Letter in Bolton Paper December 2006 wrote:
Traffic lights
By Readers' Letter
WELL done to whoever authorised the siting of traffic lights at the junction of Deane Road and Hulton Lane.
Hooray at last, we can go down to this junction walking or driving, and not fear for our lives.
A lot of older people, including myself, really do appreciate this.
Three months later on .. we read this in the Bolton Paper
following article which appears below and which does not seem to echo the above reader's opinion wrote:
New traffic lights ‘put pedestrians in danger'
By Saiqa Chaudhari
MOTORIST taking short cuts to avoid a new set of traffic lights are causing misery for residents in nearby roads.
Homeowners in Deane say lives of children are being put at risk.
Drivers are using back streets to avoid the lights recently installed at the junction of Hulton Lane and Wigan Road to improve traffic flow.
Local resident Geoff Pollitt, aged 66, said: "This area is well populated and there are a lot of children who play in the back streets and people who walk through them to the nearby shops.
"But motorists are using them like normal roads and travel at some speed.
"Some of these back roads have blind turnings and drivers can't see properly when they are coming out.
JOIN THE DEBATE
Are you affected by the new traffic lights at the junction of Wigan Road and Hulton Lane, Bolton? - Post your comments below
"The motorists are making it dangerous for pedestrians.
"Action needs to be taken now before there is an accident, not after.
"Simple measures could stop the cars from travelling down the streets, such as pedestrian friendly barriers or no entry signs."
The roads affected are Back Wigan Road, Back Hulton Street, Patterson Street and Deane Church Lane.
A motorist who uses the short cut, said: "The traffic lights have done nothing to improve the flow of cars at peak times in Wigan Road.
"If anything, they have added to an already unacceptable situation on one of the main arterial routes into Bolton.
"I sympathise with the residents, but using the short cut can take anything up to five minutes off a journey time."
Bolton Council's highways department said the traffic lights were installed following public consultation, but added that officers were aware of the problem and were looking into the concerns of the residents.
A spokesman for the council said: "We have been undertaking traffic surveys and investigations.
"We have been in discussions with ward members and residents and we are developing some proposals to prevent rat-running, which we will be sending out for consultation shortly."
I bet the 140 or so in the other survey regarding the ring road may also change their minds in a few month's time
Perhaps more long term planning and application of common sense rather than quick fix which fails to deliver
and this does not apply to Bolton which is just an example of widespread daftness
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