Call to report danger driving blackspots

Residents have been urged to report dangerous driving to the council's highways department in a bid to identify the borough’s blackspots.

The call came from councillors at a Littleborough and Wardle Community meeting after a string of complaints about ‘frightening’ incidents on the roads.

Council officers cannot track down reckless drivers, but reports can help to build up a picture of the areas where speed cameras and other traffic calming measures would be most effective.

Danger zones in the area are said to include Halifax Road and the stretch between New Road and the lights at Smithy Bridge Road.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said she had been left too afraid to get behind the wheel.

She said: “They are not stopping at red lights and they are coming from all directions. 

“I won’t drive any more, it’s frightening. Innocent people are getting caught up and having to put their brakes on. 

She added: “It’s not just speeding, it’s dangerous driving, it’s a big concern for everyone who lives in the area, and we just feel like we’re not getting any backing.”

Ward councillors agreed the problem had to be tackled, but stressed the importance of reporting incidents.

Councillor John Taylor, a retired Greater Manchester Police chief inspector, said: “The more incidents that are reported, the more action we will ask to be taken. 

“Even if you don’t get the registration, you can report it to the highways department at Rochdale Council.

“They will record it on a database and when there are accidents or complaints they can say: ‘yes, we’ve had X number of complaints about that road, we need to do something about it’ the more that’s reported and recorded, the more likely it is we will get something done.”

And Councillor Janet Emsley told the meeting that the more evidence there is of a problem in a certain area, the more likely it is action will be taken.

Councillor Emsley added: “If you have have a lot of complaints about one particular stretch of road, that’s where we would as councillors target putting measures in there, if there have been several reports.

“I don’t want to sound condescending, but when somebody complains about someone speeding down a cul-de-sac it’s not quite the same as people speeding on Halifax Road.

“We target places where we have the most complaints, because we have to do that, and if we do get a lot of complaints, there’s usually some grounds for it. It’s not just someone who got a bit grumpy that somebody went a bit fast down their street last night. It has to be a bit more meaty than that.”

Further advice was issued after the meeting by Mark Widdup, the council’s director of neighbourhoods.

He said: “Whilst it is for Greater Manchester Police to enforce driving offences, residents are always welcome to raise concerns with us about speeding and dangerous driving, and in areas where we receive a high number of reports we will explore funding options for speed surveys.

“All reports are logged and for many years we have been using township funds to commission speed surveys.”

The council’s highways department can be contacted via highways@rochdale.gov.uk or by calling 0300 303 8879.

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporter