Improving journeys: Sale West to Altrincham

The Sale West to Altrincham network improvements project is a major transport initiative designed to improve connectivity for people travelling in and around Sale and Altrincham.

The aim is to enable more people to use sustainable travel - such as catching the bus, walking, wheeling and cycling - by making these options safer, more convenient and easier to access.

Trafford Council and Transport for Greater Manchester have been working together to deliver improvements across Trafford, with multiple upgrades already completed in the last 12 months. These include new and upgraded bus stops, along with upgraded pedestrian and cycling facilities.

Visit the Trafford Council website to learn more about plans to improve Sale town centre and make travel easier and safer.

What has been delivered so far

Barrington Road and Sinderland Road junctions (A56)

Improvements at these two junctions were completed in September 2025. The scheme includes:

New signal-controlled crossings, so people can cross the road more safely.
Tactile paving, making journeys to and from bus stops safer and more accessible.
Upgraded traffic signals, addressing safety concerns when crossing the junctions.

Before these upgrades, there were no signal-controlled crossings, making it harder and less safe to cross the road. These changes have helped improve links to bus stops, local businesses, homes and key destinations such as Trafford College and Altrincham Retail Park.

Cross Street junction (A56)

In June 2025 we completed improvements at the Cross Street (A56) junction with Ashfield Road and Atkinson Road in Sale to make journeys safer, smoother and more reliable.

The scheme includes:

Upgraded traffic signals, helping manage traffic more efficiently and reduce queues.
Improved pedestrian crossings, making it safer and easier to walk or wheel across the junction.
New road surface and clearer markings, helping improve safety and make the junction easier to use.

Bus stop upgrades

To date, 18 upgraded bus stops have been installed across the Sale West area, with a further 35 planned over the next 12 months.

These upgrades are designed to improve the passenger experience, with clearer customer information (pole and plates), as well as improved footways added to bus stops, making it easier to travel by bus.

Traffic signal upgrades

The traffic signal equipment has been upgraded at 6 junctions around Sale and Altrincham to improve the efficiency of these junctions and improve journeys for all road users.

Proposed changes: Sale town centre improvements

Proposed improvements focus on two busy junctions:

Springfield Road, Tatton Road and School Road
Britannia Road, Broad Road, Hope Road and Northenden Road

The scheme will make it easier and safer to travel around the town centre, with better routes, improved crossings, and stronger links between shops and services, nearby bus stops and Metrolink tram stops.

The proposals have been shaped by feedback from the Sale Town Centre and Movement Strategy consultation. This long-term plan aims to make the town centre easier to get around while supporting local businesses, culture and community life.

Sale Town Centre Improvement Project Drone View

Sale Town Centre Improvement Project Drone View

Sale Town Centre Improvement Project Visualisation Northenden Road West

Sale Town Centre Improvement Project Visualisation Northenden Road West

Sale Town Centre Improvement Project Visualisation School Road East

Sale Town Centre Improvement Project Visualisation School Road East

Next steps

We understand that disruption is not ideal, so we want to develop and deliver the scheme at the right time, with as little impact as possible on local businesses and people.  

The next steps are to review the feedback received, secure the necessary approvals, and continue working closely with partners, including Trafford Council and Metrolink. We’re aiming to coordinate delivery so work can begin in early 2027.

Find out more: view the proposals and attend drop-in sessions

During June, residents, businesses and visitors can view the proposals at Sale Library at the Waterside Arts Centre at 2 Tatton Road, Sale M33 7EB.  

There will be public drop-in sessions in the exhibition space at Sale Library on:

Wednesday 10 June at 12 noon to 1:30pm
Monday 15 June at 4pm to 5:30pm
Thursday 25 June at 12 noon to 1:30pm

People can also ask questions by email at saletowncentre@trafford.gov.uk

Sale town centre: questions and answers

The planned works will:  

Make it easier and safer to get around Sale town centre by providing wider pavements and improved crossings for people walking and wheeling. 
Improve connections to local bus stops and the Metrolink stop, making it easier to travel east to west through the town centre. 
Help traffic move more smoothly and safely by removing the straight-ahead route from Tatton Road into Springfield Road. 
 Improve the layout of Broad Road junction by upgrading the Northenden Road crossing to a Toucan crossing, reducing crossing distances and creating a safer waiting area for pedestrians and cyclists. 
Create more space at the Hope Road junction (near Sale Park and Ride) by widening the footway and improving the crossing area for people walking and wheeling.

We’re improving the junction of Hope Road and Northenden Road, next to Sale Park and Ride, to make it safer and easier for people to get around.  

The changes will: 

provide wider pavements and more space for people walking and wheeling 
improve the crossing area, making it easier to use 
shorten crossing distances, so people can cross the road more safely

We understand that people have raised concerns about crossing here. To help address this, we’ll remove one parking space at the Metrolink stop. This allows us to create a safer, more comfortable crossing and waiting area. 

 We’ll continue to work with our partners and look for further opportunities to improve this junction in the future. 

We’re proposing to make Tatton Road left turn only at the junction with Springfield Road and School Road. This means vehicles will no longer be able to go straight ahead at this junction, for the following reasons: 

The proposal would remove the straight-ahead southbound movement from Tatton Road into Springfield Road, which will help improve traffic flow at the junction. 
The current traffic signals on this part of the junction can be confusing and may make it seem safe to cross when it isn’t. To improve safety for pedestrians, the layout will need to be changed. 
The proposed scheme removes this risk by stopping vehicles from going straight ahead. Alternative options would either require additional space for a refuge island, which is not available, or an extra signal stage that could slow traffic and affect how the junction operates.

National transport guidance no longer recommends using pedestrian railings as standard at junctions. Research reviewed by the Department for Transport and Transport for London found no strong evidence that railings reduce pedestrian accidents at junctions. 

Evidence from previous studies has indicated that removing railings in certain places can encourage motorists to reduce their speed, making the highways safer for people walking, wheeling, and cycling, as well as improving the public environment. It can also help reduce the risk of cyclists and pedestrians getting caught on the wrong side of a railing next to traffic.  

Other areas in Greater Manchester have removed sections of railings as part of wider highway schemes and seen positive change. An example of this was implemented in Pendleton town centre in 2020, which has seen no collisions involving pedestrians in locations where the railings were removed.   

In designing any scheme, safety is always of the utmost importance, including this one. Removing railings can bring a number of benefits, including: 

creating wider and less cluttered footways; 
improving accessibility for wheelchair users, pushchairs and pedestrians; 
improving the appearance of the street; 
allowing pedestrians to take more direct routes; and
improving visibility between drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

The new junction design focuses on measures that are proven to improve safety, such as better crossing points, lower traffic speeds, clearer walking routes and tighter junction layouts to reduce vehicle speeds.  

Railings will still be kept in places where they are clearly needed for safety, such as near steep drops or other hazards. 

Funding

Funding for the work has been provided through the government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), which saw Greater Manchester awarded £1.07bn to help deliver the Bee Network.

Funded by UK Government logo