Blights on Broadway

ROYTON councillors Steve Bashforth and Marie Bashforth, and MP Jim McMahon met with residents concerned about traffic and noise on Broadway

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ROYTON politicians are taking on the plight of residents who have called for action on a busy road in the area.

Councillors Steve Bashforth, Marie Bashforth and Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon met with residents after they raised the issue of severe noise nuisance and traffic speeding on Broadway.

A local resident contacted them after years of raising the matter with highway bosses, explaining how years of disturbance from speeding cars and HGVs and its associated traffic noise had taken its toll.

Both councillors and Mr McMahon met with residents at Broadway to see first-hand the impact of road noise on local residents.

The site visit also highlighted other issues such as a number of flaws in the road surface, which caused the suspension of many vehicles to compress and rebound, only adding to the ongoing issue of road noise.

Councillor Steve Bashforth explained that the speed limit on the section of the road leading up to Shaw Road was reduced from 40mph to 30mph several years ago.

"The speed limit for the rest of the road is still at 40mph," Councillor Bashforth said.

"It's not so much with cars. It's heavy lorries going down to Salmon Fields.

Tremendous

"If it's early in the morning and a 40-tonne wagon comes along at 40mph, even it there's a little bump, the noise it makes is tremendous.

"This is a nightly thing, it's not limited to Broadway. It goes down to Shaw Road and into Shaw town centre.

"We put speed monitoring equipment on Shaw Road. There's a tendency for people to put their foot down.

"We can't stop wagons using the road ­- that's not our intention.

"We need to think of some way of making drivers think and slow down.

"The first is is to extend the 30mph limit all the way down to the Elk Mill roundabout.

"The second is to move the speed camera located near the entrance to the Ell Mill retail park.

"If we were allowed to relocate the camera, it would make people think twice, particularly in the early hours of the morning, about putting their foot down."

Councillor Bashforth said the council will contact Drive Safe Greater Manchester in order to get the speed camera moved, as well as taking up the matter with the council's highway department to iron out any flaws on the road surface.

Mr McMahon added: "The site visit with local councillors, residents and myself was a practical step forward to ensure that relevant measures are taken to address the issues.

"Progress on this matter is long overdue and with the support of councillors action will be taken."