Speed cut on carnage road

A DRIVER overtakes in wet conditions close to one of the road’s notorious sharp bends

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A DRIVER overtakes in wet conditions close to one of the road’s notorious sharp bends


THE speed limit is to be reduced on an accident blackspot where an off-duty police officer was killed in a motorbike crash.

Speed cameras will also be introduced on the three-mile winding stretch of the “Isle of Skye Road” in Greenfield.

The moves comes almost two years after a survey found that there had been been 19 accidents involving casualties on the A635 Holmfirth road from 2004 to 2008.

A total of 26 people were injured, three of them seriously. Almost two thirds happened when the road was wet — nearly twice the proportion on other roads in the borough.

Since then there have been at least four more serious accidents.

They include Det Sgt Graham Lyne (47) from Chadderton who died when his Kawasaki bike collided with a Vauxhall Corsa last month.

Two passengers were also killed when a Honda skidded and overturned in September, 2009.

A number of road safety signs introduced in 2001 are missing, damaged or have been turned around, according to a council report.

The 60 mph speed limit is to be reduced to 50mph from the Kirklees border to where it turns into the 40mph speed limit east of Greenfield.

New warning signs and markings — including vehicle activated slow-down signs — will also be introduced as part of the £125,000 safety scheme.

Elaine McLean, Oldham Council’s executive director for economy, place and skills, said that the measures were part of a borough-wide programme to cut accidents.

She added: “Due to the budget challenges that all local authorities have been facing in the past two financial years there were difficulties and uncertainty about the exact level of funding which would be available each year for this programme.

“We have therefore had to continually prioritise schemes based on the latest injury data.

“Since we conducted the last major survey there have been further accidents and casualties at this site.

“That has resulted in this scheme being identified for urgent action this year, and once this scheme is in place we will, of course, continue to monitor its effectiveness.”

Councillor John McCann, cabinet member for regeneration and environment prior to this month’s local elections, said a key issue was blocked grids causing skid risks, which have since been cleaned.

He welcomed the safety scheme and said: “Anything that helps reduce accidents is good news but the bottom line is its people travelling too fast for the conditions.

“It doesn’t matter what you do if people don’t drive sensibly.”