Blackley residents are campaigning for safer pedestrian access on "nightmare" junctions in Blackley. The campaign was set up by WalkRide Blackley, a sub-group of WalkRide Greater Manchester, a movement to make walking and cycling more popular across Greater Manchester.
WalkRide Blackley has written an open letter to the councillors of Charlestown and Blackley, asking for improved pedestrian access on the busy T-junction of Rochdale Road and Charlestown Road, as well as the junction of Old Market Street and Middleton Old Road.
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The group said it becomes "intimidating and dangerous" for pedestrians to "slip through" while waiting to cross the junctions. The residents are also calling for a professional review of the area, to make the roads safer for children and vulnerable road users.
In the open letter, the residents write: "As residents of Higher Blackley and Charlestown wards, we kindly ask you to consider to improve pedestrian access from Blackley Village; namely, Old Market Street towards Rochdale Road/ Boggart Hole Clough and the Bus Stop Charlestown Road.
"Along this above-mentioned route, pedestrians have to cross busy roads at least three times – of which two crossings are neither designated nor protected.
"We kindly ask you to professionally review the safety, functionality and accessibility for pedestrians of all ages and abilities and improve footpaths and road crossings accordingly."
Antje Timmermann, a mum from Blackley and member of WalkRide Blackley, described how the campaign started.
She told the M.E.N: "Myself and parents from my child's primary school were talking about how we will soon be sending our kids to high school, so they will be out walking by themselves. We want to have peace of mind, knowing that our children are safe when they are walking. We went door-knocking and collected signatures for the open letter.
" A lot of dog walkers and elderly people said they don’t feel confident about crossing the road. People were pleasantly surprised that we as a group are doing something about it.
"The whole area, from Old Market Street to Middleton Old Road and Charlestown Road- is very big. It’s intimidating. If you're crossing at the bottom Charlestown Road and you have a child in each of your hands, you have to keep swivelling your head around, because cars are coming from four different directions.
"There's no lights for pedestrians and no button to press. The only alternative is to walk all the way across Rochdale Road and go down the steps leading to Middleton Old Road. It can be awkward, especially for people pushing prams. It’s intimidating for any healthy adult to look around for cars. We need drivers to be aware of children and pedestrians of all ages and abilities, who need to be safe and comfortable when walking around."
Antje feels "positive" that the Council will take action to improve pedestrian access in the area.
Antje continued: "Any specific requests might bring other problems to the area, so we need traffic planners to professionally review the situation and bring it up to modern standards.
"We've contacted the councillors from Charlestown, Higher Blackley and Harpurhey so that they can look at all three wards at the same time.
" I am very optimistic that we have started a conversation and we will hand in the open letter on the 28th of March.
"We have left a signature list at the Lakeside Cafe at the Boggart Hole Clough, so if anyone wants to go there and sign their name, they can do so until Saturday 26th of March."
The T-junction on Rochdale Road has been criticised for having an island crossing that may not be big enough for wheelchair users.
Joanne Birtles, whose daughter uses a wheelchair, said: "T he junction is not very wheelchair accessible. I t gives you about eight seconds to cross, but by the time you’ve taken the brake off the wheelchair and you go to set off, the lights have already changed before you get across. It's a nightmare. T he middle crossing is not big enough when I'm p ushing my daughter in her wheelchair. I end up rolling her onto the back wheels to get up the crossing."
"We need more effective pedestrian crossings and proper dropped kerbs on both sides of the road."
Joanne also said that Rochdale Road could cause problems for pedestrians with medical issues.
She continued: "The pedestrian crossing doesn’t even beep, so anyone with sight problems won’t know if it’s time to cross. I lost some of my eyesight and my hearing through a seizure and I rely on the beeping more than I do with looking, because flashing lights set my seizures off. So with all the trucks going past, I tend to look down a lot. But if it’s not beeping, you don’t know when to cross."
Steven Coupe said: "This junction is useless if you’re disabled. My brother was in a wheelchair, so he would have struggled. We know it’s really busy here. I f it’s been raining, when I walk, with the traffic and lights, you have to be careful, especially when you don't know what's coming out of the drains."
Janine Holdhouse added: " The junction is not very good, is it? If you’re crossing and you're disabled or walking with a pram, that would be rubbish. There should be a button to press to cross the road. It could do with an upgrade.."
A spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: "The Council will be introducing some safety improvements in the wider area along Charlestown Road which will be taking place as part of the Local Community Safety Schemes and the School Improvement programme."
Councillor John Farrell, Labour Councillor for Higher Blackley, said: “Higher Blackley Ward councillors are aware of the campaign by local residents for safer crossings, and are fully supportive. Although the junction of Rochdale Road and Charlestown Road is just outside our ward, it is quite confusing for walkers and cyclists to negotiate in order to access Boggart Hole Clough, and currently lacks safe refuges for anyone trying to get across.
"We very much look forward to seeing our residents’ suggestions in more detail, and will be working with them, neighbouring ward councillors and Council officers to develop a firm plan for action”.
For more information about the open letter, visit WalkRide Blackley on Facebook or Twitter.
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