It's 8.20am on a Thursday morning. Students are walking, cars are queueing and parents are panicking as the lights turn green at the junction from 'hell'.
Surrounded by five schools, local residents say this turning by Chorlton Park is 'chaos' every morning, afternoon and on match days at Old Trafford. Cars are bumper-to-bumper on Nell Lane where the roadway meets Mauldeth Road West - made up of four lanes of traffic with trams travelling right through the middle.
Chorlton High School, Hough End Hall Academy and Loreto High School are all on Nell Lane, right next to the junction, alongside a Sure Start children's centre which shares the same narrow road. Meanwhile, Chorlton Primary School and CHS South are both located on the busy dual carriageway, less than 1km apart.
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Teachers - who estimate that there are more than 5,000 young people using these roads every day - say they have had to 'leap out' to pull children away from potential collisions while on patrol. They speak of numerous near misses at the 'dangerous' junction and a few almost fatal incidents on nearby roads.
Back in May 2021, a 12-year-old boy from one of the schools was left with life-threatening injuries after he was hit while crossing Barlow Moor Road. On the same day, another student was involved in a car accident by the school entrance.
Headteachers, parents and local residents have been calling for better road safety measures for years. But now, they are worried things will get worse.
Plans for a new Lidl on the corner of the two roads have caused alarm amid fears that the supermarket will attract more traffic to the area. Meanwhile, it is feared that changes to other roads in Chorlton - including a ban on right turns at two sections of Barlow Moor Road as a new cycleway is introduced - will divert more drivers to Nell Lane.
"It's like throwing gasoline on the fire," one parent who lives on the busy street explains. "I don't want to be saying 'we told you so' when I'm burying my son."
Plans for a discount foodstore in the area - which is currently described as a 'food desert' with only expensive corner shops available - have been welcomed by many locally. Schools also agree that there is a need for a 'budget supermarket' in Chorlton.
But in a rare move, two local schools have formally objected to the planning application, which was considered by councillors in Manchester last month. Loreto High School headteacher Catherine Hughes says road safety in the area has been a 'major concern' of hers since she took over seven years ago.
"The schools haven't even started yet and it's already back to back," she says of the traffic, standing by the junction on a Thursday morning. She describes the many near misses in which she and her staff have had to step in to save their students.
The headteacher wants to encourage more students to cycle to school, she explains, but she is concerned about their safety on roads which residents describe as 'dangerous'.
Meanwhile, Chorlton High School headteacher Zoe Morris is also concerned about the impact that traffic on these roads is having on students.
"There are over 5,000 children and young people accessing their schools each day via this route," she says of the junction. "Our concerns are specifically about the risks that are posed to these young people, primarily in terms of their physical safety, and secondly from the risk of an increase in air pollution."
Speaking at a planning committee meeting last month, local councillors said that, working with the schools, they have been campaigning to improve road safety in the area. But the plans for a new Lidl have 'divided opinion' locally.
They called for specific measures to be put in place should the development go ahead, including for the store to contribute towards school crossing patrols. However, the committee deferred its decision, opting to visit the site itself.
One member of the committee, Lib Dem councillor John Leech, also raised concerns about changes to nearby roads adding traffic to the junction. The final phase of the Manchester to Chorlton walking and cycleway will see a ban on cars turning right on Barlow Moor Road to Sandy Lane or Wilbraham Road.
Coun Leech said at a recent town hall meeting that he was told by council bosses that there would be no extra traffic on Nell Lane as a result of these changes, adding that he didn't believe them.
"It's absolutely barking what we're doing," he told a meeting of the council's executive the day before the planning committee met. "To suggest that the highways modelling says there's not going to be any impact on traffic on Nell Lane - well, I'm sorry - the modelling is just not worth the paper it's written on."
Local residents say that Nell Lane has already become a 'bypass' for Chorlton. Objectors to the Lidl scheme include Graham of St Werburgh's Road who describes Nell Lane as the road with 'least resistance'.
Meanwhile, fellow objector Nicola, who also lives locally, says she has had 'really positive discussions' with her councillors about the changes planned in the area. "We want to make this a place where kids can cycle and walk," she said. "But this is counterproductive."
Chorlton Park's three Labour councillors say they are looking forward to the completion of the walking and cycling route which should be ready by the end of autumn. Speaking on their behalf, Dave Rawson said that traffic surveys have been carried out at junctions which may be affected, including this one.
These surveys identify the current flow of traffic on the junctions along Barlow Moor Road and other nearby roads so comparisons can be made, he explained. Once the scheme is complete, traffic will be monitored and if there is evidence of negative impacts, measures can be put in place to resolve them, he added.
"As ward councillors we have been involved in many detailed meetings with the design team and highways officers to raise issues on behalf of residents and to try and get a scheme which will make it safer to walk and cycle in Chorlton," Coun Rawson said on behalf of his Labour colleagues. "We will continue to work with the team to make sure that the scheme is a success."
Addressing concerns about Mauldeth Road West and Nell Lane at the planning committee meeting on February 16, council chief Des Jones revealed that the junction is due for an upgrade by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). He explained that a 'smarter' system that deals with traffic flows will be installed.
The town hall boss confirmed that a road safety audit had been carried out and said that TfGM considered the planning application for a new Lidl acceptable. Representing the supermarket, Jonathan Harper of property and planning consultants Rapleys described the development as a 'significant investment' by Lidl which would boost the local economy and create up to 40 new jobs.
He said the location of the store - which would replace the former Lowry House office block last used as a temporary site for a school - would allow customers to walk, cycle or use public transport rather than drive there.
Manchester council would not comment on the planning application, which will be considered at a future committee meeting. However, commenting on the extension of the Manchester to Chorlton walking and cycleway, a council spokesperson said this is not expected to result in extra traffic on Nell Lane.
They said: "Extensive traffic modelling has been carried out by TfGM as part of the design process for the Manchester to Chorlton Cycleway. Based on this we are not anticipating increased traffic flow through Nell Lane once this project is over, however ongoing monitoring will take place once upon completion.
“Whilst we appreciate some disruption will take place over the course of the works these upgrades are vital for the future wellbeing of Manchester residents. The Council must take bold steps if walking, wheeling and cycling are to become the first choice for our residents.
"These choices are not easy, but we believe that they will benefit all of our residents, and the prioritisation of walking, wheeling and cycling is overwhelmingly the best direction for Manchester."
A Lidl spokesperson said: "We would like to reassure the community that safety is of paramount importance to us and we have been working closely with Manchester City Council to ensure that all necessary safety and accessibility requirements are in place. This includes a number of measures, such as safety bollards on Nell Lane and increased cycle parking provisions.
"Additionally, we have revised the site boundary to further enhance pedestrian safety. We look forward to welcoming councillors to the site to help alleviate any concerns, and we eagerly await a decision from the council in due course."
Manchester council's planning committee will meet on Thursday, March 16.
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