Andrew Garner

Overnight work is due on Bury Metrolink line. Residents are being advised of overnight work taking place on the Metrolink line running to Bury next week.

Work is expected to take place overnight at a number of stops along the line between Sunday 1 November and Friday 6 November while the trams are not running. Work is anticipated on the following dates:

Crumpsall – 1 November
Bowker Vale – 2 November
Heaton Park – 2 and 3 November
Prestwich – 3 November
Besses o’ th’ Barn – 4 November
Whitefield – 4 November
Radcliffe – 5 November
Bury – 5 and 6 November
Woodlands Road – 6 November

Metrolink aims to keep any disturbance caused by the work down to a minimum.

Anyone with any queries can contact the Metrolink team on 0161 244 1555 during office hours or email future.metrolink@gmpte.gov.uk. Anyone who wishes to report issues or incidents relating to the work should call 0161 205 2000

The Council is consulting on a proposed new traffic safety zone and 20mph area art the southern end of Heywood Road.

The area covered includes the bottom of Heywood Road, from the Rectory Lane mini-roundabout to the junction with Scholes Lane. It also includes the Park View Road as a 20mph zone, through to its junction with Bury New Road. The scheme includes four sets of “raised cushions” along Heywood Rosd (perhaps similar to those on Whittaker Lane). North of the Rectory Lane roundabout it is proposed to have some speed reduction signage and other features, but not to make this a 20mph zone or to have physical restrictions.

The area has been identified as a dangerous area for accidents, particularly because of the amount of school traffic that uses the area, particularly Park View Primary, but also there are walking routes to other schools.

The full consultation letter is here. The deadline for comments is 20 November 2009. The report of the consultation will come to the Prestwich Local Area Partnership in January 2010.

Please get in touch with your local Councillors if you have any other comments, ideas or concerns.

The Council is consulting on some significant improvements to the junction on Bury New Road and Hilton Lane/Scholes Lane.

Local Lib Dem Councillors with Parliamentary Candidate Vic D’Albert

Why are the works being carried out?
Following receipt of a petition handed in by your local Lib Dem Councillors from local residents in March 2007 investigations have been carried out to assess the feasibility of installing controlled pedestrian crossing facilities within the Bury New Road / Scholes Lane / Hilton Lane junction, Prestwich.

Pedestrian surveys have found that large numbers of school children cross the junction travelling to and from school particularly across the north arm of the A56 Bury New Road.

In the period from April 2004 to March 2007, 13 road traffic accidents were recorded at the junction, resulting in 25 casualties. 1 of these was recorded as a serious injury accident with the remainder recorded as slight injury accidents. This was the highest number of collisions reported at any site in the Borough.

What’s happening?
Assessment of the existing junction capacity found that it is insufficient to provide controlled pedestrian crossing facilities on all arms without major widening works. It is therefore proposed to provide controlled crossing facilities on the two arms of the junction which have the highest pedestrian flows, namely Bury New Road north and Scholes Lane arms (see
the plan on the attached leaflet).

In order to achieve this localised widening of the existing junction at its south west quadrant is required. To facilitate this a small pocket of Barnfield Park land has been appropriated as Highway.

The works include refurbishment of the existing carriageway and footways within the junction, construction of a retaining wall, tree felling and new landscaping to Barnfield Park.

When will the works begin and how long will they last?
The civil engineering highway works are planned to commence on 25th October 2009 with completion anticipated in April 2010.

The works will mainly be carried out Monday to Friday; however some works including the carriageway surfacing and tree felling will be carried out at weekends.

Inevitably the works will create disruption for local residents and road users, however Bury Council will
endeavour to keep this to a minimum.

CONTACT DETAILS FOR ENQUIRIES AND COMPLAINTS
If you experience any problems with the construction works then please contact us.
During office hours 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday:
Mr Peter Stokes on 0161 253 5791
If you would like to discuss the principal of the scheme in more detail please contact us.
During office hours 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday:
Mr Ken Asquith on 0161 253 5809
Email: engcon@bury.gov.uk
In an emergency out of the above hours on: 0161 253 6606

Please contact your local councillors if you have other questions, comments or ideas on this scheme.

Passengers in the west and north of Greater Manchester are being warned of further disruptions to First Bus services on Monday, due to ongoing industrial action.

The union for First Bus drivers is continuing with strike action planned for Monday 19 October, which will affect services operating from depots in Bolton, Bury and Wigan.

First Bus will be operating half hourly services on the 37 (between Bolton and Swinton Civic only), 471 (between Bolton and Bury only), 507, 524 and 540 (between Bolton and Westhoughton, Washacre only), and these services will be free to use.

GMPTE is advising passengers to explore alternative travel options on the day and to expect demand on the services listed above and on services provided by other operators, as well as on trains and trams, to be significantly greater.

Staff will be on hand across the network to advise passengers, notices will be placed on affected bus stops and stations.

Dedicated school services will not be affected. Details of which First services will and will not run, together with – where appropriate – services that will be provided by alternative operators, will be available from www.gmpte.com.

Information about public transport services in Greater Manchester is also available by calling Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 (Calls cost 10p a minute. Mobile and landline networks may charge more. Lines are open from 7am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and from 8am to 8pm at weekends.)

Details are also available from www.firstgroup.com or by calling First’s Customer Careline helpdesk on 0845 788 1155 and selecting option two.

Queries relating to SystemOne tickets should be sent in writing to Customer Services, SystemOne Travelcards, c/o GMPTE, 2 Piccadilly Place, Manchester, M1 3BG.