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Road closure sparks ‘rat-run’ concerns
Date published: 26 January 2009
HIGHWAYS chiefs have started to close potholed roads — allegedly because the kitty for repairs has run dry.
Coal Pit Lane, Limeside, will close indefinitely from tomorrow with angry motorists saying the decision will create traffic chaos on main roads and turn residential streets into so-called rat-runs as drivers seek alternative routes.
One motorist said the council informed him it couldn’t afford to fix the damaged surface as there’s no money left in the budget.
It’s feared council chiefs believe it is easier to shut a road than risk payouts for accidents and that the closure sets a worrying precedent.
Oldham Council declined to respond to questions from the Chronicle on how long the road will remain closed or the financial situation.
One businessman said: “A lot of drivers use Coal Pit Lane to cut through Limeside — it takes a lot of pressure off the Hathershaw junction.
“What really annoys me is the attitude of the council.
“If there is no money left then it is no wonder, after they wasted so much on rebranding — how much has that cost the taxpayer when they can’t afford to fix roads?”
He admitted the road does have some deep potholes that he has driven into at night in the rain, but fears the road could now be closed for months.
Oldham has long been shamed for its crumbling roads. In 2004, a Government report revealed the borough had the worst road surfaces in England with 65 per cent of the borough’s major roads in need of repair.
The road will be shut between White Bank Road and Lower Lime Road with houses on Lower Lime Road, from Stannybrook Road and White Bank Road accessible from Ashton Road.
Service director for highways, Tony Noblet, said: “Following an investigation by one of our maintenance teams, we’ve found that the condition of the road is very poor and can no longer be patched.
“The only safe course of action is to close it to traffic.”
The investigation concluded that most of the damage has been caused by water running within the foundations of the road, and poor ground conditions leading to the roadway becoming deformed.
Comments
"The only safe course of action is to close it to traffic"
Did Mr Noblet intentionally forget to say "until we have resurfaced it" or is there no intention of doing this? perhaps a pay cut for those 185 employees on 50K+ can pay for these repairs!
Absolutely incredible. With Oldham Council, it always appears as though it's a case of "if it aint broke, fix it, if it's broke, don't bother". The answer to poor roads, isn't to shut the roads! The demand for the use of this well-used route between Oldham and Failsworth isn't going to diminish - all that this will succeed in doing is routing through traffic along residential roads in Limeside, putting local road users and residents in danger.
again like in most months you cannot get around or out of saddleworth without being stopped by road works! they all seem to be timed just right to make maximum impact to traffic!
yet we still waste thousands of pounds on traffic calming measure when the roads themselves are in a poor state!
get you priorities right OMBC
I'm surprised we haven't had a picture of Councillor Hibbert pointing to the road and blaming the Lib-Dems.
But of course, it's just more Labour chickens coming home to roost in broken and unfixable Oldham. It seems we're skint. Well we are in this case. Perhaps we could trim the social engineering budget and transfer some useful money.
The road in question is, however, aptly named. It really is the 'pits'
And to think we pay noblet to run highways department. It also asks the question what ever happens to the rip-off taxes that motorists pay that are ring fenced to maintain existing roads?
I am absolutely gobsmacked that they are closing Coal Pit Lane. My family use it numerous times daily for commuting and shopping etc. What impact is this goig to have on traffic, safety of local residents and impact on local business? I have sent an email to tony.noblet@oldham.gov.uk and I sugeest everyone else does the same
Have Your Say
heres an idea.why dont the council remove all the stupid road humps from oldhams roads.this will provide them with enough tarmac to repair all the boroughs roads.get your priorities right oldham council.
By wigloo @ 26/01/2009 14:38:38