Call for traffic calming measures in Lees

A call has been made for action to be taken against speeding drivers on Stamford Road after a history of accidents.

Paul Shilton has writted to Oldham Council Chief Executive Harry Catherall, accusing the authority of a 'rebuke' to local residents' concerns over dangerous driving on the road.

The council is currently reviewing safety measures following two fatal accidents on the road in 2020 and 2021.

Mr Shilton, a member of the Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth Party, says that the current consultation is 'too little too late'

"This has only been sanctioned by the weight of tragedy, this being despite the warnings voiced by the residents and wider community that fatalities were only a matter of time.

"These warnings, and the concern of residents, remain unheeded regarding Stamford Road as a whole.

"They were devastatingly reinforced by the incident of 7th February 2022, where residents were horrified to witness a road traffic accident in which one of the vehicles involved was rotated onto the vehicles near side, onto the roof and then finally came to rest on the vehicles offside, the traumatised driver being temporarily trapped within the vehicle."

Mr Shilton says the council have told residents that the criteria for installing calming measures have not been met, and that speed limits and cameras are not a sufficient deterrent.

"Measures could include road humps, road narrowing, chicane junctions, pedestrian refuge islands, installation of tree/flower planters or even commissioning artwork for the road to introduce 'psychological traffic calming' in which personalising the road may cause drivers to slow down and respect the road as a community space.

"A dependency on reducing speed limits to 20mph and reliance on speed cameras do not guarantee any form of traffic control as both these methods are only as good as the level of enforcement."

A petition has been organised by Mr Shilton asking the council to install traffic control measures along the length of Stamford Road.

Councillor Amanda Chadderton, Deputy Leader of Oldham Council and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “The safety of road users is a priority for the council and we take any safety concerns raised with us extremely serious.

“That is why we are consulting with residents in more than 150 local properties around Huddersfield Road and Stamford Road to discuss our plans about remodelling this junction.

“The purpose is to look at how this junction could be used in future, with all thoughts and ideas on how we could improve it welcomed.

“We’re currently in discussions with Transport for Greater Manchester about this scheme and the opinions of residents will factor into our new designs, ahead of the works taking place.

“In the meantime, we continue to monitor conditions on all our highways and will take action when it is deemed necessary.”

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