Bus journeys on a busy Salford route could become faster under new plans to improve the service.
The number 50 bus – which goes between east Didsbury and Media City via Manchester city centre – is in line for a major upgrade along a section of the route between Salford Crescent and the Quays.
Salford City Council is working with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to make improvements and boost the number of people using the service.
The town hall has laid out plans to cut journey times and improve reliability along the section of the route, alongside improvements to bus stops and integration with the Metrolink and railway stations.
Bus stops along the route are set to become ‘fully accessible’ and provide a ‘comfortable, safe space’ for passengers, with information about onward journeys to other forms of transport.
This is planned alongside ‘improved accessibility via new cycle and walking infrastructure’ in the city.
Designs are being ‘finalised’ with TfGM bosses, the council said, with work set to begin in June lasting until September.
A report on the plans stated that the changes will also help to increase the number of cycling and walking trips between Salford Crescent and Salford Quays.
The plans will be supported through a TfGM grant awarded from the City Regional Sustainable Transport Settlements.
Funding approval for this stage of works is being sought with TFGM and is expected to be confirmed later in February at Greater Manchester’s Bee Network Committee.
Elsewhere in Salford, there are huge cycling and walking upgrades taking place around the city.
This includes Salford Rise, an 11-metre wide and 220-metre long bridge across Frederick Road described as a “safe haven” for pedestrians and cyclists navigating the city.
A revamp is also planned on Chapel Street between New Bailey Street and Blackfriars where new cycle tracks and footways are planned, which will give pedestrians and cyclists priority over side roads, alongside improved crossing points on the street.
