Chester Rd Planning Application Withdrawn
Hazel Grove Ward Liberal Democrats
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Roads Investment Big Bang
Remembrance done differently this year.
Chester Rd Planning Application Withdrawn
Roads Investment Big Bang
Remembrance done differently this year.
Hazel Grove A6 One of Most Congested in the Country
by jontwigge on 10 February, 2018
In a new report the A6 through Hazel Grove is again shown to be one of the most congested stretches of road in the country. This time, only seven roads across the whole of the country, other than London, are worse.
The average total number of hours people waste stuck in the traffic through Hazel Grove is 32 hours a year !
The total cost to the UK for all the queueing in 2017 was £37.7 billion.
The A6 to M60 Road would connect with the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road
Cllr Jon Twigge said, “The proposed A6 to M60 road would completely bypass most of the congested stretch of the A6 transforming the centre of Hazel Grove and allowing us to regenerate the town much more easily.”
More details from the report for the UK are at: http://inrix.com/press-releases/scorecard-2017-uk/
11 Comments
I have lived and worked in this area for 70 years and for much of that time I’ve been aware of plans to bypass the Hazel Grove area. In fact I believe proposals have existed for longer than that.
In my time traffic congestion and pollution levels have increased. It has cost the public hours of their time and the local economy millions of pounds.
The solution is simple, create alternative transport routes.
The route from the A6 to Bredbury is not agreed, rail journeys haven’t improved in years, public transport has suffered because of the congestion and whilst the rest of the Greater Manchester region get the Metro none is proposed in this area.
All our local and national politicians say they will make changes and improve things well you’ve all failed and failed spectacularly.
It’s high time the talking stopped and someone took a grasp of this problem otherwise the legacy we are leaving future generations is awful.
I am told this was first talked about in 1929 !
Personally, I think austerity has gone too far and we are seeing the results now.
I agree with Mr Wood, to not complete the bypass to the M60 would be the most damaging decision any council could make, or avoid making.
As far as i can tell, given party politics makes it difficult to tell for sure, most Stockport councillors agree with the bypass in principle. That is of course subject to evidence from any studies going forward – including the environmental ones – but we then need to be successful in getting the hundreds of millions of required to build it, most to come from the government and some from Greater Manchester.
Isn’t it time the local authority looked at how many traffic lights are along the stretch of the A6 through Hazel Grove and how they do not follow sequence to allow traffic flow!! E.g. Why is there congestion in the middle of the day along Torkington Road when the A6 is empty! Why wasn’t the tram linked to Hazel Grove along the new stretch of road under construction to give an alternative option of transport to the public?? Shouldn’t we see what impact the bypass has on our roads once it is opened before we build more roads which accumulates even more traffic and desecrates wildlife in its path! Wake up Stockport and get rid of some traffic lights, readjust the remaining ones and traffic will flow through Hazel Grove as it does at either side of it!! Stop playing political games … we are not fooled!
V. good point about the no. of traffic lights and lack of co-ordination. Im sure we would win the prize UK wide for the highest no. of lights in a half mile stretch.
The A6 through H/G is bad. However i have to say it was much worse in the sixties with all the quarry wagons. Can any one tell me why the traffic on the A6 is relatively quiet on Wednesdays. I have observed this over the years and am baffled.
Tom G
The planning system legally makes sure that development is always preferred over not doing anything.
When I talk to the people that look after the lights they put a lot of effort into getting them to work together as much as they can but as you say there are simply too many on too narrow a road. The only solution I can see is the new road and bypass for Hazel Grove.
That’s only one solution. Review crossing places and I’m sure at least 2 sets of lights could be removed as some are so close together as new ones have been introduced… i.e. Between Sainsbury’s and Asda . Still no reasoning as to why the tram wasn’t included from the airport to Hazel Grove??? More trains or carriages??? Why does everyone assume traffic through Hazel Grove would use the proposed by pass???? Are we going to desicrate even more beautiful green areas / wildlife for even more traffic which will bring pollution closer to homes and schools as opposed to shops and empty units!! Keep an open mind and review all options once the current road works are completed stop putting all your eggs in one basket!
I very much have an open mind – especially as technology is changing quickly. Things might look quite different in five years time – any decision will be based on the latest evidence as studies progress.
Stockport Lib Dems have been fighting for trams for our area for years but we can’t just do it – there is an enormous cost associated with it and it is a greater manchester decision not just a stockport decision. Trams are still very much part of our plans if we can get the money.
I think it is pretty much self evident that if there was a free flowing bypass around Hazel Grove from close to Simpsons Corner in the South rejoining the A6 at Sainsbury then most through traffic would use it rather than sit in traffic through the middle. At about 2 miles around and at 40 mph it would take just three minutes to drive round rather than what can often be half an hour when busy now.
As for more carriages on trains, the the railways are operated by franchises. When there is consistent demand sufficient to pay for it then I am pretty sure they will add extra carriages. To do that we have to shift people onto more public transport generally and to do that we need to solve the last mile problem – it needs to go where people need to go.
And pollution close to homes
and schools for the sake of 3 minutes and destruction of green spaces and wildlife ?
The green space is the primary argument against – which is why I would argue that we very much need the joined up transport (trains, trams, buses, electric vehicles, cycles) all being planned to work together as efficiently as possible to ensure we build the right roads and not just any and all roads.
Sorry, i meant say as well; three minutes of flowing traffic causes far far less pollution than 30 minutes of stop start traffic.
Longer term electric vehicles will substantially reduce vehicle pollution across the board. The new road is ten years away from being built if things went smoothly and there will be more incentives to get electric vehicles, especially for long distance and the most polluting vehicles like trucks and buses.
We have to look at the long term when planning our transport infrastructure and in 30 years time our vehicles will be far cleaner.