Work starts on road safety scheme

WORK is underway on a scheme to increase safety and improve the environment on roads in Ashton and Stalybridge.

The Stamford Drive to Granville Street scheme aims to reduce the volume and speed of traffic on residential streets as well as promoting walking and cycling by providing a new safe crossing of the B6431 Clarence Street.

A significant number of vehicles currently reroute along residential streets to avoid traffic signals on the main A635 Stamford Street, between Ashton and Stalybridge.

Frederick Street will be permanently closed to motorised vehicles and a new signalised crossing will be installed on Clarence Street.  This will provide a direct, quiet route for pedestrians and cyclists to access between Ashton and Stalybridge.

Extensive consultation was carried out to give residents an opportunity to help improve the scheme. An 18-month pilot study involving closing Currier Lane to motorised vehicles was also well received by residents in the area.

The work is being funded by a grant from the Mayor’s Challenge Fund and will take approximately three months to complete.

Disruption will be kept to a minimum. To complete the work as safely and efficiently as possible the following temporary road closures will be required, with access maintained for residents, deliveries and refuse collections:

• Clarence Street: closed to general traffic between Whitelands Road and the A635 from 14 October for approximately five weeks.
• Stamford Drive: closed to general traffic at the junction with Clarence Street from 14 October for approximately eight weeks. Planters will be temporarily removed to enable traffic to access Stamford Drive from Rassbottom Street.

A Tameside Council spokesperson said: “This scheme will increase safety and create a more pleasant environment on these roads, encouraging our residents to walk and cycle if they choose to do so and reducing pollution.

“While there will be some inevitable disruption, we will keep it to a minimum and undertake the work as quickly and efficiently as possible so that residents can soon benefit from the improvements.”

The project is part of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund, which is being used to establish the Bee Network, a 1,800 mile route connecting every neighbourhood and community across the city region. Once complete it will be the longest, integrated, planned network in the country.

For more details and to see the latest plans, visit www.tameside.gov.uk/mcf/stamforddrive