Rat-run action pledge to make roads safer

FLASHBACK . . . residents protest on Stockfield Road/Hunt Lane

FED-UP neighbours who want lorries banned from a residential rat run and the roads repaired have been promised action.

The council’s roads boss has confirmed that a survey of the potholed Stockfield Road and Hunt Lane, Chadderton, will be carried out.

This will decide what remedial works need to be done to make the roads safe.

Resurfacing will also be carried out in future, but Councillor Mark Alcock, cabinet member for environment and infrastructure, could not say when.

He also confirmed that restrictions banning lorries could not happen until the council takes over control of Broadway from the Highways Agency.

The protracted negotiations have been going on for several years and Oldham has a list of improvements it wants completed before the hand-over.

Stockfied Road and Hunt Lane are used by lorries as a short cut to near-by industrial units, avoiding the traffic lights at the junction of Broadway and Middleton Road.

Long-suffering residents staged a protest in July to demand an end to the horrendous noise, vibration and damage caused by the lorries.

There are several schools in the area and people fear that someone could be killed. Old folk in retirement housing in Kempsey Court, whose gardens back on to Stockfield Road, are also affected.

Chadderton Labour Councillor David Hibbert is demanding action.

In a letter to Councillor Alcock he states: “The consequential adverse impact upon the quality of life of residents and the severe possibilities of accidents are unacceptable.”

Councillor Hibbert said the ruling Liberal Democrats had allocated £5 million for Highways Work in 2009/10, £1 million for “priorities” and was set to create a surplus of more than £12 million.

“I maintain the time is now right and that the funding is now available to address these problems,” he adds.

Councillor Alcock confirmed the council would narrow the entrance to the roads restrict access when it took control of Broadway. He added: “A lot of this is down to the Government’s lack of funding. If half the money it collected from duty on petrol and road tax was put into highways, we would have the best roads in the world.”