B6266
| B6266 | ||||
| Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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| From: | Manchester Road (SD893131) | |||
| To: | Halifax Road (SD905141) | |||
| Distance: | 1.1 miles (1.8 km) | |||
| Meets: | A58, A6060, B6223, A671, A58 | |||
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| Route outline (key) | ||||
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For the original B6266 from Ripon to Masham, see B6266 (Yorkshire).
For the former B6266 in Rochdale, see B6266 (Rochdale Centre).
The current B6266 follows the original route of the A58 through Rochdale before the latter road was diverted. The road retains its Class II number although it can no longer be followed in its entirety by the majority of traffic.
The road starts at traffic lights where it meets the A58 and A6060 and heads northeast along The Esplanade past the Touchstones heritage centre. There's a zigzag over the River Roch which now runs in tunnel under us. We pass the town hall, after which the road bears left into Newgate to return to the A58. The B6266 TOTSOs right, however (until 2015 there was a roundabout here). The river then becomes visible on the left (although it's only recently been dug up) until the next set of traffic lights. The road to the right is the B6223 but this is only open to buses. The tram line also comes in along that road and bears ahead to the town centre tram stop at the end of the line.
Vehicular traffic is forced to turn left here into Stationer's Entry or Constantine Road - but these are both dead-ends and so the only way out is the way we've come. However, the B6266 continues ahead along Smith Street, which is a one-way bus-only road towards us. It runs round the tram terminus to reach a mini-roundabout, after which the B6266 becomes two-way and once again open to all traffic. The A671 is crossed at traffic lights one block east.
We've now left the town centre behind and so the rest of the route can be followed normally, although it is traffic-calmed. We pass Aldi, a very modern church building and a leisure centre and become residential. After passing a new estate the road runs through terraced housing. It wheels left at two mini-roundabouts before heading northwestwards along a road narrowed with marked parking bays before we reach journey's end at a T-junction back on the A58.