TfGM installs another new cycle hub

A new cycle hub at the Oldham Mumps Metrolink stop has joined £2.1 million of cycling and walking improvements in the town centre.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has installed the hub, which provides secure, attractive cycle parking for 40 bikes alongside a bicycle pump and repair stand.

The hub, ideally located at the Metrolink park and ride on Regent Street, adds to hundreds of bike parking spaces available at a growing network of local cycle hubs across Greater Manchester aimed at encouraging more people to cycle as part of their journey.

Membership of TfGM’s Cycle Hub scheme costs £10 per year and gives access to district hubs across Greater Manchester, all of which are protected by smartcard access, with CCTV coverage providing extra security.

Chris Boardman, Greater Manchester’s Cycling and Walking Commissioner, said: “The new cycle hub is great news for Oldham and is well located - right next to the Metrolink stop and close to the town centre.

“If we want to make cycling the easiest and most logical choice for thousands more people, we need to do all we can to make it affordable and convenient – secure bike parking at transport hubs is an important piece of that jigsaw.”

Councillor Fida Hussain, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, said: “This is the second cycle hub that’s opened in the borough this year, and like the one at Hollinwood, it’s somewhere safe and secure to leave your bike.

“As a council we want all of our residents to stay fit and healthy, and cycling is a great way to do that.

“By cycling and leaving your car at home you are also helping to reduce the number of vehicles on our roads which is good news for the environment.”

 The Oldham Cycle and Pedestrian-Friendly District Centre scheme, which completed last year, included improvements to the Union Street Bridge, street lighting, wider pavements and new cycle and pedestrian crossings on King Street.

King Street runs from north to south on the edge of the town’s shopping area and connects Oldham College, Oldham Leisure Centre, the Oldham King Street Metrolink stop and Oldham Sixth Form College.

Oldham College and Oldham Sixth Form College are part of TfGM’s Cycle Schools and Colleges project.

More than 140 new cycle parking spaces have been built at Oldham College and Oldham Sixth Form College with improvements to changing rooms and upgraded CCTV.

They have also been supplied with pool bikes and students are to be offered free cycling taster sessions.

The district cycle hubs – plus major hubs at MediaCityUK in Salford and City Tower in Manchester, which offer showers and personal lockers for cyclists – have been funded by the Department for Transport.

To find out more about cycling in Greater Manchester, including how to become a hub member, visit www.tfgm.com/cycling