Castleton: Cycle lane has 'killed village', residents say

Traders fear the loss of parking has deterred customers from Castleton's high street

A new multi-million pound cycle lane has "killed" a village by crippling trade, local shopkeepers have said.

The dedicated space for cyclists was built on Manchester Road in Castleton, Rochdale as part of a wider £4.4m scheme of road improvements.

But some businesses in the area said sales were down by 50% because shoppers could no longer park close by.

A spokeswoman for Rochdale Borough Council said it was "too early to judge the success" of the scheme.

Local resident Kath Dennerly said the cycle lane had "killed" the passing trade.

The cycle lane, which runs along a half-a-mile stretch of Castleton's high street, was built to encourage active travel and reduce car journeys.

New junctions and crossing have also been installed, and 80 new off-street parking spaces created as part of the scheme.

Work on the cycle lane took 16 months to complete

Mark Foster, who has run New Bridge chip shop for 20 years, said work on the cycle lane led to a "drastic" 50% drop in trade.

Work began in September 2022 and ended in January, and Mr Foster said since the scheme had finished "people are just avoiding the area".

He told BBC Radio Manchester customers used to "pull up, order the food, get back into the car, and away they go", but now people had "nowhere to park".

"Apparently it's supposed to get better but I can't see it, to be honest."

Shop owner Rahand Mahmud said he feared the long-term impact of the cycleway

Rahand Mahmud, of the Mini Market vape shop, said "half of the business has gone" since the cycle lane was installed.

"If they can't park outside, they can't stop here, if it keeps going like this all of us will have to close down".

Local Castleton resident Paul Bartram said he could not walk long distances so did not "bother going" to the high street.

"I just think it's a total waste of money," he said.

Local resident Paul Bartram said businesses had suffered from the project

The success of the cycle lanes depended on "fully connected routes" which had yet to be finished, the spokeswoman for Rochdale Borough Council said.

Phase two of the project would see the cycle lane stretch from the Royal Toby Hotel into Rochdale town centre, enabling cyclists to make "longer journeys" into two transport hubs, she added.

Why not follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]