Manchester Road Bus Improvement Scheme

the Clean Air Zone

West Bradford – Cycle Superhighway Extension

National Cycle Network Route 66

the A650 Connect: Wakefield Road and Tong Street Scheme, which is being consulted on in 2025.

The bus improvements along Manchester Road deliver the most benefit for the funding that we currently have.

The bus improvements proposal along Manchester Road is the element that has had the most positive feedback from residents and businesses over the two previous consultations we held on the full South Bradford Park & Ride Scheme.

The Manchester Road Bus Improvements Scheme

A walking, wheeling and cycling route

A Park & Ride site with a bus terminal, passenger facilities, and car park

A new morning-peak northbound bus lane, operational Monday – Friday between 6am – 10am between the junction with Mayo Avenue and St. Stephen’s Road towards the city centre.

An extension of the current southbound bus lane which begins at the junction with Ripley Street towards Odsal. The pavement would be narrowed to between three and five meters at different points from the bus stop outside the Shell Garage to accommodate this extension, so there would be no impact on general traffic lanes. The bus lane and bus lane extension restrictions would be 24/7 as it is now.

Ensure that people can get on buses without needing to step onto the road, so improving safety and accessibility (Mayo Avenue).

Improve bus journey times by enabling buses to pull in to pick up and drop off on Manchester Road, rather than needing to pull into the slip road (north of Mayo Avenue junction).

Place them in more convenient locations for bus users (stop further north, by the shops).

Outside the shops on the northbound side of the road between the junction with Mayo Avenue and St. Stephen’s Road. When this space is not being used as a bus lane (Monday-Friday 6-10am), it would be used for parking, for example, to visit local shops. There would be around 40 formal parking spaces in this location. A loading bay and Blue Bage parking would be provided nearby for any businesses who do need to send or receive deliveries between 6am-10am, and for customers with limited mobility to park up to access the shops.

Outside 751 – 777 Manchester Road, around the junction with Mayo Avenue, the current residential parking would be formalised with marked spaces for around 12 cars.

On Norwood Street, by the junction with Mayo Avenue, we are proposing to remove the grass triangle area and replace it with up to 10 additional parking spaces, as well as formalising the existing parking spaces on Norwood Street.

The existing crossing between Newall Street and Ripley Street would be separated for pedestrians and cyclists, and a separated crossing would be added to Senior Way at the junction with Radwell Drive. These separated crossings mean that people travelling on foot and by bike can cross the road separately from each other, increasing safety and making it easier to carry on their journey.

There would be upgrades and improvements, such as resurfacing and marked priority given to pedestrians and cyclists (where they have priority over cars at junctions), on the existing shared space around Radwell Drive.

Additional trees would be planted along the corridor to make the road more pleasant for residents, commuters and visitors

If the proposal for additional parking on Norwood Street goes ahead, a total of one tree would be removed, however, with additional planting there would be an overall biodiversity net gain (BNG) as a result of the scheme.

As is typical for any bus lane, restrictions for other vehicles would be in place during the times which the bus lanes would operate, including no stopping, waiting or loading. These are important to ensure the benefits to bus services are realised.

We are also considering using parking enforcement cameras in the bus lanes to back up these restrictions along the section of Manchester Road between the junctions with Runswick Street and St Stephen’s Road.

To do this, we would introduce a ’red route’, which comprises double red lines along the bus lanes. This doesn’t change any of the restrictions in the bus lane, but does mean that we are able to install automatic parking enforcement cameras.

Manchester Road (the A641) is one of the top five busiest routes in Bradford, with an average daily two-way traffic flow of over 37,000 vehicles as well as around 17 buses per hour. As a result, Manchester Road currently suffers from high levels of congestion, especially during peak times, which has an impact on bus service reliability and journey times.

Improving shared walking, wheeling and cycling facilities, including additional crossings, would make walking, wheeling and cycling safer along the corridor.

If we can make bus services quicker and more reliable, and walking, wheeling and cycling safer and more attractive, we can give people more options to get around without a car, reducing congestion and pollution.

Additional planting, landscaping and other public realm improvements would help make the route nicer and more pleasant for residents and visitors alike.

The automatic parking enforcement would mean that buses can be quicker and more reliable during peak times with no vehicles blocking buses from using active bus lanes.

These improvements would help to create a transport network fit for the 21st century as well as addressing key challenges around capacity, connectivity, sustainability and air quality, including linking up with other schemes in the District.

Wednesday 2 April 2025 between 2pm-7pm at the Mayfield Centre, 35 Broadway Avenue, Bradford, BD5 9NP

Once this public consultation is complete, the plans for the Manchester Road Bus Improvements Scheme would be further developed; all feedback received would be considered and a report summarising the consultation feedback would be made available online.

The Full Business Case would be produced for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to consider for approval later this year.

If approved, the scheme would begin construction towards the end of 2025, and would be delivered over a 10-12 month period to minimise disruption along the route.