Bury: Walmersley Road residents air concerns over red route

Walmersley Road in Bury has been made a "red route" in efforts to keep traffic moving and stop "illegal and inconsiderate parking".

Automatic number plate recognition cameras form part of the scheme, which will see offending drivers fined for parking anywhere along the designated area.

But after seeing red lines appearing outside their properties, residents have said they did not know about the red route and have had very little correspondence from the council.

Walmersley Road residents say they have been told to drop off and pick up on side roads and back streets, leading to more traffic congestion.

Locals also accept there is a traffic congestion problem at the bottom of Walmersley Road, which is near a number of businesses, but say any solution should not affect residents in the area.

Read more: Prestwich residents set up 'action group' amid plans for 10-bed HMO

A number of residents have formed a campaign group called "No Red Route" to tackle the problem and say they will demand a meeting with the council.

Resident Billy Hindle said: “Residents feel discriminated and targeted against, a red route is not the solution.

“Any solution to the traffic issues should not impact on the daily lives of any residents.”

Another resident Nasser Afzal said: “The residents most affected by the proposed red route scheme are clearly against it. The recent consultation process and its report supports this.

“There are other alternative traffic measures that can be implemented, and these have been ignored by the council and councillors.”

Residents objecting the red route on Walmersley Road in Bury (Image: Supplied)

Property owners also worry that the value of their properties will also drop as a result of the restriction.

But in a consultation feedback form, the council said there was no evidence to suggest this would happen.

Read more: Bury man arrested after police crackdown on off-road vehicles

The proposal form said: “The responses received to the consultation exercise indicate that residents/businesses are concerned that if the scheme goes ahead then their lives will be affected in some way, either by accessing their properties easily as at present, with businesses having reduced footfall and thus having financial implications, who are only just getting back to some kind of normality following the impact of Covid-19.

“The response rate was reasonable at 25 per cent, which concluded that majority of the returned consultation forms we received are against the proposals.”

The proposal form also revealed that the costs of implementing the red route would be anything from £50 to £100,000.

Therefore, for the scheme to be financially viable, there would need to be approximately 3,000 penalty charge notices issued to recover this cost.

The form said: “The proposals are clearly controversial, but there is an existing problem in the evenings with customers accessing the takeaways along Walmersley Road from Badger Street to Peel Way.”

The recommendations included parking bays to be placed outside shops to allow customers to legally park, and these would be operational outside of peak times to minimise the impact of queuing traffic at the Peel Way junction.

Loading bays should be implemented to accommodate businesses on Walmersley Road, Fox Street and Badger Street and parking bays to be put in around the area of Fox Street and Badger Street.

Read more: Volunteer of 61 years 'flabbergasted' to get MBE

In response to the concerns, a council spokesperson said: “Traffic, congestion and illegal parking at the bottom of Walmersley Road has been a long-running problem and attracted many complaints.

“Despite the presence of double yellow lines, and the installation of fencing, the problems have persisted.

“The red route will ease congestion, tackle illegal and inconsiderate parking, and allow for better management of parking and loading.

“It should also mean journey times are reduced and a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists.

“The scheme, when proposed in 2023, was endorsed by the emergency services.

“The proposals were consulted on widely, both formally and informally. They were advertised in the Bury Times, leaflets were posted to residents, and notices and drawings were posted on site, all of which invited comments and objections.

“The proposals attracted four formal objections. The two main objections asked that an additional loading bay should be created on the west side of Walmersley Road.

"However, this would narrow the road and create a pinch point, which would increase congestion, could be dangerous, and would not be supported by the police.

“Blue badge holders are permitted to drop off and pick up within the limits of the red route, as they were when the area was covered by double yellow lines.

“To help local businesses, additional limited waiting bays are being installed on side streets either side of Walmersley Road, on Fox Street and Badger Street. These bays will provide a much safer location for dropping off and picking up.”