Hill Stores hotspot is up the junction

STILL rammed . . . councillors Lynne Thompson, Linda Dawson and Jackie Stanton at the trouble spot on Huddersfield Road

TRAFFIC at the Hill Stores junction is still proving a pain for commuters — despite the temporary scrapping of bus lanes.

Campaigners from Waterhead and St James have requested urgent action by Oldham Council to deal with the build-up of vehicles on Huddersfield Road.

The congestion hotspot still raises concerns following temporary measures implemented last year which included suspending bus lanes and changing the traffic-lights sequence.

Waterhead councillor, Linda Dawson, said: “We were assured almost a year ago this situation would be investigated and a solution found.

“It should be a straightforward task to deal with the sequencing of the traffic lights and find the necessary funding for repainting the almost-invisible road markings.

“This also has nothing to do with the congestion around Mumps.”

A bus lane was introduced back in 2005 to the Oldham-bound side of Huddersfield Road, from Hill Stores to Cross Street to help bus services bypass general traffic — a stretch of road already seen as having a traffic problem — especially during rush-hour.

Councillor Dave Hibbert, Cabinet member for housing, regeneration and transport, said the council’s highways team are open to reassessment of the traffic measures to obtain the “best balance” for road users.