Business owners in Chorlton have said that fresh roadworks, which have seen the Manchester to Chorlton cycleway dug up less than two years after it opened, are impacting trade.
Workmen tore up a stretch of the bike lane on Manchester Road, which is part of the £13.4m, four-mile route linking south Manchester with the city centre.
The scheme was described as the city’s flagship cycling corridor and was completed in April 2024. However, traders say that the road has been dug up for the third time in under two years, leaving them frustrated at what they describe as repeated disruption.
Shiva Raaval, the manager at Lily’s Deli, told the Local Democracy Service that the latest works had begun on a busy weekend.
“So first they closed the whole road for building the bike lane, and then they dug it up again to do some pipework, and now they’re digging again for electric pipes.
“They started digging on Saturday afternoon, and the weekends are the busiest days for us,” he said. He added that the vibrations were making glasses and tables shake, further disrupting his customers.
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Karmal Arafa of Framing Manchester added that the area had felt noticeably quieter. “It has caused chaos out front here with traffic. A lot of our customers come by car,” he said.
Production Manager, Justin Mitchell, also described the situation as “a bit of a nightmare”, pointing to the loss of car parking in the area as a longstanding grievance among some customers.
He said that “people get angry because basically they’ve taken all the car parks away in Chorlton. So, everyone coming in, that’s their biggest gripe, is like there’s just nowhere to park. And now the road works as well, there’s absolutely nowhere to park.”
James Madden, the owner of bar and café 99 Reasons, also added that the noise is “wild” and barriers were discouraging customers from sitting outside.
“The noise isn’t great. People don’t want to sit outside, really. It’s a little bit much, but we’re just hoping it’ll be done soon. You’ve just got to battle through.
However, he added that this disruption is better than the previous two, saying, “It’s not as bad as when they did the cycle lane, and we had a fence outside for four or five months, like a big set of stockpiles.
“So, this, in comparison, is not as bad. It’s just a bit more noisy, but they’re cracking on and getting it done at least.”
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The current works are not being carried out by Manchester City Council or Transport for Greater Manchester.
Electricity North West confirmed it had commissioned the excavation to install a new connection to the power network for a nearby development.
A spokesperson for SP Electricity North West said: “When carrying out work, we always try to avoid cycle lanes, but, due to the location of the new connection, it was unavoidable.
“All the work we carry out is agreed with the council in advance, and once complete, we will reinstate the cycle lane to its original condition.”
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The company said the work is expected to be completed by Friday, February 27.
The Manchester to Chorlton route forms part of Greater Manchester’s wider “Bee Network” ambitions to create 1,000 miles of cycling and walking routes across the city region, including 75 miles of Dutch-style segregated lanes.
When plans for the Chorlton corridor were first unveiled, Cycling and Walking Commissioner Chris Boardman said the aim was to make cycling and walking “the natural choice for short journeys” and create “world-class streets where people want to socialise and relax”.