JUST how long will it be before some action is taken to end the traffic chaos around Radcliffe centre?

The relief road, Pilkington Way, has been open almost ten years. All it has succeeded in achieving is to shift the traffic queues from one location to another, and force local businesses to close because there is little passing trade.

Even on the busiest day of the week, the shopping precinct is almost deserted. The market is a shadow of its former self, and the only profit-making organisation seems to be Asda.

The traffic hold-up in Radcliffe is, and always has been, at the town hall and not in the shopping centre.

There is no alternative for the traffic other than to use Water Street. At peak times this bottleneck can produce queues stretching back to Stopes Road roundabout in a westerly direction, and to Stand Lane in the east. The problems become even more acute when road works occur on this short stretch. Local residents have all witnessed this (usually on a Saturday morning).

At peak times, early in the morning or late at night, drivers approaching Radcliffe centre may well have to stop at every traffic light, six in all, between Stand Lane and Ainsworth Road.

I am sure that these lights could be phased better, favouring the through traffic a little more. The minor roads which connect to Pilkington Way, near to the pool, the Asda junction and the link with Outwood Road - do not carry the same weight of traffic and should have reduced "go" times to improve traffic flow.

The original relief road plan, drawn up in the early seventies, diverted traffic away from the centre to link up with Bolton Road, somewhere near to Cams Lane School. Unfortunately, this idea was shelved, to be replaced by the "watered down" version which we have today.

CLIVE INGRAM

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