Cyclists have blasted Bolton Council after a second rider died in a fatal smash on a road where cycling safety measures were removed.
Residents voted to scrap 'orca wands' on Chorley New Road in Bolton in 2021, citing concerns over congestion and safety. But campaigners are now calling for other safety measures to be installed after two cyclists were killed in road traffic collisions on the road since May of this year.
Walk Ride Bolton called the online consultation that resulted in the removal of the measures 'weak and ambiguous', with protesters taking to social media to tell Bolton's councillors to 'own their mess' - but council bosses have pointed out that both fatalities were 'hit and run incidents' in parts of the road where orca wands were never in place.
Six months ago, on May 5, Lee Rayner was killed after being struck by a speeding driver who failed to stop at a red light. Earlier this month, on October 17, another cyclist was knocked down by a van in a hit and run on the same road. He has since sadly died in hospital.
Both cyclists lost their lives on the Chorley New Road corridor after residents voted to remove 'orca wands' that helped protect cyclists by segregating the cycle lanes from the highway. The scheme, which cost £275,000 from emergency government Covid funding, started in September 2020 with the removal of the previous substandard advisory cycle lane and maintenance and patching work. Orca wands were then installed along the road.
But some residents complained that the wands caused congestion, as vehicles had more difficulty undertaking than before if another vehicle was stopped and waiting to turn right. In the consultation, 68 per cent of those surveyed said they were unhappy with the scheme - but Walk Ride Bolton has slammed the consultation as 'short, very weak, and ambiguous'.
Bolton Council said the safety of all road users is their 'top priority', but that both fatal collisions occurred at junctions where orca wands were never in place.
Campaign group Walk Ride Bolton have hit back, saying the council need to be 'more ambitious' in their plans for cycle space, and that the orca wand plan 'could have protected people cycling on Bolton's roads'.
"In recent years, our Council Exec has cancelled, delayed or watered down scheme after scheme that could have protected people cycling on Bolton's roads," a spokesperson told the M.E.N. "This includes a scheme to put protected cycleways on Chorley New Road, which was removed before it was even completed on the basis of a short, very weak and ambiguous online consultation in which only a tiny part of the Borough's population participated.
"Six years on from the publication of Chris Boardman's ambitious plan for walking and cycling in Greater Manchester, "Made to Move", Bolton still has less than half a mile of protected cycleway that even comes close to meeting the national guidance issued in Local Transport Note 1/20.
"If we are to encourage walking and cycling for short journeys whilst preventing tragedies like the recent one as well as the deaths of Lee Rayner six months ago, we need the council to be far more ambitious in implementing the road space reallocation to walking and cycling that has been required of local authorities by the government since May 2020."
A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “Every fatal accident is a tragedy, and the safety of all road users is always our top priority.
“The council is committed to promoting active travel and we are delivering a number of schemes designed to make our road network safer for cyclists. The Orca Wands were installed on Chorley New Road during the Covid-19 pandemic, using the government’s Emergency Active Travel Fund, which sought to deliver active travel schemes with public consultation to follow.
“A consultation exercise was held in Spring 2021, during which 68% of respondents said they were unhappy with the scheme. However, the council has committed to support future Active Travel Schemes, subject to full consultation taking place before implementation.
“Many accidents involving cyclists occur at junctions and we urge drivers to be considerate of other road users at all times. Following any serious accident, we work closely with Greater Manchester Police to understand what has happened and how we may reduce the risk of serious injury or fatality in the future.”
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