Road safety move at crash blackspot

Major road safety improvements at a notorious accident blackspot are set to be discussed.

The proposed works are along Milnrow Road, Shaw, between the junction of Smallbrook Road and the borough boundary with Rochdale.

A total of 31 accidents have been recorded on this section of road, resulting in 48 casualties, in the last five years alone.

The past three years have seen 15 accidents reported with six resulting in serious or fatal injury.

Experts propose to tackle the problem with a range of new safety measures.

These include:

l Improved bend signage between the Jubilee public house and the boundary with Rochdale.

l Improved signage for side roads such as Buckstones Road.

l Extending the existing waiting restrictions.

l Two vehicle-activated signs to slow vehicles down near the railway bridge between Bridge Street and Smallbrook Road.

l Changes to the centre line road markings and visibility improvements.

Priority

l Improved pedestrian crossing facilities near Smallbrook Road, including a footway build-out to slow traffic down.

l Improved visibility near the Milnrow Road/Buckstones Road junction by asking residents to remove foliage in front gardens.

Detailed letters about the proposals have been sent to local residents asking for their comments.

A public information event will take place at St James’s Parish Rooms, St James Street, Shaw, on Thursday (6.15-9.15pm).

Plans showing the entire scheme will be on display at Crompton Library, Farrow Street East, during the consultation period.

Councillor Mark Alcock, Cabinet member for the environment and infrastructure, said: “Making our communities safer is a top priority for Oldham Council.

“These detailed new plans were prompted by a number of isolated and tragic incidents.

“We actively try to do all we can as an authority to reduce the number of road accidents and our approach to this has been comprehensive — examining and assessing the potential effectiveness of every safety option that we can implement.”

He added: “These are only proposals at this stage and it is vital that we get feedback from residents in order to complete a final design that properly reflects the community’s input and needs.”