Oldham tram had 'negative' impact on town centre, thinktank report suggests

The preliminary report, titled ‘Levelling up in practice’, is based on a range of data – including chats with two focus groups, made up of eight people each.

The report makes four recommendations: 1. Boost productivity, pay, jobs, and living standards by growing the private sector, 2. Spread opportunities and improve public services, 3. Restore a sense of community, pride, and local belonging, 4. Empower local leaders and communities.

One Oldhamer in the report told researchers: “We have a Ferrari shell but by God we have had our engine ripped out.”

Other subjects brought up in the report were Oldhamers’ lower than average trust in public institutions, including the media, the impact of anti-social behaviour, and the subject of diversity in the town.

The report also states that Oldham’s tram “has not been a success story” – saying ridership has plateaued and that people don’t feel safe on the tram.

One female participant in the focus groups told researchers “you take your life into your hands for a £3.60 return”.

The report goes on to say some Oldham employers have introduced minibus services for workers, just so they don’t have to risk getting on the tram or the bus network.

Recent reporting by The Oldham Times found more than 40 per cent of crime or antisocial behaviour on Greater Manchester’s public transport network was recorded as being ‘youth-related.’

The report goes on to say that the research would suggest “the tram’s impact on the town centre has in fact been negative,” with some parts of the borough underserved by public transport.

The report goes on to recommend the Oldham line be connected to Ashton.

Business leaders in the report were quoted on the challenge of ‘yoyo workers’ – those who come out to Oldham for entry-level jobs, but then return to Manchester city centre once they have gained experience.

One respondent likened the situation to that of New York, saying: “I can see Manchester now, the skyline is a New York type skyline, and what worries me is like New York you almost get sort of ghetto pockets around the affluent area, and that worries me that it’ll happen to our town.”

Despite what seems like a scathing assessment of Oldham’s tram, report co-author Adam Hawksbee, speaking to The Oldham Times, was quick to rebuke allegations of an anti-tram agenda.

Adam said: “I need to be really clear here – we are pro tram.

“Trams are a good idea – connectivity is massively important.

“I don’t think it’s a fair interpretation of our report to say that the tram has made the area worse, or has had an overall negative impact.

“What we’ve said is there are some areas where the tram isn’t necessarily living up to its potential in terms of economic access.

“We’ve got it right there in the data – it’s doubled the number of jobs that are accessible within 60 minutes through the introduction of the tram. That’s fantastic. But for some reason, people aren’t taking up those jobs so the tram can’t live up to its potential there.”

Adam Hawksbee is a co-author of the report

Another participant in the report blamed the tram for the demise of Oldham’s town centre, saying: “The town centre was on edge and when the tram came, it pushed it over.”

Asked about this, Adam said: “That is one quote, from one participant in a focus group.

"We’re using that to say, as have happened in a lot of areas, connectivity might have limited footfall as you’ve got access to higher-quality shopping and leisure in other places.

“So it is definitely good from a public transport point of view, an access to jobs point of view, and a net zero point of view to rely on a public transport system instead of the car.

“What we say is public transport is a necessary, but not sufficient, way to level up. You need to do loads of stuff to animate and bring to life public transport infrastructure, but we are massively pro-tram.

“We have got no evidence on the overall impact of the tram, I probably believe Oldham is better for having a tram, but it hasn’t been the success story that it could have been.”