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Road to Nowhere! Government Announces Funding of Bypass BBC
Announcement, 1st April 2003
Below is a three month snapshot (March to April 2002) of published articles relevant to traffic congestion in the area plus any news relevant to the proposed bypass. It is intended to highlight the problems suffered by residents and to provide an indication of how the road infrastructure has been badly managed. If you have filled in the petition and sent us your e-mail we will send you any updates via e-mail.
Campaign statistics We have received 125 petition forms supporting the campaign for better roads. The replies to the questions have been:
Comment from Tom Levitt MP following a briefing
meeting with roads minister David Jamieson on 8 January
2003 On February 11 a busload of people will come to deliver a petition to 10 Downing Street and meet a transport minister. MP blasts Tories over bypass Now Mr Levitt is optimistic the bypass and spur WILL be in place by 2007 - in five years time. He dismissed opponents to the scheme and warned that the case for the road still had to be argued if there was a public enquiry. He said: "The money for the Glossop Spur part of the project, which is almost entirely within Tameside rather than High Peak, is already earmarked." "Those who object to it locally are few but they are vocal; if an enquiry takes place they will be boosted by others from outside the area. We need to be prepared to argue our case." But Andrew Bingham, chairman of High Peak Conservative Association, and High Peak Borough Councilor hit back at the claims, saying they are not based on reality. He said "It is easy for Mr Levitt to say what he would or could have done after 1992. But we are now five years down the line from when he was elected as High Peak MP in 1997 and as yet there is nothing more than a vague promise of the Spur Road being started by 2007". Statement from Tom Levitt, Labour Member for High
Peak I lost and they won. And what happened then? A £22Bn roads programme evaporated and in 1994 the A57/A628 bypass was cancelled. In 1997, still committed to the road improvement, and standing alongside Derbyshire, High Peak and Tameside local authorities and the Peak National Park, I campaigned again for the road. Following the Labour victory, the road was reinstated to the longer term programme in 1999. Building a road on this scale is not straightforward and it has to be justified every step of the way. Because of the time since the cancellation, the process has had to start again from scratch. The formal initial consultation is now over and in a letter to me in January, the Highways Agency spoke confidently of being able to announce that the next step was about to start in the near future, hopefully this spring. The money for the Glossop Spur part of the project, which is almost entirely within Tameside rather than High Peak, is already earmarked. Even if a public enquiry is required, the campaign's aim of seeing the road in place by 2006/7 should be readily achievable. Those who object to it locally are few but they are vocal; if an enquiry takes place they will be boosted by others from outside the area. We need to be prepared to argue our case. This Government takes a very sensible view that you do not always solve problems by throwing concrete at them. New roads must be justified on environmental, social and economic grounds. I know that the Tintwistle Mottram bypass will survive the deepest scrutiny. I don't support every idea or campaign for new roads. I opposed the so-called Yellow Route for the A6 around New Mills in the mid-90s, for example. However, in this case I know that for the safety of people in Tintwistle, the economy of the whole of Glossopdale and the environment which we all share, this road is essential. I know that James Purnell, whose Stalybridge and Hyde constituency includes Mottram and Hollingworth agrees. And ministers are in no doubt of the strength of feeling of local people and their elected representatives. Letter Sent to Health and Safety Executive 17th March 2002 Health and Safety Executive Ref.IE020430 Following my letter of 24th February and your reply of 1st March it would seem that my worst fears have been realised and that the roadworks in Glossop may have contributed to the tragic death of a woman in Hadfield. I attach a copy of an article on the front page of the Glossop Chronicle on March 14th. I have not received any further correspondence from the HSE and I assume that you have investigated this matter? Irrespective, I would be grateful if you could inform me of what action will be taken as a result of this tragedy and also how such an incident will be prevented from recurring? As you will see from the location of the incident (Wharncliffe Close), the closed road at Woolley Lane resulted in a significant diversion for the ambulance attending to Anne Johnson. I look forward to your comments on this matter. Road works, traffic chaos, and some very serious
questions A local resident alerted the relevant local authorities about a possible tragedy before roadworks began. But he failed to get any answer about what precautions were being taken to allow ambulances through to Glossop from Tameside Hospital. Now the tragic death of a Hadfield woman last Sunday has brought the issue into the headlines. The ambulance crew had to go via the lengthy Tintwistle detour when attending the house fire in Wharncliffe Close, Hadfield, adding extra vital minutes. Dr. D'Emanuele, from Glossop said "I appreciate that United Utilities had to make these repairs, but I can not accept that it is done at the expense of the safety of local residents. Someone has to take responsibility for the Safety of Glossopdale residents. He had written to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) warning them of such problems, but despite being promised that enquiries would be made, had heard nothing. In his letter to the HSE (see below) Tony said "If there is an accident or major incident (Glossop has several industrial sites) that requires the transportation of Glossop residents/workers to an emergency hospital department, or access by fire/police vehicles, how will these services be able to access the area? A spokesman for the HSE said "We are aware of the problem and are talking to Dr. D'Emanuele and the various parties concerned about this matter. Health and Safety issues have to be balanced against the need for better water supply and a better drainage system." Just when you thought it could not get any worse That's the price of yet another set of roadworks, this time in Broadbottom, which coincide with the A57 chaos. Tameside Council began the major resurfacing work on the pavements and road through the village on Monday - despite the Woolley Lane works. To add to the motoring nightmare a vehicle hit a wall last Thursday on Long Lane, Charlesworth near Broadbottom Catholic Church demolishing part of it. And as the wall stops traffic descending a 30 foot drop into the river Derbyshire Highways have had to start emergency work to repair it to stop a fatal accident occuring. And on Monday morning fiasco descended into farce when a coach carrying soldiers on their way to exercises in Derbyshire got wedged on the narrow pack horse bridge. It took 30 minutes to move it. Angry businesses have accused Tameside Council of a complete failure of duty, asking why when there are 52 weeks in a year major roadworks are being carried out at the most two highly sensitive traffic routes into, and out of, Glossopdale in the same three week period. Driving instructor Tom Collier said that the council seemed to have taken the opportunity to "pile on" the grief. He said: "It seems to me that anyone in any planning department anywhere could not have failed more miserably than this lot we have to put up with." Shopkeepers in Broadbottom, who depend on passing trade, say takings have been down as much as one third on some days due to the roadworks. Tameside council admitted it had planned the Broadbottom resurfacing work for months in advance - as had United Utilities the work at Woolley Bridge. Dennis Smalley, head of Engineering Services at tameside Council said in theory the work on Lower market Street in Broadbottom should not have caused any increase in the congestion already there due to the Woolley Lane closure. "The council have planned the temporary traffic lights and work to take place from 9.15am to 4.15 pm outside the rush hour," he said. The problem in Broadbottom was due almost entirely, he said, to the Woolley Lane works. The roadworks were not the cause of the congestion in the village but the increased volume of traffic from Woolley Lane as drivers went via Broadbottom, not the "official" diversion through Tintwistle. He said: "The council have lobbied for two decades for the Glossop Spur and Mottram Bypass and any roadworks has a devestating effect on traffic in the area." Tragic death - roadworks caused vital delay in
ambulance time A Hadfield woman who was badly injured in a house fire tragically died from her injuries. The roadworks at Woolley Lane caused the ambulance to be delayed in getting to Hadfield to attend her. A spokesman from Greater Manchester Ambulance Service said "There are issues arising from the roadworks in Glossop, which we are currently pursuing with the local council. In this particular case we believe the roadworks contributed to the delay". Governemnt guidelines of eight minutes to respond to an emergency call - which is kept to in nearly all cases - was exceeded on this occasion. The Health and Safety Executive had been warned of the dangers of such a tragedy by a local resident, but took no action. The following letter was sent on the 24th February: 24th February 2002 Director Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing as I am extremely concerned by the disruption and likely safety issues arising from forthcoming road works in Hollingworth (Tameside Council) which involve the closure of one lane of Woolley Lane. The work is being undertaken by United Utilities and will last for three weeks from the 3rd March. A one-way system will operate with traffic being diverted via the A628 and Hadfield. As an example of the problems that are likely to be caused, United Utilities started work on separate road works on the 4th February which involved the use of temporary traffic lights at the junction of Woolley Lane and the A628. The consequence was that the area became gridlock. As an indication of the chaos that was caused, I attach a copy of the coverage in the local paper (Glossop Chronicle). Please note in particular the comments I have highlighted, including those from a representative of Glossop firefighters and the concerns of the police. I should also point out that the nearest hospital with an accident and emergency unit is in Ashton. I believe that we will see similar, if not worse disruption, when the road works commence on the 3rd March. I also believe there is an element of negligence involved with the disruption caused on the 4th February. To summarise my concerns, Glossop has a recognised problem with traffic congestion, and Woolley Lane is the main and only direct access road into the area. Any road works/disruption to traffic on this stretch of road is likely to cause gridlock in the area. If there is an accident or major incident (Glossop has several industrial sites) that requires the transportation of Glossop residents/workers to an emergency hospital department, or access by fire/police vehicles, how will these services be able to access the area? I understand from a colleague that Health and Safety Legislation protects residents in an area from the type of risk exposure as described above. Who is ultimately responsible for policing/monitoring situations such as these, and how is the legislation enforced? A further concern that I have is that United Utilities have had the works approved with full knowledge of the likely safety implications. I would ask that you investigate this matter as soon as possible (the road works are due to commence on the 3rd March) and I look forward to hearing from you in due course. Chaos all the way The day the rains came! It's Official - A628 one of the most dangerous roads
in Britain Following 18 months of work, the AA-led EuroRAP (European Road Assessment Programme) has given safety 'star ratings' to 833 major UK roads, and a further 2,000 in three other countries - the Netherlands, Sweden and Spain. The A628 was categorized as a high accident rate road and was rated as one of the worst roads in the UK (it ranked in the top 5% of dangerous roads and was the 5th most dangerous in the East Midlands). Experts from 13 European nations and four governments have so far co-operated on the project, designed to help the EU in its aim to halve the number of people who die on Europe's roads each year by the end of this decade. The death toll is currently 40,000 a year, equivalent to an airline disaster happening every day. Britain, despite the best safety record in Europe, still sees around 3,400 deaths a year. EuroRAP shows the safety performance of the routes in relation to the amount of traffic they carry, not just the number of accidents that happen on any given stretch. This gives an accurate picture of the true risk to drivers and other road users. Bypass - it's all coming together Sign warning of Woolley Lane closure returns Longdendale Siege Committee Report There was an upbeat mood at the Longdendale Siege Committee last Friday night. Staleybridge and Hyde MP James Parnell and I were there to join in a discussion on where things presently stand on the bypass issue. Last year the Highways Agency carried out a public consultation on attitudes towards the proposed bypass. Needless to say, they found a good majority in favour of it. Within the next couple of months, civil servants will present plans to the regional planning bodies. After that, ministers will decide whether a public enquiry is necessary. James and I will be trying to persuade them that it is not. The weight of support for the A57/A628 Mottram Tintwistle bypass is immense. All of the local councils - Derbyshire, High Peak, Tameside and the Peak Park - support it. The support of the Peak Park is vital. The criteria for allowing a road to be built are complex. They must have a net environmental benefit as well as social and economic ones, so the Park's support on environmental grounds is important. Even with a public enquiry, a final decision would be made in 2004 and construction would follow straight away. Money has already been allocated for the so-called Glossop spur, to join Woolley Bridge to the new road, but this will not be built by itself. The bypass will bring peace and safety to Tintwistle and an end to the Glossop logjams. By keeping the traffic moving, pollution will be reduced. Those present on Friday saw that progress was being made but appreciated that these decisions are not made overnight. But we are heading in the right direction. The great gridlock Why we must act to end this chaos Given the likely disruption that the roadworks were going to cause, you would have thought that perhaps the works would be undertaken on a 24 hour basis and during school holidays to minimise disruption? But instead the roadworks have commenced mid-winter, when driving conditions are at their worst. When Woolley Lane is partly closed (incidentally the sign warning of these roadworks was displayed on Friday the 11th January. It was subsequently removed some time on the 15th January and has not been on view since) then traffic in Glossop, Hadfield and Padfield will be gridlock. Given that Woolley Lane is under the control of Tameside it would appear that High Peak Council simply pass responsibility onto Tameside, who in turn would appear to have very little interest in the plight of Glossop residents. I contacted Mr Levitt on Monday (Labour Member for High Peak) and was informed that I was the only person to have brought the problems of these roadworks to his attention. I also contacted High Peak Council about the proposed road closures via their web site several weeks ago but did not get a reply! Unless we bring these problems to the attention of our elected Councillors/MP then nothing will be done. The only long term solution to the road problem in the area is the construction of the A57/A628 Bypass and the Glossop Spur. The poor road infrastructure has affected the local economy and made the life of residents a misery. Now is the time to make our voices heard, decisions are being made on the A57/A628 Bypass and the Glossop Spur at this very moment, and we must make it clear that we want these plans taken forward. If not we will once again be let down. We must put pressure on our elected members. I intend to start a campaign to make sure that our MP and Councillors are aware of the strong feeling for a real solution to the traffic problem, and the Glossop Chronicle have kindly agreed to publish details in due course. Meanwhile, contact your MP and local Councillors and make them aware of how you feel about the current roadworks and the poor road infrastructure in the area.
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