Hard shoulder drive to halt congestion

Drivers will soon be using the hard shoulder of the M60 motorway for more than just breaking down.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly revealed that the emergency lane of the Manchester ring-road, which passes through Chadderton and Failsworth, is likely to open to traffic stuck in jams.

The move is part of a £6bn motorway improvement drive announced by the Bolton MP to cut congestion. Car-sharing lanes could follow.

The rest of the M60, the M62 and M56 around Manchester as well as the M6 Junctions 11a to 19 from north of Birmingham to Knutsford are also being considered for hard shoulder running.

Greater Manchester is one of eight areas to benefit from the first allocation of a £60m Urban Congestion Performance Fund which will pay for a mix of techniques to get the most out of the existing network.

In addition, Greater Manchester will get £878,000 and Merseyside £599,000 to help limit the growth of congestion.

Mrs Kelly said: “I am determined to get the best from our road network so that motorists in the North-West have reliable journey times on roads which are safe and well-managed. The greatest barrier to this is congestion. It is frustrating and has serious consequences for the economy and the environment.”

In a reference to Greater Manchester’s congestion charging plans, Mrs Kelly added: “The answer cannot be building new roads.

“That is why I will continue to support councils who want to investigate whether radical packages, which include public transport improvements combined with local congestion charging, would be the right solution for them.”