Cannot track down a story about the M61 on the Bolton News site.
OK .. it's an update on the inquest into the last Jay-walking incident on the M61 motorway. I do not understand how this man "wandered on to the motorway" because of where he was actually hit.. at the point where the the bridge of the main A572 road to Bolton crosses the motorway. A residential road runs parallel to it.. and when I recently drove along this stretch .. I could not see how he could have just "wandered onto the carriageway" to be bluntly honest.
The young man had been out with his mates in Bolton's club land and decided to walk home alone. Allegedly .. he went on to a night club in nearby Farnworth.
Just after 4.30 am.. the man was seen by THREE motorists staggering along the hard shoulder of the motorway.. and walking into the carriageway..
Before they could alert anyone.. the man was hit by a lorry moments later..
The lorry driver told the inquest
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He braked and swerved but could not avoid the young man.
The 23 year old died instantly from multiple injuries...
Accident investigators told the inquest that the lorry
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was not speeding.
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The lorry was travelling at between 44 mph and 56 mph per the tacho prior to this collision and that the young man was in the middle of the nearside lane
The court heard that the young man loved his job as a welder... was a keen footballer and an ardent Man U supporter.
But even so.. he was a local lad, knew the motorway was there and I do not think that easy to just "wander by accident" at the point where he was killed - even it he was a bit more worse for wear from his night out.
However, there have been calls to light up the M61 since five pedestrians have been killed on this motorway since 2000 (and the bulk of them within the last two years..
) Allegedly the motorway.. once one of the "safest" prior to scamerati on bridges .. has suffered 135 collisions since 2003.
The deaths have been blamed on the lack of lighting. There are lights beyond the Worsley Road bridge towards the link-up with the A580 and M60.
The young man's mother claims her son would be alive now if there had been lighting.
Sadly.. he was hit by a lorry. His act of being on this motorway could have caused that driver to lose control with even more carnage
The court heard that the human eye takes several minutes to adjust to the change in lighting and that drivers do not have the time to react to pedestrians on the motorway ..within the distance illuminated by dipped headlights (which is why they should be prosecuted for jay-walking in any case
)
The court heard that the Highways Agency claimed it was
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difficult to keep pedestrians from walking across this motorway at J5 in particular
I agree. Higher fencing .. instead of basic two planks of wood nailed together .. at a height which one can vault across without needing to be an athlete.. might be a solution
The Highways Agency engineer told the court that lighting was not the solution to the pedestrian danger .. despite the number of accidents of this nature increasing at this stretch over the past two years.
(I did read following the death of the 17 year old .. that the local youngsters see crossing this motorway as a rightful "short cut" 
)The engineer told the court that there had not been enough accidents to justify the expense and that the agency was, in fact , looking at re-inforced fencing and CCTV...
It seems GMP have been repeatedly asking the Highways Agency to do something for the past FIVE years to prevent this straying cult which has apparently surfaced amongst the local kids.
The coroner commented that the Agency's attitude of little action depsite requests did not reflect well on them and recorded her disappointment over the refusal to light up the motorway as she recorded an "'accidental' death".
However, I think the only way to stop these incidents is to
1. Police School Liaison Officers should hammer home the danger of jay-walking on any road .. especially a fast one to all the school kids.
2. Actually PROSECUTE anyone walking on the motorway .. as it is illegal and a darned sight more dangerous than straying marginally over the speed lolly
3. Fence off this motorway PROPERLY around J4 to J6. Even dig a big trench on each side of the high fence.
4. Try to educate folk that getting too drunk to function properly is not such a good night out after all
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