Britain’s first privately funded Park and Ride had opened in Hazel Grove.
The new 400-space Park & Ride facility, which has a cycle parking space part-funded through Transport for Greater Manchester and run by Stagecoach Manchester,will be served by a £12m fleet of 40 hybrid electric buses equipped with free Wi-Fi.
Located on a stretch of the heavily-congested A6, the facility links Stockport and central Manchester and is expected to help remove 6,000 car journeys per month from the region’s roads.
Following its departure from Hazel Grove, the service stops at Stepping Hill, Heaviley, Stockport, Heaton Chapel, Levenshulme, Longsight, Ardwick before completing the journey in Manchester city centre.
Stagecoach Manchester managing director, Christopher Bowles, said: “This substantial investment by Stagecoach in Greater Manchester’s first bus Park & Ride facility demonstrates our commitment to provide affordable and accessible transport for the region.
Developed in association with Manchester-based transport consultants SCP, the Park & Ride facility has been built on former wasteland at the junction of Buxton Road and Macclesfield Road. The supervised facility includes toilets and a covered waiting area.
Councillor Andrew Fender, Chair of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee (TfGMC) said: “I congratulate Stagecoach Manchester on the completion of its long-term aspiration to open a Park and Ride at Hazel Grove. It will complement the previous investment we have made to improve passenger journeys along the A6.
“I’m particularly pleased to see the new cycle parking facilities incorporated and hope that it will encourage more people to consider cycling for part of their journey. Linking different modes of travel together like this helps to build an integrated transport network which will make it easier for people to travel into and around Greater Manchester.”
