabout.
Existing pedestrian and shared crossings to be retained with minor realignment on King Street Roundabout.
Changes to pavements to improve pedestrian access and crossing facilities are proposed at the King Street junction with Falcon Street and Crossbank Way. Further details will be provided during consultation planned for late 2025.

Visualisation of new crossings in Oldham

Visualisation of new crossing in Oldham

Visualisation of a crossing in Oldham

Visualisation of new crossing in Oldham, with a car turning left

Previous engagement

From 11 October until 13 December 2021, we asked Greater Manchester residents and stakeholders what they wanted most from their public transport network.

We received 4,125 survey responses and had conversations with 971 people at public drop-in sessions and workshops. Hundreds of respondents were from Rochdale, Oldham, and Tameside and public drop-in sessions took place at Rochdale Interchange, Oldham Bus Station, and Ashton Interchange.

82% of respondents to the survey highlighted service reliability as a priority for their public transport network. The importance of reliability and services between town centres were regularly raised in our conversations and in survey responses.

We believe that improvements on roads to help buses travel more easily can lead to shorter bus journey times and the more reliable services that people in Greater Manchester want from their public transport network.

In Spring 2023, we asked people how they travel between Rochdale, Royton, Oldham and Ashton, what issues they faced, and what they would like to see improved to help them travel by bus, cycle, walking and wheeling more. The results have been used to help develop the proposals for the Rochdale Oldham Ashton scheme.

331 people in total responded to the survey.
87% of respondents were residents of Rochdale, Oldham or Tameside.
35% of respondents travelled to or between Rochdale, Royton, Oldham, or Ashton town centres daily, 37% at least once a week, and 21% between once a week and once a month.
65% of respondents had travelled the route in the past for shopping, 50% for recreation or leisure, and 44% commuting to a regular place of work.

Most people told us that they would like to see bus services in the area improved, and safer cycling routes to be created. The table below summarises some key points of feedback and how we are responding in our proposals.

You said, we did

A quicker and more reliable service

You said:

73% of respondents that use the bus to travel between Rochdale, Royton, Oldham and Ashton want to see the reliability of services improved and 27% wanted to see
the speed of bus services improved.
55% of respondents that don’t currently use the bus feel they would be able to if services were more reliable; and 27% if speed of services was improved.

We did:

We are proposing a bus lane to south of Kingsway Queensway junction to help the bus get to the front of the traffic queue and are looking at options to improve bus reliability through Oldham Town Centre.
We will improve traffic signals at junctions to give late running buses priority.

Better information for customers

You said:

Nearly a third (29%) of respondents travelling by bus on this route requested improved customer information on buses and at bus stops and 21% of those not travelling by bus felt this would enable them to use the bus.

We did:

We are proposing to have real time information on key bus stops along the route, with QR codes to provide up to date information.
As part of the delivery of the Bee Network we will provide real time information with audio visual announcements on all our buses by 2026.

Better bus stops

You said:

23% of bus users said that they would like to see more safety infrastructure, such as CCTV and lighting, at bus stops; and 19% of people that don’t use the bus said that
these measures would help them use the bus.

We did:

We are planning to improve bus stops along the Rochdale Oldham Ashton corridor to make them safer and more
accessible.

Better walking, cycling and wheeling routes

You said:

The most important factors that people who walk, cycle or wheel between Rochdale, Royton, Oldham and Ashton want to see improved are road crossing facilities (32%), and cycle lanes segregated from motorists (21%).
Those that do not currently walk, cycle or wheel, also felt that better road crossing facilities (32%) and cycle lanes segregated from motorists (30%) would enable them to.

We did:

We are proposing better cycling routes from Balderstone Park to Baron St in Rochdale Town Centre and in Oldham and improved crossing facilities along the route.

Public engagement took place on the Oldham section of the route from 17 February to 31 March 2025.

128 online survey responses were received, and 23 members of the public attended the two drop-in sessions at The Spindles Shopping Centre, in Oldham Town Centre on 25 February and 11 March.

You said:

Can the public access enhancements in Oldham town centre be better joined up with improved connections to Oldham College?

We did:

We have started discussions with Oldham College to ensure that the proposed public access enhancements along Rochdale Road complement the Oldham College campus’ access needs.

What else we’re doing in Oldham

Several completed and developing schemes will connect with this scheme locally within Oldham, and interconnect with wider regional schemes.

Completed Bee Network schemes in Oldham

Improved pedestrian and cycle access to the Royal Oldham Hospital and into the Town Centre.

Upgrades to the surfacing, lighting and panelling of the King St and Union St foot and cycle bridges.

Improved walking and cycling routes connecting the new Foxdenton mixed-use development and schools with the Freehold Metrolink stop.

Providing a safe, secure and covered cycle hub to lock your bike under cover.

A new segregated cycling and walking route along West St to access the Town Centre and creation of a new public realm space on Cheapside.

Improving cycling and walking connectivity within and across Oldham Town Centre.