"A bike lane doesn't close a village": Dame Sarah Storey defends cycle lane blamed for "ruining business" and "killing village", calls shops closing "a coincidence, not an unexpected consequence"

Britain's most successful Paralympian, Dame Sarah Storey, who balances training with her role as Greater Manchester's Active Travel Commissioner, has defended a cycle lane project in the area, arguing concerns it has "killed" business are unfounded.

Business owners in the Rochdale village of Castleton have spoken out about the bike lane project, part of a wider £4.4 million road improvements scheme. Back in March, we reported that traders had claimed sales are down 50 per cent and the area had been "killed" by the cycle lane leaving "nowhere to park", that despite the project seeing the creation of 80 new off-street spaces.

Now, phoning into a Radio Manchester show featuring Mayor Andy Burnham and the Active Travel Commissioner, a concerned resident said the cycle lane's construction had "closed off the road for two years", caused "chaos" and was "ruining business".

"When it was being built it was just chaos. [And since it was completed] I've seen two people on that bike lane since it's been there and you were one of them," the caller called Gary said in an interview reported by the Manchester Evening News.

In reply, Dame Sarah Storey argued "a bike lane doesn't close a village" and pointed to other economic factors that have hit people across the country in recent times.

She said: "It's a coincidence, not an unexpected consequence. The timing in Castleton was really challenging, with the cost of living crisis and coming out of the pandemic. When you've two things like that colliding, they've had to take it to experts to discuss how they can sort the economic side out.

"A bike lane doesn't close a village. It opens it up and enables more people to choose to move. Not everybody can drive, not everybody owns a car and they're now connected to a train station and soon to the town centre through the extension."

Burnham followed up by adding that while he appreciates it "may not be being used at the level that we would like, that will come over time".

"If there is a detriment to the high street, this will more than bring it back. In time, [Castleton] will become a really attractive place — it already is, but it will become even better."

In March, business owners blamed the cycle lane for their struggles, the owner of a local chippy saying customers used to "pull up, order the food, get back into the car, and away they go".

"It's supposed to get better but I can't see it, to be honest," Mark Foster of the New Bridge chip shop said, suggesting trade had decreased by a "drastic" 50 per cent. Likewise, the owner of the Mini Market vape shop, said half their business had "gone" as "if they can't park outside, they can't stop here".

"If it keeps going like this all of us will have to close down," Rahand Mahmud said. The BBC also heard from residents who called it a "total waste of money" and claimed that the project has "killed" the village.