Cycle lane axed over 'catastrophic delays' fears

Plans to build a cycle lane on a busy main road have been scrapped over concerns of "catastrophic delays" for local residents.

Liverpool Road in Salford, a major road for lorries accessing Junction 11 of the M60 which is known as Peel Green Interchange, had been the proposed location for an "active travel" highway.

It would have reduced the road layout from three lanes to two, with single lanes in each direction.

Councillor Mike McCusker confirmed during a public meeting that the idea had been shelved after a backlash from residents, with 3,000 people signing a petition opposing the plans.

The plans were drawn up by the council after "longstanding requests" from residents about having problems turning into side roads across three lanes of traffic.

Liverpool Road is a key route from Irlam and Cadishead towards Eccles, the M60 at Junction 11, and Salford city centre.

A four-week trial was held in 2022 where the middle lane on the road was removed, and a survey found this added 30 seconds to journey times between Barley Farm and Peel Green roundabout.

But there were claims that drivers who used the road during the trial were left "queuing for an hour" to leave the area during busy times.

The petition raised fears about traffic levels as well as the potential impact of heavy goods vehicles using the road to get to the motorway.

Council officers in Salford had previously recommended the scheme should not be approved, "given the volume of negative responses, coupled with lack of supporting responses for the scheme from the local community".

Two residents spoke against the plans at the meeting, along with some local councillors.

One resident said the trial in 2022 caused "havoc" on Liverpool Road with long queues of traffic in the area.

They added: "To reduce the capacity of the road by 50% would cause catastrophic delays and misery for all residents concerned."

Councillor Lewis Nelson said the road was a "significant route for the wider road network" and that Irlam and Cadishead suffered from extra traffic during motorway incidents.

The Labour councillor added: "Please side with the thousands of residents whose lives would be made significantly worse with the lane reductions."

Weighing up the proposals, Labour's McCusker said Greater Manchester "needs to see a real shift" in transport methods, stressing that fewer cars on the roads benefits everyone.

But he agreed not to approve it in light of the concerns raised.

However, Harry Gray, from the active travel campaign group Walk Ride GM, had urged the council to stand by its plans ahead of the meeting.

He said: "Councils need to understand that delivering these schemes is popular in the long run once we get over the hill of hysteria.

"When Greater Manchester's population goes up by a million what will people do? It will only get worse, and that's why politicians have to make difficult decisions."

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